This week saw the release of an exciting new series, THE HUNGER AND THE DUSK from IDW Publishing and the creative minds of G. Willow Wilson and Chris Wildgoose. IDW teased the series as a “high fantasy tour de force” and based on this first issue that may prove to be an understatement!

We open with a short prequel story with a trio of orc scouts are observing a human village from afar when two young boys find them and race back to their village to alert the townsfolk. The villagers prepare to fight back should the orcs invade, but we see the orcs get ambushed by an unknown entity. In this opening salvo, Wilson lays the foundation for the story’s main tension between humans and orcs, the last two remaining species, and establishes the unknown beings as a major threat to both.

We then fast forward several years to the main story, where we see the two races coming together to form an unlikely and shaky alliance against the same otherworldly threat from year’s past, but which are now called The Vangol. We learn that their attacks became more frequent and directed during the years we skip, but Willow continues a superb job keeping readers feeling up to speed throughout the entire book. In addition to crafting a captivating plot, including a battle scene that will keep you at the edge of your seat, Willow develops character who are immediately endearing and nuanced.

Fantasy stories are often allegories for much more realistic problems facing societies and there are shades of that here, though they are subtle and could easily be mistaken for fantasy lore. The hatred between the humans and orcs resembles much of the racial tension facing the United States and the looming threat from a mysterious enemy could go all sorts of directions. I’m very interested to see how Wilson fleshes this villains out and whether or not they will be used to resemble a specific real-world issue as their lore is expanded upon.

In addition to the story, the artwork is a perfect visualization of the fantasy genre. I felt like I was watching a comic book adaptation of recent animated fantasy television shows such as Dragon Prince, Vox Machina, or Arcane. All three were visually beautiful and Wildgoose’s art, along with colors by Msassyk and Diana Sousa and lettering by Simon Bowland, were on par with all of them. Scenes were brought to life with vibrant colors and backgrounds, character designs were complex and detailed, and motion and magic were captured with a whimsical grace you’d expect in any good fantasy story. The battle scenes truly jump off the page with the combination of art and sound effects.

THE HUNGER AND THE DUSK #1 is instantly one of my favorite debuts of 2023. The entire book feels effortless. Willow isn’t new to writing top-notch stories, but this feels like a coup for IDW. I have already seen others make references to Lord of the Rings, Dungeons and Dragons, Game of Thrones, and other massively popular quest-based fantasy franchises in their reviews based off this first issue and while I may not go that far, yet — I’d like to see this level of craftsmanship play out over a few issues — I can understand the reasoning. The genre is expertly realized, the creative team is at the top of their respective game, and the world being built feels ripe for expansion beyond the planned 16 issues. Dare I say it…this book feels fantastical.

Rating: 10/10

New Series Review: IDW’s THE HUNGER AND THE DUSK #1

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