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.

Thank you to NetGalley and Oni Press for the e-ARC of The Autumn Kingdom!
4 / 5 ⭐
The Autumn Kingdom is a grimdark Spiderwick Chronicles, a battle between fae and human in a land soaked with blood. I enjoyed the parallels between the two girls and their father’s book and the framing being split between them, and I’ve never read about a magic sword I didn’t want to know more about.

I love anything involving folklore and faerie so I had hopes that this would be something I liked. While the art itself is stunning and it has a decent premise. With a world that I think could make for an interesting story. The characters seemed especially cliche and shallow, and the writing itself didn’t pull me in. An intriguing concept, I just wish they had done more with it.

(Thanks to NetGalley for the arc)

I am a Cullen Bunn fan, so I am perhaps a little biased - The Sixth Gun remains one of my most favorite comics EVER. I know that he can be a bit of a slow burn as well, and this volume is very much an introduction to a new story.

Sisters Sommer and Winter find themselves in Sweden, their writer father bringing the family to a remote cabin for writing inspiration. While there they run into some mysterious statues and then... things happen. The world of their father's stories seems to come to life here, and the parents end up kidnapped with just the kids around to save them. With a mysterious and powerful sword, they find their way to the Autumn Kingdom, a land of fae.

The story is just an introduction so far (it is Volume 1) and I don't mind that because it's a wonderful, magical, creepy introduction. I know what Bunn is capable of and I am really looking forward to reading further issues.

The art by Christopher Mitten is decent - not my favorite style but still good. The coloring was beautiful.

I loved this! Magical and creepy are always a great combination!

This felt like a very bare bones prequel to a bigger story. It was rushed and a bit disjointed at times, but I enjoyed the story regardless. The art was nothing to cheer over, felt pretty generic.

Thank you, Netgalley, for the ebook

You know, Cullen Bunn usually hits it out of the park for me, and while I absolutely adore Harrow County, The Autumn Kingdom Vol. 1: Through the Blight just didn't quite land. The premise – a writer's fictional world intruding on his family vacation, forcing his daughters to become heroes – had so much potential.

The artwork is fantastic, no doubt. But somehow, the execution felt...flat. I found myself surprisingly detached from the characters and the unfolding story, which was a real shame because I typically connect with Bunn's imaginative concepts. This one, despite its initial appeal and strong visuals, unfortunately left me feeling rather unimpressed.

If you like Cullen Bunn's dark fantasy then this is for you. A dark twisted exploration of familiar fae themes. I can't wait to put this on my shelf, and I am overjoyed that this is only the first volume.

This looks great, but that’s about it. The art's doing all the heavy lifting while the story rushes through every plot beat like it’s late for something. The characters are thinly sketched and the plot is a standard rescue mission, except in the fae lore. Nothing you haven’t seen before. There’s potential, but no time to breathe, no real personality, and honestly, no reason to keep reading.

There seems to be something about Bunn that just leaves me cold. It's not a bad premise, if not original, and the art isn't bad...just meh.