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We Live #1
We Live, Vol. 1
WHERE ALL IS LOST, HOPE IS FOUND.
The year is 2084 and the world has changed. Wracked by calamities and crawling with monsters, the last remaining humans face a dangerous existence. And now, the Earth has been sent a message from the deepest reaches of space—a dark countdown to the extinction of all humanity. But there is hope! Five thousand children will be rescued by these mysterious message-senders.
This is the journey of Hototo, one of the lucky five thousand—but only if his teenage sister, Tala, can safely deliver him to the nearest Extraction Beacon before time runs out.
We Live is a world of violence and beauty, a unique tale of the apocalypse as told by Inaki Miranda (Catwoman, Batman Beyond) and Roy Miranda, that invites both dread and hope.
The year is 2084 and the world has changed. Wracked by calamities and crawling with monsters, the last remaining humans face a dangerous existence. And now, the Earth has been sent a message from the deepest reaches of space—a dark countdown to the extinction of all humanity. But there is hope! Five thousand children will be rescued by these mysterious message-senders.
This is the journey of Hototo, one of the lucky five thousand—but only if his teenage sister, Tala, can safely deliver him to the nearest Extraction Beacon before time runs out.
We Live is a world of violence and beauty, a unique tale of the apocalypse as told by Inaki Miranda (Catwoman, Batman Beyond) and Roy Miranda, that invites both dread and hope.
152 pages, Paperback
First published May 19, 2021
6 people are currently reading
215 people want to read
About the author
Inaki Miranda
242 books13 followersSpanish artist Inaki Miranda resides in Madrid, Spain, where he earned a fine arts degree in painting at Complutense University. After testing the waters of animation and videogames, he made himself a place in the comics industry illustrating titles such as Tribes: The Dog Years (Soulcraft Comics/IDW), Fables, Fairest, Coffin Hill and Catwoman for DC Entertainment.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 109 reviews
June 7, 2021
The book is set decades in the future on a ravaged Earth. Earth has suffered multiple cataclysmic events that could have ended it already. It is soon going to die. Aliens have sent devices to allow 5,000 children to leave the planet by attaching to their arms. The children and their guardians now need to make it to the extraction points through jungles full of mutated creatures.
The character designs and coloring are top notch. The art all around just pops off the page and the mutated animals look fantastic. I like that most of them have mutated in similar ways to give it all an organic feel.
There are QR codes for accompanying music throughout the book. I tried listening to it to accompany the first issue and it's pretty terrible.
The character designs and coloring are top notch. The art all around just pops off the page and the mutated animals look fantastic. I like that most of them have mutated in similar ways to give it all an organic feel.
There are QR codes for accompanying music throughout the book. I tried listening to it to accompany the first issue and it's pretty terrible.
May 15, 2021
We Live looks pretty (in a slightly confusing way), but the writing is pretty bad. That's the short version. It's a badly written manga with non-manga art.
So yes, lots of pretty pictures, with wonderful colours - the art style gives me the feeling it's directed at children, but then up pops quite a lot of gore and explicit violence, so I guess not.
The Earth is in a bad state. Humanity has fucked it up, and nature underwent the 'hostile mutation'. Lots of natural disasters. Lots of mutated fauna. And then there's a message from outer space, warning Earth there's going to be a worldending event, but these aliens will allow humanity to save 5000 children. The aliens send 5000 'rescue bracelets', which come down (randomly?) all over the globe. You find one of these rescue bracelets, give it to a kid, they slip it on their arm, and wait. Because there's a timer, at the end of which the 5000 children will be sucked into a ship or something, and they're saved. I guess everyone else dies horribly.
The book follows two kids, a girl and her younger brother, the boy has been given a rescue bracelet, and she is basically chaperoning him to a 'rescue beacon'.
A good premise doesn't need a lot of explanation, and is easy to accept. This one immediately throws up a lot of questions - are these aliens to be trusted, why only children, what kind of extinction event, how do the aliens know it's coming, why do Earth's governments apparently shrug and accept this whole thing, how safe will these 5000 children be (we know how humans are..!), etc. etc.
Eventhough the world is presented beautifully, the worldbuilding suffers from And And And Disease (a.k.a. Gerard Way Syndrome), where the sibling authors have thrown every idea they could think of in the book. So we get mutated animals AND we get semi-zombies (hello The Last of Us) AND we get mad cultists AND we get insane scientists AND we get aliens AND we get mechs.. All of them feature shortly and then we move on. None of it has any weight, nothing feels connected, nothinhg feels part of the same world. Every encounter feels like an episode of a Saturday morning cartoon, with added body horror (that actually sounds cooler than it is).
The narration and dialogue are prime examples of purple prose, and tend to be excessively saccharine. This might be the result of a bad translation, I can't be sure.
The brothers have compiled a bespoke soundtrack for the book, and while I don't like comics that try to tell me what I should be listening to (prime offender is Ales Kot), I appreciate the idea and effort behind it. This does mean that regularly QR codes show up on top of the art, linking to specific songs, and I can't say I'm a fan of how that looks on the page. (On a sidenote, I have listened to the soundtrack, and it's not for me - I don't even think it really fits the book that well.)
Towards the end of the book there is a twist, and of course I won't spoil anything, maybe I'll just say that the move towards Saturday morning cartoons is made complete.
And I rolled my eyes. A lot.
(Picked up a copy on Edelweiss)
So yes, lots of pretty pictures, with wonderful colours - the art style gives me the feeling it's directed at children, but then up pops quite a lot of gore and explicit violence, so I guess not.
The Earth is in a bad state. Humanity has fucked it up, and nature underwent the 'hostile mutation'. Lots of natural disasters. Lots of mutated fauna. And then there's a message from outer space, warning Earth there's going to be a worldending event, but these aliens will allow humanity to save 5000 children. The aliens send 5000 'rescue bracelets', which come down (randomly?) all over the globe. You find one of these rescue bracelets, give it to a kid, they slip it on their arm, and wait. Because there's a timer, at the end of which the 5000 children will be sucked into a ship or something, and they're saved. I guess everyone else dies horribly.
The book follows two kids, a girl and her younger brother, the boy has been given a rescue bracelet, and she is basically chaperoning him to a 'rescue beacon'.
A good premise doesn't need a lot of explanation, and is easy to accept. This one immediately throws up a lot of questions - are these aliens to be trusted, why only children, what kind of extinction event, how do the aliens know it's coming, why do Earth's governments apparently shrug and accept this whole thing, how safe will these 5000 children be (we know how humans are..!), etc. etc.
Eventhough the world is presented beautifully, the worldbuilding suffers from And And And Disease (a.k.a. Gerard Way Syndrome), where the sibling authors have thrown every idea they could think of in the book. So we get mutated animals AND we get semi-zombies (hello The Last of Us) AND we get mad cultists AND we get insane scientists AND we get aliens AND we get mechs.. All of them feature shortly and then we move on. None of it has any weight, nothing feels connected, nothinhg feels part of the same world. Every encounter feels like an episode of a Saturday morning cartoon, with added body horror (that actually sounds cooler than it is).
The narration and dialogue are prime examples of purple prose, and tend to be excessively saccharine. This might be the result of a bad translation, I can't be sure.
The brothers have compiled a bespoke soundtrack for the book, and while I don't like comics that try to tell me what I should be listening to (prime offender is Ales Kot), I appreciate the idea and effort behind it. This does mean that regularly QR codes show up on top of the art, linking to specific songs, and I can't say I'm a fan of how that looks on the page. (On a sidenote, I have listened to the soundtrack, and it's not for me - I don't even think it really fits the book that well.)
Towards the end of the book there is a twist, and of course I won't spoil anything, maybe I'll just say that the move towards Saturday morning cartoons is made complete.
And I rolled my eyes. A lot.
(Picked up a copy on Edelweiss)
July 17, 2021
+Digital ARC gently provided by Netgalley and publishers in exchange for an honest review+
Art & Color - 5 stars
Story - 2.8 stars (wth that ending!)
The Earth has suffered a series of wars and cataclysmic events and humanity is about to become extinct in 2084, and some aliens send the message that they will save 5000 children who will be the seed of the human race on another planet, but they must go to a point meeting at zero hour. The story tells of the dangerous journey of a girl taking her little brother there.
I think that the journey could it be stretched to many more issues, because there is so many sceneries and beasts, mutants, psychos and the lot going on that all feel rushed.
This is a story full of death and violence. Tala tries to preserve as much as possible the innocence of her little brother Hototo with tales and imagination, but is becoming more and more impossible towards the end.
I liked the characters, specially Humbo and Alice. And Simon...
From the beginning I had the idea that this bracelets was not so innocuous, but it was not what I expected.
-At the end of my copy there is sketches and alternative drawings.
-Also they had incorporated QR codes in the pages of the story to the original sountrack for this work (that is a novelty for me) . Take a look in youtube too: (in Spanish)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcZ-o...
This is the beginning for a new series. This world is very rich in ideas, but I'm not sold to where is going.
Art & Color - 5 stars
Story - 2.8 stars (wth that ending!)
The Earth has suffered a series of wars and cataclysmic events and humanity is about to become extinct in 2084, and some aliens send the message that they will save 5000 children who will be the seed of the human race on another planet, but they must go to a point meeting at zero hour. The story tells of the dangerous journey of a girl taking her little brother there.
I think that the journey could it be stretched to many more issues, because there is so many sceneries and beasts, mutants, psychos and the lot going on that all feel rushed.
This is a story full of death and violence. Tala tries to preserve as much as possible the innocence of her little brother Hototo with tales and imagination, but is becoming more and more impossible towards the end.
I liked the characters, specially Humbo and Alice. And Simon...
From the beginning I had the idea that this bracelets was not so innocuous, but it was not what I expected.
-At the end of my copy there is sketches and alternative drawings.
-Also they had incorporated QR codes in the pages of the story to the original sountrack for this work (that is a novelty for me) . Take a look in youtube too: (in Spanish)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcZ-o...
This is the beginning for a new series. This world is very rich in ideas, but I'm not sold to where is going.
June 5, 2021
2.5 stars rounded up for the great artwork. I received this graphic novel for adults from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
At first I thought this would have to be a 1-star review because the translation was so egregious, which was particularly apparent on the first few pages that explain the backstory. But then, the gorgeous (but gory and gruesome) artwork thankfully gets a chance to shine, and the story (which is pretty good) and the post-apocalyptic world (filled with cool, inventive monsters) gets to charm you.
Earth has gone through not one but several apocalyptic events, each of which would have been perfectly sufficient to wipe out all human and plant life (not sure why so many were necessary, nor what sense it makes to have a "biblical" flood cover the whole earth in water, followed by earth-quakes, followed by a sudden evolution of new monstrous animals and plants. (How was there any flora and fauna left on land, anyway? Didn't it all drown?) The book would have been much better if this entire clumsy exposition had been removed, readers could have easily gleaned all the important information from the story itself. Anyway, humanity is dying, but aliens show up and drop 5,000 rescue bracelets all over the world- supposed to be given to 5,000 children who will be saved and transported to a new world. Miraculously, nobody starts fighting over these bracelets, trying to get them for their own children, but the selected children still need to somehow travel through the wilderness to get to their pick-up points and are only allowed to bring one companion on the trip there.
The story follows two siblings and their friend, who has a large futuristic animal companion with whom he communicates via colored lights. While the kids just look normal, the animal companion, monsters, and overgrown future Earth all look spectacular, I really loved the artwork. The story is dark and melancholy: one of the siblings didn't get a bracelet and is merely taking her little brother to the rendevous point, hoping that at least he will survive. Meanwhile, she spins fairytales for him, explaining away as best she can all the dark and horrifying aspects of their world - this aspect is reminiscent of the movie Life is Beautiful. So if the thought of children caught in a nightmare world and walking to their death sounds too dark for you: here's your content warning (also: very gruesome violence). This aspect is very moving, though.
I'm not going to spoil the surprising ending, so all I'm going to say is this is worth reading if you'd like to see something that will remind you of Nausicaa - with added gore and a much faster pace (many little time jumps). But please, dear publisher: hire a professional translator! They're worth it.
At first I thought this would have to be a 1-star review because the translation was so egregious, which was particularly apparent on the first few pages that explain the backstory. But then, the gorgeous (but gory and gruesome) artwork thankfully gets a chance to shine, and the story (which is pretty good) and the post-apocalyptic world (filled with cool, inventive monsters) gets to charm you.
Earth has gone through not one but several apocalyptic events, each of which would have been perfectly sufficient to wipe out all human and plant life (not sure why so many were necessary, nor what sense it makes to have a "biblical" flood cover the whole earth in water, followed by earth-quakes, followed by a sudden evolution of new monstrous animals and plants. (How was there any flora and fauna left on land, anyway? Didn't it all drown?) The book would have been much better if this entire clumsy exposition had been removed, readers could have easily gleaned all the important information from the story itself. Anyway, humanity is dying, but aliens show up and drop 5,000 rescue bracelets all over the world- supposed to be given to 5,000 children who will be saved and transported to a new world. Miraculously, nobody starts fighting over these bracelets, trying to get them for their own children, but the selected children still need to somehow travel through the wilderness to get to their pick-up points and are only allowed to bring one companion on the trip there.
The story follows two siblings and their friend, who has a large futuristic animal companion with whom he communicates via colored lights. While the kids just look normal, the animal companion, monsters, and overgrown future Earth all look spectacular, I really loved the artwork. The story is dark and melancholy: one of the siblings didn't get a bracelet and is merely taking her little brother to the rendevous point, hoping that at least he will survive. Meanwhile, she spins fairytales for him, explaining away as best she can all the dark and horrifying aspects of their world - this aspect is reminiscent of the movie Life is Beautiful. So if the thought of children caught in a nightmare world and walking to their death sounds too dark for you: here's your content warning (also: very gruesome violence). This aspect is very moving, though.
I'm not going to spoil the surprising ending, so all I'm going to say is this is worth reading if you'd like to see something that will remind you of Nausicaa - with added gore and a much faster pace (many little time jumps). But please, dear publisher: hire a professional translator! They're worth it.
June 18, 2021
Brilliant. So far one of my top books in 2021
March 10, 2022
4.25 stars. Absolutely an amazing story. Read the singles monthly. Check those for more of my thoughts. Highly recommended book.
May 9, 2024
Уже не пригадаю чому саме я придбав комікс «Ми живемо» братів Міранда, чи то через обкладинку, чи через те, що хотів спробувати щось почитати від Aftershock Comics. Але після того, як прочитав цю історію, узагалі не шкодую, що це видання з’явилося на моїй полиці.
У 2084 році Земля опинилася на межі вимирання після незліченних катастроф та еволюції тваринного й рослинного світів, що стали панувати на ній. Тепер інопланетна раса відіслала на планету 5000 браслетів, пропонуючи шанс на порятунок дітям, які їх знайдуть. Ці браслети містять ключ для активації, що дає змогу власникові перенестися в безпечне місце в іншому світі. Серед тих, хто втягнутий у цю відчайдушну гонку на виживання, — рідні брати й сестри Тала й Готото. Їхнім завданням є дістатися до точки «вилучення», поки не стало надто пізно. Маючи лише 137 годин у запасі та складний і небезпечний шлях перед собою, вони намагатимуться встигнути дістатися до одного з таких місць.
Ця історія, як і будь-який сюжет, де діти мандрують небезпечним шляхом, не є легковажною й веселою пригодою. На кожному кроці на них чатують смертоносні мутовані істоти та вороже налаштовані люди. Їхня подорож сповнена небезпек. А в певні моменти їхнього шляху навіть емоційно перейнявся їхньою боротьбою, оскільки можливість позитивного результату з кожною сторінкою зменшується. Навіть попри те, що мені не вистачило розкриття головних героїв у цій арці, всерівно вдалося привʼязатися до головних героїв. Також кінець мені видався зім’ятим і швидким, який ще до того обривається занадто швидко.
Художня майстерність Інакі Міранда вдихає життя в цей науково-фантастичний антиутопічний світ.
Адже він приділив багато уваги різним деталям, навколишньому середовищу та персонажам. Що дало змогу створити проникливу атмосферу. Яскраві кольори Єви Де Ла Круз ще більше підсилюють враження, створюючи яскраве тло, на якому р��згортається подорож і боротьба персонажів. Уперше, гортаючи сторінки, у мене були думки, що все воно якось схоже на супергероїку. Але сюжетно узагалі таким не виглядало. Та все ж, оця підсвідома здогадка була правильною. Там дійсно є супергеройський елемент, тільки я про це вам нічого не розкажу. Бо зіпсує вам усі враження від читання цієї історії, якщо вона потрапить вам у руки.
Цікавою особливістю цього коміксу є те, що він містить QR-коди, які ведуть до музичних композицій, збагачуючи розповідь ще одним рівнем занурення. Читачі можуть слухати, занурюючись у пригоди Тали й Готото, підсилюючи атмосферу, або ж зупинитись, щоби поміркувати про пройдений шлях. Музика органічно доповнює загальне враження від цієї збірки, додаючи чудового й несподіваного виміру.
Це той комікс, якому без жодних очікувань, вдалося вразити своїми ідеєю, сюжетом, екшеном та малюнком.
У 2084 році Земля опинилася на межі вимирання після незліченних катастроф та еволюції тваринного й рослинного світів, що стали панувати на ній. Тепер інопланетна раса відіслала на планету 5000 браслетів, пропонуючи шанс на порятунок дітям, які їх знайдуть. Ці браслети містять ключ для активації, що дає змогу власникові перенестися в безпечне місце в іншому світі. Серед тих, хто втягнутий у цю відчайдушну гонку на виживання, — рідні брати й сестри Тала й Готото. Їхнім завданням є дістатися до точки «вилучення», поки не стало надто пізно. Маючи лише 137 годин у запасі та складний і небезпечний шлях перед собою, вони намагатимуться встигнути дістатися до одного з таких місць.
Ця історія, як і будь-який сюжет, де діти мандрують небезпечним шляхом, не є легковажною й веселою пригодою. На кожному кроці на них чатують смертоносні мутовані істоти та вороже налаштовані люди. Їхня подорож сповнена небезпек. А в певні моменти їхнього шляху навіть емоційно перейнявся їхньою боротьбою, оскільки можливість позитивного результату з кожною сторінкою зменшується. Навіть попри те, що мені не вистачило розкриття головних героїв у цій арці, всерівно вдалося привʼязатися до головних героїв. Також кінець мені видався зім’ятим і швидким, який ще до того обривається занадто швидко.
Художня майстерність Інакі Міранда вдихає життя в цей науково-фантастичний антиутопічний світ.
Адже він приділив багато уваги різним деталям, навколишньому середовищу та персонажам. Що дало змогу створити проникливу атмосферу. Яскраві кольори Єви Де Ла Круз ще більше підсилюють враження, створюючи яскраве тло, на якому р��згортається подорож і боротьба персонажів. Уперше, гортаючи сторінки, у мене були думки, що все воно якось схоже на супергероїку. Але сюжетно узагалі таким не виглядало. Та все ж, оця підсвідома здогадка була правильною. Там дійсно є супергеройський елемент, тільки я про це вам нічого не розкажу. Бо зіпсує вам усі враження від читання цієї історії, якщо вона потрапить вам у руки.
Цікавою особливістю цього коміксу є те, що він містить QR-коди, які ведуть до музичних композицій, збагачуючи розповідь ще одним рівнем занурення. Читачі можуть слухати, занурюючись у пригоди Тали й Готото, підсилюючи атмосферу, або ж зупинитись, щоби поміркувати про пройдений шлях. Музика органічно доповнює загальне враження від цієї збірки, додаючи чудового й несподіваного виміру.
Це той комікс, якому без жодних очікувань, вдалося вразити своїми ідеєю, сюжетом, екшеном та малюнком.
November 28, 2022
The world isn't really established that well, we don't know where all these disasters and calamities are coming from and why, the prose feels stilted and amateurish, and it does the Game of Thrones thing of killing off a bunch of seemingly major characters for shock value with no regard to how this changes the rest of the story... but it's the main cast that matters most, how well I feel for them and how close to their hearts I can get, and this has that going at least. I do want the kids to make it.
You might think the final twist to be a little bit convenient - but if you think about it, a lot of kids do feel like this, and maybe among thousands of children one of them might have figured out, and of course it's that exact kid we'd be following. Right? So it didn't bother me.
Two and a half.
You might think the final twist to be a little bit convenient - but if you think about it, a lot of kids do feel like this, and maybe among thousands of children one of them might have figured out, and of course it's that exact kid we'd be following. Right? So it didn't bother me.
Two and a half.
January 21, 2023
4.5 / 5 Stars
To my surprise, this graphic novel had a few QR codes throughout each issue. When scanned it brings you to a youtube link where it will be a beautiful individualized composition of music that creates such a beautiful, intense atmosphere while reading.
Highly recommend to listen to the QR codes when they show up while reading this series. It did bring me to tears a bunch of times, but I have been told several times that I'm a huge cry baby, too sensitive for my own good lol.
To my surprise, this graphic novel had a few QR codes throughout each issue. When scanned it brings you to a youtube link where it will be a beautiful individualized composition of music that creates such a beautiful, intense atmosphere while reading.
Highly recommend to listen to the QR codes when they show up while reading this series. It did bring me to tears a bunch of times, but I have been told several times that I'm a huge cry baby, too sensitive for my own good lol.
September 2, 2021
A adventure turned hyper violent but never giving in to the darkness that can be humanity.
In the world of the "rapture" coming and monsters roam the world, Hototo is one of the chosen ones to be given a way out of this hell hole. With Tala, Hototo, trying to get him to this place to be saved, everything in the world here is trying to stop them. Going from a fun adventure to brutal murdering is shocking but makes sense in the world they're in.
I do feel sometimes the pacing is very quick and rushes through moments. But it also keeps you from ever getting bored. The art is great too and the ending is fantastic, really making me excited to see where we go from here.
Overall, a very sold, new, interesting idea that I'm behind. A 4 out of 5.
In the world of the "rapture" coming and monsters roam the world, Hototo is one of the chosen ones to be given a way out of this hell hole. With Tala, Hototo, trying to get him to this place to be saved, everything in the world here is trying to stop them. Going from a fun adventure to brutal murdering is shocking but makes sense in the world they're in.
I do feel sometimes the pacing is very quick and rushes through moments. But it also keeps you from ever getting bored. The art is great too and the ending is fantastic, really making me excited to see where we go from here.
Overall, a very sold, new, interesting idea that I'm behind. A 4 out of 5.
September 7, 2021
A very depressing dystopian comic, more so since it has kids as its protagonists and at every turn seems to relish have bad and even more bad things happen to them. That said, the characters are well well written, this sets up an interesting universe, and the art and worldbuilding are both fantastic. Despite the (literal) death march of a plot, the book left me wanting more.
**Thanks to the artists, publisher, and NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
**Thanks to the artists, publisher, and NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
December 6, 2022
WE LIVE boasts truly impressive artwork set in a world populated by some creatively bizarre lifeforms. I thought the storyline got pretty silly toward the end, but there were plenty of thrills along the way.
June 10, 2023
The story is taking place a lot of years in the future, when a cataclysmic event is going to wipe out all of humanity. Our earth is inhabited by vicious monsters, poachers, cults and ravaged by a virus that turns humans into zombie-like creatures. However, the great forces of the universe decided that a selected few children, humanity's future and continuation, will be able to live in another distant world if they manage to reach a beacon before the countdown reaches zero. We follow a team of them as they struggle to make it there.
The story isn't very original and it's not always perfectly written, however, it is more than enough to keep you reading until the last page and there are a few strong and heartwarming moments that almost brought tears to my eyes.
It's accompanied by amazing art by Inaki Miranda and Eva De La Cruz has done an exceptional job in colouring. In these pages you can see and feel both the apocalypse coming and the hope that exists. All of that is achieved by the use of a big variety of darker and lighter shades of colors.
The story isn't very original and it's not always perfectly written, however, it is more than enough to keep you reading until the last page and there are a few strong and heartwarming moments that almost brought tears to my eyes.
It's accompanied by amazing art by Inaki Miranda and Eva De La Cruz has done an exceptional job in colouring. In these pages you can see and feel both the apocalypse coming and the hope that exists. All of that is achieved by the use of a big variety of darker and lighter shades of colors.
May 7, 2021
An extremely dark and gripping post-apocalyptic world that shows the true nature of humankind. This story has beautiful artwork but it's gruesome.
Thank you, NetGalley, Diamond Book Distributors, Inaki Miranda, and Roy Miranda for the arc.
Thank you, NetGalley, Diamond Book Distributors, Inaki Miranda, and Roy Miranda for the arc.
June 6, 2022
The most unique piece of We Live is the QR code that delivers you a soundtrack intended to be listened to while you read the comic. This is a very cool idea, and one that really worked for me. I wish it was enough to get me into the story more and make me like it better.
Unfortunately the excitement and uniqueness mostly ends there. Not that We Live is bad, it's not. It's just fine, average, or even pedestrian. I was really hoping for something different here, the monsters to be interesting, the conflicts or race to get to the shuttle to feel more desperate. But instead I just felt like we were toddling along with our two lead characters to get to some place I didn't even know much about.
This could almost have been Horizon Zero Dawn with it's lush illustrations and world set-up. Maybe that's the problem; it didn't feel unique enough to me given the current big titles out there. One thing the comic industry needs to realize is that if the trope they are selling is big in another area (ie: video games) then they need to be careful it's not too similar.
All that to say if you buy the individual comics there are some gorgeous variants and the wraparound, fold-out cover is a real treat. However, in this trade paperback collecting the first few issues you don't get that special feel sadly.
I will rest my case on the fact that my continuing recommendation since 2019 is Something Is Killing The Children. If you want crazy monsters, the blood and gore (that We Live definitely has some of), interesting characters, and an elaborate plot laying just behind the basic monster hunter story then go for it. If you'd like some pretty, but fairly boring pages of pretty green lush forests, and some average monsters that attack; then go for We Live.
Please note: I received an e-ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.
Unfortunately the excitement and uniqueness mostly ends there. Not that We Live is bad, it's not. It's just fine, average, or even pedestrian. I was really hoping for something different here, the monsters to be interesting, the conflicts or race to get to the shuttle to feel more desperate. But instead I just felt like we were toddling along with our two lead characters to get to some place I didn't even know much about.
This could almost have been Horizon Zero Dawn with it's lush illustrations and world set-up. Maybe that's the problem; it didn't feel unique enough to me given the current big titles out there. One thing the comic industry needs to realize is that if the trope they are selling is big in another area (ie: video games) then they need to be careful it's not too similar.
All that to say if you buy the individual comics there are some gorgeous variants and the wraparound, fold-out cover is a real treat. However, in this trade paperback collecting the first few issues you don't get that special feel sadly.
I will rest my case on the fact that my continuing recommendation since 2019 is Something Is Killing The Children. If you want crazy monsters, the blood and gore (that We Live definitely has some of), interesting characters, and an elaborate plot laying just behind the basic monster hunter story then go for it. If you'd like some pretty, but fairly boring pages of pretty green lush forests, and some average monsters that attack; then go for We Live.
Please note: I received an e-ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.
June 27, 2021
A really well balanced combination of beauty, playfulness, hope, despair, suspense, and gut wrenching brutality. Absolutely loved it, can't wait to see where it goes!
September 4, 2022
3.5 stars
Tala and her little brother, Hototo, have to travel through many dangers to reach the Beacon, an alien rendezvous that will rescue five thousand children from the coming disasters which will cause the extinction of all humanity. They are attacked by wild animals and greedy humans, but Tala vows to protect her little brother. Hototo wears a cape and pretends to be a superhero. Along the way they team up with Humbo and Alice, who are also trying to reach the Beacon. But time is running out, and the countdown for the end of the world has already begun.
I was so intrigued by the apocalyptic plot, and every chapter sparked my imagination. It was really interesting to learn about this strange new earth where humanity is limping along in the last days. There are weird mutant animals with strange abilities, and human cults who attack each other. There are just a few major cities left in the world where humans can live safely, and that is where the Beacons will appear from the aliens who have promised to help.
One of the really cool things about this book is that there is a soundtrack on Youtube that you can play while you read the book. There are QR codes for each chapter in the book, so that you can follow the link to the song that fits the scenes you are reading. The music is beautiful and it creates such an atmosphere as you read. It makes for a really immersive experience.
I loved the sweet sibling relationship between Tala and Hototo. They have lost both their parents, and Tala is very good at shielding little Hototo from knowledge about the true nature of their world. She pretends that dead neighbors are only gone away on a visit. She pretends that a girl bit by a zombie will only go to the hospital to be made well again. She pretends and pretends that she will go with Hototo when he is rescued at the Beacon. Gradually, all these lies wear on them, and Tala cannot shield Hototo from everything that is going on. It's so beautifully bittersweet!
I did not like that there are so many violent scenes with a lot of blood and gore. People get shot, mutilated, decapitated, and turned into oozing zombies. People get their arms torn off or their hearts torn out of their chests. And then a monster/human/zombie hybrid dude eats the heart. That's just nauseating.
I feel like the story could have been just as scary and suspenseful without all the violence. It was just a bit too much. You could have people die meaningful deaths that are important to the story, but it didn't have to be quite that horrific. Sometimes an "off screen" death is actually more scary than if we have to see all the gore and blood.
However, I understand that the violence is an important part of the story for these characters. They are truly fighting for their survival while people around them are suffering and dying, and that fuels their determination to get to the Beacon. It also makes it more meaningful for the few children who have been promised a rescue. The world is falling apart, and humans and beasts alike are running rampant. We get to see just how far the world has fallen into chaos, and just how much they need a rescue.
I really liked that the story takes time to reflect about the state of the world. We get a few different perspectives and philosophies. There are monuments to the dead, and the characters cherish their memories of their loved ones who are gone. It puts a lens of nostalgia over the story as they contemplate their own deaths. I like how thoughtful the writing is.
The ending was really cool! It's so imaginative and unique. I never imagined that the story would take that direction, and I loved it!
The artwork is incredibly beautiful! Every page is so colorful and wild. It brings each vivid scene right into your heart.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.
Tala and her little brother, Hototo, have to travel through many dangers to reach the Beacon, an alien rendezvous that will rescue five thousand children from the coming disasters which will cause the extinction of all humanity. They are attacked by wild animals and greedy humans, but Tala vows to protect her little brother. Hototo wears a cape and pretends to be a superhero. Along the way they team up with Humbo and Alice, who are also trying to reach the Beacon. But time is running out, and the countdown for the end of the world has already begun.
I was so intrigued by the apocalyptic plot, and every chapter sparked my imagination. It was really interesting to learn about this strange new earth where humanity is limping along in the last days. There are weird mutant animals with strange abilities, and human cults who attack each other. There are just a few major cities left in the world where humans can live safely, and that is where the Beacons will appear from the aliens who have promised to help.
One of the really cool things about this book is that there is a soundtrack on Youtube that you can play while you read the book. There are QR codes for each chapter in the book, so that you can follow the link to the song that fits the scenes you are reading. The music is beautiful and it creates such an atmosphere as you read. It makes for a really immersive experience.
I loved the sweet sibling relationship between Tala and Hototo. They have lost both their parents, and Tala is very good at shielding little Hototo from knowledge about the true nature of their world. She pretends that dead neighbors are only gone away on a visit. She pretends that a girl bit by a zombie will only go to the hospital to be made well again. She pretends and pretends that she will go with Hototo when he is rescued at the Beacon. Gradually, all these lies wear on them, and Tala cannot shield Hototo from everything that is going on. It's so beautifully bittersweet!
I did not like that there are so many violent scenes with a lot of blood and gore. People get shot, mutilated, decapitated, and turned into oozing zombies. People get their arms torn off or their hearts torn out of their chests. And then a monster/human/zombie hybrid dude eats the heart. That's just nauseating.
I feel like the story could have been just as scary and suspenseful without all the violence. It was just a bit too much. You could have people die meaningful deaths that are important to the story, but it didn't have to be quite that horrific. Sometimes an "off screen" death is actually more scary than if we have to see all the gore and blood.
However, I understand that the violence is an important part of the story for these characters. They are truly fighting for their survival while people around them are suffering and dying, and that fuels their determination to get to the Beacon. It also makes it more meaningful for the few children who have been promised a rescue. The world is falling apart, and humans and beasts alike are running rampant. We get to see just how far the world has fallen into chaos, and just how much they need a rescue.
I really liked that the story takes time to reflect about the state of the world. We get a few different perspectives and philosophies. There are monuments to the dead, and the characters cherish their memories of their loved ones who are gone. It puts a lens of nostalgia over the story as they contemplate their own deaths. I like how thoughtful the writing is.
The ending was really cool! It's so imaginative and unique. I never imagined that the story would take that direction, and I loved it!
The artwork is incredibly beautiful! Every page is so colorful and wild. It brings each vivid scene right into your heart.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.
June 9, 2021
This story is about courage, friendship, love and sacrifice. Tala and Hototo are siblings and they live in a futuristic world where everything’s pretty much destyroyed: most of the human race perished due to some virus and now the so long continents are summed up in 9 megalopolis. Thus, to save the humans from extinction, someone developed 5000 bracelets meant to be worn by chosen kids who will go to a safe place, perhaps another planet, and start from zero.
Hototo, the younger one, has his bracelet and so they have a few days to get to the megalopolis. They join a group of survivors who have the same goal but their journey is filled with alien-like animals and wicked, cultist people who will kill anybody without mercy.
Though this may seem like your typical sci-fi/fantasy trip story, I assure you it has a nice, refreshing touch to it. I loved the dynamic between Tala and Hototo as well as Humbo and Alice. “Forever together” was their motto and they lived by it with such honor that it had me in tears.
There is a plot twist that made me utterly excited and I hope we can have volume 2 soon, but only time would tell. Last but not least, there is a QR code in every single issue so you can listen to the music while reading. ‘The Invisible Kingdom’ and ‘Letter to Hototo’ were my fav! I would totally recommend you to check this one out!
I received an e-book ARC in exchange for an honest review via Diamond Comic Distributors.
Hototo, the younger one, has his bracelet and so they have a few days to get to the megalopolis. They join a group of survivors who have the same goal but their journey is filled with alien-like animals and wicked, cultist people who will kill anybody without mercy.
Though this may seem like your typical sci-fi/fantasy trip story, I assure you it has a nice, refreshing touch to it. I loved the dynamic between Tala and Hototo as well as Humbo and Alice. “Forever together” was their motto and they lived by it with such honor that it had me in tears.
There is a plot twist that made me utterly excited and I hope we can have volume 2 soon, but only time would tell. Last but not least, there is a QR code in every single issue so you can listen to the music while reading. ‘The Invisible Kingdom’ and ‘Letter to Hototo’ were my fav! I would totally recommend you to check this one out!
I received an e-book ARC in exchange for an honest review via Diamond Comic Distributors.
May 16, 2021
I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.
So, I am not entirely sure what to think of this one. At times quite good, but at other times I just found things going wrong a bit too much and it seemed over the top/distracting. I mean, each time they would reach a point, get closer to the beacon in time, and then BOOM things explode, people get murdered, or other things. I get that this is a world full of pain/hurt/death, but it was just too much and felt unnatural, just a way to get the story more exciting.
I liked the idea of the bracelets, though we see that not everyone is happy with the chosen children. I hadn't expected THAT to happen to the kids with the bracelets. I had some ideas, but never expected the story to take a route to that. It was quite an interesting one.
There was a lot of gore, to the point I just wanted to stop reading. I am just not that into gore these days, it makes my stomach flop and swirl. Not something I want.
I did love the relationship between sister and brother, that was really sweet.
The ending had me going YAS because of who we saw there.
So, I am not entirely sure what to think of this one. At times quite good, but at other times I just found things going wrong a bit too much and it seemed over the top/distracting. I mean, each time they would reach a point, get closer to the beacon in time, and then BOOM things explode, people get murdered, or other things. I get that this is a world full of pain/hurt/death, but it was just too much and felt unnatural, just a way to get the story more exciting.
I liked the idea of the bracelets, though we see that not everyone is happy with the chosen children. I hadn't expected THAT to happen to the kids with the bracelets. I had some ideas, but never expected the story to take a route to that. It was quite an interesting one.
There was a lot of gore, to the point I just wanted to stop reading. I am just not that into gore these days, it makes my stomach flop and swirl. Not something I want.
I did love the relationship between sister and brother, that was really sweet.
The ending had me going YAS because of who we saw there.
June 21, 2021
A post-apocalyptic sci-fi, as children chosen to survive Earth's imminent extinction travel to be picked up by benevolent aliens. More questions than answers over the course of the series, which bounces from concept to concept without rhyme or reason, hardly enlivened by some of the most impenetrable word salad—"Her amazement is crystalline water running gently down an alchemic riverbed; pushed by winds and currents, it sails free, discovering islands and sunk treasures"—and eventually doing everyone dirty by turning into, as if we needed any more, a bloody comic. Despite its faults, I was enjoying it up to that point.
The art is dynamic and expressive, superb character, environment, and tech designs, greatly aided by de la Cruz's lush and immersive colouring, though some panels defy parsing and many scene changes are wholly jarring.
Not sure who this is aimed at; the character art seems cutesy but occasionally bloody and gory, and the Amazon rating indicates 13-16 years but the F-bomb drops a couple of times, though—mostly due to that ending—I certainly won't be bothering with volume two.
(Read as single issues.)
The art is dynamic and expressive, superb character, environment, and tech designs, greatly aided by de la Cruz's lush and immersive colouring, though some panels defy parsing and many scene changes are wholly jarring.
Not sure who this is aimed at; the character art seems cutesy but occasionally bloody and gory, and the Amazon rating indicates 13-16 years but the F-bomb drops a couple of times, though—mostly due to that ending—I certainly won't be bothering with volume two.
(Read as single issues.)
June 27, 2021
*thank you to Netgalley, Diamond Book Distributors and Inaki Miranda for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*
2 stars.
This was just ok. It took so long for me to get into it. The story was average, nothing amazing and I noticed my attention drift too often.
The artwork I wasn't keen on and I think that didn't help how I felt about the story.
I'm glad I read it, but I probably won't remember it unfortunately because the storyline sounded amazing.
2 stars.
This was just ok. It took so long for me to get into it. The story was average, nothing amazing and I noticed my attention drift too often.
The artwork I wasn't keen on and I think that didn't help how I felt about the story.
I'm glad I read it, but I probably won't remember it unfortunately because the storyline sounded amazing.
May 5, 2021
Towards the end of the century, Earth is right royally gubbered, with what's left of humanity carefully seeing the end of time run out in nine new cities. Each will have a departure point, for some Samaritan aliens will be taking 5,000 lucky children to a new existence, leaving the rest of us to push the handcart over Hell's welcome mat. One bus-load of kids, with their guardian of choice, is en route to one of the said departure points – but with the deadline looming, getting there isn't going to be so easy.
The introduction was the first warning sign here. "Ooh great, a book that's so interactive it's got a soundtrack you can call up by QR code!" - is what you're supposed to think. What I got instead was "oh, great, a book so insecure of its own emotional merit it needs to burst into pop songs every ten minutes, like some paperback version of 'Home and Away'." The next warning sign was the focus on some brash, gaudy young children – one with the excuse of wanting to be the superhero whose costume he's wearing. And while what follows en route to the end point has a lot of great world building at times, and some good new monsters and things (human and otherwise, of course) at times, it's also very episodic. There are extended flashbacks to show the horrors of the world as it's become, there are large jumps in the timeline of the journey as circumstances change, and there's a common feel of a more coherent book being a better one.
Now, some of that is turned on its head when we get the end-matter and the proof there is more to come, of a fairly different stripe. This book is then hampered by greater intentions, for it is designed to fit a certain emotional point (songs regardless) in a certain greater concept. And I can see that, if you have the affinity with the greater concept, this would be more appealing – it would make more sense, it would fit pieces into that particular jigsaw, and so on. Reviewing these pages in isolation, there is none of that greater concept, and so no such affinity. And that means that in isolation this is an inventive muddle. So it has three stars, but with the potential to mean four stars for some readers way into the future, which is a punt I don't see everyone willing to take, yet I don't wish the creators ill with said future.
The introduction was the first warning sign here. "Ooh great, a book that's so interactive it's got a soundtrack you can call up by QR code!" - is what you're supposed to think. What I got instead was "oh, great, a book so insecure of its own emotional merit it needs to burst into pop songs every ten minutes, like some paperback version of 'Home and Away'." The next warning sign was the focus on some brash, gaudy young children – one with the excuse of wanting to be the superhero whose costume he's wearing. And while what follows en route to the end point has a lot of great world building at times, and some good new monsters and things (human and otherwise, of course) at times, it's also very episodic. There are extended flashbacks to show the horrors of the world as it's become, there are large jumps in the timeline of the journey as circumstances change, and there's a common feel of a more coherent book being a better one.
Now, some of that is turned on its head when we get the end-matter and the proof there is more to come, of a fairly different stripe. This book is then hampered by greater intentions, for it is designed to fit a certain emotional point (songs regardless) in a certain greater concept. And I can see that, if you have the affinity with the greater concept, this would be more appealing – it would make more sense, it would fit pieces into that particular jigsaw, and so on. Reviewing these pages in isolation, there is none of that greater concept, and so no such affinity. And that means that in isolation this is an inventive muddle. So it has three stars, but with the potential to mean four stars for some readers way into the future, which is a punt I don't see everyone willing to take, yet I don't wish the creators ill with said future.
June 22, 2022
3.5 stars? Probably?
I don’t love false advertising. What I thought I was getting was a unique road-trip story about two siblings navigating a crazy, overgrown world in a doomed effort to escape it.
What I actually received was a superhero universe origin story that served as an deus ex machina in its last issue in an effort to ignore the storytelling dilemma it had created.
The Miranda Brothers play this as a heartfelt “gotcha!” in their afterword, but I’m not here for the rug being pulled out from under me that hard, especially when it took compromising the integrity of the apparent prologue to do so.
Plot points are introduced then forgotten. Solutions to problems are instantaneous and then savagely pointless. The art’s great, and there are a handful of profoundly and beautifully upsetting moments (Hototo’s helmet seeing the fallen lion creature as a teddy bear, for instance), but this was a huge disappointment as a piece of independent storytelling.
Anyway! If the Miranda Bros do end up publishing a superhero lineup, maybe I’ll take a look. It’ll feature some rad artwork, at the very least.
I don’t love false advertising. What I thought I was getting was a unique road-trip story about two siblings navigating a crazy, overgrown world in a doomed effort to escape it.
What I actually received was a superhero universe origin story that served as an deus ex machina in its last issue in an effort to ignore the storytelling dilemma it had created.
The Miranda Brothers play this as a heartfelt “gotcha!” in their afterword, but I’m not here for the rug being pulled out from under me that hard, especially when it took compromising the integrity of the apparent prologue to do so.
Plot points are introduced then forgotten. Solutions to problems are instantaneous and then savagely pointless. The art’s great, and there are a handful of profoundly and beautifully upsetting moments (Hototo’s helmet seeing the fallen lion creature as a teddy bear, for instance), but this was a huge disappointment as a piece of independent storytelling.
Anyway! If the Miranda Bros do end up publishing a superhero lineup, maybe I’ll take a look. It’ll feature some rad artwork, at the very least.
May 30, 2021
We Live follows the story of two siblings, Tala and Hototo, trying to survive in a futuristic, post-apocalyptic world. It's not explained how planet Earth ended up this way, but we see genetic mutations, zombie-like creatures, animal-like monsters and the only hope is for the 5.000 children who were "chosen" to survive in another planet. But to reach that, they need to face a dangerous journey.
I usually like sci-fi, dystopian, post-apocalyptic stories, and I did enjoy reading We Live, I just think it wasn't for me. I don't like gore, and I like graphic novels that explain how the world came to be that way, which didn't happen in this one.
That said, I didn't care much about the characters (since there are so many, and the story is more focused on the siblings), but my favorite ones were Tala and Humbo. If there are more volumes on a future to come, I hope the plot will be more focused on these two, since they felt more real and charismatic compared to the other characters.
I usually like sci-fi, dystopian, post-apocalyptic stories, and I did enjoy reading We Live, I just think it wasn't for me. I don't like gore, and I like graphic novels that explain how the world came to be that way, which didn't happen in this one.
That said, I didn't care much about the characters (since there are so many, and the story is more focused on the siblings), but my favorite ones were Tala and Humbo. If there are more volumes on a future to come, I hope the plot will be more focused on these two, since they felt more real and charismatic compared to the other characters.
April 9, 2025
Novela gráfica con un dibujo increíble, y unos personajes que representan el amor y la inocencia frente a un mundo cada vez más loco, frenético, vengativo y malévolo (sacando lo peor de cada uno, como en cada apocalipsis o pandemia de turno).
Me ha gustado bastante que además se acompañe de una banda sonora del Hombre Viento que encaja a la perfección, el trazo increíble y la historia interesante. Me ha gustado que Iñaki Miranda tenga ese don para el dibujo y cómo Roy Miranda hace que la historia cuadre. Llevo muchos años admirándole como rapero y es una alegría ver cómo fluye en cada propuesta.
Como contrapunto, creo que termina de una forma algo brusca y quizá desordenada; pero la originalidad, la presentación de la idea y que haya una banda sonora por debajo merece una puesta en valor y las cinco estrellas.
Me ha gustado bastante que además se acompañe de una banda sonora del Hombre Viento que encaja a la perfección, el trazo increíble y la historia interesante. Me ha gustado que Iñaki Miranda tenga ese don para el dibujo y cómo Roy Miranda hace que la historia cuadre. Llevo muchos años admirándole como rapero y es una alegría ver cómo fluye en cada propuesta.
Como contrapunto, creo que termina de una forma algo brusca y quizá desordenada; pero la originalidad, la presentación de la idea y que haya una banda sonora por debajo merece una puesta en valor y las cinco estrellas.
June 4, 2025
This was a depressing look at the end of the world. Environmental catastrophes have created a hostile planet bent on killing what remains of humanity. The glimmer of hope are "bracelets" sent by aliens to save a select few children. What follows is a journey to get to the extraction points. What sets this apart is the QR codes on the pages which link you to the soundtrack. The music and story were so earnest!
May 29, 2021
wow.
what a story and what an experience. i love the soundtrack idea, with the qr codes. it really added to the whole experience of reading the book and is the main reason i'm giving this five stars. the story itself was also fantastic; original and emotional at the same time, i really felt connected to what was happening.
overall, 10/10, will definitely read season 2.
what a story and what an experience. i love the soundtrack idea, with the qr codes. it really added to the whole experience of reading the book and is the main reason i'm giving this five stars. the story itself was also fantastic; original and emotional at the same time, i really felt connected to what was happening.
overall, 10/10, will definitely read season 2.
August 11, 2021
The story and art were very cohesive. The characters are well rounded and distinct the world is also week developed for the length wet have in this story. I will say the timeline jumped a bit further in places than seemed natural and made me think I skipped a page.
Will look forward to the next volume.
Will look forward to the next volume.
June 7, 2022
Malheureusement trop brouillon pour convaincre malgré une intrigue classique, l'impression que la BD rate l’essentiel à savoir créer de l'empathie pour son duo de personnages au coeur du récit. Aussi, récit très cruel visuellement, à ne pas mettre entre toutes les mains.
October 23, 2022
A fun science fiction story that does a wonderful job showing strong children that still feel like children. This would be a favorite of mine if I read it when I was younger-
The art is vibrant and distinct, it doesn’t ever feel cheap. The design for the monsters and world is really unique and great to look at. I really enjoyed listening to the music too.
The ending left me a little deflated, not sure what I make of it.
The art is vibrant and distinct, it doesn’t ever feel cheap. The design for the monsters and world is really unique and great to look at. I really enjoyed listening to the music too.
The ending left me a little deflated, not sure what I make of it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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