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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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

I have yet to find a Cullen Bunn graphic novel that I don't wind up falling in love with. The art style reminded me a lot of Harrow County. The story is great - I love that it flows between the story that is told by Winter and Sommer's novelist dad and what is their reality. However, I do wonder if their dad is telling a true story, and some how tied to the current events. Looking forward to reading more from this series!

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!!!

I should say before I even finished this I started looking for the physical copy to preorder. I adored everything about it, the story, the characters, the artwork and colours. It is a truly perfect combination. I love the idea of the protagonists father's story partly mirroring the sister's journey. I loved the mix of fantasy, folklore and action. It's actually hard to articulate just how much I loved it. If you enjoy fantasy epics and strong storyline this is a must read.

I loved everything from the story ,to the setting , to the characters! The artworks and the colours are pure magic and I absolutely need a physical copy!