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My Life Among Humans
My Life Among Humans is an evocative, melancholy, and ultimately hopeful story of a solitary alien’s misguided search for connection among its human subjects.
A nameless alien data compiler comes to Earth to study humans, setting up shop on the outskirts of a small desert community in North America. Working under forced labor, it must watch humans in complete secrecy while sending regular reports to its manager back home. Using spore-like technology to read the minds of his hosts, the alien quickly takes a special interest in Will, one of his early subjects. That interest proves to be a problem when the alien is accidentally revealed to Will's family and it takes desperate measures to save its own life.
In doing so, it discovers a forbidden ability...it can control human minds. Now, the alien struggles to keep this secret from its manager, deal with a growing number of suspicious humans, and come to terms with its ethically questionable decisions. My Life Among Humans is a beautifully painted, evocative first graphic novel from illustrator and cartoonist Jed McGowan.
A nameless alien data compiler comes to Earth to study humans, setting up shop on the outskirts of a small desert community in North America. Working under forced labor, it must watch humans in complete secrecy while sending regular reports to its manager back home. Using spore-like technology to read the minds of his hosts, the alien quickly takes a special interest in Will, one of his early subjects. That interest proves to be a problem when the alien is accidentally revealed to Will's family and it takes desperate measures to save its own life.
In doing so, it discovers a forbidden ability...it can control human minds. Now, the alien struggles to keep this secret from its manager, deal with a growing number of suspicious humans, and come to terms with its ethically questionable decisions. My Life Among Humans is a beautifully painted, evocative first graphic novel from illustrator and cartoonist Jed McGowan.
96 pages, Hardcover
Published February 7, 2023
About the author
Jed M. McGowan
1 book3 followersJed McGowan writes and draws in Los Angeles, California; he has published comics, designed backgrounds for animation, and created illustrations for various publications.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 131 reviews
January 1, 2023
In a Nutshell: An unusual story with decent artwork. Wasn’t memorable for me though.
A little alien has been sent to Planet Earth to research humans and send back daily reports. He chooses one target human named Will, a nerd video-game designer, and begins observing him. However, one day, Will discovers his unknown stalker and in response, the alien ends up controlling Will’s mind so as to not put his own future in jeopardy. This leads to disastrous consequences, and before he knows it, the alien is controlling a whole load of people. How will this end? Will the humans be able to regain control over their own minds? Will the alien end up destroying everyone?
The story took me by surprise. While certain parts were somewhat guessable given the flow, some elements were quite unusual, and even bizarre. The direction taken by the alien’s character and the ending were definitely the high points of the plot. I love how the alien wasn’t given a typical clichéd role to play. His cute appearance also helps; he reminded me of Mike Wazowski from ‘Monsters Inc.’ movies. The story proceeds at a quick pace, the 96 pages almost breezing by due to many panels having only graphics and no text.
But I found it somewhat weird that not a single human being panicked at the thought of aliens controlling them. The reaction was almost a casual, “There are aliens around”, “Oh, let’s go get them”. Surely at least one person would have screamed in shock or disbelief. If you tell me that there are aliens around me controlling fellow humans, I am gonna freak out for sure; you can count on it!
Moreover, as a reader, when you read of an alien coming to the planet and controlling your mind, you would want to feel sorry for the humans involved. But the writing is such that I felt no connect whatsoever with the humans. (Rather, I had a greater understanding of what the alien felt.)
The graphics are pretty simple. They seem to be digitally painted. The hues are subtle and don’t pop out much. But this works to a minor advantage as the story doesn’t get overshadowed by the illustrations. That said, I wasn’t really a big fan of the human characters who seemed very stiff.
Overall, an interesting graphic novel, but not mind-blowing. Good for a one-time read if borrowed from the library.
3.25 stars.
My thanks to Oni Press and NetGalley for the DRC of “My Life Among Humans”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
———————————————
Connect with me through:
My Blog | The StoryGraph | Facebook | Twitter
A little alien has been sent to Planet Earth to research humans and send back daily reports. He chooses one target human named Will, a nerd video-game designer, and begins observing him. However, one day, Will discovers his unknown stalker and in response, the alien ends up controlling Will’s mind so as to not put his own future in jeopardy. This leads to disastrous consequences, and before he knows it, the alien is controlling a whole load of people. How will this end? Will the humans be able to regain control over their own minds? Will the alien end up destroying everyone?
The story took me by surprise. While certain parts were somewhat guessable given the flow, some elements were quite unusual, and even bizarre. The direction taken by the alien’s character and the ending were definitely the high points of the plot. I love how the alien wasn’t given a typical clichéd role to play. His cute appearance also helps; he reminded me of Mike Wazowski from ‘Monsters Inc.’ movies. The story proceeds at a quick pace, the 96 pages almost breezing by due to many panels having only graphics and no text.
But I found it somewhat weird that not a single human being panicked at the thought of aliens controlling them. The reaction was almost a casual, “There are aliens around”, “Oh, let’s go get them”. Surely at least one person would have screamed in shock or disbelief. If you tell me that there are aliens around me controlling fellow humans, I am gonna freak out for sure; you can count on it!
Moreover, as a reader, when you read of an alien coming to the planet and controlling your mind, you would want to feel sorry for the humans involved. But the writing is such that I felt no connect whatsoever with the humans. (Rather, I had a greater understanding of what the alien felt.)
The graphics are pretty simple. They seem to be digitally painted. The hues are subtle and don’t pop out much. But this works to a minor advantage as the story doesn’t get overshadowed by the illustrations. That said, I wasn’t really a big fan of the human characters who seemed very stiff.
Overall, an interesting graphic novel, but not mind-blowing. Good for a one-time read if borrowed from the library.
3.25 stars.
My thanks to Oni Press and NetGalley for the DRC of “My Life Among Humans”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
———————————————
Connect with me through:
My Blog | The StoryGraph | Facebook | Twitter
December 16, 2024
***NO SPOILERS***
A one-eyed, octopus-like alien is sent to Earth under orders to complete a mission, but before long the mission goes awry. In attempting to get things back on track the alien only compounds the problem further until there seems no way out of it. My Life Among Humans is reminiscent of Lilo & Stitch in some ways, and the alien-on-a-mission story is clichéd at this point, so there's nothing special about this graphic novel beyond a huggable alien.
A line about the male protagonist "mostly thinking about another human...and her human body" makes the book seem geared toward adults, but otherwise it looks like a book for kids. It has picture-book dimensions, and plot-wise it's simple, with tame obstacles and a warm resolution. Graphics appear to be colored digitally, and although digital art takes talent, I’m never awed by it the way I am by hand-drawn work. In the end My Life Among Humans is a middling work all around, nice but uninspired.
A one-eyed, octopus-like alien is sent to Earth under orders to complete a mission, but before long the mission goes awry. In attempting to get things back on track the alien only compounds the problem further until there seems no way out of it. My Life Among Humans is reminiscent of Lilo & Stitch in some ways, and the alien-on-a-mission story is clichéd at this point, so there's nothing special about this graphic novel beyond a huggable alien.
A line about the male protagonist "mostly thinking about another human...and her human body" makes the book seem geared toward adults, but otherwise it looks like a book for kids. It has picture-book dimensions, and plot-wise it's simple, with tame obstacles and a warm resolution. Graphics appear to be colored digitally, and although digital art takes talent, I’m never awed by it the way I am by hand-drawn work. In the end My Life Among Humans is a middling work all around, nice but uninspired.
February 23, 2023
A little boring, but cute/heartwarming enough. I liked the lil' alien dude and I'd recommend this if you like quick, slice-of-life sci-fi.
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy! All thoughts are honest and my own.
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Thank you to the publisher for the review copy! All thoughts are honest and my own.
———
twitter | booktok | bookstagram | blog
November 6, 2022
A small alien tasked with implanting hosts with spores to transmit data back to his home world lands on Earth and focuses his efforts on an awkward nerd and his family in My Life Among Humans. This is a short graphic novel that tackles some interesting ideas as the alien, initially completely compliant, soon begins to identify with his human specimens and begins to question his place in the universe. What follows is an epic Sci-Fi battle as the alien's "manager" arrives on Earth to confront her insubordinate colleague and his humans.
Pros:
- Main alien character is very cute.
- Human cast is have realized emotions and arcs.
- Entertaining art style.
Cons:
- Back story is thin when you get it but overall, it works in the context of the story.
- Main villain looks like a giant, goofy frog, so it's hard to take it seriously when it appears.
Five stars. Cute, understated art style belies a complex tale of free will and finding your place in the universe.
FFO: E.T., Wall-E, coming of age tales.
**I was given a copy of this book by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to Oni Press and Netgalley*
Pros:
- Main alien character is very cute.
- Human cast is have realized emotions and arcs.
- Entertaining art style.
Cons:
- Back story is thin when you get it but overall, it works in the context of the story.
- Main villain looks like a giant, goofy frog, so it's hard to take it seriously when it appears.
Five stars. Cute, understated art style belies a complex tale of free will and finding your place in the universe.
FFO: E.T., Wall-E, coming of age tales.
**I was given a copy of this book by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to Oni Press and Netgalley*
June 23, 2025
Wow! Wow, wow!
So, I got an eGalley of this through a library conference, and I'm so glad I took the time to read it. What an excellent book! A little alien whose entire job it is to observe humans (and report back his findings) accidentally makes a crucial mistake when he tries to get too close. Since failure will mean death, he has to keep covering his mistakes so that his "manager" doesn't realize what he's done, creating an even bigger and increasingly complex mess for himself.
The stakes are high, but the emotions are kept to just below boiling point, for a story that reads as mostly bittersweet. Our poor little alien, who has tried so hard, realizes that his little goose is cooked and the question of course, is will he be able to save himself and the people he's come to be so fond of?
I won't say anything more, as I don't want to share spoilers. But, it's a really great book, one of the best graphic novels I've read this year (so, hopefully soon to be one of the best graphic novels of 2023) and excellently illustrated. McGowan's art almost look three-dimensional, and I had to keep reminding myself that the panels weren't done in claymation. So cool!
In closing, I'll just say that this is the sort of book that sits with you after you finish, and despite the trials and tribulations, the ending is ultimately hopeful. Exactly the kind of book I love!
So, I got an eGalley of this through a library conference, and I'm so glad I took the time to read it. What an excellent book! A little alien whose entire job it is to observe humans (and report back his findings) accidentally makes a crucial mistake when he tries to get too close. Since failure will mean death, he has to keep covering his mistakes so that his "manager" doesn't realize what he's done, creating an even bigger and increasingly complex mess for himself.
The stakes are high, but the emotions are kept to just below boiling point, for a story that reads as mostly bittersweet. Our poor little alien, who has tried so hard, realizes that his little goose is cooked and the question of course, is will he be able to save himself and the people he's come to be so fond of?
I won't say anything more, as I don't want to share spoilers. But, it's a really great book, one of the best graphic novels I've read this year (so, hopefully soon to be one of the best graphic novels of 2023) and excellently illustrated. McGowan's art almost look three-dimensional, and I had to keep reminding myself that the panels weren't done in claymation. So cool!
In closing, I'll just say that this is the sort of book that sits with you after you finish, and despite the trials and tribulations, the ending is ultimately hopeful. Exactly the kind of book I love!
January 9, 2025
This was a hard one to rate; despite its adult rating, it was more akin to a teen comic. The plot was interesting at least, but being told from the alien's point of view, it lacked emotion and felt cold and disconnected; I never empathized with the characters or alien much. The art was good (albeit a little strange) with the look of early CGI, i.e. Roly Poly Oly, but without the rough bulky edges. It's an easy, quick read and short too, but I'd probably only recommend it to younger teens or lovers of sci-fi.
October 30, 2022
Received an arc from NetGalley in exchange for honest opinion, thanks!
3,75⭐️
I'm very satisfied with the fact this short comic managed to surprise me! It's about little alien robot researching humans, but also reaches a lot deeper. Despite the length and focus over alien POV, "My Life Among Humans" manages to comment over very down-to-earth relationships. There was a certain amount of warm feeling during reading, a bit of comedy, a bit of seriousness. A perfect mix of everything.
3,75⭐️
I'm very satisfied with the fact this short comic managed to surprise me! It's about little alien robot researching humans, but also reaches a lot deeper. Despite the length and focus over alien POV, "My Life Among Humans" manages to comment over very down-to-earth relationships. There was a certain amount of warm feeling during reading, a bit of comedy, a bit of seriousness. A perfect mix of everything.
November 6, 2022
For a story that recaps the story of an alien possession in a small town, it was quite mellow and sweet! I thought the art was spot-on for the theme and the setting, evoking the indie games the characters in-universe were working on, only about just missing a vintage synth soundtrack. The was representation of the kind that feels very organic and unremarked upon in-universe, which I always appreciate, and I felt that for a story this length - very short and self-contained - the characters were sketched with enough depth and charm. The alien narrator was a loner seeking connection who is stuck with a shitty job and, well, ain’t that easy to relate to.
Thanks to #Netgalley for an arc of this cute graphic novel.
Thanks to #Netgalley for an arc of this cute graphic novel.
November 10, 2022
A lovely graphic novel that impresses a bit more with the art than the plot, which is nice, but relatively forgettable. Since it is a visual medium though, the wonderful art style still makes this a joyous ride.
My Life Among Humans tells the story of a little computer spider, who has been sent to Earth by the mysterious manager to investigate humans and sent daily reports back. The specimen he's supposed to monitor is called Will and he's your regular nerd, currently in the process of designing his very own video game.
Now the one condition under which the spider alien operates is that he's not supposed to be noticed. Well.
Thankfully, our little alien friend discovers his secret powers in just that moment: he's able to control people! So in order to cover his failure up, he takes over Will's entire family and pretends nothing happened. Unfortunately, the alien doesn't understand everything about how humanity works yet and therefore people soon begin to suspect something is wrong...
It's a story about feelings and what makes humans human, but none of the points made were quite striking enough. The way the story developed just lacked a bit of oomph, you know what I mean? It contains shadows of what makes Pixar and Disney collaborations so emotionally hard-hitting, but then it just lacks that little bit of magic to make you feel truly touched. It's kinda fine, because the art is so pretty – from rendering to colours, this is pure eye candy.
Since it's a pretty quick read, I would totally recommend this if you happen to stumble upon it, but ultimately not much from it really stuck with me.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an Advanced Reading Copy in exchange for an honest opinion!
My Life Among Humans tells the story of a little computer spider, who has been sent to Earth by the mysterious manager to investigate humans and sent daily reports back. The specimen he's supposed to monitor is called Will and he's your regular nerd, currently in the process of designing his very own video game.
Now the one condition under which the spider alien operates is that he's not supposed to be noticed. Well.
Thankfully, our little alien friend discovers his secret powers in just that moment: he's able to control people! So in order to cover his failure up, he takes over Will's entire family and pretends nothing happened. Unfortunately, the alien doesn't understand everything about how humanity works yet and therefore people soon begin to suspect something is wrong...
It's a story about feelings and what makes humans human, but none of the points made were quite striking enough. The way the story developed just lacked a bit of oomph, you know what I mean? It contains shadows of what makes Pixar and Disney collaborations so emotionally hard-hitting, but then it just lacks that little bit of magic to make you feel truly touched. It's kinda fine, because the art is so pretty – from rendering to colours, this is pure eye candy.
Since it's a pretty quick read, I would totally recommend this if you happen to stumble upon it, but ultimately not much from it really stuck with me.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an Advanced Reading Copy in exchange for an honest opinion!
April 18, 2023
An interesting little story, about an alien doing his duty (secretly spy on humans), messing up and then slowly coming to question his place in the alien hierarchy.
That sounds quite dry, it's more fun than that. The art is quirky, I think it worked quite well with the story. Not mindblowing, but a nice story.
(Thanks to Oni Press for providing me with a review copy through NetGalley)
That sounds quite dry, it's more fun than that. The art is quirky, I think it worked quite well with the story. Not mindblowing, but a nice story.
(Thanks to Oni Press for providing me with a review copy through NetGalley)
November 11, 2022
This is such a lovely story about an alien being that comes to earth to observe humanity. It manages to do this by spreading spores which embed themselves in people’s bodies. The alien feels all is going well and it can satisfy the demands of his unrelenting supervisor who has the power to kill should the alien fail in its mission.
Unfortunately the spores change human behaviour and soon people in the small town realise they have been invaded. Suddenly the alien realises its life and mission are on the line and so it seeks a way that will save both the mission and save its life.
This is a lovely story with very clear, soothing artwork. It is a great graphic novel because there isn’t too much prose and the pictures also tell the story. It is a lovely feel good story which leaves the reader feeling entertained, happy and hopeful. Very enjoyable.
Copy provided by the publishers via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.
Unfortunately the spores change human behaviour and soon people in the small town realise they have been invaded. Suddenly the alien realises its life and mission are on the line and so it seeks a way that will save both the mission and save its life.
This is a lovely story with very clear, soothing artwork. It is a great graphic novel because there isn’t too much prose and the pictures also tell the story. It is a lovely feel good story which leaves the reader feeling entertained, happy and hopeful. Very enjoyable.
Copy provided by the publishers via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.
November 15, 2022
My Life Among Humans is a short and somewhat melancholy graphic novel about an alien sent to watch and collect data on humans, observing without being noticed, and how this data collector responds when things go wrong. Jed McGowan has a really interesting art style I haven't seen in a graphic novel before - the characters are very round and seem almost three dimensional in a way that reminded me of the Rolly Polly Ollie show (anyone else?) but with a gloomy color palette. I found this to be so lovely and sweet, with the kind of ending I love that is ambiguous, sad and hopeful at the same time. Highly recommend if you like softer, heartfelt scifi (especially fans of Murderbot!) and are looking to reflect on loneliness, voyeurism, control, connection, and the difference between watching and living your own life. I'd love to read more from McGowan in the future.
(thanks to the publisher on netgalley for the arc!)
(thanks to the publisher on netgalley for the arc!)
January 2, 2023
What if aliens were watching your every move, thought and feeling?
An imaginative and visually appealing graphic novel that follows an alien who has been sent to Earth to monitor humans. I loved the representation of a m/m family unit. Not only does the book examine free will, it's also a beautiful story about human connection — something that technology will quite possibly never be able to replicate.
Thank you Oni Press for the Netgalley ARC.
An imaginative and visually appealing graphic novel that follows an alien who has been sent to Earth to monitor humans. I loved the representation of a m/m family unit. Not only does the book examine free will, it's also a beautiful story about human connection — something that technology will quite possibly never be able to replicate.
Thank you Oni Press for the Netgalley ARC.
October 31, 2022
Thanks to NetGalley and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
4,5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
This was so cute! Exactly the kind of graphic novel that I enjoy reading. The graphics of this book were so pretty. I think I would have liked the character description at the beginning, but I still love it.
To simply summarize it, this book follows an alien that has been sent to earth to collect data on people and report it to its manager. Totally recommend it!
4,5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
This was so cute! Exactly the kind of graphic novel that I enjoy reading. The graphics of this book were so pretty. I think I would have liked the character description at the beginning, but I still love it.
To simply summarize it, this book follows an alien that has been sent to earth to collect data on people and report it to its manager. Totally recommend it!
December 12, 2022
Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for an arc of this in exchange for an honest review.
5⭐
I wasn't entirely sure where this story would go as I tried to avoid reading too much of the description before going in and I'm glad I did!
For that reason, I won't give too much away either. The story is that of a robot alien who is sent to Earth to covertly collect data on humans to send back to its manager.
It was a really cute story with a lovely art style that I haven't seen in a graphic novel before and an important underlying message.
It was exactly what I want from a graphic novel and when this is released I will be picking up a copy myself. It's definitely something I can see myself going back to reread often and also recommending to others.
The only thing that I feel could have made it better is if it was a little longer!
I understand why the pacing was the way it was but I'd have liked a little more build up and some more time to learn about each of the characters.
5⭐
I wasn't entirely sure where this story would go as I tried to avoid reading too much of the description before going in and I'm glad I did!
For that reason, I won't give too much away either. The story is that of a robot alien who is sent to Earth to covertly collect data on humans to send back to its manager.
It was a really cute story with a lovely art style that I haven't seen in a graphic novel before and an important underlying message.
It was exactly what I want from a graphic novel and when this is released I will be picking up a copy myself. It's definitely something I can see myself going back to reread often and also recommending to others.
The only thing that I feel could have made it better is if it was a little longer!
I understand why the pacing was the way it was but I'd have liked a little more build up and some more time to learn about each of the characters.
December 9, 2022
I accessed a digital review copy of this book from the publisher.
This is a story about an alien observer sent to earth to watch humans and report back to his manager about what he observes. He does this until one day he makes a mistake and must find a solution.
This was a cute, short story. The story is told from the alien's viewpoint. It gives the reader a basic idea of its background and why it is an observer. It also shows the reader about its chosen subjects, Will and his family. The alien tries to bond with the family and understand why humans are the way they are. It was amusing watching its mistakes and the expansion of its problem.
I loved how it ended and would even like to see further stories about the alien working to achieve its end goals.
This is a story about an alien observer sent to earth to watch humans and report back to his manager about what he observes. He does this until one day he makes a mistake and must find a solution.
This was a cute, short story. The story is told from the alien's viewpoint. It gives the reader a basic idea of its background and why it is an observer. It also shows the reader about its chosen subjects, Will and his family. The alien tries to bond with the family and understand why humans are the way they are. It was amusing watching its mistakes and the expansion of its problem.
I loved how it ended and would even like to see further stories about the alien working to achieve its end goals.
November 27, 2022
I would like to thank Oni Press and NetGalley for granting me this ARC in exchange for writing an honest review!
Imagine aliens or whatever that outsider is (on the cover) with his scout taking all your personal info and just knowing them without your knowledge. It really fascinates me how the human brain comes up with such ideas. This could be happening in reality as we barely know much about what merely exists in this huge world of galaxies. I might have commented on how cute the creature is mentally (like come on he is so adorable and he is the only reason I read this comic) AND HE LOVES TO STARGAZE (well not really but somehow). Like, come on who wouldn't want to read this. This comic was about forgiveness and wanting to be loved and wanted. I wasn’t a fan of the art, but I adored the illustration of the little creature.
This book made me more paranoid though, what if this is actually true? Nonetheless, I wanted to embrace the creature so badly when it was over-scrutinizing.
"Certain moments, stood out from the rest"
"Rather than wait for the right moments to appear, we create them"
Imagine aliens or whatever that outsider is (on the cover) with his scout taking all your personal info and just knowing them without your knowledge. It really fascinates me how the human brain comes up with such ideas. This could be happening in reality as we barely know much about what merely exists in this huge world of galaxies. I might have commented on how cute the creature is mentally (like come on he is so adorable and he is the only reason I read this comic) AND HE LOVES TO STARGAZE (well not really but somehow). Like, come on who wouldn't want to read this. This comic was about forgiveness and wanting to be loved and wanted. I wasn’t a fan of the art, but I adored the illustration of the little creature.
This book made me more paranoid though, what if this is actually true? Nonetheless, I wanted to embrace the creature so badly when it was over-scrutinizing.
"Certain moments, stood out from the rest"
"Rather than wait for the right moments to appear, we create them"
January 19, 2023
The plot and the illustrations failed to captivate me. The story is incomplete. Because everything transpired so quickly, several parts of the story seemed to be missing. I didn't find the artstyle to stand out either.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Oni Press to provide an ARC of this graphic novel for reviewers.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Oni Press to provide an ARC of this graphic novel for reviewers.
November 15, 2022
*I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for the free graphic novel*
"My Life Among Humans" is a sweet graphic novel that follows a solitary alien who has been chosen to observe humans. By mistake, he brings humans under his power and is then threatened by the arrival of his fearsome supervisor. The story was quite predictable but the visual aspect was quite nice and I rooted for the wee alien.
3.5 Stars
"My Life Among Humans" is a sweet graphic novel that follows a solitary alien who has been chosen to observe humans. By mistake, he brings humans under his power and is then threatened by the arrival of his fearsome supervisor. The story was quite predictable but the visual aspect was quite nice and I rooted for the wee alien.
3.5 Stars
October 29, 2022
An alien has been sent to Earth with the task of stealthily studying humans and reporting the data to its manager. It has no choice so must do as it has been programmed. The first people it meets are Will and his family so it uses its spore technology to learn about human behaviour. However, the spores mean the alien can do more than it thought possible- it can control the humans' minds. Worried about what this will mean for its survival if its manager finds out, the alien begins a well-intentioned but ultimately misguided plan to save itself.
Occasionally a graphic novel comes along that beautifully combines a great premise with compelling writing and a gorgeous art style. It's a difficult feat to accomplish so any that achieves this should be celebrated.
This should be celebrated.
The first element that captivates the reader is the art style. The illustrations are sweet but powerful, using simple shapes to create rich landscapes. Each panel has depth and character, providing an easy-to-follow breakdown of the action.
The story is narrated by the alien, taking the reader through its actions and its motives for doing them. While some of the calamities could be avoided, the reason for them occurring is easily understood because of the insight into the alien's thinking.
It's an easy sci-fi with good characters and a poignant narrative.
Occasionally a graphic novel comes along that beautifully combines a great premise with compelling writing and a gorgeous art style. It's a difficult feat to accomplish so any that achieves this should be celebrated.
This should be celebrated.
The first element that captivates the reader is the art style. The illustrations are sweet but powerful, using simple shapes to create rich landscapes. Each panel has depth and character, providing an easy-to-follow breakdown of the action.
The story is narrated by the alien, taking the reader through its actions and its motives for doing them. While some of the calamities could be avoided, the reason for them occurring is easily understood because of the insight into the alien's thinking.
It's an easy sci-fi with good characters and a poignant narrative.
December 23, 2022
Title: My Life Among Humans
Author: Jed McGowan
Published: 2023
Through Netgalley I was given the chance to read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
My Life Among Humans is a humorous graphic novel. It provides a quick and entertaining read. It’s an endearing story and I greatly enjoyed reading it.
An alien worker is sent to Earth to observe humans. It’s task is to report back to its manager, which wants to have clean data. This eventually results in a dilemma, after the alien is discovered and takes over the subjects it is supposed to be observing. From this point on, the manager tries to cover up its error as well as to prevent the other humans from discovering its existence. Eventually, the manager arrives on Earth to discover what is going on.
In a sense, it’s a classical ‘alien invader horror story’. An unknown force is slowly taking over people in a town and a small group of humans need to find out what is happening and prevent others from suffering a similar fate. The twist is that the story is observed from the point of view of the alien and that the alien has no hostile intent. It just wants to do its job and stay out of trouble.
Surprisingly, the comic has a depth that I had not expected at first. The alien has a larger background than anticipated. Another thing I liked was the humor! For example, when the alien tries to mimic being a human, it results in the necessary mistakes. There are some references to being a corporate employee and the accompanying issues that I could appreciate. It’s a easily accessible story and provides a light-hearted reading.
Overall, I enjoyed reading this book.
Author: Jed McGowan
Published: 2023
Through Netgalley I was given the chance to read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
My Life Among Humans is a humorous graphic novel. It provides a quick and entertaining read. It’s an endearing story and I greatly enjoyed reading it.
An alien worker is sent to Earth to observe humans. It’s task is to report back to its manager, which wants to have clean data. This eventually results in a dilemma, after the alien is discovered and takes over the subjects it is supposed to be observing. From this point on, the manager tries to cover up its error as well as to prevent the other humans from discovering its existence. Eventually, the manager arrives on Earth to discover what is going on.
In a sense, it’s a classical ‘alien invader horror story’. An unknown force is slowly taking over people in a town and a small group of humans need to find out what is happening and prevent others from suffering a similar fate. The twist is that the story is observed from the point of view of the alien and that the alien has no hostile intent. It just wants to do its job and stay out of trouble.
Surprisingly, the comic has a depth that I had not expected at first. The alien has a larger background than anticipated. Another thing I liked was the humor! For example, when the alien tries to mimic being a human, it results in the necessary mistakes. There are some references to being a corporate employee and the accompanying issues that I could appreciate. It’s a easily accessible story and provides a light-hearted reading.
Overall, I enjoyed reading this book.
February 9, 2023
I’ve come to really enjoy graphic novels. MY LIFE AMONG HUMANS by Jed McGowen is an enjoyable and fairly quick read.
An alien comes to earth to observe humans and reports back to its manager with its findings. It was engineered to send out microscopic scouts that enter a humans brain undetected and transmit data back to the alien. The alien is supposed to be completely hidden from the humans but grows attached to his subject and gets more curious than it should. It has to keep some findings hidden from its manager or it will not survive. It thinks it’s done a great job, until the manager shows up and starts to fix its mistakes!
The graphics are pleasing to look at and the dialog is clear and easy to follow. 5 stars!
An alien comes to earth to observe humans and reports back to its manager with its findings. It was engineered to send out microscopic scouts that enter a humans brain undetected and transmit data back to the alien. The alien is supposed to be completely hidden from the humans but grows attached to his subject and gets more curious than it should. It has to keep some findings hidden from its manager or it will not survive. It thinks it’s done a great job, until the manager shows up and starts to fix its mistakes!
The graphics are pleasing to look at and the dialog is clear and easy to follow. 5 stars!
November 28, 2022
What an adorable short book! It follows an alien as it tries to connect to his human subjects and its fight against the controller. The art is super cute and the story is an awesome mixture of sad and uplifting. I would be interested in reading future stories that follow the alien helping other watchers break free and collecting family!
Thank you to NetGalley and the author for my copy to review!
Thank you to NetGalley and the author for my copy to review!
June 14, 2023
This was just fun. This was an easy read with easy-on-the-eyes art about a lonely little alien trying to understand humanity and eventually trying to preserve life, a job, and make friends. Nothing groundbreaking here, but an enjoyable quick story.
February 26, 2023
Cute, wholesome, and a tad bit dark.
This was a great little comic book with beautiful artwork.
I really enjoyed it.
This was a great little comic book with beautiful artwork.
I really enjoyed it.
November 12, 2022
For such a short read, this was a really interesting book! I love the art style as well. I’d easily read another book about this aliens or the humans in this book. Thanks to netgalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
November 6, 2022
A very interesting sci-fi comic book, from the perspective of the alien and how their action transformed their vision. An unusual tale that raised a lot of interesting points, much more thoughtful than I expected it would be. I really enjoyed the direction it took and the questions it raised.
A lot of new sci-fi is questioning the smaller parts of human life, the social aspects, the emotional aspects, the ethics and more close-to-home little things, rather than the big science questions, the exterior facing or the big sociological movements. I like that a lot.
A very good sci-fi story, with efficient illustrations.
A lot of new sci-fi is questioning the smaller parts of human life, the social aspects, the emotional aspects, the ethics and more close-to-home little things, rather than the big science questions, the exterior facing or the big sociological movements. I like that a lot.
A very good sci-fi story, with efficient illustrations.
November 2, 2022
This graphic novel was such a great read! The art was unique and really pleasing but on top of that I found the character of the alien to be so easy to connect to. Just a little baby wanting to learn and belong in a way that we can all feel familiar with. Our little alien is tasked with quietly observing, not being seen or noticed in any way and its curiosity for the family its watching gets the better of it.
We see in this short story how quickly our innocent intentions and unplanned actions cant snowball and spiral in to big problems. But we also see how important it is to always find your way back to doing the right thing; for yourself and for those around you. I hope our little friend finds happiness and can live a life it enjoys for itself.
We see in this short story how quickly our innocent intentions and unplanned actions cant snowball and spiral in to big problems. But we also see how important it is to always find your way back to doing the right thing; for yourself and for those around you. I hope our little friend finds happiness and can live a life it enjoys for itself.
November 1, 2022
Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.
This is such a cute and wonderful story. I couldn't stop reading, nor turning the pages. A little life form alien robot visit our planet to collect data for the Big Mother Brain. The little robot is the narrator and she is taking you through all her work details and emotions.
Such a great point of view of collecting data and realizing that no matter how much work you do, there will never be enough and values are always changing as well as growing. Definitely worth making into a film.
This is such a cute and wonderful story. I couldn't stop reading, nor turning the pages. A little life form alien robot visit our planet to collect data for the Big Mother Brain. The little robot is the narrator and she is taking you through all her work details and emotions.
Such a great point of view of collecting data and realizing that no matter how much work you do, there will never be enough and values are always changing as well as growing. Definitely worth making into a film.
October 31, 2022
This was an excellent observation on the human condition which highlights the most complex human trait of all - interacting with other people. It graciously demonstrated the empathy that outsiders may experience when they actually take the time to walk in someone else's shoes. This is a very enjoyable read for any scifi fan!
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