'Cretaceous' with story and art by Tadd Galusha is a wordless graphic novel about survival in the Cretaceous era.

The story centers around a Tyrannosaurus Rex out hunting.  When it gets separated from its parents, it is left in a dangerous world.  The story features a chain reaction of dinosaurs eating and being eaten.  All the great dinosaurs are featured in this story, but how will the story end for our T-Rex friend?

I had a great time reading this.  The lack of text didn't hurt the story at all because the artist conveys so much with the art.  And the art is really great.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Oni Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

A graphic novel filled with beautiful illustrations of both land and sea dinosaurs of the cretaceous period. T-Rex, per usual, takes on the role of main character as he tried to reunite with remaining members of his family after tragedy strikes. Filled with death, birth, gore, and blood, this is not for the faint of heart. Recommended for tweens aged 9-14 who appreciate death scenes and are not disturbed by them.

Like the trailer for the Disney film “Dinosaur” many years ago, the essence of life lived without words is an interesting correlation. With “Cretaceous” [Tadd Galusha/Oni Press/160pgs], it is done in graphic novel form to ample effect showing the texture of elation, family, loss, death and rebirth in a way through the plight of these animals. Granted, most of what is shown is inherently Darwinian, only the most adept survive. The T-Rex of course builds this course but one definitely sees the animal thinking even if it is base. It wants to figure out what it wants to eat next. It fights a triceratops or a similar animal but its path in a little more dyametric. In one of the most telling images, it returns to a killing hold where it lays itself down where many of its brethren returned to. There are of course different breeds and the whole structure of the bird influence in modern science balances with old school views of what text books taught maybe 30 years ago. The artist and author does use different location spaces, specifically beaches and water to mix up the visuals a little bit as well as the interaction in jungles which seems to be adjacent to the more raptor type landscape. Many of the places we see in usual representations are of savannahs or deserts or plains per se (or perhaps a volcanic region as that is more dramatic) but it is these subtle differences as well as the inherent behavior that is drawn out over the journey that works. It is not so much a story as it is a “week in the life of” and this probably continued for millions of years unabated which is pretty unbelievable but never the less probably a truism. “Cretaceous” is a fun and yet telling vision of that kind of life the way it would have been told…with only natural sounds to fill the air.

A-

By Tim Wassberg

Let me say this first:  The illustrations at work in Cretaceous are absolutely stunning.  Every dinosaur is brought to life with so much detail and it's clear that a lot of effort was put into making them all look so wonderful.

With that said, however, I wasn't on-board with the actual concept here.  This is a graphic novel without any words beyond a few dinosaur noises printed here and there.  It is an interesting idea and I'm certain that there are people out there that would absolutely love this, but I'm not one of those people.  I personally had trouble staying engaged with the story given the absence of words.  It's a cool concept, but it wasn't for me and probably isn't going to be for everyone.

I received a copy of this title from NetGalley.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Anyone who knows me, knows that dinosaurs will always hold an extremely special place in my heart. They were the first real thing I fell in love with, and that love has stayed with me for over two decades. So, needless to say, when I saw this was available to read on Netgalley, I jumped!

Cretaceous is an absolute treat that explores the cycles of life and death in our prehistoric world. This is a stunning graphic novel, and takes full advantage of visual storytelling: apart from a few roars and sniffs, there are no words. And all the better for it. This story doesn't need words to tug at your heartstrings or make your heart race. The illustrations are detailed, dynamic, and visceral.

While I'm not sure this title would have a place at my library, I will absolutely be purchasing it for myself upon release.

This is an amazing graphic novel! It's something I wish was around when I was a child in my dinosaur phase! It's incredible how an entire story can be told without a single word of dialogue! And the story is really heart wrenching too. It's so refreshing to see a science-based graphic novel. It's clear how much research has gone into this, and the result is visually stunning!

This graphic novel has no dialogue. It follows primarily a t-rex separated from their family. Other dinosaurs are also shown going through emotional experiences. There are power struggles, family dynamics, mourning, revenge, parenting, being alone, and just surviving. All during the Cretaceous period.



I give this book a 4/5. The artwork is breathtaking. It portrays emotion so well for not having any dialogue. It's full of simple stories, but they sure bring the feels. There's also a guide to the dinosaurs at the end of the book.

This was a visually stunning account of a TRex adult tracking down its baby after a group of Albertosaurus killed the other parent. There were a ton of dinosaurs fighting and so we get to see really cool artistic renditions of them. 

This had no dialogue but the art does enough to push the story along. Also all the various dinosaurs and plants keep things visually interesting so nothing really lags. 

All in all it's a minimalistic story where the art takes center stage.

My son is currently obsessed with dinosaurs, and T-Rex is his favorite (plus there's a prehistoric shark, another love of his). We own and read many dinosaur picture books, and I'm always on the hunt for new, great books in this category. I wasn't expected this to be a wordless comic, but the opportunity that it gives kids to use their imaginations is wonderful. I also love that it has pictures and names of the dinosaurs, as well as how big they are compared to man.

Cretaceous has such beautiful illustrations that really do add to the story in such an amazing way. The colours were vibrant and despite having no dialogue and being about dinosaurs, this graphic novel really is moving and the ending got me all emotional. Some people may view it as just a dinosaur-eats-dinosaur story but it follows a broken family trying to find each other again.

The field guide at the end was also really useful and I enjoyed reading that extra little bit of information.

“Cretaceous” is much more than just a cool-looking dinosaur-eat-dinosaur picture book—this is an exhilarating, visceral exploration of the dinosaurs, rodents, reptiles, insects, and marine life of the Cretaceous period by an expert visual storyteller. The stories of Cretaceous predators and prey are conveyed through a series of seamless cinematic transitions through immersive environments and gripping scenes that tug at the senses. 

The added field guide in the back offers an informative description of the biology and territories featured in book.

The illustrations for this graphic novel are so beautifully done and vibrant.  There is so much attention to detail embedded in each panel, it really makes it fun to "read" the story and decipher what is happening.  I enjoyed how you get to see several different types of dinosaurs in this book and also sort of follow along in the life of one.  Beware, there are some heart-wrenching moments in this book.

This ain’t THE LAND BEFORE TIME.

The synopsis for CRETACEOUS describes it as the journey of a young T-Rex to reunite with their family before death can separate them for good. Well, actually, I guess I just *assumed* that the protagonist was the juvenile dinosaur (I blame the inevitable THE LAND BEFORE TIME flashbacks!), but the summary really doesn’t specify. So that’s on me. Either way, I’d describe CRETACEOUS as more of a revenge story than anything else.

The Tyrannosaurus Rex family at the heart of this story is a nuclear unit: father, mother, several children. Dad has just returned with a kill when the family is viciously attacked by a group of albertosauruses, leaving just two survivors: one of the babies, and mom, who was on the other side of a waterfall when the massacre took place. Only after she hunts down the dinosaurs who killed her family does mom go in search of junior (hence, revenge story). They reunite, if only briefly; such is life, especially in such a cruel and unforgiving place. 

For having absolutely zero dialogue, CRETACEOUS is a surprisingly moving tale. Also: bloody, gory, and raw. The two dueling themes seem to be the harshness of survival in the animal kingdom, and the unrivaled bond between parents and children. Terror and ruthlessness meets love and martyrdom. It makes for a compelling read, even if relentless deaths are a little hard to take. (CERA!!!!)

Cretaceous is a story of few words, depicting a day in the life of the dinosaurs. It’s all mayhem, all the time, illustrated beautifully. You’ll be transported to a time before the modern era, where nothing mattered beyond surviving from one moment to the next. It’s a great art piece for kids and adults alike.

There isn’t much story to Cretaceous and that made the artwork all the more compelling. The book acts more as a field guide to the dinosaurs, introducing dozens of species who are rendered in stunning detail. We follow the food chain multiple times over, running alongside different beasts as they get eaten. It sounds dreary but the volume was actually quite illuminating. This wasn’t the typical dinosaur animation complete with songs, jokes, and a write-off of what those enormous teeth are actually for. Instead, we get to see the dinosaurs as the ferocious beasts they are.

The art is done masterfully with a focus on the vivid colors of a fresher world and the endless variety of species inhabiting it. The only words are grunts and groans, leaving the artists to tell an entire story purely through their art. The choice pays off, resulting in a beautiful guide to a world we can only imagine.

I can see a lot of curricular uses for this wordless graphic novel. My students would also enjoy the story, which follows a T. Rex that gets separated from its family and must face the dangers of the Cretaceous in order to find its way home. The art is gorgeous and evocative.

Tadd Galusha’s Cretaceous: Unexpectedly heart wrenching

When I picked up an advance copy of this (March 2019 release), I grabbed it purely because my elder spawn would love it. I figured it would be good because Tadd Galusha was the driving artistic force, but I had no expectation it would be something I would be more excited about than my dino obsessed kiddo.

Cretaceous is the tale of a Tyrannosaurus Rex family. Mother and Father, hunting, get separated- causing one to be slaughtered. Infant T-Rex stays alive after the annihilation of it’s nest. The remaining T-Rex parent hunts a pack of Albertosaurus Sarcophagus who are stalking the last child

The art on this is phenomenal. Wide sweeping two page spreads, unusual (but not overtly artsy) camera angles keep the images interesting. The only text in this book is the occaisional onomatopoeia smacking and crunching through the book.

Blood. Guts. Gore. Violence. Is this the life of dinosaurs? For sure. Will I be putting this book into the hands of children? Not unless I want angry parents or educators at my door.

I’m a huge dinosaur fan. I think just about any story is made better by adding dinosaurs. Othello got you down? What if he was monologuing with a dinosaur skull? See, point made. Regardless, when I see a dinosaur-themed comic, I’m going to check it out.

It turns out that Albertosaurus sarcophagus are jerks. When a family of Tyrannosaurus rex are attacked by A. sarcophagus, it will lead a mother T. rex on an epic journey through the Cretaceous period, seeking bloody revenge on her family’s attackers.

Cretaceous is completely dialogue free, given that dinosaurs likely weren’t discoursing on philosophy. The narrative is told entirely through images. The main arc of the story is the aforementioned T. rex blood hunt, but the story spins out on brief tangents of exploration of different environments and creatures of the Cretaceous.
This was an absolutely delightful story. I found myself deeply engaged with the quest of the T. rex, despite their being no human characters to connect to throughout. Galusha does a fantastic job of creating connection and empathy without trying to humanize or anthropomorphize the dinosaurs.

I highly recommend Cretaceous. If you are looking for a fresh new read after re-reading Age of Reptiles a thousand times, or want a more serious take on Gon, then Cretaceous is a fantastic option.

CONTENT WARNING: The Cretaceous period wasn’t exactly all fun and games. Cretaceous includes blood, violence, animal infanticide, and a prehistoric shark giving birth. This is all presented in a documentary-style, and never feels gratuitous, but Cretaceous is not for the youngest of readers.

This review will be available at the provided link on 2/21/19.

I have loved dinosaurs 🦖 since I was a young girl and so was very excited to read this graphic novel written and illustrated by Tadd Galusha. Thank you to Oni Press for making it available via NetGalley as a ‘Read Now’. It will be released in paperback on 26 March 2019.

There is quite properly no dialogue as while fictional it is research-based, so don’t expect any anthropomorphic dinosaurs. However, there is the occasional noise illustrated with words. Sniffs and meaty crunches.

After setting the scene through a series of violent encounters between various creatures, it provides an account of a T-Rex after they are separated from their family unit and their efforts to reunite by travelling through a treacherous terrain. 

The illustrations are beautiful though quite brutal in places with plenty of biting and blood. I found that I was especially moved by the mortally wounded Triceratops that seeks out a graveyard filled with the bones of its fellows.

I would probably advise that it is one for older children given the level of violence depicted. I would think an excellent tool for teachers covering that period as so many ‘popular’ dinosaurs are depicted.

Tadd Galusha concludes with a Cretaceous Field Guide giving details of the creatures and including human silhouettes for scale. Certainly shows that some reptiles and sharks have changed very little.

I felt it was excellent and certainly heart-wrenching. When released I plan to buy a copy as it is just stunning.

If this review was a flow chart, and I asked you, "Do you like dinosaurs?" and your answer was Yes, then there'd be a handy arrow that would point you to the option "read this graphic novel".

If you've ever seen illustrations of a dinosaur and the first word out of your mouth was "COOL!!!!", then this book is for you. 

Maybe I'm a little dramatic or maybe my whole childhood and consequently my whole life has been heavily influenced by Littlefoot's mom's death in The Land Before Time, but when I saw how stunning the title page was (not the cover, which is kind of...not good, compared to the art inside) I didn't even care what the story would be about, I just knew I would love it if the whole book had art Like That in it. And I was not disappointed.

The fact that this book has no dialogue in it might make you think it's a children book about cute dinos running about their lives, but I wouldn't say this is for kids. Teens, maybe, if they can handle the gore. But basically, you should only go into this if you're prepared to be the powerless witness to the brutality of a nature without finality or purpose, and leave your own human ideals in the Anthropocene where you belong. This is the Cretaceous, baby.