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Ascender
Ascender. Tom 3. Cyfrowy mag
Przebojowa seria fantasy autorstwa wybitnego duetu – JEFFA LEMIRE’A i DUSTINA NGUYENA – trwa dalej! Kapitan Telsa robi, co może, żeby pozbyć się młodej Mili i Zbója, ale sprawy się komplikują, gdy do grupy chce dołączyć stary znajomy – WIERTACZ, robot zabójca! U jego boku stoi wierny towarzysz, czarodziej Mizard, być może więc Matka wraz ze swoją złowrogą armią wampów napotkała wreszcie godnego przeciwnika. Tymczasem Andy usiłuje wskrzesić swoją utraconą miłość Effie, tkwiącą w nieustępliwym uścisku wampirycznej niby-śmierci.
W komiksie Ascender twórcy z listy bestsellerów „New York Timesa”, Jeff Lemire (Gideon Falls, Łasuch) i Dustin Nguyen (Batman, Secret Hero Society), zabierają czytelników na niezapomnianą fantastyczną wyprawę o równie wspaniałym rozmachu i w tym samym duchu, co ich klasyczna seria Descender.
W komiksie Ascender twórcy z listy bestsellerów „New York Timesa”, Jeff Lemire (Gideon Falls, Łasuch) i Dustin Nguyen (Batman, Secret Hero Society), zabierają czytelników na niezapomnianą fantastyczną wyprawę o równie wspaniałym rozmachu i w tym samym duchu, co ich klasyczna seria Descender.
104 pages, Hardcover
First published December 23, 2020
11 people are currently reading
492 people want to read
About the author
Jeff Lemire
1,426 books3,801 followersLibrarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
Jeff Lemire is a New York Times bestselling and award winning author, and creator of the acclaimed graphic novels Sweet Tooth, Essex County, The Underwater Welder, Trillium, Plutona, Black Hammer, Descender, Royal City, and Gideon Falls. His upcoming projects include a host of series and original graphic novels, including the fantasy series Ascender with Dustin Nguyen.
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
Jeff Lemire is a New York Times bestselling and award winning author, and creator of the acclaimed graphic novels Sweet Tooth, Essex County, The Underwater Welder, Trillium, Plutona, Black Hammer, Descender, Royal City, and Gideon Falls. His upcoming projects include a host of series and original graphic novels, including the fantasy series Ascender with Dustin Nguyen.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 157 reviews
February 6, 2021
So. Much. Happens.
Potential Spoiler Warning!
Sorry, I can't talk about what I want to without at least hints of what happens in this one leaking out. If you haven't read this volume yet...well, go read it!
Lemire is getting the band back together in a big way in volume 3.
Some of the band members look a little different, some stayed exactly the same.
I'm here for all of it.
I will say I agree with some of the complaints that other readers have about deaths not sticking or things getting resolved too easily. This could be a problem down the road if Lemire keeps wacking beloved characters at the end of one issue and reviving them at the beginning of the next. However, if this was a one time thing to wow fans of the series and bring everything full circle, then he did a wonderful job. I really wasn't expecting to see a lot of these faces again.
Last page of the volume got me! Boom! Ah!
I squealed and scared my husband. <--then had to explain it was a comic and not something serious - like a spider that needed killing or something.
You know what I want? And some of you are going to be really pissed and disappointed if I get it, but I want a happy ending for these guys. I know, I knoooow...
Still.
Potential Spoiler Warning!
Sorry, I can't talk about what I want to without at least hints of what happens in this one leaking out. If you haven't read this volume yet...well, go read it!
Lemire is getting the band back together in a big way in volume 3.
Some of the band members look a little different, some stayed exactly the same.
I'm here for all of it.
I will say I agree with some of the complaints that other readers have about deaths not sticking or things getting resolved too easily. This could be a problem down the road if Lemire keeps wacking beloved characters at the end of one issue and reviving them at the beginning of the next. However, if this was a one time thing to wow fans of the series and bring everything full circle, then he did a wonderful job. I really wasn't expecting to see a lot of these faces again.
Last page of the volume got me! Boom! Ah!
I squealed and scared my husband. <--then had to explain it was a comic and not something serious - like a spider that needed killing or something.
You know what I want? And some of you are going to be really pissed and disappointed if I get it, but I want a happy ending for these guys. I know, I knoooow...
Still.
April 8, 2021
Awesome!! I love these books!
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
December 29, 2020
With, the third volume, "The Digital Mage" Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen continue their fantasy/sci fi/space travel/AI/space opera/homage to Star Wars, with the return of series favorite Driller the Killer (Robot) (and his faithful companion, Mizard the Wizard. (Queer) Telsa (with her ever devoted partner pilot/lover) leads the crew to converge with the Magical Militia (?!) to Phages, a galaxy far, far away and too scary for even the anti-robot, anti-magic monster, Mother (and her evil empire of vampires) to go. They then go to the moon of Dirishu, where the whole Descender series began, to prepare for a war between the forces of men and magic. I hesitate to reveal the basis of the cliffhanger here, but let’s just say it involved Tim-21 and The Fate of the Universe!
The real delight in the series is the art of Dustin Nguyen, with a kind of swirling/sketchy contemporary fantasy feel with deftly placed touches of color. Just awesome artwork throughout. The volume is fine, working on character development as they race around the galaxy, where the goal seems to be to get The Band Back Together to Save the World. I like the series. I like that title Digital Mage, too, getting at Lemire’s fantasy commitments here.
I think not enough really happens in this slim four issue volume to say that it is awesome or all that memorable, but it moves things along. In the huge unaffordable omnibus that will come out when all these series are done-Descender, Ascender. . . Descender again? Contender? Blender? Freddy Fender?Gender Bender?--this volume will just be a small part of the story. 3.5, rounded up.
The real delight in the series is the art of Dustin Nguyen, with a kind of swirling/sketchy contemporary fantasy feel with deftly placed touches of color. Just awesome artwork throughout. The volume is fine, working on character development as they race around the galaxy, where the goal seems to be to get The Band Back Together to Save the World. I like the series. I like that title Digital Mage, too, getting at Lemire’s fantasy commitments here.
I think not enough really happens in this slim four issue volume to say that it is awesome or all that memorable, but it moves things along. In the huge unaffordable omnibus that will come out when all these series are done-Descender, Ascender. . . Descender again? Contender? Blender? Freddy Fender?Gender Bender?--this volume will just be a small part of the story. 3.5, rounded up.
January 2, 2021
Gonna be lazy and post my thoughts from issue #12 as it sums up my thoughts on this volume as a whole:
This was way too short and quick, and I'm starting to feel like things are coming too easily and the conflicts and consequences aren't dire enough. I mean, I don't want the characters to suffer needlessly but it seems like everything is lining up and working out too well. I felt there was more tension and sacrifice in Descender, is all. If you were just going to get all of the characters back together again, why even change the name of the series then?
Individual issue reviews: #11 | #12 | #13 | #14
Total review score: 3.25
This was way too short and quick, and I'm starting to feel like things are coming too easily and the conflicts and consequences aren't dire enough. I mean, I don't want the characters to suffer needlessly but it seems like everything is lining up and working out too well. I felt there was more tension and sacrifice in Descender, is all. If you were just going to get all of the characters back together again, why even change the name of the series then?
Individual issue reviews: #11 | #12 | #13 | #14
Total review score: 3.25
October 15, 2022
Tercer volumen de la serie Ascender.
Siguen reuniéndose viejos compañeros en un mundo donde la magia tiene más relevancia que la tecnología.
Buen guión y muy buen dibujo.
Muy entretenido, aunque este tomo me da la sensación de servir como nexo con futuras entregas
Siguen reuniéndose viejos compañeros en un mundo donde la magia tiene más relevancia que la tecnología.
Buen guión y muy buen dibujo.
Muy entretenido, aunque este tomo me da la sensación de servir como nexo con futuras entregas
October 31, 2022
We near the end of Ascender in this beautifully illustrated 3rd volume. I enjoyed the story and the characters here and was impatient to move on to the final volume. If you haven't attempted these comics, start first with Descender and then these four Ascender books, they are truly excellent.
December 18, 2020
Familiar faces return in all sorts of guises as this short four issue arc brings our two disparate groups into some totally new locales. I was very surprised to learn that this was only four issues, since Ascender and Descender before it have usually been 4 or 5, but given the cliffhanger at the end of #14, it makes sense to stop where it does.
My favourite thing going on here I think is the literal inner turmoil within Mother - she's a lot more complex of a villain than she first appears, and is easily the most compelling of the new characters introduced in Ascender.
And of course, Dustin Nguyen's artwork is still as lovely as ever. He can do so much with so little, and evokes some crazy emotional beats with just a few sweeps of a paintbrush. Amazing stuff.
My favourite thing going on here I think is the literal inner turmoil within Mother - she's a lot more complex of a villain than she first appears, and is easily the most compelling of the new characters introduced in Ascender.
And of course, Dustin Nguyen's artwork is still as lovely as ever. He can do so much with so little, and evokes some crazy emotional beats with just a few sweeps of a paintbrush. Amazing stuff.
December 21, 2021
This volume of Ascender feels a bit choppy and handwavey to me - the plot is taking some shortcuts that are not exactly graceful, and in one particular instance the consequences of a previous tragedy are just... undone. It's not that I want the characters involved to be unhappy, it's just that if an event that really hit me hard emotionally and had potentially devastating consequences for a whole family can be ctrl-z'd out of the way like that, then what are the stakes here? I still want to keep reading the series, I'm just starting to get wary of some lazy/clumsy writing habits that have cropped up. The art is still wonderful, the gang is getting back together, the main villain has been undermined in a rather interesting way, and I don't think this can possibly count as a spoiler given the cover art: TIM-21 is back!!!
August 7, 2024
Still going well, but the storytelling is feeling rushed with some sloppy connections and coincidences employed to speed up a gathering of all the main characters. It's better than overstaying your welcome though, as the first series did.
One final voyage tomorrow.
One final voyage tomorrow.
September 29, 2022
From one world to the next, Ascender series has taken to the stars. Old friends (well, more like comrades in arms) are met) and old loves are tragically revisited.
This series has a knack for (almost) killing off its characters. Messing with readers like that…
But also, having read a bunch of these books now, it’s easy to start noticing patterns and/or limitations. Like the way the (stunningly talented) artist tends to draw people very similarly, so that the girl protagonist of Ascender looks almost exactly like the robot boy protagonist of Descender but hairstyled longer. Or the way the adults of masculine and feminine persuasion respectively have similar features.
And now, three books in. I’m realizing that although I’m rating Ascender series as highly as I did the Descender, I’d say here I’m rounding it up, with some added points for familiarity.
All in all, as of now, I’d say Descender is a superior work. And now just because there are more robots…and I’ll take robots over vampires any day.
It has a lot to do with Tim-21 being a more emotionally engaging lead. But at any rate, I’m going to finish the series and then review the entire thing. At any rate, it’s all still exceptionally entertaining, stunningly rendered, and absolutely worth the read.
This and more at
This series has a knack for (almost) killing off its characters. Messing with readers like that…
But also, having read a bunch of these books now, it’s easy to start noticing patterns and/or limitations. Like the way the (stunningly talented) artist tends to draw people very similarly, so that the girl protagonist of Ascender looks almost exactly like the robot boy protagonist of Descender but hairstyled longer. Or the way the adults of masculine and feminine persuasion respectively have similar features.
And now, three books in. I’m realizing that although I’m rating Ascender series as highly as I did the Descender, I’d say here I’m rounding it up, with some added points for familiarity.
All in all, as of now, I’d say Descender is a superior work. And now just because there are more robots…and I’ll take robots over vampires any day.
It has a lot to do with Tim-21 being a more emotionally engaging lead. But at any rate, I’m going to finish the series and then review the entire thing. At any rate, it’s all still exceptionally entertaining, stunningly rendered, and absolutely worth the read.
This and more at
December 27, 2020
What an awesome book. The whole descender/ascender series has been great. My biggest complaints are that sometimes you just have to accept absurd things and the absurd explanation for them. Also while the watercolors have really grown on me over the course of this series, I often find myself wishing the art had a little more detail. Otherwise this is an awesome series from one of the best writers of graphic novels around. 5 stars.
Also one thing: this isn't issues 11-15 like the description says and like image normally puts out. It's only 11-14. But don't worry, it's also cheaper.
Also one thing: this isn't issues 11-15 like the description says and like image normally puts out. It's only 11-14. But don't worry, it's also cheaper.
December 28, 2020
This is a great return to form. Two separate stories but both kind of related to the bigger picture. Previous characters return ( Love driller haha). Dustin Nguyens artwork is awesome as always. Great cliffhanger ending
February 3, 2021
I couldn't be bothered to go back and check, but it felt like all four issues collected here ended on the same kind of cliffhanger - reintroducing an old character unseen till now in the series. Bit lazy and predictable, that.
May 9, 2021
Kind of jumpy with short scenes. A few too many moving parts... The story telling is still spot on. We know what to expect on the art end. Nguyen is doing a fantastic job with this series I would recommend checking it out based on the visuals alone.
April 15, 2021
Ascender doesn't work as well as a fantasy as Descender worked as a sci-fi, but I'll take it. 🤩
January 1, 2022
Very much is happening and it was nice to see many old faces again- however slowly it gets a bit ridiculous how many times certain characters seem dead and they are not in hindsight.
August 8, 2023
One by one, all old characters are getting back.
It's just not possible to praise this series more.
Fantastic.
It's just not possible to praise this series more.
Fantastic.
June 21, 2021
The first Descender/Ascender volume that's left me rather cold. Everyone's looking for Tim. Mother (and now Sister) want him because he might be the source of magic. Telsa, Mila, and the gang (now plus Driller!) want him because of Bandit's map. Effie and Andy just seem to want him ().
Events proceed in a really predictable way - or, more predictable than usual, and quicker too. Old friends also return, because no one ever dies, . There just weren't very many moments for thoughtful reflection or character growth or world building in The Digital Mage. Lemire's just moving the pieces into place very obviously.
It doesn't help that I've forgotten what the big picture goal is. Are we fighting to revive the Descender robots? Destroy magic? Control magic? It's all unclear.
Events proceed in a really predictable way - or, more predictable than usual, and quicker too. Old friends also return, because no one ever dies, . There just weren't very many moments for thoughtful reflection or character growth or world building in The Digital Mage. Lemire's just moving the pieces into place very obviously.
It doesn't help that I've forgotten what the big picture goal is. Are we fighting to revive the Descender robots? Destroy magic? Control magic? It's all unclear.
December 25, 2022
Bullet Review:
Ahh the drive when one has a day before a book is due!
This volume sees Helda, Telsa and Mila head off world to fix a map, while Andy continues to flee, in hopes of finding his daughter. Behind the scenes, Mother is deposed by a more powerful sister.
Again, the art is evocative and stunning. I’m not 100% sure what’s going on, but it’s moving forward, and I’m invested enough in these people.
And on to volume 4!
Ahh the drive when one has a day before a book is due!
This volume sees Helda, Telsa and Mila head off world to fix a map, while Andy continues to flee, in hopes of finding his daughter. Behind the scenes, Mother is deposed by a more powerful sister.
Again, the art is evocative and stunning. I’m not 100% sure what’s going on, but it’s moving forward, and I’m invested enough in these people.
And on to volume 4!
March 8, 2022
Both plot-line are weak. The good stuff tends to come from the scraps that survived from the original series, while this is more of a dessert that comes a bit late in my case.
Speaking of surviving, man do characters in this series bait you. It's like Lemire can't bring himself to kill anything anymore because he knows he's keeping afloat only because he gets to keep the old stuff while the new one is filler.
The ending is kinda, "we have to finish btw" so... let's see where this is headed now.
Speaking of surviving, man do characters in this series bait you. It's like Lemire can't bring himself to kill anything anymore because he knows he's keeping afloat only because he gets to keep the old stuff while the new one is filler.
The ending is kinda, "we have to finish btw" so... let's see where this is headed now.
May 2, 2025
I feel like things are moving a little too briskly as this series is getting ready to wrap up. I still enjoy spending time with these characters though and there is some really great art on display.
July 20, 2022
La resurrezione di Effie e la spiegazione successiva data in 2 frasi è veramente una roba brutta brutta.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 25, 2021
I will not bother to say much about this because I have said it all before. I like, admire, and enjoy almost all of Lemire’s work, but this story combined with Nguyen’s art is truly special for me.
I can’t wait for the story to continue.
I can’t wait for the story to continue.
April 7, 2021
Set ten years after the events in "Descender," the machines have (nearly) all disappeared and now magic rules the universe. The all-powerful Mother holds the planets in her bloody grip, destroying what remains of the UGC. On Sampson, Andy and his daughter Mila scrape out a life without Effie while trying to remain free of Mother's control. But when someone from Andy's past appears, they can no longer hide.
My favorite part of the "Descender" series was the watercolor illustrations by Dustin Nguyen, which in a science fiction series might have seemed out of place but instead added an unexpected depth to the story. Continuing here in "Ascender" the art is even more breathtaking. Much of the first three volumes in the series have been spent finding and catching up with old friends and enemies from the "Descender" while also exploring the extraordinary changes in the universe since the machines left. It seems like every issue is ending on some kind of cliffhanger that reintroduces us to an old friend, which is great, if not a bit exhausting! Looking forward to the next!
This series can be found in the adult graphic novels at Fairmount under GRAPHIC FIC LEMIR JEF V. 1-3
Reviews Vols. 1-3
My favorite part of the "Descender" series was the watercolor illustrations by Dustin Nguyen, which in a science fiction series might have seemed out of place but instead added an unexpected depth to the story. Continuing here in "Ascender" the art is even more breathtaking. Much of the first three volumes in the series have been spent finding and catching up with old friends and enemies from the "Descender" while also exploring the extraordinary changes in the universe since the machines left. It seems like every issue is ending on some kind of cliffhanger that reintroduces us to an old friend, which is great, if not a bit exhausting! Looking forward to the next!
This series can be found in the adult graphic novels at Fairmount under GRAPHIC FIC LEMIR JEF V. 1-3
Reviews Vols. 1-3
March 17, 2022
Our two groups of characters are now picking up speed towards the end of the story, and even though this volume is just setup for the final volume, Jeff Lemire really knows how to plant the seeds that will pay off later.
I really enjoy how Lemire jumps back and forth between Telsa, Lila, Driller and the others and Andy and Effie, and shows us what obstacles they are traversing before the endgame. It really adds to the tension to jump back and forth like that, as you are constantly getting drips and drabs of each of the stories, but enough to keep you wanting more. Between the revelation of the last page, and the situation that Andy and Effie find themselves in, the stage has certainly been set for the last volume of the series.
The art by Nguyen is of course, still incredible. It's a testament to this guy that his art is so good and more importantly CONSISTENTLY good, throughout this series and Descender as well. I think his style is now a staple of this series, and I cant think of anyone else doing the art.
This is a setup volume, but a good one at that. Recommended for fans who have read Descender and Ascender.
I really enjoy how Lemire jumps back and forth between Telsa, Lila, Driller and the others and Andy and Effie, and shows us what obstacles they are traversing before the endgame. It really adds to the tension to jump back and forth like that, as you are constantly getting drips and drabs of each of the stories, but enough to keep you wanting more. Between the revelation of the last page, and the situation that Andy and Effie find themselves in, the stage has certainly been set for the last volume of the series.
The art by Nguyen is of course, still incredible. It's a testament to this guy that his art is so good and more importantly CONSISTENTLY good, throughout this series and Descender as well. I think his style is now a staple of this series, and I cant think of anyone else doing the art.
This is a setup volume, but a good one at that. Recommended for fans who have read Descender and Ascender.
January 16, 2021
I feel so sorry for anyone who started Ascender without having read Descender. They must be SO lost.
This volume has a lot of plots being juggled, as it reintroduces characters from Descender, extends the antagonist storyline a bit, and has two separate plots going for our two protagonist groupings (Telsa and Mila on one side, Andy and Effie on the other). There are some big moments, and one of my favorite Descender characters makes a big impression with this volume, but the story is really all over the place. The art style is still the highlight, but it doesn't get as many chances to shine as in previous volumes. This is definitely a bridge volume that moves the story forward, but isn't much to talk about on its own.
This volume has a lot of plots being juggled, as it reintroduces characters from Descender, extends the antagonist storyline a bit, and has two separate plots going for our two protagonist groupings (Telsa and Mila on one side, Andy and Effie on the other). There are some big moments, and one of my favorite Descender characters makes a big impression with this volume, but the story is really all over the place. The art style is still the highlight, but it doesn't get as many chances to shine as in previous volumes. This is definitely a bridge volume that moves the story forward, but isn't much to talk about on its own.
May 10, 2022
Ow boy, things are getting serioooous!
Effie is not so dead, we learn whats behind Kanto and his "cult" (?), we got some guys of Descender over here as well (yes!) and we learn why Bandit arrive at earth.
Really, i would left the last volume for tomorrow, but i just can't. Let's go!
Effie is not so dead, we learn whats behind Kanto and his "cult" (?), we got some guys of Descender over here as well (yes!) and we learn why Bandit arrive at earth.
Really, i would left the last volume for tomorrow, but i just can't. Let's go!
January 10, 2021
Action on several fronts as the Ascender/Descender series continues. Love the artwork, especially the watercolors. Fra! Fra!
January 18, 2021
Another amazing installment in this series. But where is the next one?
January 29, 2021
We're finally getting back on track! Much better than volume 2.
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