On a Sunbeam

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On A Sunbeam
Author(s)Tillie Walden
Websitehttps://www.onasunbeam.com/
Current status/schedulefinished
Launch dateFall 2016[1]
End dateSpring 2017[1]
Genre(s)Science fiction

On a Sunbeam is a science fiction webcomic,[2] by American cartoonist Tillie Walden. It was later released as a graphic novel.[1] It was nominated for the 2017 Eisner Award for Best Digital Comic[3] and the graphic novel won the 2018 Los Angeles Times Book Prize.[4]

Plot[]

Set in space, the story revolves around a crew in charge of rebuilding structures, which allows them to acknowledge the past, while Mia, the newest member, gets to know her team, and opens up about her reasoning for joining their ship - to find the love she lost.[5][6][7]

Characters[]

  • Mia - Story's protagonist. She joins a group of maintenance workers in outer space aboard a fish spaceship named the Atkis, reflecting on what brought her there, including a past relationship in boarding school with another girl named Grace.[8][9][10] She has two mothers, like most characters in this webcomic.[11]
  • Elliot ("Ell") - The mechanic aboard the Atkis, who is non-binary.[10] Jo is later criticized for using the wrong pronouns for them.[12][11] They communicate non-verbally with the crew.[13][11]
  • Jo - A temporary supervisor of the Atkis crew, who uses the wrong pronouns for Ell in one part of the comic.[12][11]
  • Alma and Char - Two female, and married, crew members on the Atkis. Char is the captain.[13]
  • Julia ("Jules") - A crew member on the Atkis who is, like Ell, about the same age as Mia. Alma's niece.[13]
  • Grace - Mia's girlfriend at boarding school.[10][14]

Books[]

The webcomic was adapted into a graphic novel[2] that was released in October 2018 by First Second Books,[15] with the UK edition published by Avery Hill Publishing.[16]

Reception[]

Reviews for the webcomic were positive. Andrew Liptak of The Verge said that the comic is fantastic and "has a ton of potential."[17] Rowan Hisayo Buchanan of The Atlantic noted that the resistance to viewing profit as an "ultimate goal" goes beyond the story itself to the way it was made, with the whole comic still "online even after the book deal," meaning it is "simultaneously free and available for purchase."[10]

When the comic was published in a graphic novel format, reviews were just as positive. Reviewers for New York Public Library and CBR praised the colorful illustration, mixing of science fiction and fantasy genres, and queer characters, especially the queer romance between Mia and Grace.[8][9][18] Andrea Crow of Lambda Literary and Zora Gilbert of Women Write About Comics further called the story captivating and beautiful, praising the illustrations[12][11] However, Crow specifically pointing to the focus on environmentalism and engagement with genderqueer identities, while Gilbert said the comic refuses to acknowledge the existence of masculinity, while crititicizing the comic for "homogeneity in body type." Others, like Stephanie Burt of The New Yorker, Caitlin Rosberg of The A.V. Club, Josh Kramer of The Comics Journal, praised the comic for being an optimistic, "queer coming-of-age story," world-building, imaginative setting, and storytelling.[19][14][1] On the other hand, Lee Mandelo of Tor.com called the comic unremarkably queer, tender, and heartwarming, while Rowan Hisayo Buchanan of 'The Atlantic described it as a "science-fiction universe of queer love, crumbling ruins, and magical forests."[13][10] At the same time, NPR praised the comic for its "interwoven timelines and stunning art" and Publishers Weekly called it a "sprawling, wonderfully original space jaunt" and a mix of sci-fi mixed with adventure, road trip, and school drama. [7][6]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d Kramer, Josh (October 10, 2018). "On A Sunbeam [Review]". The Comics Journal. Archived from the original on January 11, 2021. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  2. ^ a b "The Next Frontier: Tillie Walden's Webcomic On a Sunbeam Will Be Adapted to a Graphic Novel". Bookish. October 2, 2017. Archived from the original on April 21, 2019.
  3. ^ Schedeen, Jesse (May 2, 2017). "THE 2017 EISNER AWARD NOMINEES REVEALED". IGN. Archived from the original on December 24, 2019.
  4. ^ MacDonald, Heidi (April 17, 2019). "Awards Watch: Pulitzers, Doug Wright Awards, Studio Prize winners, The Reuben, LA Times Book Prize". ComicsBeat. Archived from the original on January 21, 2021.
  5. ^ Walden, Tillie (October 4, 2018). On A Sunbeam. Avery Hill Publishing Limited. ISBN 9781910395370.
  6. ^ a b "On a Sunbeam [Review]". Publishers Weekly. September 17, 2018. Archived from the original on January 11, 2021. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  7. ^ a b "'On a Sunbeam' by Tillie Walden [Review]". NPR. Archived from the original on January 11, 2021. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  8. ^ a b Shapiro, J. (July 19, 2019). "Five Comics (and One YA Novel) Featuring Trans and Gender Non-Conforming Characters". NYPL. Archived from the original on November 20, 2020. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  9. ^ a b Chappell, Caitlin (June 5, 2020). "The Best All Ages Comics for Pride, from Lumberjanes to The Backstagers". CBR. Archived from the original on October 23, 2020. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  10. ^ a b c d e Buchanan, Rowan Hisayo (September 28, 2018). "An Intergalactic Tale Populated by Women". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on January 12, 2021. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  11. ^ a b c d e Gilbert, Zora (March 21, 2019). "On a Sunbeam is Beautiful, Kind, and Not About Men". Women Write About Comics. Archived from the original on January 11, 2021. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  12. ^ a b c Crow, Andrea (September 22, 2018). "'On a Sunbeam' by Tillie Walden [Review]". Lambda Literary. Archived from the original on January 15, 2021. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  13. ^ a b c d Mandelo, Lee (March 21, 2019). "Growing Older, Growing Wiser: On a Sunbeam by Tillie Walden". Tor.com. Archived from the original on January 11, 2021. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  14. ^ a b Rosberg, Caitlin (October 9, 2018). "On A Sunbeam delivers one of the best love stories this year—comics or otherwise". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on January 11, 2021. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  15. ^ "Kirkus Review: On a Sunbeam". Kirkus Reviews. August 20, 2018. Archived from the original on January 11, 2021. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
  16. ^ "Behold! Summer's Quietus Comics Round Up Column". The Quietus. June 1, 2019. Archived from the original on March 25, 2021. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
  17. ^ Liptak, Andrew (October 21, 2016). "On a Sunbeam is a must-read comic about boarding schools in space". The Verge. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  18. ^ Chappell, Caitlin (June 15, 2020). "Science Fiction Is the Ultimate Queer Space in Comics". CBR. Archived from the original on June 17, 2020. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  19. ^ Burt, Stephanie (November 7, 2020). ""On a Sunbeam," the Sci-Fi Comic That Reimagines Utopia". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on November 7, 2020. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
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