5 Sci-Fi Comics to Read if You Loved Project Hail Mary

It’s a great time to be a sci-fi fan. The eagerly anticipated Project Hail Mary movie hit theaters last week and has proven to be a massive hit, opening with a $141 million worldwide box office, performing better than anyone predicted and, more than that, it’s earning rave reviews from critics and audiences alike — including those who are big fans of Andy Weir’s book the movie is based on. The film is even being called one of the best of the year — and people are calling it a masterpiece of the genre, too.

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With Project Hail Mary proving to be such a hit, it’s not really a surprise that people are looking for more things like the movie to enjoy — and that includes comics. One of the great things about comics is that they are a fantastic vehicle for truly amazing sci-fi stories, especially those that take us to the stars. Here are five sci-fi comics you will want to check out if you loved Project Hail Mary. We think even Rocky would say “amaze amaze amaze” at these.

5) Descender and Ascender

A split image of Tim-21 looking up at the moon and Mila sitting on a cliff with a massive moon behind her — Courtesy of Image Comics

This is a two-for-one recommendation as, technically, Descender and Ascender are two separate series — Ascender is Descender’s sequel. Both series are written by Jeff Lemire and illustrated by Dustin Nguyen and is published by Image Comics and if you enjoyed the themes of friendship in Project Hail Mary, you’ll enjoy this one. Descender follows TIM-21, a young asteroid trying to avoid bounty hunters in a vast universe that has made all robotics and artificial intelligence illegal. The sequel series, Ascender, follows a little girl named Mila, the daughter of Descender characters Andy and Effie, and the world she lives in where magic has replaced machines.

The world of Descender/Ascender is hostile and dangerous, but is full of adventure, gorgeous space scenes, and complicated relationships and friendships that make the story rich and complex. At times, Descender/Ascender feels more like fantasy and sci-fi (and to be fair, the two series have elements of both) but that only makes things all the more fascinating and engaging.

4) The Incal

A long haired man in a red jacket running as robotic arms around him and bird flying next to him — Courtesy of Humanoids

A French graphic novel written by Alejandro Jodorowsky and illustrated by Moebius, The Incal is a space opera that leans a bit more technical but also has alien interaction and a main character who has a bit of an everyman feel much the same way Ryland Grace does in Project Hail Mary. The story follows John Difool, a down-on-his-luck private detective who ends up caught up with a powerful, mystical Incal crystal, an ancient artifact that results in a conflict with the greatest warrior in the galaxy, the Metabaron.

What makes The Incal such a good read for Project Hail Mary fans is the stakes. Not only does John have to fight for his own survival, but his efforts also hold the survival of the entire universe in the balance as well. It might not quite be having to figure out why stars are going dark, but John has a lot riding on him.

3) Saga

Saga from Image Comics — Image Courtesy of Image Comics

If we’re being honest, Saga doesn’t have a ton of similarities to Project Hail Mary. That said, Saga is one of the true greats of sci-fi when it comes to comics and various character relationships in the story — and various interesting aliens — will definitely appeal.

The story, generally, follows a family that is on the run across the galaxy. Why are they on the run? One of them is a soldier from a technologically advanced race while the other is a soldier from a magical race and they fall in love and have a child. With both sides caught up in a galactic war, there is no place they are welcome or safe. It is a massive, epic tale — and full of emotional gut punches along the way. It’s published by Image Comics.

2) Sentient

Another story from Jeff Lemire — this time with artist Gabriel Hernandez Walta and published by TKO Studios — Sentient tells the story of a group of people on a spaceship. When a catastrophe kills all of the adults on board, the ship’s AI has to protect the children left behind, all while trying to get them through the galaxy while being pursued by enemies and other dangers.

At the heart of the story is the partnership and bond between the ship’s AI, VALARIE, and the children. It’s an unlikely but emotionally resonant partnership that will remind readers a great deal of Grace and Rocky in Project Hail Mary.

1) Low

Human survival is a key element of Low. Written by Rick Remender and drawn by Greg Tocchini, the Image Comics published series is set in the far-flung future in a world where the Sun has become a red giant and the surface of Earth is no longer habitable. Two million survivors live in the underwater city of Salus while probes are sent into the universe to look for a new home to relocate to. After millennia, a probe returns.

Low is full of incredible world building and is a great story of survival and the human spirit, even in the face of extreme adversity, themes that fans of Project Hail Mary will resonate with along with the book’s tale of survival and sacrifice.

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