The art for this graphic novel is gorgeous and I loved the atmosphere of the silent portions where you just see the scenery and the magical creatures do their day to day activities. It really adds an ambience to the story by just sight and I really enjoyed how it was done. My main issue with the story though was that I didn't fully understand what was happening most of the time and the explanations weren't very detailed or conveyed in a comprehensive way especially when there's a lot of panels that have too many words being through at the reader at once which makes it harder to read. Everything is told in a sort of fragmented matter and I didn't fully understand what magic was happening in the story but overall I enjoyed the vibes and the art of the graphic novel.

I think unfortunately the description for this graphic novel is very misleading. While the story does cover a mushroom knight and a young girl their stories rarely intersect in this novel and they don't go on a "whimsical journey". The story takes on more of an edgey alternative art style to pair with it's dry humor and horror.

Outside of the description being off I felt the story had large gaps left in the world building and plot development that just primarily left the reader confused. Overall I think more time should have been spent in setting up this world and story to allow for better understanding of what's happening along the way. The author understands where they want to go and so it makes sense to them but from a reader's perspective we don't know the intended directions or missing pieces. I think unfortunately because of this the flow of the graphic novel was a little jarring with not great transitions between plot points.

The story at times has an interesting, dry sense of humor, yet also feels like it's trying too hard sometimes. I think a simpler approach to some parts would have smoothed out the story more as well. Unfortunately this graphic novel wasn't for me.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me an eARC in exchange for my review. The Mushroom Knight is a beautifully illustrated whimsical, creative world with some hiccups in the storyline—I would give it a 3/5 🌟.

I enjoyed learning about the Mushroom Knight’s unique world. The color palette was absolutely beautiful and cozy to see shine in the illustrations—both in the scenery and the characters.

Though, the story fell flat. I had a hard time following some of the conversations. What caught me most off guard was the animal death, which I would have appreciated a TW for in the beginning as it triggered me.

Overall, this graphic novel was enjoyable for the most part. The premise of tiny creatures invisible to the human eye is such a fun idea to play with. World-building is difficult to achieve sometimes, but I feel that if the storyline was cleaned up in future volumes, this series would be an absolutely magical experience.

Summary: Follow the trail of an intrepid adolescent girl as she ventures into the deep, dark woods in search of her missing dog, only to stumble upon the enigmatic Mushroom Knight, Gowlitrot the Gardener. As Gowlitrot unravels a sinister conspiracy threatening the very essence of the forest, our unlikely duo embarks on a quest to protect the biome from catastrophic ruin. With captivating artwork and charming characters, "The Mushroom Knight" promises a journey teeming with wonder and whimsy.


Pros:
🌟 The artwork deserves a standing ovation – vibrant, detailed, and capable of turning mundane mushrooms into faerie-chic fashion statements. My eyes feasted on every page.

🤩 Charming characters abound in this fungal fantasy! From the plucky adolescent girl to the chivalrous Mushroom Knight himself, each character adds a layer of whimsy and wonder to the story.

Cons:
🤔 Confusion, thy name is Mushroom Knight. While the art dazzles and the characters charm, the plot meanders like a lost mushroom in the underbrush. A bit more clarity would do wonders for navigating this forest of fantasy.

🌍 Worldbuilding overload! While the lush setting and lore are commendable, much of the world remains unexplored, leaving readers lost in a thicket of tantalizing but untamed details.


In conclusion, "The Mushroom Knight Vol. 1" offers a delightful romp through a forest of fantasy, brimming with enchanting art and endearing characters. While the plot may stumble like a wayward mushroom, and the worldbuilding sprawls like an overgrown vine, the journey is nonetheless an enjoyable escape from reality. So, grab your cloak, sharpen your wit, and prepare to be whisked away on a fungal-fueled adventure of epic proportions!

Disclaimer: A hearty thank you to NetGalley and Mad Cave Studios for entrusting me with this eARC. All opinions expressed are as unpredictable as a forest fairy's flight path—whimsical, capricious, and subject to the winds of change! 🌟🍄

Mad Cave Studios provided an early galley for review.

This gorgeously illustrated tale begins with a reminder of the vastness of nature, something many likely overlook. It is from this poetic and informative opening that we dive deep into the fantastical tale of our frog-riding hero Gowlitrot. In just a few scenes, the reader gets a sense of him - his personality and his demeanor. He balances his sense of duty with a bit of self-motivation. He is very much a rogue in every sense of the word.

There are plenty of moments where the artwork alone is meant to silently move things along. It does so brilliantly, making the most of what the comic medium can powerfully do. I like that the team is equally at home illustrating nature, the fantasy elements and the real-world elements, and that they are able to seamleslly move from one to another.

There is a lot of worldbuilding going on here, and some of it is not immediately crystal clear. There are mysteries, there are oddities, and there are often more questions than answers. It is definitely a story that can pull you in and want to know more. I know I do, so I will be looking forward to future volumes to see where this all is going.

A mushroom knight and his toad steed set off on a quest to uncover a threat to his magical woodland home. On the other side of the veil, a young girl is out on the streets of Philadelphia desperately searching for her lost dog. Their destinies intertwine and soon both knight and girl will be questioning their respective realities.

As soon as I saw the words ‘Mushroom’ and ‘Knight’ in the title I could not have clicked the request button faster. The story begins in an almost didactic way where the narrator is telling readers random and cool facts about nature and the intricate ways it’s all connected then it takes a turn into the metaphysical. We are thrust into a fantastical world that is living and breathing and the author does not hold your hand at all when it comes to the lore, which is both fun but also very confusing at times.

I enjoyed the way that whimsical aspects were mixed with more horror-leaning aspects. For example, the quaint way the Mushroom knight spoke in kind of clashed with the scenes of unflinching violence but I found that it weirdly worked. Given that violence is part of nature taking its course, this level of violence is to be expected so I don’t know why it initially surprised me, I guess I was expecting something slightly sweeter. Speaking of sweet, the scenes of everyday life in the magical kingdom were some of my favorites and I could have read those forever.

The twist towards the end of Vol 1 reminded me of ‘Paper Girls’ in a specific way that if I say more it’ll be a spoiler. I am curious to see what happens next because there is still a mystery to be solved and the scent of dark magic is in the air. And also maybe some confusion will be lifted hopefully.

Lastly, and most obviously, the art itself is fantastic in every way and it’s worth checking this out for the art alone. Colour, linework, and creativity literally spill off every page. I had a great time zooming into each panel and found so many details to admire and I would love to look at this in its physical format!

Thank you to Netgalley and Mad Cave Studios for the ARC

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me an eARC in exchange of an honest review.

I’m an avid manga, comics and graphic novel reader. It is one of my favourite genre of literature and I was so excited to read The Mushroom Knight! The art is absolutely stunning and beautiful to look at. The aesthetics , character designs and scenery are simply magnificent! 5/5 for the art.

The story however was confusing with multiple storylines that were hard to follow. The flow of the story was strange, it was very fast and I feel like there should have been more time spent on the worldbuilding. I feel like this would have helped readers better comprehend the story. Also *SPOILERS* but the scene killing the cat put me off completely, there should have been a TW for that.

Overall, I give this 2 stars.

Every once in a while you come across these obscure, magical comics that make reading stuff you've never heard of all worth it. This is about a tiny little knight living just out of sight in the woods. He's made of mushroom and is investigating the murder of a squirrel with his frog steed. Along the way he gets hurt and needs to borrow something from a little girl in order to heal himself enough to get home. Now he's trying to get back to the human realm to repay her generosity.

I can't wait to read more of this. The art is absolutely gorgeous. It's so detailed I just found myself staring at the pages. It had some Moebius influences to it while maintaining its own style. Mr. Bly, I'm going to need you to get back to work so I can read the rest of this story.

As someone who loves manga and comics, I really struggled with this one. I was totally caught off guard by the animal scene. Please know that this is in there so if that is something that makes you uncomfortable then this would not be a book I recommend for you.

The art in this graphic novel is amazing and the fantasy elements feel quite unique and exciting. The plot felt confusing and I am still not sure what it was about, I guess the puzzle pieces will click in the sequels. The part with the missing dog got me very emotional.

The art style was beautiful , each panel was drawn with such minute detail of what nature looks like from trees to branches to the characters themselves. However I have no idea what I just read , felt like I was on an a is trip you had so many storyline that murged bit couldn't tell the difference. If the author had stuck to one sorry line for his first comic volume it would have set up the main character better and allowed the plot to flow much easier

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this title!

Mushroom Knight was everything. The story was a bit confusing at times, but the art and intrigue of it all certainly made up for it. The art was absolutely beautiful and I need volume 2 asap.

Thank you to NetGalley and Mad Cave Studios for the e-arc!

I was enamored by the art style in this series. Outside of that, I felt like reading this was almost a fever dream. The plot is wild and doesn't give the audience enough time to digest in between plot points. I don't think this is necessarily a bad thing if you like to turn your brain off when reading graphic novels. However, I think it was a lot for me to try to discern. I would still recommend checking out if you think the plot speaks to you.

The world building is a bit disorienting and I’m not entirely sure how the pieces fit together but the art is gorgeous and the writing is fun, so I’ll be sure to check out volume two.

Vivid illustrations with detailed art and bold colors. The prose seemed dense at times. There are some wild creatures in this graphic novel fantasy. The plot seemed to sprawl all over the place and felt a bit jarring at times. From magical woodlands with personified mushrooms to real world Philadelphia, this book is definitely for someone in search of an eclectic adventure.

First off, the art style is beautiful and I love it.

Second off, the worldbuilding and overall plot were waaay too confusing. I felt like I was joining a series at least five volumes in. The pacing was choppy and the dialogue felt empty. I'm still not sure exactly what this series is about, which sometimes is fine with first volumes as long as they capture my attention enough to keep going, but this sadly didn't. I did enjoy the overall idea though, and would tentatively keep going with this series just to see if it gets better. Again, loved the art and the character designs!

Thank you Netgalley & Mad Cave Studios for a copy of the arc in exchange for an honest review!

In The Mushroom Knight by Oliver Bly, the reader is sprung into a world both nostalgic and similar to our own, while also being vastly different and strange.The story follows the titular character, Gowlitrot the Gardener, who is a knight of sorts in his world doing his best to care for those around him.

He is connected to a human girl after he steals a piece of her life essence from her during a dire moment, and the story primarily follows Gowlitrot trying to reconnect with her to pay this back tenfold, meanwhile she is searching for her lost dog, with an implication that both of their worlds are about to collide together in unknown, devastating ways.

Oliver Bly’s art style is a mesmerizing concoction of color, detail, and whimsy that is equal parts hypnotizing and addicting. Described by Oliver Bly as “David the Gnome meets David Lynch”, the first volume opens with an immediate need to know more about both worlds, both familiar and strange, while offering a slow trickle of information that keeps you coming back for more.

Thank you Oliver Bly, Mad Cave Studios, and Netgalley for an advance copy of volume one to review!

“The Mushroom Knight Vol. 1” by Oliver Bly was super cute. It reminded me a lot like the movie Epic with the forest creatures and being so little. The art was so good, and it was worth reading. The story line was a bit confusing sometimes. I gave it a 4 out of 5 stars.

You should absolutely read this book just for the artwork alone wow.

The text is very heavy and the storyline gets a bit confusing but the art is just absolutely worth it.

Netgalley review, possible plot points mentioned below.

I meant to wrote this sooner but I got pretty sick around the time I read this :/

What an absolutely gorgeous book, the art style is incredibly detailed and fun. It draws you in and then keeps you interested with the story. I forgot their names right now but the protagonist and the frog are my favorite designs.

The book kind of throws you into the middle however it starts to fill in the gaps as the story progresses. I will say even though it says volume 1, I must have missed it because I thought this was going to be a stand alone novel but its a little surprise that more will be coming in the future.

I think the only thing I got from this story that was a little weird was the whole knee soul thing and introducing humans into the mix because their plot seem to be pretty miniscule right now but I have a feeling it will be explained more in the next volume.

I thank the authors and netgalley for giving me the chance to read and review this book.