Review by Booklist Review
Have you ever felt burned out, stuck in a creative rut, and wondering how you wound up here? Ever felt like you've got so much to offer, but the world just isn't buying what you're selling? Soma invites you to experience these early-adulthood struggles alongside Maya and Juu while they also try to save the world from an alien invasion alongside one of the aliens (Soma) themselves! Drawing in a style that emphasizes character's emotions--lots of zoom-in face panels--Dalmau doesn't sacrifice any of the detailed backgrounds or explosive colors you'd expect from a sf adventure. Most likely to appeal to new adult readers or millennials who are continually exhausted with living in unprecedented times, Soma is as fun to pause and look at as it is to read. Will Maya and Soma manage to save the world? Will Juu find someone who appreciates him for who he is? Will Maya ever find creative joy again? You'll have to read to find out!
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In this boisterous alien invasion tale from Llor (Last Day) and Dalmau, a burned-out cartoonist gets unexpected inspiration when a strange creature crashes into her living room. Maya is struggling to meet her deadlines on a sci-fi comic (while also texting her anxious best friend Juu through an awkward first date), when a one-eyed alien that looks like a brain with tentacles careens through her window. His helmet cracked and his ship in disrepair, Soma explains, via mind meld achieved by placing a tentacle on Maya's temple, that he needs help. Turns out, he's trying to prevent a full-scale invasion of Earth by his species. Within seconds, Maya and Juu's town is under attack, turning Juu's date into a battle for survival and putting Maya's comics on hold while she and Soma work together to save humanity. Dalmau's fizzy manga-influenced art pops, with savvy worldbuilding that makes environments and props feel like characters themselves (e.g., the overflowing ashtray on Maya's desk, whose lingering smoke looks like a jagged word balloon). However, the actual characters, particularly Juu, feel underdeveloped, and the shift in genre from slice-of-life to sci-fi action is abrupt. Still, fans of Scott Pilgrim will dig the mash-up of mundane anxiety and apocalyptic mayhem. (Feb.)
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
