An epic fantasy in the vein of Dungeons and Dragons, where orcs and humans need to work together to fight an even bigger threat. The world felt deep and lived in, the characters are interesting and carry the journey, the art is crisp and the action is fluid. The writer did a good job structuring each issue to progress the larger story but still have a contained narrative with cliffhangers. I especially liked the last issue in the volume and I'm going to keep reading. D&D players and readers who enjoyed Elfquest, Bone, or even Berzerk would enjoy The Hunger and the Dusk. Thanks Image and Netgalley for the advanced copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this advanced copy of the novel in exchange for my honest review. THE ARTWORK FOR THIS GRAPHIC NOVEL IS GORGEOUS, THIS CANNOT BE SAID ENOUGH. I adored all of the character designs, just everything is perfect. I've never seen art be able to so perfectly capture and embody the spirits of characters before, it's just stunning. From our heroes to our villains, everyone looks and plays the part. Not only that, but the story is just so interesting and realistic to what would happen between humans and any other species. I honestly cannot wait for more volumes of this to come out, I felt like I really knew the characters by the end of this first volume and am rooting for happy endings for them all! I think this hope is probably a shot in the dark, as the story is fairly bleak, but I persist nonetheless! Fans of original fantasy would most likely enjoy this, I know I certainly did.

A fairly generic fantasy and story, with some glorious lines and vibrant colours, and fight scene panels with real movement and momentum to them.
I feel this collection didn't end on a strong note. Issues 1-5 were building up to something big, but issue 6 didn't work as a dialogue-free story. Needed a much more impact fully ending to the volume.

Thank you to IDW Publishing & NetGalley for the advanced readers copy.
5/5 star rating

I can say that I had a blast reading this comic. I'm a huge fan of Dungeons & Dragons and stepping into a fantasy world. This comic started off strong by introducing the world and the Vangol's sudden appearance. The art is absolutely stunning, and it really drags you into the story. I love how all the characters, orc and human, are likeable, but also have their own flaws.

I will definitely get this comic once it's available, and I can't wait to see more of this amazing world.

Summary: In a world teetering on the brink, humans and orcs form a fragile alliance when the Vangol, ancient humanoids, arrive. To seal the pact, powerful orc overlord Troth Icemane sends his cousin Tara, a high-ranking healer, to fight alongside human commander Callum Battlechild. As they navigate a sea of tension, heartbreak, and impending crisis, their ability to overcome ingrained prejudices holds the key to survival.


Pros:
🌟 Five stars for this graphic masterpiece! "The Hunger and the Dusk" is a wonder to behold, weaving together stunning art and a compelling story of epic proportions.

🎨 The art is a visual feast, capturing the essence of a dying world, fierce battles, and the delicate dance of alliances. Every panel is a delight of fantasy brilliance.

⚔️ The story is a perfect blend of tension, build-up, and action, creating a story that keeps readers on the edge of their seats. The plot is like a well-crafted epic, leaving you hungry for more.

Cons:
🤷‍♂️ If you're not a fan of fantasy worlds, political intrigue, or breathtaking art, this graphic novel might be as appealing as a troll's dental hygiene. But really, who wouldn't want to dive into a world filled with orcs, humans, and ancient humanoids?


📚 In conclusion, "The Hunger and the Dusk, Vol. 1" is a triumph of fantasy storytelling and visual artistry. G. Willow Wilson, you've crafted a graphic saga that's both mesmerizing and hunger-inducing! Bravo! ⚔️📚

Disclaimer: A magical thank you to NetGalley and IDW Publishing for this ARC. All opinions are as uniquely mine as a dragon's favorite hoard. 🐉📚

I really liked this book.

I've been interested in reading more graphic novels lately, but have been somewhat disappointed by the offerings. This looked interesting, but I know that graphic novel covers are often not what the interior art looks like. Not so in this case. The artwork inside is just as nice as this cover.

Humans and orcs are all that remain in the known land and they remain bitter enemies. But an alliance may be necessary when a humanoid race called the Vangol arrive on the shores. There are little enough resources for orcs and humans and now these interlopers want to take it for themselves ... and they have the power to do so.

The powerful orc overlord, Troth Icemane, sends his cousin, Tara (a high ranking healer), to fight alongside the human commander Callum Battlechild. Putting aside their differences and generations-old hatred toward one another will at first be difficult ... until Tara and Callum get to know one another better. But will they have time to earn one another's respect with the Vangol danger so imminent?

The story is a little on the simple side, but author G. Willow Wilson does a really splendid job of switching between the storylines - human, orc, Vangol - which keeps it fresh and has us wondering what's happening with the other groups, so that we want to keep reading on.

What works best, however, are the characters. The orcs aren't just stupid, aggressive ogres. They have personalities and, as we see with Tara, they're not all obsessed with fighting. The humans are every bit as war-like as the orcs, and Tara's presence shows both races that there are things about the other that they haven't realized until now.

There is a touch of romance here, which comes on and ends a bit more abruptly than felt appropriate, but I liked the connection between the two, and it does drive two of the characters, and the story.

The Vangol are appropriately frightening and the questions surrounding who they are and where they came from keep a nice mystery.

The artwork is absolutely gorgeous. This feels like time and care were given to producing something really stunning, rather than what often looks like a rush job to meet a deadline. This is easily some of the nicest, modern graphic novel art I've seen in a book in some time.

I would not say this is the most original fantasy story I've read, but it's well done and looks beautiful.

Looking for a good book? The Hunger and the Dusk is a fantasy graphic novel by G. Willow Wilson and Chris Wildgoose that has a delightful, unique energy that's been missing from the graphic novels I've read in the last few years.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

A promising start to a new fantasy series. The story was understandable, but could be conveyed more clearly to make the reading experience more enjoyable and easy to follow. The art is beautiful and conveys emotion and action well.

I need the next volume of this right now! This is an amazing graphic novel full of so many enjoyable characters and a clever and intense introduction to what promises a very awesome fantasy! I loved the artwork, the storyline, and the romances both fully realized and hinted at between surprising pairings. The simple switch up of an orc being a healer and the literate one was quite clever. Overall, fantastic

really enjoyed this comic. The story is interesting and the art is great . I like how this feels familiar because of the typical human vs orcs trope, yet it has a twist with the alliance. I especially loved the action scenes, I think they are excellently portrayed through the art. I'm excited to read more of this, for sure.

I liked this comic. Artstyle is rich and colorful and cartoonish (as far as I am concerned there should be more cartoonish stuff) Orcs and humans looks district enough to differenciate them. It uses all the tropes and cliches you'd expect without sounding boring. There's still enough depth to it to keep me engaged.

As a person who generally finds good characters boring I was surprised I liked Cal, war orphan who grew up with a sword, and fighting is the only thing he knows how to do. And for a person who never knew love he gives it so freely.

Tara knows she'll never be together with her beloved because politics and struggling to go on is heartbreaking to see. I didn't see the other characters enough to get invested I hope that'll change in the future.

I am also curious what's going on with the undead(?). What do they want, if they want anything? Why did they show up now?

Thank you to NetGalley for letting me read this early for a review!

This was an awesome start to a story! The art is just as amazing on the inside as it is on the cover (something that I looooove because too many comics these days are deceitful with beautiful covers and actual guts done by completely different artists). The story was also just rad, perfect for those who love epic fantasy (like me!) and it really makes you crave more. There is also some romance which is nice and really cool to have play out in this art style. You’re going to find tropes and if you don’t like that, whatever, but I love high fantasy tropes so I loved it. Can’t wait for more!

I thought I would love this from the cover art and description alone and I am glad to say that I did! I was kindly gifted an advanced reader copy via IDW Publishing and read this in a whole sitting. As a player of Dungeon and Dragons and an avid defender of half-orcs (and orcs) in a fantasy setting where they are often perpetuated with racist anti-indigenous tropes of savagery and pillaging/sexual assault/etc this was a breath of fresh air not only to see the orc characters portrayed as highly intelligent and compassionate people but also that this is somewhat addressed in the story itself! There is a bard character who felt like a fun comic relief who, when Tara joins the group as a healer, realizes all his songs have bad stereotypes about orcs in them and writes a new song instead. There are several instances where characters are retroactively fixing their perspectives upon the other with the human character, Cal, being the "bastard born illiterate" and Tara, the orc healer, being the compassionate healing character who was born into nobility.

Even with sparse dialogue we learn so much about the characters and while Troth and Faran are less present due to being in a separate area everyone was interesting. I really hope to see more of them in the future as the small bits of their building romance we get was right up my alley! I also adored the complicated dynamic between Cal and Tara, they both are (despite us not knowing their ages) seemingly young and can get heated in arguments quickly. It was compelling and I am a slut for angst!

It also goes without saying that the artstyle is beautiful. I am a fan of other popular fantasy graphic novels as well but something about how haunting the Vangol are portrayed looking akin to rats with their weird pointy teeth and emaciated bodies is SO good for fantasy villain work. They freaked me out! I also love the style of the orcs in particular they are beautiful, elegant, and all so distinct. I loved Faran's design in particular, couldn't tell you why but everytime she was on page I knew I loved her and cannot wait to see more of her!

In final thoughts, I am stingy on five stars. This was fantastic and I have very few complaints it is difficult with this kind of structure to fully develop and flesh out every character. I know personally I would love to see more of the side characters but there is a chance this will happen in the future as it is not done and ended on one crazy cliffhanger!

I like a good fantasy comic as much as the next person but frequently they follow the same patterns without really adding much to the larger body of work.
Not so here, where our human vs orc conflict is complicated by a common enemy. The solution? An aloof course.
While there’s plenty of action, the focus is very much on character and interpersonal drama despite the climate crisis and Vangol invasion. The Hunger and the Dusk is off to a promising start and I look forward to seeing what comes next.

What I loved most about this ARC was the art itself. It was easier to lose myself in the story strictly because of the art. However, the storyline itself felt a bit choppy, a bit rushed, and I didn’t get much background throughout the first six issues. It kept pulling me out of the story anytime I felt like I was understanding a piece of the story or how rushed it all felt.

The humans and the orcs coming together to defeat the Vangol is a great concept, especially with the ticking time bomb that is their planet due to climate issues, but I felt a bit lost on the characters backgrounds and such. Hopefully more gets answered in future issues that I’ll keep an eye out for though!

The Hunger and the Dusk explores the fragile alliance between the orcs and humans, two people who have been at war with each other for a long time, in the face of a new common enemy, the vangol.
I loved the art style of this graphic novel! The landscapes were breathtaking and vibrant. The environment shows the ravages of time and I am intrigued to know more about the dying world this story takes place in. The character designs were very nice and everyone is very distinct.
I enjoyed the story and cannot wait to see where it goes in the future.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an e-ARC to read and review!

Now, I found this very thrilling with the idea of the Humans and Orcs, making a peace treaty, then finding a common enemy to fight, etc. My main hiccup with the storytelling was just that I didn't feel like I had time to grow to love the other characters aside from the two main characters. That's the biggest flaw to me, but I also am enamored with the story and can't wait to read Volume 2.

Absolutely loved this. The artwork is gorgeous, and the story is compelling. The characters are well-rounded. I enjoyed the adventure, the fights, and the romantic subplot. It's definitely a story that I will continue to follow!

I LOVED IT. But that was anticipated the second I saw this was G. Willow Wilson's doing. We land in a fairly classic fantasy realm, where an usual humans vs orcs feud needs to end up in an alliance that would bind their forces together in a fight against much worse enemy (think: elves "meth not even once" type of creatures, 'cause these beasts were clearly ruined by some nasty addiction). We follow two parties - orcs in the north, struggling with dying land and lack of fields to feed their cattle, as their leader gets into an arranged marriage for political reasons (a happy one though); and humans in the south, where the alliance makes an orc aristocratic healer join a fighting squad that hunts murderous elven junkies. There are two romantic subplots, lots of fighting and adventure. The characters clicked for me from page one. It's cool that orcs seem to be a more developed civilization here, with complex rituals and spirituality. Also the art is superb and exactly the way I like it in fantasy comics.
I got an advance copy before proof and it seems that the 6th issue misses all dialogue bubbles (although it is still possible that a "mute" chapter was a creative decision, since I didn't have any problems with understanding it anyway). I'm definitely getting back for future issues.

Fairly nuanced fantasy comic that looks at an arranged marriage between an orc healer and a human bard, and the tensions therein as they play against what is essentially this fantasy universe's version of the uruk-hai (ancient beings of pure evil). Will note one thing - the version I read only had the art pass for issue 6 without the lettering, so I am going to need to find out what was actually said in the issue at some point (but the art conveyed the general gist of the issue well enough, which is also a good sign that the artist and writer are doing well together!). Given the general IDW situation at the time I'm writing this I hope we get to see volume 2 of this, but who knows these days!

WHAT WAS THAT ENDING????? I NEED VOLUME 2 NOW! Oh my gosh this was so good. I love the treaty and the characters. I think this series will grow into something amazing. I love fantasy and D&D like vibes. Tara I think might be my favorite right now.