GRAPHIC NOVELS

Arca

IDW. Jul. 2023. 176p. ISBN 9781684059980. pap. $16.99. SF
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Years after the Earth has become an inhospitable wasteland, humanity’s survivors search for a new home aboard a vast vessel dubbed the Arca. Society on the ship is divided into two groups. “Citizens” are the billionaire elites responsible for planning and funding the mission. They live in total luxury due to the hard work of the second group called Settlers, a workforce of children and teens who toil obediently in exchange for retiring to wealth and privilege when they turn 18. On the verge of her 18th birthday, a Settler named Effie discovers evidence that suggests the Citizens might not be totally trustworthy. The deeper she investigates, the more she suspects everything she and her friends believed about life aboard the Arca is a lie. It seems like the Citizens will do or say anything to ensure they stay in power, but if Effie can prove her suspicions, they won’t be for much longer.
VERDICT Author Jensen (Bylines in Blood) balances an exploration of truth and systemic power with propulsive action and suspense, while illustrator Lonergan’s (Planet Paradise) page design and visual storytelling result in an uncanny sense of scale, movement, and pacing.
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