Oh… what a twist!
Beautifully executed and illustrated.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this graphic novel in return for a honest review.

4.25 stars

I was captivated by the amazing artwork. This is a story told mainly through the artwork with not many words. It takes a talented artist to be able to convey a story through art alone and I think it was incredibly well done here. I enjoyed this a lot.

Pub Date: 10/20/26
Thank you to NetGalley and Oni Press for the opportunity to experience this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was bamboozled! That ending was as cruel as the art was gorgeous.

Thank you to NetGalley and Oni Press for this DRC.

Moon Deer tells the story of a humanoid astronaut deer and his travels through the galaxy.  Every protecting their precious cargo-an egg- and in search of a particular planet to take it to, he is relentlessly pursued by an alien huntress everywhere he goes.  She is desperate to destroy the egg and the fate of universe hangs in the balance.  This sci fi story is light on dialogue making it feel even more action packed and fast paced, it is beautifully drawn and full of original ideas.

#MoonDeer Written & Illustrated by #YoannKavege Wow, what an extraordinary piece of illustrated storytelling. This SF chase journey is stunning & needs to be experienced. Thank you @OniPress & #NetGalley for the opportunity to review the e-ARC. #BookSky

For a mostly silent graphic novel, Moon Deer is remarkably engaging from start to finish.

The artwork is fantastic, relying entirely on visual storytelling to pull you into a high-stakes cosmic pursuit. Little Moon Deer is so adorable and relentless that you instantly become invested in his survival and root for him as he protects his precious cargo while fleeing a relentless pursuer across space.

What makes this book so impressive, though, is how cleverly it plays with your expectations. Because the story is told with almost no text, you're forced to piece together the context purely through action and expression. What seems like a straightforward, charming sci-fi chase quickly reveals itself to be something far deeper—and much darker—than it appears on the surface.

It delivers a wild, mind-bending climax that makes all the build up worth it. A really cool, unique concept executed with great visual flair.

What an excellent find! An absolutely gorgeous graphic novel which is often not afraid to be bleak in tone (or indeed artistically). I blasted through this in one sitting and was absolutely glued to my device. The action is punchy, the periods of quiet melancholy at this dying universe are both eerie and beautiful, and the character design is excellent.

Whilst I'd love to say I'd wish for more, it's so tight and punchy I think it'd take away from the experience. Highly recommended to everyone in the mood for some beautiful science fiction, Kavege's work is fantastic.

Confession: I read this twice though. The first, I blazed through in one sitting - I just had to know what the outcome was and the second I took my time to appreciate the artwork.

Thoughts:

This is a beautifully illustrated graphic novel from start to finish. The artwork is stunning. I don't think a panel was wasted and the author demonstrates skill in presenting the panels in interesting ways. The use of colour to depict different scenes and emotions was very well put together.

What sets this graphic novel apart, is that it's nearly wordless. As a reader you are drawn into the story by the artwork. A Moon Deer carrying a special cargo across the galaxy being chased by a hunter determined to thrawt Moon Deer's mission.

What struck me as clever was the twist at the end and how it was achieved. Because of the (mostly) silence of the story, as a reader we are in charge of how we interpret the panels. We are steered by what seems natural and assumptions are made. As I reached the end, and everything clicked into place, I was awed in how I had been manipulated into thinking a certain way (I had to rewrite this part as I don't want to spoil the discovery for other readers)

The delivery of the ending was quite final and beautiful.

A very interesting story for sure.


My thanks goes to NetGalley and Oni Press for the opportunity to read and review Moon Deer. It was a beautiful read across the galaxy. A great adventure.

5 stars for the art alone.

4 stars for the story because selfishly... I want more. I neeeed more.

Compelling with so little words, this truly is a beautiful yet daunting story about a deer on a mission of all missions, and quoting the synopsis, the last thing standing between life and complete annihilation.

And the ending. Shook.

My husband doesn't read and just about picks up a graphic novel from time to time, and this was fully appreciated in all it's glory!

Thank you🫶

Moon Deer is a short graphic novel, but it hit me so much harder than I expected.

There’s almost zero dialogue, so the story relies completely on the artwork, and it is absolutely stunning. The illustrations just pull you in and carry you page by page, making space feel beautiful, quiet, and intense all at once. I couldn’t put it down.

I was glued to it from the very first page right up to that intense, totally unexpected ending. It’s simple, deeply moving, and such a great read. Highly recommend!

Moon Deer is a stunning graphic novel. It's almost completely wordless, so the artwork has to carry the entire story, and it absolutely does.

We follow a small deer travelling through space with a mysterious egg while being chased by a strange hunter. The story itself is quite simple, but the ruined planets, strange creatures and huge stretches of empty space create a beautiful, melancholic atmosphere. The art is easily the highlight. Some of the pages are genuinely gorgeous.

What surprised me most was the ending. With so little dialogue, you naturally make assumptions about what's happening, and the book quietly encourages you to see things in a particular way. Then the final reveal pulls the rug out from under you. It doesn't feel like a cheap twist either. Once you see it, the earlier pages suddenly look rather different.

It's a short and very easy read, but it's the kind of comic where you probably want to slow down and actually look at the pages rather than rush through it.

Beautiful, atmospheric, and much cleverer than its simple premise suggests. Very good.

This Book was not what i expected! I just saw the Cover and kinda expected something cozy but this was obviously different. I really liked it tho.

The Twist was really suprising and i was a fan of it. Thank you <netgalley for letting me read this :)

I am going to be completely honest and say that the cover dragged me in even before I read the blurb. I saw a cute deer in a space suit and I was sold. What I didn’t expect was such an impactful graphic novel with nearly no text/spoken words. When I say I was blown away by this comic and I have become a massive Kavege fan I am not exaggerating. The artwork is amazing, and of course the deer is adorable, the story is fantastic and told so well with so little dialogue and that twist. Needless to say I am completely in love with this one and will be getting a physical copy because I know I will both re-read this and just enjoy looking at the artwork.

Wow. I thought it was a fun hero's journey, and then that ending really makes you think. Amazing storytelling that will really stick with you. An incredible work of art.