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Sapiens Imperium
Imprisoned by the thousands in the bowels of an uninhabited moon, they have been erased from official history. Xinthia has sworn that, one day, she will lead her people to the sun. 1 VOLUME RELEASED - INDEPENDENT STORIES. After losing the imperial throne to the Kerkans, all members of the Khelek Dynasty and their allies were banished to the barren caves of Tazma. Sixty-five standard years later, their descendants are still held captive there. Xinthia has had enough. In 1972, the Moroccan king Hassan II escaped an attack organized by General Oufkir, a close relative. Oufkir was executed, but his wife and six children, the youngest of whom was only three, were thrown into a dungeon from which they would not emerge for nineteen years. It is from this event of unspeakable cruelty that I imagined the fate of the 'damned of Tazma.' —Sam Timel.
128 pages, Hardcover
First published June 16, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
October 2, 2024
9- Five stars for pure enjoyment. What can I say? I think I just was in the mood for some old fashioned space opera, with interesting alien planets, galactic empires, giant robots piloted from afar and nice action. And all that well drawn in the European style (that, to be honest, I still prefer for these kind of stories). The story was well plotted, I found, and even if this is still the first part, the seperate threads came together well in the end. No, not all character motivations were clear or built up well, but as I was taken along for the ride, I didn't mind.
But I do agree with the critique of this being not 'old fashioned', but 'bog standard' - If this was a fantasy story it would have all the tropes of fantasy races, a quest, a dark lord in a tower and a siege at the end. Which I wouldn't have loved, but I find I am more tolerant for the tropes of SF and space opera (at heart I am just a SF-fan, and fantasy is definitely second place, or third behind horror). Anyway, even though this story combined some elements in a new way, it didn't add a lot of new threads. The inspiration from Dune was blatant for example. In this first part the fact that it starts in an underground colony, with people living in caves, collecting algae, was pretty original. But I fear that the story will become even more standard in the next book. On the other hand, the authors could have more twists in mind. So I will certainly read a next part if it is translated.
Recommended for fans of traditional space opera and of European SF-comics.
But I do agree with the critique of this being not 'old fashioned', but 'bog standard' - If this was a fantasy story it would have all the tropes of fantasy races, a quest, a dark lord in a tower and a siege at the end. Which I wouldn't have loved, but I find I am more tolerant for the tropes of SF and space opera (at heart I am just a SF-fan, and fantasy is definitely second place, or third behind horror). Anyway, even though this story combined some elements in a new way, it didn't add a lot of new threads. The inspiration from Dune was blatant for example. In this first part the fact that it starts in an underground colony, with people living in caves, collecting algae, was pretty original. But I fear that the story will become even more standard in the next book. On the other hand, the authors could have more twists in mind. So I will certainly read a next part if it is translated.
Recommended for fans of traditional space opera and of European SF-comics.
January 2, 2026
Uma história de política e guerra, humanos a matarem humanos, aliens com mais humanidade do que os humanos, e um romance à primeira vista que não me convenceu. Ilustrações boas mas não adorei.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 1, 2023
Sam Timel's SAPIENS IMPERIUM is science fiction tale set in the far-flung future. Millenia after heading to the stars after the Earth is destroyed by an invading force, humanity has conquered pretty much everything they cast their eyes upon.
Ruled by family dynasties, the Imperium destroys any dissent. Such is the case as the story opens. The Imperium is ruled by the Kerkan Dynasty. They defeated the previous rulers the Khelek Dynasty and banished the Kheleks and all their allies to a distant planet only barely able to sustain them. Held captive their for 65 years, the Kheleks numbers are dwindling and they are tired of being stuck on the planet barely scraping out a meager subsistence.
Focusing on Xinthia, a young girl who has known nothing but this life as a prisoner, SAPIENS IMPERIUM sets its storytelling path on Xinthia and her allies attempting to leave the planet. But with an uncaring and implacable "warden" on the planet and a disdainful at best emperor caring even less, Xinthia will have to not only marshal her own forces but gain rather unexpected allies.
This leads to a showdown that has wide-ranging repercussions for the entire Imperium as the story stretches from the prison planet to the home planet of the Imperium. But can Xinthia lead her people to a new home and keep them safe?
Sam Timel's story will give you quite a full dose of the world building for this particular universe, but the book has some more background material in the back of this oversized hardcover from Humanoids Inc. It does help flesh out the details a lot more. The story as a whole is full of rich development and detail that I found myself wishing that the story had been even longer.
But the story itself does a great job of hooking the reader. You immediately root for Xinthia as you are introduce to life on the prison planet Tazma. One thing I noted is that even though her people are prisoners themselves, their apparent inborn sense of superiority leads them to treat other races that are prisoners as well as something beneath them. I guess irony is lost on humanity in the 65th century. But all that helps fuel the story with all the paths the story takes as Xinthia fights for the freedom of those allied behind her.
The art from Jorge Miguel is absolutely fantastic! The work that went into bringing SAPIENS IMPERIUM to life on the page is more finely wrought and detailed than you get in most comic art these days. He brings the characters to life visually in such a way that you can imagine that they are real and now just illustrations. With coloring work from Andrea Meloni and the lettering from Violette Boutrolle, this is some award-worthy artwork.
Initially I thought this was going to be a one and done story but as indicated by the final page of the story, it seems there could be more chapters in Xinthia's story (depending on the success of this volume I'd guess). And that would definitely make me happy because SAPIENS IMPERIUM is the kind of story that had me hooked to the science fiction genre when I was younger.
I can only hope that Humanoids Inc. publisher Mark Waid greenlights a second volume as soon as possible because SAPIENS IMPERIUM has a winning lead character, a compelling storyline and beautiful artwork to help bring it all to life in a big, colorful and page-turning way.
Ruled by family dynasties, the Imperium destroys any dissent. Such is the case as the story opens. The Imperium is ruled by the Kerkan Dynasty. They defeated the previous rulers the Khelek Dynasty and banished the Kheleks and all their allies to a distant planet only barely able to sustain them. Held captive their for 65 years, the Kheleks numbers are dwindling and they are tired of being stuck on the planet barely scraping out a meager subsistence.
Focusing on Xinthia, a young girl who has known nothing but this life as a prisoner, SAPIENS IMPERIUM sets its storytelling path on Xinthia and her allies attempting to leave the planet. But with an uncaring and implacable "warden" on the planet and a disdainful at best emperor caring even less, Xinthia will have to not only marshal her own forces but gain rather unexpected allies.
This leads to a showdown that has wide-ranging repercussions for the entire Imperium as the story stretches from the prison planet to the home planet of the Imperium. But can Xinthia lead her people to a new home and keep them safe?
Sam Timel's story will give you quite a full dose of the world building for this particular universe, but the book has some more background material in the back of this oversized hardcover from Humanoids Inc. It does help flesh out the details a lot more. The story as a whole is full of rich development and detail that I found myself wishing that the story had been even longer.
But the story itself does a great job of hooking the reader. You immediately root for Xinthia as you are introduce to life on the prison planet Tazma. One thing I noted is that even though her people are prisoners themselves, their apparent inborn sense of superiority leads them to treat other races that are prisoners as well as something beneath them. I guess irony is lost on humanity in the 65th century. But all that helps fuel the story with all the paths the story takes as Xinthia fights for the freedom of those allied behind her.
The art from Jorge Miguel is absolutely fantastic! The work that went into bringing SAPIENS IMPERIUM to life on the page is more finely wrought and detailed than you get in most comic art these days. He brings the characters to life visually in such a way that you can imagine that they are real and now just illustrations. With coloring work from Andrea Meloni and the lettering from Violette Boutrolle, this is some award-worthy artwork.
Initially I thought this was going to be a one and done story but as indicated by the final page of the story, it seems there could be more chapters in Xinthia's story (depending on the success of this volume I'd guess). And that would definitely make me happy because SAPIENS IMPERIUM is the kind of story that had me hooked to the science fiction genre when I was younger.
I can only hope that Humanoids Inc. publisher Mark Waid greenlights a second volume as soon as possible because SAPIENS IMPERIUM has a winning lead character, a compelling storyline and beautiful artwork to help bring it all to life in a big, colorful and page-turning way.
January 27, 2022
Crítica publicada com imagens em https://osrascunhos.com/2021/12/14/sa...
Jorge Miguel era um nome pouco conhecido em Portugal, apesar do sucesso na banda desenhada franco-belga. Este lacuna tem sido respondida pela editora A Seita que já tinha publicado anteriormente uma banda desenhada de Jorge Miguel, Shanghai Dream. Agora publica Sapiens Imperium que, pela capa e pela sinopse, promete algo bastante diferente.
A história
Um Império Humano persiste na Galáxia. No seguimento de uma nova tomada de poder, alguns humanos são obrigados a viver nas entranhas de um planeta, nos túneis subterrâneos. Sobrevivem em condições questionáveis, através do comércio com uma espécie alienígena. Mas a sua luta não é apenas para voltarem para a superfície – estes humanos estão divididos em duas tribos. Para as gerações mais novas não é fácil de perceber o papel de um chefe e entre rivalidades e ódios, inicia-se uma nova era, carregada de opressão e conflitos.
Crítica
Sapiens Imperium é uma obra que se pode enquadrar na Space Opera, um sub-género da ficção científica, usando alguns dos clichés que lhe são característicos como a existência de um grande Império opressor (pelo menos para alguns conjuntos de pessoas). A abordagem é futurista, mas acaba por apresentar elementos que são comuns aos dias de hoje, como a distribuição pouco igualitária de riqueza e poder.
A narrativa foca-se na perspectiva de algumas, poucas personagens, talvez como forma de ganhar empatia. No entanto, esta vertente não é bem concretizada. Percebemos as motivações dos óbvios vilões (não porque se tenham focado no vilão, mas porque são as comuns) mas a maioria das personagens não possui densidade, acabando por ser arrastada pelas circunstâncias envolventes.
É, sobretudo, uma banda desenhada de acção, sem grande profundidade, que se desenvolve no terreno de outros grandes sucessos narrativos, como Saga. Sim, as circunstâncias específicas das personagens são diferentes, mas na prática acaba por se desenvolver como uma resistência a um grande Império, sendo que não existem características suficientes que distingam este Império de outros existentes noutras narrativas.
Em termos de acção, consegue levar a história numa linha lógica, ainda que, novamente, as personagens sejam arrastadas pelas circunstâncias. Destaca-se o desenho capaz de Jorge Miguel, tipicamente franco belga nos seus elementos realistas, apesar dos detalhes de ficção científica.
Conclusão
Sapiens Imperium é uma leitura agradável, uma Space Opera carregada de acção, com elementos de ficção científica interessantes, mas que acaba por se suportar demasiado nos clichés do género. Destaca-se, para além da capacidade de mover a história, o desenho de Jorge Miguel.
Jorge Miguel era um nome pouco conhecido em Portugal, apesar do sucesso na banda desenhada franco-belga. Este lacuna tem sido respondida pela editora A Seita que já tinha publicado anteriormente uma banda desenhada de Jorge Miguel, Shanghai Dream. Agora publica Sapiens Imperium que, pela capa e pela sinopse, promete algo bastante diferente.
A história
Um Império Humano persiste na Galáxia. No seguimento de uma nova tomada de poder, alguns humanos são obrigados a viver nas entranhas de um planeta, nos túneis subterrâneos. Sobrevivem em condições questionáveis, através do comércio com uma espécie alienígena. Mas a sua luta não é apenas para voltarem para a superfície – estes humanos estão divididos em duas tribos. Para as gerações mais novas não é fácil de perceber o papel de um chefe e entre rivalidades e ódios, inicia-se uma nova era, carregada de opressão e conflitos.
Crítica
Sapiens Imperium é uma obra que se pode enquadrar na Space Opera, um sub-género da ficção científica, usando alguns dos clichés que lhe são característicos como a existência de um grande Império opressor (pelo menos para alguns conjuntos de pessoas). A abordagem é futurista, mas acaba por apresentar elementos que são comuns aos dias de hoje, como a distribuição pouco igualitária de riqueza e poder.
A narrativa foca-se na perspectiva de algumas, poucas personagens, talvez como forma de ganhar empatia. No entanto, esta vertente não é bem concretizada. Percebemos as motivações dos óbvios vilões (não porque se tenham focado no vilão, mas porque são as comuns) mas a maioria das personagens não possui densidade, acabando por ser arrastada pelas circunstâncias envolventes.
É, sobretudo, uma banda desenhada de acção, sem grande profundidade, que se desenvolve no terreno de outros grandes sucessos narrativos, como Saga. Sim, as circunstâncias específicas das personagens são diferentes, mas na prática acaba por se desenvolver como uma resistência a um grande Império, sendo que não existem características suficientes que distingam este Império de outros existentes noutras narrativas.
Em termos de acção, consegue levar a história numa linha lógica, ainda que, novamente, as personagens sejam arrastadas pelas circunstâncias. Destaca-se o desenho capaz de Jorge Miguel, tipicamente franco belga nos seus elementos realistas, apesar dos detalhes de ficção científica.
Conclusão
Sapiens Imperium é uma leitura agradável, uma Space Opera carregada de acção, com elementos de ficção científica interessantes, mas que acaba por se suportar demasiado nos clichés do género. Destaca-se, para além da capacidade de mover a história, o desenho de Jorge Miguel.
July 26, 2022
Currently available on Kindle Unlimited, this is a collaboration between an American writer and a Portuguese artist, published in France. A double header (“Integrale Numerique”) that starts a series.
This is a classic space opera with dynastic feuds over a vast empire, a prison planet, power struggles amongst the incarcerated, friendly aliens, mecha avatars, revenge, a prison break, a planetary mutiny, a secret rebellion, a duel for the throne, and more tropes as often seen in the movies.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s very well done. The writing is good, with a good plot and compelling characters. The art is detailed, dynamic, imaginative. But there’s not much that makes the reader think “I’ve not seen that before”, and a lot more that makes the reader think “That reminds me of …”
This is a good read, but not a classic. I’m glad to have discovered it, but probably won’t be rereading.
This is a classic space opera with dynastic feuds over a vast empire, a prison planet, power struggles amongst the incarcerated, friendly aliens, mecha avatars, revenge, a prison break, a planetary mutiny, a secret rebellion, a duel for the throne, and more tropes as often seen in the movies.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s very well done. The writing is good, with a good plot and compelling characters. The art is detailed, dynamic, imaginative. But there’s not much that makes the reader think “I’ve not seen that before”, and a lot more that makes the reader think “That reminds me of …”
This is a good read, but not a classic. I’m glad to have discovered it, but probably won’t be rereading.
October 31, 2021
Conjugadas, as editoras A Seita e Arte de Autor estão a ter uma curiosa aposta em editar por cá o trabalho de Jorge Miguel, ilustrador português que trabalha para o mercado francês. Não só por nos trazer o seu traço, mas pela edição de um tipo de bd francesa menos de autor, e mais comercial, de entretenimento. Resenha completa em H-alt: Sapiens Imperium.
November 26, 2023
Liked the artwork a lot. Story seemed a bit rushed. And that made the characters pretty wooden. For example, the plot advanced and the characters just went along with events. Which I found a bit backwards. Shouldn't the characters decide on actions (constrained by the situation and their character) which then propels the plot?
April 5, 2023
Some generic, old-school sci-fi about an oppressed group of people and an Stereotypically evil emperor's son. It has your standard European artwork as well. It's all fine, except for too much exposition but nothing special.
March 11, 2024
Nicely done large-size translation of a French series, the first volume in an ongoing sci-fi epic. While the characterisation isn't the deepest, the creators play adeptly with the standard tropes. A very readable book and the ongoing series ought to be entertaining.
January 26, 2022
Uma belíssima edição de um excelente livro de banda desenhada. Uma surpreendente história de ficção científica, desenhada de forma magnífica. Gostei mesmo muito.
February 5, 2022
Eu, que até nem sou especialmente apreciadora de ficção científica, fiquei surpreendida com este livro. Parecia que estava a ler um livro da saga Star Wars.
April 6, 2025
Thos was pretty good, tonbad it doesn’t have more. It just kinda ends.
The style is very cool, it’s similar dune and way more comprehensive.😂
3.6✨
The style is very cool, it’s similar dune and way more comprehensive.😂
3.6✨
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews