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Mobilis
"Juni Ba’s MOBILIS makes the story of Captain Nemo new again, revealing greater depths at every turn. Beautifully expressive artwork carries us through a tale told with charm, intellect, and real emotion. I loved it!” - Peter Ramsey, director of INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE
"Bursting with humor, heart, and imagination - a visually rich and urgent reimagining of the classic." - Riz Ahmed, Oscar-Winning Producer/Actor/Rapper
"A book whose art and prose are at once childlike and ominous. What a terrific, funny — and timely — read!” - Patton Oswalt, Actor/Comedian/Writer
"Gorgeous, epic and profoundly poetic. Juni Ba's MOBILIS is a rare very special jewel of art and storytelling. A legendary work that is at once modern and timeless. Behold its mighty might!" - Jorge R. Gutierrez, Emmy and Annie award winning animator, painter, voice actor, writer, and director
"Like the rising seas, MOBILIS is heavy with mystery and unexpected life. Juni Ba is a master of tone and craft, moving effortlessly between giant monsters and heart wrenching regret in this journey to find hope in a drowned world." - Cliff Chiang, artist of PAPER GIRLS, LONELY CITY
From Ringo Award nominated, superstar creator Juni Ba (Djeliya) comes an undersea adventure that explores the classic story of 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea through the eyes of an orphaned child.
It has been centuries since the oceans rose and swallowed up all the nations of men. Now only beasts and unseen horrors lurk below the waves, kept in check by one Captain Nemo, in his legendary ship the Nautilus. Until one day, young Arona comes onboard his ship, a stowaway from times long past, giving Nemo his first crew member in years.
But as he raises the young orphan in his image, she begins to have questions that ask Nemo to dredge up the what has become of the world? Can it be saved? And was it all worth it?
"Bursting with humor, heart, and imagination - a visually rich and urgent reimagining of the classic." - Riz Ahmed, Oscar-Winning Producer/Actor/Rapper
"A book whose art and prose are at once childlike and ominous. What a terrific, funny — and timely — read!” - Patton Oswalt, Actor/Comedian/Writer
"Gorgeous, epic and profoundly poetic. Juni Ba's MOBILIS is a rare very special jewel of art and storytelling. A legendary work that is at once modern and timeless. Behold its mighty might!" - Jorge R. Gutierrez, Emmy and Annie award winning animator, painter, voice actor, writer, and director
"Like the rising seas, MOBILIS is heavy with mystery and unexpected life. Juni Ba is a master of tone and craft, moving effortlessly between giant monsters and heart wrenching regret in this journey to find hope in a drowned world." - Cliff Chiang, artist of PAPER GIRLS, LONELY CITY
From Ringo Award nominated, superstar creator Juni Ba (Djeliya) comes an undersea adventure that explores the classic story of 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea through the eyes of an orphaned child.
It has been centuries since the oceans rose and swallowed up all the nations of men. Now only beasts and unseen horrors lurk below the waves, kept in check by one Captain Nemo, in his legendary ship the Nautilus. Until one day, young Arona comes onboard his ship, a stowaway from times long past, giving Nemo his first crew member in years.
But as he raises the young orphan in his image, she begins to have questions that ask Nemo to dredge up the what has become of the world? Can it be saved? And was it all worth it?
160 pages, Hardcover
Published October 11, 2023
5 people are currently reading
111 people want to read
About the author
Juni Ba
76 books54 followersJuni is an illustrator and writer hailing from Senegal and France. His current works include the Kayin and Abeni mini series and the Monkey Meat stories both published by Kugali. He’s also a cover artist with works for Skybound and IDW. His artistic fuel is mostly based on orange juice.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
December 24, 2025
The art is beautiful, even the frighting mermaid creatures look wonderful. You can spend a lot of time just enjoying the artwork, the giant full page spreads and the little details all over. The story itself is just ok, humans destroy earth and a young traveler tries to help. It’s a nice looking book but the story itself feels a bit boring.
March 10, 2025
C'est bien la première fois que quelque chose me donne envie de lire un Jules Verne (ça veut pas dire que je vais le faire)
April 3, 2025
Un voyage dans la nature humaine, crépusculaire, désenchanté mais plein d'espoir. Sublime
October 13, 2023
A big, beautiful book about a young girl who becomes a young woman, learning from Captain Nemo in a sunken world somewhere far into the future.
The visuals are the usual Juni Ba spectacular, and the action sequences are more comprehensible than in, for instance, Monkey Meat (fun though that is).
More importantly, it's not all action anyway, and there are deep, still panoramas that benefit from the large page size.
In summation, what a delight.
The visuals are the usual Juni Ba spectacular, and the action sequences are more comprehensible than in, for instance, Monkey Meat (fun though that is).
More importantly, it's not all action anyway, and there are deep, still panoramas that benefit from the large page size.
In summation, what a delight.
March 8, 2024
Mobilis starts off with a quick backstory that the world is now overtaken by monsters and from what the reader can see, is now under the ocean.
We meet a little girl who wakes up in the submarine to a robot speaking Spanish to her. I love how the book acknowledges her native language but then also puts in a “for the sake of convenience, dialogues will now appear in English.” We quickly find out that the Captain did not want to save this little girl but the robot, Conseil, convinced him too but asks to keep her away from him. Her name is Arona
Weeks go by and Arona has acclimated to her new life on the ship Conseil as her only company. She accidentally enters Captain Nemo’s quarters where they finally meet and her witty personality catches his attention. He takes an interest in her and becomes her teacher to educate her on everything about The Nautilus and the sea.
Most of the story follows their growth together and we see years go by. Captain Nemo has his demons, and is struggling with a past that he is not proud of sharing. He often sees ghosts of his past haunting him and we can only assume something terrible happened to his former crew.
Arona is now 18 and they encounter underwater beings that resemble mermaids and learn they are highly intelligent, and notice they behave like an underwater community. Captain Nemo wants Anora to kill one but Anora can see that the creature is more than a monster and decides not to kill her.
Captain Nemo has been telling Anora that he is training her to help restore the world and save it but Anora soon learns the truth that she had been in a deep cryo sleep for 379 years and the world cannot be saved. Anora is shocked that the world and humanity has been gone this whole time and he had been lying to them the whole time. They have a big fight and Anora makes it clear they want off the ship, but there is nowhere to go. Nemo is distraught, guilt stricken, and decides that tonight is the night to end “the game” with the monster he has been chasing.
Anora wakes to Conseil telling them that Captain Nemo is gone forever and Anora finds his journal and suit laid out on his bed for her. Reading the journal, Anora finds out everything that has happened since she woke up to the death of Captain Nemo.
Through her grief and finding out the truth, the book ends with Anora setting a course back to the underwater colony of the mermaid looking creatures. She announced to them “Hello All! I’m afraid we started off on the wrong foot! I’ve come to mend fences, and I’m bearing gifts! Allow me to introduce myself…I am Captain Nemo, welcome aboard The Nautilus.”
We meet a little girl who wakes up in the submarine to a robot speaking Spanish to her. I love how the book acknowledges her native language but then also puts in a “for the sake of convenience, dialogues will now appear in English.” We quickly find out that the Captain did not want to save this little girl but the robot, Conseil, convinced him too but asks to keep her away from him. Her name is Arona
Weeks go by and Arona has acclimated to her new life on the ship Conseil as her only company. She accidentally enters Captain Nemo’s quarters where they finally meet and her witty personality catches his attention. He takes an interest in her and becomes her teacher to educate her on everything about The Nautilus and the sea.
Most of the story follows their growth together and we see years go by. Captain Nemo has his demons, and is struggling with a past that he is not proud of sharing. He often sees ghosts of his past haunting him and we can only assume something terrible happened to his former crew.
Arona is now 18 and they encounter underwater beings that resemble mermaids and learn they are highly intelligent, and notice they behave like an underwater community. Captain Nemo wants Anora to kill one but Anora can see that the creature is more than a monster and decides not to kill her.
Captain Nemo has been telling Anora that he is training her to help restore the world and save it but Anora soon learns the truth that she had been in a deep cryo sleep for 379 years and the world cannot be saved. Anora is shocked that the world and humanity has been gone this whole time and he had been lying to them the whole time. They have a big fight and Anora makes it clear they want off the ship, but there is nowhere to go. Nemo is distraught, guilt stricken, and decides that tonight is the night to end “the game” with the monster he has been chasing.
Anora wakes to Conseil telling them that Captain Nemo is gone forever and Anora finds his journal and suit laid out on his bed for her. Reading the journal, Anora finds out everything that has happened since she woke up to the death of Captain Nemo.
Through her grief and finding out the truth, the book ends with Anora setting a course back to the underwater colony of the mermaid looking creatures. She announced to them “Hello All! I’m afraid we started off on the wrong foot! I’ve come to mend fences, and I’m bearing gifts! Allow me to introduce myself…I am Captain Nemo, welcome aboard The Nautilus.”
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 1, 2024
3.5*
An attempt to exorcise our anxieties about the future - particularly the climate - which is well done but basically predictable.
On the other hand, the Nemo/Arona relationship is very well constructed, and with very few words to boot. And the drawings and colours are really beautiful.
This book has been published as a "litterature jeunesse" - read "teenager"- in France, and that's far from stupid to gear it towards a certain type of market, and also given the graphic style, but it's clearly a book for all ages that anyone can enjoy without reservation.
An attempt to exorcise our anxieties about the future - particularly the climate - which is well done but basically predictable.
On the other hand, the Nemo/Arona relationship is very well constructed, and with very few words to boot. And the drawings and colours are really beautiful.
This book has been published as a "litterature jeunesse" - read "teenager"- in France, and that's far from stupid to gear it towards a certain type of market, and also given the graphic style, but it's clearly a book for all ages that anyone can enjoy without reservation.
December 11, 2024
Gorgeous art. I really enjoyed this story even though I was a bit lost about the motives of Nemo. Ba does such a great job of creating these curmudgeon-y characters that you grow to love. That's his specialty!
October 7, 2024
4,5/5 j’ai adoré !
October 25, 2024
Beautiful art and a great story! My 6th grader actually read my copy before I even had chance to, he was so taken in by the cover art! If you like post apocalyptic stories but are tired of them always being dark and depressing, you should read Mobilis.
March 9, 2025
Gorgeous artwork. A stylized masterpiece. I’d never encountered Juni Ba’s work before but I’ll definitely be on the lookout for other works.
I like this iteration of the Nautilus’s style based of off whales. While I’m still not sure exactly what Nemo’s nemisis actually ‘was’, the stories conclusion is satisfying and leaves one with hope.
Hope that our new young Nemo and Robbie the Robot Conseil will fare better in this strange new world.
I like this iteration of the Nautilus’s style based of off whales. While I’m still not sure exactly what Nemo’s nemisis actually ‘was’, the stories conclusion is satisfying and leaves one with hope.
Hope that our new young Nemo and Robbie the Robot Conseil will fare better in this strange new world.
May 19, 2025
Une bd plutôt réussie, j'ai beaucoup aimé l'univers graphique ! Comme dans la plupart des bd one shot Je trouve toujours ça court pour s'attacher aux personnages mais j'ai trouvé l'histoire intéressante et la question de fond très pertinente
December 28, 2023
This is the medium of comics used to create narrative perfection and packaged so beautifully you will want to make it a family heirloom.
February 21, 2024
arc review
April 25, 2024
Stunning artwork. Predictable story.
May 9, 2024
A vivid, treasure-sized, and interesting take on a classic character, MOBILIS is a treat on every page.
August 24, 2024
BEAUTIFUL ART!!!!! A nice read with quite a lot of story. Just very nice. It was quite a quick read but it felt like a whole adventure.
October 30, 2024
Une figure paternelle morally grey et grincheuse, une enfant colérique et rêveuse tout ça dans un univers aquatique post apocalyptique… le rêve !
November 6, 2024
Sumptuous.
March 1, 2025
Juni Ba is doing some of the best art in all of comics!
December 13, 2024
Rounded up from 4.5 stars. An endearing story with wonderful artwork.
April 2, 2024
***SPOILER DETAIL SUMMARY*
Mobilis starts off with a quick backstory that the world is now overtaken by monsters and from what the reader can see, is now under the ocean.
We meet a little girl who wakes up in the submarine to a robot speaking Spanish to her. I love how the book acknowledges her native language but then also puts in a “for the sake of convenience, dialogues will now appear in English.” We quickly find out that the Captain did not want to save this little girl but the robot, Conseil, convinced him too but asks to keep her away from him. Her name is Arona
Weeks go by and Arona has acclimated to her new life on the ship Conseil as her only company. She accidentally enters Captain Nemo’s quarters where they finally meet and her witty personality catches his attention. He takes an interest in her and becomes her teacher to educate her on everything about The Nautilus and the sea.
Most of the story follows their growth together and we see years go by. Captain Nemo has his demons, and is struggling with a past that he is not proud of sharing. He often sees ghosts of his past haunting him and we can only assume something terrible happened to his former crew.
Arona is now 18 and they encounter underwater beings that resemble mermaids and learn they are highly intelligent, and notice they behave like an underwater community. Captain Nemo wants Anora to kill one but Anora can see that the creature is more than a monster and decides not to kill her.
Captain Nemo has been telling Anora that he is training her to help restore the world and save it but Anora soon learns the truth that she had been in a deep cryo sleep for 379 years and the world cannot be saved. Anora is shocked that the world and humanity has been gone this whole time and he had been lying to them the whole time. They have a big fight and Anora makes it clear they want off the ship, but there is nowhere to go. Nemo is distraught, guilt stricken, and decides that tonight is the night to end “the game” with the monster he has been chasing.
Anora wakes to Conseil telling them that Captain Nemo is gone forever and Anora finds his journal and suit laid out on his bed for her. Reading the journal, Anora finds out everything that has happened since she woke up to the death of Captain Nemo.
Through her grief and finding out the truth, the book ends with Anora setting a course back to the underwater colony of the mermaid looking creatures. She announced to them “Hello All! I’m afraid we started off on the wrong foot! I’ve come to mend fences, and I’m bearing gifts! Allow me to introduce myself…I am Captain Nemo, welcome aboard The Nautilus.”
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 12, 2024
This was a super quick one, but very, very beautiful! The book itself is a work of art, about 13x8" big and filled to the brim with incredible illustrations and color that lends itself wonderfully to appreciating every detail of the visuals in conjunction with the story. The end of each chapter held a plot twist I didn't expect, and overall it was a heart-warming retelling of 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea with Captain Nemo and a young girl who grows up on the ship after being awoken from a rescue sort of stasis-pod.
January 21, 2024
This beautiful book deserves to be read. Juni Ba creates stunning works of art and his panel design is refreshing. This reworking of Jules Verne's Nemo is beautifully rendered and updated; the Nautilus design is amazing.
January 5, 2026
Pretty incredible. Juni Ba creates an incredibly engrossing world, and tells a fun and emotional story. The book is just really well put together, and should probably be read physically in the huge hardcover TKO put out, to truly get the scale of everything on the page.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews