A group of teens all struggling with different issues want to make a movie (and maybe find a lost baby brother) and so go exploring a deep cave during low tide. They discover an amazing and intense world on the other side but decide that they can be strong and figure it out. They run into a strange creature that gives most of them superpowers, but also wants to kill one of the teens because of her depression. They escape and head back only to discover their world is completely messed up, and it's all their fault.

The artwork is amazing and gorgeous, the characters are a little one sided though there is diversity which is nice if a little basic. The plot just isn't there, there is so much thrown at you and then they morph into a giant plant Gundam to battle a creature, it was a little ridiculous. It's a neat start to a new series, and I'm kind of interested in the story, but if I never read the rest of this, I won't be upset. Good for young adults and sci fi fans.

Thank you Netgalley for giving me an ARC of this story.
SPOILERS TO FOLLOW

This was a very fun story. I've always liked things like liminal spaces and unexplainable worlds. The creatures that they encountered were really interesting, especially since the world was a Hive mind. I liked their friendship as well and how the characters were all very supportive of each other. I especially like that Cleo wasn't pissed when everyone else received "superpowers" and she didn't. In the end she did too so I guess that's what matters. I wasn't really surprised by how the story ended. I think I almost expected it but it was still stressful to watch it play out, especially since their parents were acting so odd towards them. I'm interested to see where the story will go in the future.

An invigorating new graphic novel that really lives up to the hype. The art style is wonderful and the plot is extremely engaging. Totally unexpected. Will be waiting to read the next volume as soon as possible.

Oh wow what a story! I really enjoyed the characters and the art style as well. The Cull is a dark tale about five friends setting off in the middle of the night to shoot a short film on a forbidden rock near their small coastal town the summer before they all go their separate ways. But they're not really there to shoot a film. One of them has lied. And that lie will change EVERYTHING.
I really enjoyed reading through these five issues that make up this volume. It also ended with such a wild twist! I really hope there is more in the series. Definitely a 5 star rating in my opinion.

It starts off wild and continues through each page. Each of the characters and the world as a whole were cohesive and fleshed out. We learn about issues that the characters deal with within their home, and as they enter the cave, the scenes become fever dream-like, with magical and alien elements. I was blown away by the art style and loved it thoroughly.

The first arc of The Cull reminded me a lot of reading about the origin of a lot of 80s rock bands. In the early days, and early issues, the artists wear their influences on their sleeves, front and center, often treading on covers and sound-alikes of their influences. And the first arc here is very similar. It's. a gorgeous book, with stunning art, but many times it feels too much like the books that clearly inspired it. There's heavy X-Men influences, there's a smattering of Runaways, all filtered through a more modern-era-take on Paper Girls, all with a background murmur of manga and anime influences.
It doesn't fail, and it's a fun read, but when it finishes, and a somewhat predictable twist hits, you get the sense that the book is just about to take off and playing its own material. I have no doubt that KT and the gang are going to continue to make a strong book, but we really only see some of the foundation for that in this first volume.

I'm a big fan of Kelly Thompson's writing and this did not disappoint. This was a wonderfully fleshed out world and the magical/alien aspect was intriguing with a great cast of characters sure to be interesting to Stranger Things and Paper Girls fans. The ending left something to be desired for me, however. If this really is Volume 1 and there will be more then I'm in and I enjoyed it even more than I thought. If it is the end, like the last page hints it could be, then I'm just annoyed it could be left there. I do hope and anticipate there being future volumes but I also know Image has written Volume 1 on books in the past with no later volumes ever releasing. Hopefully a volume 2 happens!

Cleo's brother goes missing in a cave system, and she gathers her friends to investigate and shoot a short film to help her out. But the group is unknowingly led into a dangerous journey and have to band together to save themselves and their loved ones. I am a fan of Kelly Thompson's works (and I highly recommend Black Cloak for people wanting a fantasy noir comic) and The Cull did not disappoint. Mattia De Iulis art is amazing, with such realistic details it makes the more fantastical elements feel incredibly grounded. The five issue arc creates five distinct characters with their own damage and desires and Thompson makes it easy to distinguish the characters before the group faces even larger issues. The development of the group over the course of the story is fun to watch and it all leads to a very satisfying climax, beautifully drawn by De Iulis. A great new work in the genre of "teens take on a big sci-fi mystery" that I hope gets to continue.

Thank you to NetGalley and Image Comics for a copy of The Cull in exchange for an honest review.

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Image Comics for an advanced copy of this graphic novel dealing with friends, growing up and the weird worlds that surround us all, and what might be hiding there.

Growing up is hard to do. One gets used to having fun with the people we have chosen, and more importantly have chosen us to be friends with. The real world always beckons with its need for money, shelter, food, and responsibilities. Growing up means maybe losing friends. All those things that get in the way, of those friends we now so well finding others who fill holes in their lives they never thought they would have. And like that they are gone from our lives. So the idea of one big thing, one last hurrah is a common one, something to hang on to as the world gets different. Weirder. Darker. The Cull Volume One by Eisner Award Winning writer Kelly Thompson and upcoming artist Mattia de Iulis is a story about friends, growing up, lies and what might exist just outside of what we experience everyday.

The time is 4 in the morning and five friends have gathered together to record one last short film together before they have to go their separate ways and deal with the real world. Individually these five have dealt with some stuff, requited and unrequited love, abuse, and a missing sibling. This is there last chance to have fun with each other, something that might not happen again. Leaving early to film at landmark rock in a popular beach area, the friends cross at low tide, knowing they will have thirteen hours before they have to return. Once at the rock things start to go wrong. There are strange cave lights, and even stranger things inside the cave, a landscape that should not exist. Worse of all one of them lying to the others about what is going on.

A creepy story about friendship, growing up, being failed by adults and a lot of good ole scares. Thompson has written a really good tale and and created five really distinct characters with their own lives, motivations and secrets. They all have a distinct voice, and more importantly act like people their age, trying to be adults, but in reality they are kids in a large series of bad circumstances. The art by Mattia de Iulis is really amazing. Photo-realistic characters among dreamy landscapes and bizarre creatures. The colors pop, the characters are all clear and distinct, and the art and story really meld magically creating a wonderful piece of sequential art.

Recommended for people who like Paper Girls, Something is Killing the Children, who really good scary stories about people in bad situations, with beautiful art.

A visual feast from the get go, with stunning visual story telling supporting the text throughout.

We follow a group of five friends who go out for one last night of film making before separating for the start of their adult lives. But one has ulterior motives and these take the group through a portal into a fantastical world to find her lost brother.

They find themselves in a hub between universes where something has to be exchanged for their visit, where form is malleable, where good is accepted but pain isn’t, in this hub there is a transformation but not acceptance.

Absolutely loved the palette, both colours and mood that the author and illustrator were able to achieve.

There were some jumps of narrative that seemed a little rushed but other than that this was a great story.

There are twists aplenty, tension, betrayal, love, and the final few panels leave so much wide open and I’m so looking forward to the next installments.

I received this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this and couldn’t put it down! Loved all the characters and their relationship. Everyone brought something different to the table. I liked the tension and build up of the story. I want to read more!

I received a complimentary copy from Netgalley and Image Comics, so a big thank you to them.

I want to start off saying the artwork for this is out of this world. It is so good it literally looks like a video game like I can’t even. The colours are magnificent. This story was so cool too. I really enjoyed the hidden passage to a new world. I’m very interested what will happen next and how many different worlds/ time frames that there will be. Each issue blended so flawlessly into the next it read like one big story. I will for sure be continuing on with this series.
I would recommend to those who like the weird and wondrous.

This is an enjoyable graphic novel with good artwork that really grabs your attention and doesn't let go. This small group of young people go off on their own and while they're gone, chaos ensues. It started with a lie -- they weren't really there to make a film. The otherworldly creatures were my favorite part, and the story ended on a cliffhanger. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

This was the first five volumes in The Cull graphic novel series and I really liked it. It kept my interest and I really want to read more.

DNF at 50%

I love graphic novels, but I wasn't the biggest fan of the art style or the way the story just jumped right in. This is such a unique story it was kind of hard to figure out what was going on at the beginning. I really needed some more back story about the brother or about the world as a whole to get me invested. I really just didn't care since I knew absolutely nothing about anyone in the friend group. I needed some sort of stake in the story instead of it just going for maximum mystery and weirdness right away.

I think a lot of people will love this, but it's just not for me.

This is a 3.5 star review rounded up to 4.

The Cull is a new entry in the Stranger Things/Paper Girls genre. A group of friends go to a mysterious rock to film a movie and maybe do something else and instead find a place that exists between universes. Then things happen.

The characters in this are very well crafted. They work as individuals and as a group of friends. They have their own motivations and issues. I liked all of them.

The art is great. It's hyper-realistic, but the artist knows how to make the art breathe and move as part of the story. A lot of times hyper-realistic art like this just hangs on the page and doesn't integrate. That is not the case here.

The story is good, but this is obviously the first volume of a longer series. A lot of things are set up and not much is explained or resolved by the end of the book. And there's a twist at the end- and it's not that surprising a twist.

This was a good read and I will pick up future volumes to see how the story plays out.

Thanks for Net Galley and the publisher for an eARC of this comic/graphic novel in exchange for an honest review.

The description of this drew me in but I think it’s definitely more comparable to Stranger Things than The Goonies. I did enjoy that the plot was concise and I could follow it easily. Often times with science fiction concepts, I have a hard time following because the language is convoluted and the plot is somewhat all over the place. That was not the case with this one.

I think that if you are a reader that reads graphic novels/comics mainly for the artistic aspect of it, definitely check out a sample of this before purchasing. The art style is unlike anything I’ve encountered before in books and know it will not be for everyone.

Rating: ☆☆

Netgalley Review:
Wow, if you want a read that has absolutely everything than this is the book for you. From self harm to LGBTQ to Superpowers to alternate Earths. It has everything. Which i think is its biggest fault. Too much stuff makes you lose track of, and waters down, the main plot.

Second thing i'd mention is that It moves quick. Which on its own isn't necessarily a bad thing. I've read books that I'd say are "quick reads" because they move fast and can be read fast, but the story makes sense and wraps up real nice. This one though is super quick and tries to touch on every possible subject along the way.

I feel like the story itself could be interesting, but then in the middle of the story all of the sudden a random social, orientation, family issue is thrown in. If not that then suddenly some crazy fantasy twist happens. By the end of the first volume I was expecting absolutely anything to happen on that last page.

Hopefully in later volumes they'll be pulled together and it will make sense, but as of right now with only 1 volume released it seems disjoint, and rushed.

I really enjoyed this introduction to the series! The characters seem interesting, I would love to know more about the little boy, and the art style is incredibly beautiful!

Okay, this is my JAM. I don’t want to give anything away, so I will keep this brief. The illustrations are phenomenal, the story is compelling and darkly mysterious, and I.WANT.MORE.NOW.

4.25 stars.

I received an eARC in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and Image Comics!

Look for this in April!