Ascender

Returning to the setting of their popular sf comic book Descender, Lemire and Nguyen launch a new series set 10 years later, in the wake of the destruction of most of the population on the nine planets of the United Galactic Council (UGC) by planet-sized robots called Harvesters. Robots and other advanced technology have been eradicated, with the few remaining such devices hunted down along with surviving UGC rebels by eerie flying creatures controlled by an all-powerful sorceress known as Mother. When young Mila, who lives in seclusion on planet Sampson with her father, Andy (a major figure in Descender), finds Andy's robot pet, Bandit, it sets events in motion that turn the trio into interplanetary fugitives. Ascender largely replaces the technology-oriented sf of its predecessor with a fantasy-based landscape of magic, witches, and dragons. The familiar fantasy tropes can come off as derivative, unlike the idiosyncratic cast of Lemire's non-genre projects. But Nguyen's delicate and expressive watercolors remain hugely appealing, and Descender's many fans will be delighted to return to its universe.--Gordon Flagg Copyright 2020 Booklist