Will forever recommend this book!!! I loved it so much more than I thought I would? I will be reading more from this author.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for providing a free e-graphic novel in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first in a new series where the family of a famous fantasy author goes to a cabin far in the woods of Sweden to get away and help him with his creative thoughts for his next book. However, we find that the forest holds secrets that the family could never imagine, and it is up to the daughters to figure out their secrets and help save their parents.

The artwork was great, especially at the end, where different cover versions are shown for the graphic novel. The plot is pretty straightforward and fast-paced, I just wish we would have gotten more into the lore of the forest and the creatures that inhabit it, but maybe we will get more in the following books. It's not character driven, so you don't really get much character development either. It's a decent read that I'm interested enough in to read the next installment.

My thanks to NetGalley and Oni Press for an advance copy of this graphic novel, the first in a series, that tells of two sisters who are rivals in a world of fiction, while in the real world a family finds itself under siege from dark forces of faerie who need the blood of humans to survive.

I have always been interested in where authors get their ideas. Most of my reading is about authors their lives, works and impacts, while trying to gleen secrets from these studies. What are certain authors tapped into. Is there a mythic spring, where they find their ideas. Do they draw on the world around them, and if so, how do people feel about part of the story. Say one children for example. If a writer became famous about writing a series about two feuding daughters, well how would the daughters feel. What does their father see in their relationship that would make them fight each other. Does one like violence more? And maybe is this gift of being able to tell stories have a price. And does it have to be paid in blood. The Autumn Kingdom Vol. 1: Through the Blight is written by horror comic writer Cullen Bunn and illustrated by Christopher Mitten and is the first in a series about a family in the woods endangered by enchanted creatures, a sword, and their father's fictional world that might hold the secret to their predicament.

Andrew Keir is a bestselling fantasy author, going through a bit of a lack of creativity. Not quite a block, but at little bit of a loss to what to do with his characters. To recharge and have fun with his family, wife Melissa and two daughters Sommer and Winter, Keir has rented a cabin deep in the woods of rural Sweden. Kier's stories deal with two feuding daughters, and is a big hit with his children, who unlike the fictional characters get along well. The girls take a walk around the woods finding a parliment of statues with one, a woman, missing a hand. Everything seems creepy as they return to their parents. That night the house is attacked, their parents kidnapped, and the sisters take to the woods. Their attackers seem like creatures of myth. The girls find a sword, huge in nature, and one that fills one of the sisters with rage as she fights, or maybe fear. The night is full of betrayals and violence, leading to the revelation that a world might be dying and the only way to save it is the blood of mortals. Starting with the girls' parents.

A big story that starts small, told in a sort of dual narrative with dueling sisters fighting over a dying world, and a family just trying to get some rest and finding something more. Bunn is very good at the slow build. Making things creepy, dropping hints that something is not quite right. And when it goes wrong it goes epically wrong. The sisters Sommer and Winter are interesting, and change as the book goes on, one becoming colder and more aware of what is going on, the other angrier, more vindictive as the sword, a huge sword is wielded against their enemies. The art is quite good, a mix of Mike Mignola and P. Craig Russell in some spots. The pastoral scenes are quite nice, and the violence is shocking, dark and maybe over the top, but this is a fantasy so it makes sense. I liked the color use also, though sometimes at least on my tablet it was hard to read some of the fantasy queen's dialogue.

A good story that leaves readers wanting more, both in wanting to see what happens to the characters, and what the bigger plot is. A well-done story that starts slow, and goes to eleven, in a good way. I can't wait to read more.

dark, deadly and mysterious!
this story will leave you on the edge of your seat begging for more!
when a fantasy novelist takes his family on vacation to a small town on the edge of a swedish forest
daughters, sommer and winter, explore the forest finding statues of trolls, goblins and a warrior queen missing her sword
fae creatures attack the family demanding retribution and horrors, kiddnapping the parents and running off, the sisters are left to find the sword of the warrior queen, fight for their parents lives in a centuries long battle of fae conflict, murder and horror
cant wait for vol 2!!!

the autumn kingdom vol. 1 has a really intriguing setup: two sisters in a strange forest, creepy statues, parents getting abducted, and an ominous mythos bleeding through a fictional fantasy series their father is writing. the comic shifts between the "real" story and excerpts from that fantasy novel, which is a clever narrative device, but honestly, the actual story of the girls, sommer and winter, is far more engaging.

there's definitely something eerie about finding a ring of statues deep in the woods, and the moment those fae creatures crash into the cabin? instant nightmare fuel. i also loved the scene where the girls run for help and end up at the neighbors' house, only to immediately clock the 'tea and cookies' routine for what it is: suspicious as hell. truly, good for them.

the biggest issue with this volume is that it's just too short. the worldbuilding feels massive, but we only get hints. character development is minimal, so while the concept is strong, the emotional pull isn't quite there yet. if this had been three times as long, i think it could've nailed what it was going for. still, it's a compelling start and i'll definitely read volume two.

Thank you to NetGalley for my Advanced Reader's Copy of this book.

I really enjoyed this book. Most books with a story within a story don't have those stories merge into one story, if that makes sense. But this book does just that. The main characters are reading a comic and suddenly the comic world merges with their world. I had a hard time reading the print when the fantasy characters spoke, and the end was rather abrupt, but overall I would recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced e-copy.

This graphic novel was right up my alley. Not only was the premise interesting (a fantasy author moving to the Swedish countryside with his family for an extended stay and getting kidnapped by the fae!) but the art was truly lovely. It conveyed movement in the action sequences and emotion when needed. I would love to get my hands on a physical copy when it is released.

The story was so intriguing and definitely something that I gravitate towards. Two sisters must strike out on their own to retrieve their parents from the forces of a dying fae realm. Sommer and Winter discover a statue garden behind their rental house that is filled with stone relics of trolls, ogres, goblins, and a fae queen missing her sword. They battle these monsters who took their parents and travel through dying and blighted realm to get them back. It's an interesting journey to see the juxtaposition of their father's stories overlaid on their life experiences.

I do wish that the story had taken a little more time. It could easily have been a 300 page book. I wanted more of Sommer and Winter's relationship. I wanted to see how that relationship was reflected in their father's stories about the Wraithbound Queen. I wanted more of how the fae realm came to be in such a destructive state.

I am immensely interested in volume two.

This was so wonderfully done with the story the father is writing about two clashing sisters against the story of the sisters going into the fantasy world to find their kidnapped parents. It has a deep sense of foreboding and the art work is amazing for keeping the story focused. I definitely want more of this!

Note: ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.25 stars

This graphic novel has an interesting concept. It's told in two parallel stories, one a fantasy novel written by the father and the other being the real world. The fantasy novel reflects a lot of what is happening in the real world in an interesting way. It makes me wonder how much the father knew when he was writing it.

I really wish this story had been developed better. I liked the premise, but it was so rushed that it was hard to really feel anything for the characters. I don't know if the speed of everything is supposed to feel like suspense, but that's not how it came across. I think I would have liked this if it weren't a graphic novel. It would have allowed the author to delve more into the world-building and character-building. I didn't feel much of a connection to anyone. I'm really intrigued by the idea and would like to see it expanded upon more.

The kier family travels to a remote cabin for a "working vacation". Mr Kier is a dark fantasy novelist and he brings his family for a long stay at a cabin in an area that is full of lore and mystery.

The daughters Sommer and Winter explore the surrounding area and find statues of what looks to be dwarves, elves and warriors. One of the biggest is of a warrior queen, who is missing her hand and her weapon.

Later that night while the girls are trying to sleep , they find that something followed them home. This something, or some one kidnaps their parents.

These sisters find that there are some big parallels between their fathers novels and the mystery of the forest that has taken their seemingly normal lives and turned it in to a horrible nightmare.

The art style is unique, its not my absolute favorite but it does draw you in to the story. I do enjoy how the color pallet changes when referencing the book vs their current real world adventure.

The story switches between the book and the girls adventure cohesively and in a way that is easy to follow for the reader.

The action picks up fairly quickly and keeps the reader engaged. I can see this as a short run series and it being done well. I want to see how closely the books and the world they live in truly connect, and if her dad had some previously knowledge on the land and the lore that he drew inspiration for in writing his books.

Thank you NetGalley and Oni Press for the Digital ARC for review.

I really liked the premise of this story! An epic fantasy story with parallels to the real world? A fantasy world which is bloody, scary and gritty? Sign me up. The characters seem to be very layered and extremely mysterious and their actions will make you question their real motives. I really loved this volume and can't wait to read the next!

It's fun to see Bunn taking on more of a fantasy horror storyteller seat here, especially with a portal fantasy. Mitten in particular does a great job juxtaposing our reality with the fantasy world, and does some great color work as well. Well worth your time.

Thank you Netgalley for a copy of this story!

I loved the color palette used for this but wasn't a big fan of the art style. I think this story has alot of potential but it was ssoooo rushed I felt confused most of the time. The characters themselves felt really flat and for this being a horror there wasn't even the slightest bit of suspense.

I thought this was just okay.

I'm a fan of dark fairytales but this skipped too much so I never found myself immersed in the story. Four issues was too few for an arc like this - there was so much here to unpack and we never got the time to.

There was so much here that I wanted to explore, and I think it was a bit of a missed opportunity. That's probably the nature of comics getting in its way, but I found it disappointing.

The art was okay but I read a digital copy and I think I'd like to see it in person. It seemed a bit too scratchy and vague for my tastes, but that might just have been because I was looking at a more compact digital version. I did want more colour or cleaner lines to help convey the story a little more.

The story itself was intriguing but, as mentioned, too brief. As such, there's not much character development or world building.

I'd definitely like to check this out in person- it's the kind of thing I'd usually be into so I'll give it a second chance. Fans of dark fantasy graphic novels should be sussing this for sure.

With thanks to NetGalley for a digital ARC

The execution of The Autumn Kingdom fell really flat for me.

The premise of the father's book plot and the real world coalescing in one setting could have been so cool, but the capacity of this book failed Bunn. There was too much information cut out and left a mystery, which I'm blaming on the length of this volume and not on Bunn himself. This feels like it wasn't fleshed out on the cutting room floor and just was left to fall through the cracks.

I received an ARC through NetGalley for an honest review.

Written by Cullen Bunn
Illustrated by Christopher Mitten
Colored by Francesco Segalia
Lettered by Taylor Eposito
Color Flatting by Sabrina del Grosso

The Autumn Kingdom is a dual narrative comic that follows the family of a dark fantasy author focusing on his daughters, Sommer and Winter. When staying in a cabin in the woods the girls find strange statues near the house and that night their parents are abducted by the monstrous minions of the Fair Folk. This sends the sisters on an epic quest with a magic sword to try to rescue their parents from the Autumn Kingdom. Interspersed and acting as somewhat of a mirror for the events is their father's story about two elven sisters locked in an eternal battle, one wielding a cursed ghost blade and the other controlling infernal powers.

I am a big fan of the monstrous and horrifying nature of the Fair Folk and thoroughly enjoyed the designs and portrayal here, especially the knight riding a centipede dragon lion!
This does some interesting things with fae lore with the classic blood sacrifice abducting mortals, but with the twist of it somehow becoming necessary because of the greed and blood spilled by mortals.

The writing is great. The art captures the dark fantasy fairytale elements beautifully. It's chock-full of atmosphere, dreamlike and nightmarish.

I had a thoroughly good time and am incredibly excited to read more!

The artwork is stunning-- the use of color is amazing, and I would have enjoyed this just for that. I liked the story too though, and I hope that we get more about these sisters and their adventures. I loved how the girls have to rescue their parents.

A promising start to a new faerie comic series, I look forward to seeing how Winter and Sommer’s story continue to parallel their father’s novels.

Thank you to NetGalley and Oni Press for the e-ARC of The Autumn Kingdom! The first volume of the series isn't perfect, but it has great potential. When sisters Winter and Sommer discover their parents have been kidnapped by an old presence that lives in a forest, the two must embark on a treacherous journey that will not only test their limits, but their morals as well. The story is a good mix of folklore and fantasy. It also has great tension that keeps you wondering what's going to happen next. But there are times when the action moves way too fast. The story and the characters don't have time to breathe. I nearly got whiplash from when the story starts to the sisters killing trolls! Despite this, it's a good enough start to get me invested in seeing where Winter and Sommer's journey goes next.

The colours and tones used are magnificent, and are highlighted at the end by Francesco Segala's collage.
The mirror between the two stories is interesting to follow. The fairytale folklore also has potential.
Unfortunately, everything moves too quickly and doesn't give the characters time to develop, making them a little bland and déjà vu.