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Dryad, Vol. 1

(Dryad #1)

Kurtis Wiebe,

Justin Osterling (Illustrations)

3.63 · Rating details · 146 ratings · 107 reviews

Best-selling writer Kurtis Wiebe (Rat Queens) and newcomer artist Justin Osterling launch a new fantasy saga!

The Glass family has spent thirteen years hiding peacefully in the sleepy forest settlement of Frostbrook where Morgan and Yale planted roots and raised their twins, Griffon and Rana. But secrets never stay hidden, and the entire Glass family find themselves the tar ...more

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Paperback, 144 pages

Expected publication: January 19th 2021 by Oni Press (first published January 5th 2021)

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Average rating 3.63 ·

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· 146 ratings · 107 reviews

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Oct 25, 2020 Holly (Holly Hearts Books) rated it it was ok

Shelves: review-copies

I loved most of Rat Queens but this was rough.

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Nov 01, 2020 Emily rated it really liked it

Thanks to #NetGalley, Kurtis Wiebe and Justin Osterling for this wonderful e-arc.

This was truly brilliant. Saga vibes! I cannot wait for the next one! So many questions! I need answers!

Dryad by Kurt's Wiebe is a beautifully illustrated and well told graphic novel.
Exciting and fast paced, it leaves you wanting more.

We follow the Glass family, who have left everything behind them to raise their children in peace and give them the best possible life.
Unfortunately, the past has a way of catchin ...more

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Nov 19, 2020 Shanice rated it really liked it

A big thank you to the author and publisher for providing me with an arc of this copy!
I ended up really liking this graphic novel and that CLIFFHANGER I need te second installment asap! Although I did feel a bit lost at the beginning of the story because we didn’t get much worldbuilding and there was a big time gap at one point, near the end I felt I started to get a proper grasp of how this world works.
I thought the setting was really interesting, with a blend of medieval fantasy elements in ...more

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Dec 13, 2020 Lukasz rated it it was ok

Shelves: netgalley, graphic-novel, 2020

2.5/5

An interesting mix of high fantasy and cyberpunk. At first glance, it's impressive (a lot is happening, shit goes boom), but it lacks depth. As the story progressed, I found the constant snark tiring and the humor unsubtle. There were some plot inconsistencies and the art, while energetic, didn't entrance me. It's ok, I guess. Nothing groundbreaking but enjoyable enough to read it.

ARC through NetGalley ...more

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Oct 22, 2020 Samah (The Nerdy Blogger) rated it really liked it

Shelves: comics, arc, 2021-release

actual rating: 4.5 stars
Thank you Oni Press, Kurtis Wieber, and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review

I loved this. I bloody loved it, because a) it was giving a lot of Saga vibes, mixed with Rat Queens energy (these two are my favourite comics of all time!), and b) we need more comics about loving parents who would do anything to protect their children.

The story starts with Morgen and Yale on the run, accompanied by their twins, Griffon and Ran ...more

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Dec 14, 2020 Chelsea rated it really liked it

Shelves: sci-fi, graphic-novel, magic, sexually-explicit-nsfw, ebook, fantasy

Actual rating 3.5

I really thought I was getting some sort of fantasy here. And while I'm not exactly wrong, there is so much more going under the surface.

This is a solid start to this series, but I really didn't feel like we got enough to go on. I felt like the surprises and twists were just there for novelty rather than a real reason. Maybe that's because we don't know everything yet. But when some of the characters we are following know what's going on, it feels like things are being hidden ju ...more

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Nov 21, 2020 Vintagebooklvr rated it really liked it

Shelves: graphic-novel

This started out as high fantasy but turned into…something else. This was filled with surprises: good world building, great illustrations, lots of introduction of characters but still filled with action, mysteries and lots of potential. I’m intrigued and eagerly await the next in the series to see where this goes.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a free copy of the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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Oct 22, 2020 iam rated it really liked it

Shelves: arc, web-comics-graphic-novels

Part fantasy, part cyberpunk, Dryad Vol. 1 is the introduction to a fast-paced series about a family on the run.

Content warnings include: graphic violence and gore, child injury, non-explicit sex on-page.

On first glance, Dryad seems like fantasy through and through. There's elves and orcs, basic clothing, no electricity, a small village, overgrown ruins of an ancient people and monstrous creatures.
But that's not what Dryad is.
The cyberpunk element comes as a surprise, and when I first noticed ...more

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Mar 09, 2020 Liz (Quirky Cat) rated it really liked it

Shelves: comic

"Yes! It’s time! Dryad #1 has finally dropped, and I personally couldn’t be more excited about that fact! If you’re a fan of Rat Queens, then this is absolutely a series you’re going to want to check out.

Why do I say that? Because Kurtis J. Wiebe is the author for both series, and there are so many tones and themes in common. So the odds are very good that if you like one, you’ll enjoy the other. I know I did. Working alongside Wiebe is a new artist, Justin Osterling, but his style is already pr ...more

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Nov 30, 2020 Kelsey Hlavaty (readingwithkelsey) rated it really liked it

Shelves: arc

I received an eARC copy from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I really enjoyed this! I think if you like Rat Queens (which the writer is from) or Saga, then you will really, really enjoy your experience reading this book. The art was amazing and right up my alley. The story had a mix of heartwarming elements (two parents leaving their life behind to save their children) mixed in with badass comba ...more

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Nov 02, 2020 Olivia rated it liked it

Shelves: arcs-2020

3.5☆

Morgan and Yale have been living in Frostbrook for 13 years, with their children Rana and Griffon. But Morgan and Yale have been keeping a secret from their kids, and when Muse Corp comes to find them, their secrets are unearthed.

This gave me extreme ptsd from Saga (which I hated), but thankfully, this was much more enjoyable.

What I liked:

- art style
- Yale is so attractive omg
- Morgan and Yale: I really liked their characters, Rana and Griffon, not so much
- cool concept
- I enjoyed the endin ...more

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Dec 24, 2020 Kennady rated it liked it

3.8

Umm things were super muddled throughout the story the whole time and it reminded me SO much of Saga (which i love absolute favourite 10/10) and i think because of that i kept going, and will probably keep going as long as they make the books. But the story was that typical 'si-fi mysterious i have deep dark past and now its caught up to me crap" that if it isn't done right it wont go over very well so we'll see...Im interested to see if they can do better...

The art work is stunning and id lo ...more

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Nov 23, 2020 Angela rated it really liked it

I received this as an eARC to read for free in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and Oni Press for giving me access.

This one kept me intrigued! And that ending? I cannot wait for Vol. 2 to come out.

The only thing I had an issue with was the beginning and the huge time jump. I would like to have learned more as to why they were going into hiding upfront verses being slightly confused throughout. If I ignore the beginning, the story flowed great!

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Apr 21, 2020 RG rated it really liked it

Kinda liked this. Elf and human running from something. Set up life in a country style town. Cut some years down the track and the kids are..kids. Great build

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Oct 24, 2020 Megan rated it really liked it

I received an e-Arc of this book through netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Dryad is a wonderful sci-fi graphic novel and a great introduction and starting place to a series. It seemed quite slow paced in places but that can be expected for the first volume of a series. Fortunately, where it fell short in pacing it made up for in world building and character development. I look forward to volume 2, and seeing more from this world and these characters

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Dec 08, 2020 Yvonne Olson rated it did not like it

This had a good concept, but I couldn't make it through the first scene. I glanced through the rest of the graphic novel, and I felt like I didn't want to continue.

...more

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Oct 31, 2020 Mikorin rated it really liked it

Shelves: comics, netgalley, arc

The cover and the art are gorgeous throughout the book.

Where do I even start with this book.. These are not your usual medieval-fantasy elves living in a small town.. despite the fact that this is the exact setting we start with. We see Morgan and Yale trek through the wilderness with two tiny children - where they very candidly stop to change diapers. They arrive to their destination, a quaint village hidden by the woods and some ruins, where they raise their kids for the next ten or so years. ...more

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Oct 24, 2020 Midu Hadi rated it it was ok

Shelves: 2020, read-in-2020, reviewed, family, first-in-the-series, src, graphic-novel, magic, 100-200-pages, read-in-october

I requested this book on Netgalley and I'm so glad that I did!

This was a beautifully illustrated book that didn’t get as much support from the story as it should have. The vibrant colors and a sense of history and culture that we come across in the first half or so is reminiscent of the movie, Avatar. However, all that suddenly goes away and we’re told it wasn’t even real. Okay, I got that part too. Whatever came after that was a big blur for me! (view spoiler) ...more

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Oct 19, 2020 Emily Ozuna rated it it was ok

•ENGLISH/ESPAÑOL•

~ENGLISH~

This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Let's see ... how to start ...?
Actually, I LOVE graphic novels, illustrations and fantasy too much. If you add a little drama to all that, I'm fully on board to embark on a great adventure!
Maybe that's why, at the end of this graphic novel, I was very disappointed.

Don't get me wrong, the story has so much potential!
This one focuses on the Glass family. 13 years ago, Morgan and Yale Gla ...more

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Oct 17, 2020 *Tau* rated it it was ok

Shelves: netgalley

2,5*
RTC

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Oct 30, 2020 gustavo rated it it was amazing

Shelves: lidos-em-2020, favoritos

ENG - PT REVIEW

ENG
"There's poetry in finding ancient things beneath the ruins of young empires."

trigger warning: graphic violence.

thanks to the publisher for providing an eARC in exchange of an honest review of the book via NetGalley. 💙

I read this whole story feeling the same warmth in my heart that I felt when I read Saga (Brian K Vaughan).
the story is not similar, but this style "family together killing monsters" remembered it 😭

obviously, my favorite part of the comic was this family re ...more

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Dec 16, 2020 Tessa Swehla rated it really liked it

I’m a sucker for good comic book cover art, especially one featuring a large sword slung over a woman’s shoulder. The stunning visuals of 'Dryad', created by Kurtis Wiebe of 'Rat Queens' and Justin Osterling, drew me in immediately when I started reading; the characters and the settings are magnetic in quality, prompting me to turn page after page just so that I could see the next image.

This comic book series is like if Brian K. Vaughan’s comic series 'Saga' and M. Night Shyamalan’s 2004 film 'T I’m a sucker for good comic book cover art, especially one featuring a large sword slung over a woman’s shoulder. The stunning visuals of 'Dryad', created by Kurtis Wiebe of 'Rat Queens' and Justin Osterling, drew me in immediately when I started reading; the characters and the settings are magnetic in quality, prompting me to turn page after page just so that I could see the next image.

This comic book series is like if Brian K. Vaughan’s comic series 'Saga' and M. Night Shyamalan’s 2004 film 'The Village' had a cyborg child who lived in the Shire. Married couple Morgan and Yale Glass flee the city of Silver Bay for the more rural forest village of Frostbrook, seeking to hide their twins, Griffon and Rana, from their mysterious pasts. When trouble in the form of an otherworldly hit team shows up to Frostbrook to bring the Glass family back to the city by any means necessary, the twins discover that the reality that their parents tried to protect them from is much darker and much stranger than they expected.

This first volume of 'Dryad' contains five chapters and blends genres in ways both surprising but also inevitable. The fantasy iconography (characters with pointed ears, rural villages, ruins, ancient history, etc) is re-imagined through a cyberpunk lens. But the real heart of this comic lies within the characters of the Glass family, especially Morgan and Yale. Morgan is such a memorable badass, complete with scars, hoop earrings, and bravado. Yale, on the other hand, reads more like a gentle, bearded Harry Potter—if Harry was buff and really into history. Together, they invert and subvert the gender roles traditionally given to married couples in fantasy narratives: neither is too tough or too vulnerable, but each represents a compelling mixture of both. You believe that these two people love each other and their children very much, even though they are very different people who have clearly gone through their fair share of trauma.

If I were to say there was a weakness of the book, it would be that this first volume, like many comic book series freshman entries, is a little too light on development and too heavy on proof of concept for the whole sci-fi/fantasy atmosphere. There are a lot of details to keep track of and not all of them seem equally weighted in terms of importance yet. The twins are a little too difficult to distinguish from one another in terms of personality. Griffon and Rana are still growing into their characters by the end of the volume, but their sense of betrayal and hurt at the discovery that their parents hide a large part of the world and themselves for so long works well to provide a sense of familial conflict without the bitterness or angst so common in these types of stories. The lack of development of the characters and the numerous details, however, are issues inherent to a first installment and can easily be remedied with future chapters, if the reader is invested in this concept and these characters.

I can honestly say that I don’t know where 'Dryad' will go in Volume 2; the reimagining has completely overturned any sense I have for what conventions Wiebe and his fellow creators will follow, or if they will follow them at all. I do know that I will be reading Volume 2.

'Dryad' Vol. 1 will be available January 5, 2021. Preorder here. ...more

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Dec 01, 2020 Eshana Ranasinghe rated it it was ok

Dryad was kind of not great. While I understand that this is the first in a series and mostly just an introduction there was very little actual story for most of the comic. The beginning was meandering and took forever to get to the point, barely even grazing the main plot of the series until right at the end. Too much time was spent in the village which in the scope of the comic (this volume at least) felt pointless. The characters were fine if not a bit bland. It felt as if the story took a lo Dryad was kind of not great. While I understand that this is the first in a series and mostly just an introduction there was very little actual story for most of the comic. The beginning was meandering and took forever to get to the point, barely even grazing the main plot of the series until right at the end. Too much time was spent in the village which in the scope of the comic (this volume at least) felt pointless. The characters were fine if not a bit bland. It felt as if the story took a long time to get to the point, using a lot of time and words to say very little. And while this might be a personal preference the humour was awkward and not that funny.

The art was decent enough but there was a stiffness to many of the facial expressions and pleasant but derivative aesthetic. While I'm glad there was a more conventional and sensible panel structure and use of motion lines (thank goodness!) there was a painful lack of flow between panels and the artist was inept as properly conveying motion and flow in the fight scenes. I kept getting the feeling that panels were missing and a lack of proper visual connections and foreshadowing made it seem like things came out of no where. Every punch seemed to lack any force or weight and every fast moving vehicle seemed to lack momentum. The overall aesthetic and world felt awfully derivative, first the generic d&d-ish pseudo medieval rural European village (which was technically fine since it was meant to be fake) but then the sci-fi high tech city was basically the same setting as blade runner (they wanted to be blade runner so badly) with all the neon signs, Japanese iconography/language (despite not being set in our world), floating holograms of giant naked people in the city. It lacked imagination and frankly blindly copying the aesthetic of blade runner was irksome and pointless. It felt like the artist lacking confidence or imagination fell back into emulating what he thought was a sci-fi city without thinking about why the city would look like that.

The story was lost beneath all the mess, they seemed to have a lot of ideas but not the focus and competence to communicate them clearly. While I like the mash up of fantasy creatures in a cyberpunk setting where magic and the clash between corporation/ militaristic guilds against anti-tech magic cults the story, art and world was all a confusing mess.

Don't recommend it personally. ...more

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Oct 24, 2020 Dhrishya rated it really liked it

Shelves: arcs-review-reads, read-in-2020

Volume 1 reads as a solid introduction into the Dryad universe.

The chapters read like animated episodes. While this may seem action-packed or too fast-paced for a first volume, it does help the comic cover a lot of ground, especially considering the amount of world-building that needs to take place.

The Glass family presents themselves to us in almost an idyllic fashion. As a reader, we know they are running away from a past that doesn't seem to have a place in the future that they need for their Volume 1 reads as a solid introduction into the Dryad universe.

The chapters read like animated episodes. While this may seem action-packed or too fast-paced for a first volume, it does help the comic cover a lot of ground, especially considering the amount of world-building that needs to take place.

The Glass family presents themselves to us in almost an idyllic fashion. As a reader, we know they are running away from a past that doesn't seem to have a place in the future that they need for their family.

I love how this first volume is a story about family and the sacrifices made by families of blood and choice, in order to protect one another. There is also a huge emphasis on past vs the present and the flow of information within a family. Which while not themes that make sense initially are themes that I hope will unravel itself with each volume.

The illustrations by Justin Osterling like simply brilliant. The pictures, play a big role in contrasting the past with the present, whether it be through technology or art. The details of which were really interesting and I found myself on more than one occasion scrolling back to discover new details that I had missed previously. Sometimes I did find the colour palette too moody, especially in contrast to panels where much brighter colours were used.

I guess things that were detrimental to the reading experience was my unfamiliarity with the universe. Although this is only the first volume there were a few moments that I felt overwhelmed due to my lack of understanding of the universe. Sometimes sections read like info-dumps without telling the reader much at all.

The weakest characters were the twins, Griffon and Rana, because while a huge plot points seemed to be centred around them, there was nothing memorable about them other than they were part of the Glass family. I do hope that the next volume will be able to clearly answer the question I had as to why they were so important. I was also getting "forbidden love" tones from this work, although that could just be unwarranted extrapolation.

Overall, this was a strong first volume and I'd definitely recommend this to any sci-fi and/or fantasy fan who is looking for something new to read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Oni Press for allowing me to read an arc of "Dryad, Vol. 1". All opinions expressed are my own. ...more

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Nov 08, 2020 Raj rated it really liked it

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

A baby needs a nappy change in a forest. This is how we're introduced to the elven woman, Morgan and her husband, a human named Yale. They are two city folks, struggling through a forest in search of something. In the first few pages, they stumble through a cave filled with ruins of an ancient civilization. The ruins exit into an idyllic valley with a storybook village.

13 years later, we find the woman is worki I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

A baby needs a nappy change in a forest. This is how we're introduced to the elven woman, Morgan and her husband, a human named Yale. They are two city folks, struggling through a forest in search of something. In the first few pages, they stumble through a cave filled with ruins of an ancient civilization. The ruins exit into an idyllic valley with a storybook village.

13 years later, we find the woman is working as a protector, slaying monsters in the village called Frostbrook. The man became a schoolteacher, giving a boring a tour through the ruins built by a race called the Vihri. The tour is for a group of students and his bored kids, Rana and Griffon. These early encounters and subsequent talks set the stage, letting us know god left and magic is uncommon.

That night the children decide to investigate the ruins, accidentally encountering beings in the Vihiri ruins. From this point on things ramp up considerably. It's hard to give an accurate description of what happens without spoilers, so I'm going to have to be vague.

A debt is collected, the family return to the city on an adventure. Rapidly the world becomes more Shadowrun and Arcanepunk than high fantasy.
The storyline grows in complexity, plots intertwine and branch off to seed future plot threads and a richness of depth and flavour to come. In many ways, the story reminds me off tad Williams "The War of the Flowers".

The art is smooth and soft. There is detail to the images, however not an overwhelming amount such as in Frank millers "Harb boiled". The colouring is well done, with great use of different colours to focus attention on the essential plot, whilst at the same time allowing readers to enjoy the artwork. To my delight, all the text is easily visible and easy to read.

I've enjoyed reading this book and look forwards to continuations of the story; it's just a shame I have to wait to continue reading. I highly recommended this graphic novel. ...more

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Dec 21, 2020 Sharon Tyler rated it really liked it

Dryad, Vol. 1, is a fantasy graphic novel written by Kurtis Wiebe and illustrated by Justin Barcelo (at least according to the credit pages in the galley I received, many sites have a different last name for the illustrator). It is currently scheduled for release on January 5 2021. The Glass family has spent thirteen years hiding peacefully in the sleepy forest settlement of Frostbrook where Morgan and Yale planted roots and raised their twins, Griffon and Rana. But secrets never stay hidden, an Dryad, Vol. 1, is a fantasy graphic novel written by Kurtis Wiebe and illustrated by Justin Barcelo (at least according to the credit pages in the galley I received, many sites have a different last name for the illustrator). It is currently scheduled for release on January 5 2021. The Glass family has spent thirteen years hiding peacefully in the sleepy forest settlement of Frostbrook where Morgan and Yale planted roots and raised their twins, Griffon and Rana. But secrets never stay hidden, and the entire Glass family find themselves the target of an unearthly attack on Frostbrook. Now on the run from Muse Corp., they must flee to the massive city of Silver’s Bay to hide in plain sight. Rana and Griffon find themselves uprooted and answering for their parents' mistakes. But, they’ll soon find that the past has a way of finding you, no matter where you run.

Dryad is a fantasy with tech elements, and some serious character and world building. The artwork is well done and matches the style and mood of the story. The details and color add a great deal to the story and do their job of immersing the reader in the world. I thought the information given as to the past of Morgan and Yale was given in good , small doses. I will admit that I want more information (rather like the twins) but I suspect those secrets are such an important part of the story that there will be a big reveal and repercussions that I have not considered yet. I am more than willing to wait and find out at the pace the author has set. There is a good mix of mystery, tech, magic, and individual character building and development. My biggest disappointment is that I feel like I was just about to get to the best part- some explanations of the past and who Yale and Morgan really are when the book ended. I expected a cliff hanger- as it is fairly standard in graphic novels of this caliber- but somehow it still snuck up on me and came way too soon.

Dryad is a good start to a graphic novel series, even if it did end with a cliff hanger. ...more

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Oct 27, 2020 Catherine rated it really liked it

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a voluntary and honest review.

When you first start reading, Dryad appears to be purely fantasy....but it's clear you're missing something as you're thrown right into the two main characters, Morgen and Yale as they flee from something or someone with two children.

You quickly learn that Dryad is, in fact, part fantasy and part sci-fi, very reminiscent of Saga. The story is fast-paced and gripping from the start, as you first see Morgen take on ...more

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Nov 25, 2020 Xerxes rated it it was amazing

This is an example of the future with sci-fi and fantasy emerging together. I did like this wasn't your usual typical humans stuck in a cybernetic society (What with Cyberpunk 2077 coming along on the 10th of December...hopefully it doesn't get delayed again). It has elves, orcs, and magical creatures, yet it also has that grand epic feel of fantasy civilizations. That said, some of my criticism being was that sometimes the dialogue boxes were stretched a little bit, making it a little bit harde ...more

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Nov 01, 2020 Corin rated it liked it

The e-ARC I received was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Escaping their past lives with their newborn twins Rana and Griffon, ex-soldier Morgan and her husband Yale find a new home in the sleepy village of Frostbrooks, hidden away from the rest of the cruel world they live in. They vow to protect their children from their past but no vow can keep away what's coming for them.

The art in this comic is GORGEOUS. Being an artist myself, that was my very first ...more

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Dec 21, 2020 Michelle Hogmire rated it really liked it

Thanks to Oni Press for an advance copy of this graphic novel, in exchange for an honest review (expected pub date Jan 5, 2021)--

A lot of people--especially young people--like to imagine that their parents never got up to anything too crazy when they were kids. It's as if a switch is flipped: once you have a child, your youth disappears. Of course, we all know this isn't true. But for twins Griffon and Rana in Kurtis Wiebe's thrilling new comic DRYAD, VOL. 1, the gap between their expectations a ...more

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