Soma is a fun and beautifully illustrated graphic novel. The story follows a stressed and overwhelmed cartoonist as aliens invade. Hand this to readers who enjoy fast paced comics with unexpected events.

Summary:

Maya is just an ordinary artist - taking on too many tasks and spending far too much time indoors. Thankfully, she’s got a friend or two to help keep her connected to reality. However, that reality is about to get rocked.

What would you do if you met an alien? For most of us, that’s a fun “food for thought” kind of question. For Maya, it’s a bit more literal, as she finds herself working alongside her new alien friend to survive (and maybe even stop?) an invasion.

Review:

Soma is such a strange yet fun tale; I don’t even know where to begin. It takes one comic book artist (ironic, I know) on a grand adventure that involves aliens and saving the world. The characters, even the human ones, are completely out of this world in the best of ways.

This novel is such a fast-paced read, with events happening in the blink of an eye. While that doesn’t fit every story, it certainly fits the world of Soma. I know this isn’t for everyone, so keep that in mind.

The artwork is probably my favorite part of Soma, which is saying something. I love the colors and the way Fernando Llor represented chaos and aliens. It’s cute but also fun and strange? I don’t quite know how to describe it. You almost have to see it for yourself.

Soma is absolutely worth the read, if only for the experience and art. It’s chaotic and all over the place, but that’s by design.

Highlights:
Chaos Incarnate
Aliens & Destruction
Friendship

Alien invasion, comic book artist, and awesome cartooning throughout. What's not to love here? Soma and Maya were wonderful characters and I really appreciated the art throughout. I'm looking forward to picking this one up once released!

You may think that the alien invasion plot line is overdone, but you clearly haven’t read Soma! This was an excellent story that starts off with the main character, Maya, living her life as a struggling comic book artist along with her friend Juu, who’s preparing for his first date with someone he met online.

Circumstances change quickly when an alien comes crashing through Maya’s window and everyone is thrust into saving the world from little eyeballs in tripod mecha-suits.

The art is fantastic with an incredible choice of colors, and the characters are truly lovable.

This graphic novel is so cute! The meta-ness of this being about a graphic novel illustrator going through a creative crisis is so fun. The aliens are scary but also very cute and it teaches a wonderful lesson about letting yourself enjoy life every once in awhile!

This was an incredibly nicely drawn comic! All the panels were so beautiful on the eyes. Although the story was a bit fast-paced for my taste, I guess this is "normal" for comics and somehow belongs to their short form. Because of the pacing I couldn't really connect with the protagonist and the world-building at all. But I'd recommend this for people that enjoy well-drawn comics with a unique storyline!

Soma is not an incredibly fun read but also incredibly illustrated both in regards to colour and style. I was familiar with the original published in spanish but had not gotten the opportunity to read it so I was very glad to receive this ARC as it did not disappoint! The story is upbeat and fast with plenty of action but also so many emotions I, as a fellow artist, can appreciate. Maya's struggles with her own comics and how she keeps thinking about how she will make them better once she is done saving the world with Soma, the little alien that needs her help, are incredibly relatable. Despite all the end of the world narrative it still is a very heart warming story about humanity as well and full of fun little moments!

The add on at the end about how the comic was made were also such a nice surprise! I love getting to have a little insight into the whole process and take a peek into Carles Dalmau's creative process!

Really recommend if you are looking for a quick fun read with stunning visuals. I'm sure I will be coming back to this graphic novel just to get inspired by the artwork.

Thank you Netgalley and Oni Press for an advance copy of this title for review!

This was possibly my favorite read of the month. It follows a full-time comic artist named Maya who is going through the motions at her job and reaching an artistic block. She rarely leaves the house except to check in on her best friend Juu and his constant romantic woes. One day a strange little creature crashes through her living room window and thus begins a journey between Maya and the little intruder, Soma, who team up together to save the world from alien invasion. The perspective shots, the colors, the animated expressions and fluid motion between the panels, every part of this comic is so well illustrated and was genuinely inspiring to read. The message itself was also a sweet one by the end. I would highly recommend it to fans of choose your own adventure stories, or general fantasy fans.

My thanks to NetGalley and Oni Press for an advance copy of this charming graphic novel about a child hating cartoon artist, who wants to work on her dream project, but has to settle for drawing mundane projects, oh and help an alien stop the destruction of the Earth.

The problem with following our dreams sometimes means that we have to do a lot of things that are kind of dull to get there. Say if one wanted to be a world-famous comic artist. One might have to do a lot of jobs to get there, to build a reputation, to make the dream come true. Deal with deadlines that never stay dead, not see friends or family, sometimes for obvious reasons. Get stuck on projects that sap enthusiasm, and make that pile of cigarette butts get bigger. Even get drafted to fight in an alien war. Soma is a graphic novel by written Fernando Llor and illustrated by Carles Dalmau, about a young artist, her life, her new alien friend, and the possible end of the world.

Maya is a comic book illustrator living the dream. Maya has a lot of deadlines that are getting close, a big pile of cigarette butts and is currently working on a project that is boring to her in many ways. The story, the characters and the way things seem to be going. Everything to Maya seems blah, blah, blah. A call from her friend Juu draws her away from her art. Juu has a date with a young woman, but she is changing the plan, moving a dinner date to a lunch date and freaking him out. Maya knows she hasn't many friends, and is losing them fast with all the work she is doing. This is pointed out by her Mom whose call Maya answers and proceeds to point out everything wrong in Maya's life. Returning home Maya tries to continue, but is startled by a crash. Something has crashed through her window. Something not of this Earth. And this creature, Soma is not alone. Soma needs help from Maya. Soma's people plan to invade and destroy Earth, and only Maya can help Soma stop it.

A big fun story, told well. A bright tale with a funny lead in Maya, who is living the dream, even if the dream is kind of dull right now. Juu will remind many of the kind of guy who can't say no, actually can't say yes either for that matter. The story moves well, with a lot of humor, a lot of touching moments, and a real nice style. Unlike many graphic novels which move at a snail's pace and just seem tired, this has a wonderful feel to it, and doesn't bog down. The art is good. Very clean, clear and bright. Everything is visible, the characters are rendered well, and the art really helps make the story interesting and fun. Also the afterwords are very informative, detailing the stories creation, where ideas came from, and how things work.

A really fun story, and one that I think a lot of comic readers would enjoy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Oni Press for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

This comic was absolutely adorable and a joy to read! It follows Soma, a struggling and burned-out artist, on her journey to save the world from an alien invasion after one crashes through her window.

The story is neither overly complicated nor too serious, making it a perfect lighthearted read. The art style is vibrant and stunning, with each “chapter” featuring its own unique color palette that’s thoughtfully chosen and beautifully executed.

Soma was a fun and engaging protagonist. As a bit of a loner and introvert, she’s highly relatable (maybe a little too relatable for me, haha). I also loved her unapologetic dislike of kids—because, honestly… same.

The alien she teams up with was both adorable and hilarious. I appreciated the glimpse into his backstory, which added some emotional depth to the story. While I didn’t cry, I can see how this comic has the potential to tug at the heartstrings, depending on your sensitivity.

The only aspect I didn’t enjoy as much was the few chapters focusing on Soma’s best friend as he tries to survive the invasion. While his POV was cute and added some variety, I didn’t feel it was necessary to the overall story.

I enjoyed this. It was entertaining and fun. This was a very quick read. I also liked the art style a lot

*I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for the free comic book.*

Maya is a comic book artist whose life is turned upside down by the arrival of Soma, an extraterrestrial life form. I loved the aesthetics even though the story was a bit meh. Cute, thank you for letting me read this Netgalley!

3.5 stars

rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

my first graphic novel review!

The main thing that stood out to me is the art style. I love the use of colour and the Carles Dalmau (Illustrator) has such a fun way of portraying character emotion that the panels felt fluid and unique.

I'm a sucker for loveable characters and I can say that the best friend, Juu was my absolute favourite. He's a little dramatic but sweet and thoughtful! Juu overthinking his love life was so relatable 😂 I also like Maya as a character,she's not your typical up-beat go getter fmc. From the mid-life crises to the creative block to the inability to run for like 5 mins, i swear maya and I could be friends IRL.

Story-wise, the pacing was really quick which made the plot seem shallow. But I do think that for the amount of detail in the art and the underlying morals of the story, it did a pretty good job. At the same time though, I wish we got more of the story, more of the world, more time fleshing out vital moments, just ... more of the characters. Hence why it wasn't a perfect 5-star read for me.

Also despite the world being invaded by aliens, there was comedy sprinkled throughout the story and it was also one of my favourite things about the story.

It was an entertaining read and I'm excited to explore more stories in this genre! To more adventures! 💖

Thank you to NetGalley and Oni Press for letting me read this story in advance. All opinions are my own.

p.s i think the illustrator currently works on the Cult Of The Lamb - and I LOVE the art and the overall vibes of the game!!

I absolutely enjoyed this graphic novel.
Great characters and plot, brilliant colours and design.
Would totally recommend it!

Really fun, fast-paced graphic novel. Loved the characters, loved the art style. It's a great take on the classic alien invasion story, with a focus on artists and creators -- specifically, a graphic novelist. As a result, it feels very personal to the author.

Me encantó! Lo leí en una sentada. Los colores son súper vividos y la trama explota de acción, es un libro que compraría en físico cuando salga !

Really enjoyed this comic, think it would be nicely aimed at teens/ young adults, if it didn’t have a few swears in it would have been suitable for pre-teens too. Great graphics, likeable characters and great colours. Would recommend for sci-if lovers

3.75 Stars

A fast-paced and action packed graphic novel!

This graphic novel immediately drew me in, and I read it all in one sitting. It’s about Maya, who is a struggling comic book artist who is currently uninspired and doesn’t know what to draw.

One day, as she’s working, she hears a crash in her living room. Which turns out to be this big eyeball with tentacles. Maya tries to communicate with this eyeball and helps it get into a container that is safe for it. As she’s doing so, her city is suddenly under an alien invasion.

I really enjoyed this graphic novel, I loved the art and the colors and how fast paced it was.

Thank you to NetGalley and Oni Press for this E-arc in exchange for an honest review.

"Soma" is a graphic novel written by Fernando Llor and illustrated by Carles Dalmau. The story follows Maya, a graphic novel artist who feels stuck and burned out, with little time to do anything other than illustrating. When an alien crashes into her apartment, she must help them stop an alien invasion and the potential destruction of the Earth. I enjoyed the interactions between, Soma (the alien), and Maya as they face danger to get to the alien ship and stop the destruction. The story is dark at times, but Llor uses humor to lighten up the mood. A suggested purchase for graphic novel collections for adults/new adults.

A really inventive, playful story of a burnt-out illustrator and the friendly alien that crash lands in her apartment. The art is great, and I love the sense of humor. It gets pretty chaotic toward the end and easy to lose the thread, but still an enjoyable read overall.