On a Sunbeam

Set against the backdrop of space, On a Sunbeam is a story about love, growing up and the power and importance of being part of a family – either a found family or blood relations – that supports you. The tale opens with Mia joining the crew of a spaceship that repairs and renovates damaged structures floating in space, before flashing back five years to her time at an elite boarding school. These two sub-plots are interconnected in some very interesting ways, mostly because of new-girl-at-school Grace, who Mia meets and befriends when both land in detention on the first day. To say much more than that would spoil this inventive and wonderfully told tale. The art illustrating this story is beautiful, at times surreal and whimsical – those floating buildings, spaceships that look like fish, and no male characters, for example – but the emotions and actions of the characters are clear and compelling. While the story would be still be great told as a prose novel, the accompanying artwork adds so much to the reader's emotional attachment to the story and characters – the hallmark of a great graphic novel or comic. And On a Sunbeam is, in my opinion, truly great.

I had read some of OAS in its original webcomic form, as well as one of Walden's other works (The End of Summer). I find t hard to focus on webcomics, so when it was announced that this would be released in print, I knew I had to buy it. I just finished it today. It's bittersweet- it is an absolutely unique book. Nothing I've read or watched feels quite the same. Fans of Firefly or Cowboy Bebon will appreciate the science fiction "found family in space" thing this book has going on. Miyazaki fans will love the art- it's beautiful and dynamic, almost like a combination of Miyazaki's animated movies and Bill Waterson's scifi landscapes from Calvin and Hobbes. The cast is diverse and unique, and each is engaging in their own way. The story develops very well- little bits of information revealed early on come around to be vitally important by the end, yet the conclusion is nothing I would have seen coming. The story is well-suited to the graphic nove format, and the quality of the book itself is very high. I know this will be one of the best books I've read all year. The only thing that is upsetting is that I know I'll probably never read anything quite like this again.

There's something about Tillie Walden's work that is just absolutely enthralling, from the stunning art to the brilliant storylines. On a Sunbeam is no exception to this. I thought this graphic novel was incredible from start to finish. The art style is so beautiful and the story it accompanies was immensely intriguing. The story switches in between two different moments in time, 5 years apart, the threads of the past slowly weaving in with the future as the book goes on. I loved the rag-tag team of characters and loved the nb and wlw representation included in this story. I loved all their adventures through the stunning background of space! There's something quiet and deeply profound about this story that I found to be breathtaking. I read it quite slowly only because I was sad that it would have to be over at some point. I loved it so much and would recommend it to anyone looking for a good story. Especially if you love graphic novels, this is the medium at its finest.

Gift for my 20yo daughter, who loves it

This book was captivating! Loved reading it and looking at the beautiful illustrations! The plot line is slightly confusing at first but if you stick with it everything makes sense in the end. Will be reading this graphic novel over and over!

Holding this book with its creamy cover was a dream. Reading it? Even better! This book is fairly beefy, coming in at—omg—544 pages. I read it in ONE DAY. I couldn't get enough of the multiple-timelines in space with queer characters and queer romance. It was a cosmic delight. Beautiful artwork, and storylines I wished I had read as a young adult.

This comic began as a webcomic that was so large the pages took forever to load and I never had the patience to get to the end. Now it has arrived in paper form and it is otherworldly and beautiful! It's a dream like exploration of planets long abandoned and now being restored by a team of interesting people one of whom is nonbinary. It explores longing and nostalgia from a teenagers perspective, queer relationships and building friendships when you feel all alone. It's amazing and beautiful and definitely worth the money! 10/10 would recommend.

Some books leave lasting emotional and visual impressions. “On a Sunbeam” is one of those books. It goes without saying that the aesthetics of the graphics is absolutely stunning. Apart from the visual aspects of the story, the dialogues and the relationships between the characters are beautifully crafted. Char, Alma, Jules, Ell, Mia, Grace, etc. all have distinct personalities, and the fierce bond between them? It warmed my heart, and I felt so much love everywhere. Thank you, Tillie, for releasing this amazing work for everyone to enjoy. It is truly ambrosia for the souls.

Regalo

Lo sto leggendo in inglese per non perdermi nella traduzione nessun dettaglio di questa storia meravigliosa. Ovviamente scorre che una meraviglia, quindi consiglio fortemente di optare per la lingua originale. La Walden è una vera artista, recupererò tutti gli altri suoi lavori.

I gave this five stars for the content of the book, which is very good and has a lot of interesting narratives about things like found family. However, at the moment I don't recommend the Kindle version of this book: at least in the iOS client it's extremely buggy and tends to skip around pages and have half the screen randomly turn white. I'm not honestly sure if it's this particular book or the Kindle app itself (I suspect the latter).

Essa história vai aquecer seu coração em dias difíceis. O traço e o jeito que Tillie Walden usa as cores é impressionante e tem uma capacidade de transmitir emoções única. Tudo é muito autêntico, desde as expressões nos rostos dos personagens, o jeito que eles falam, como se relacionam entre si e com o mundo ao redor. E que mundo interessante! Eu amo o fato desse livro ter uma sólida representatividade LGBTQI, com muito destaque para o "L" e para o "I". Quão melhor seria se uma adolescente lésbica pudesse ter apenas os problemas inerentes à adolescência. Melhor livro do ano até agora. Leiam!!

This has been on my TBR for a while, and I'm so glad I finally got around to reading it. It's definitely a favourite of mine.