Dungeon Critters

by Natalie Riess, Sara Goetter

Overview

Natalie Riess and Sara Goetter's Dungeon Critters is a middle-grade graphic novel about a gang of adorable animal friends on a D&D style dungeon crawl.

Quests! Plots! Evil Plants! Magic and mayhem!

Join the Dungeon Critters—a tight-knit squad of animal companions—on a wild adventure investigating a sinister botanical conspiracy among the furry nobility. As they risk their lives traveling through haunted dungeons, swamps, and high society balls—they also come closer together as friends.

Motivated by rivalries, ideals, and a lust for adventure, these critters navigate not only perils and dangers of the natural world, but also perils and dangers…of the heart!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250195470
Publisher:	First Second
Publication date:	09/29/2020
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.80(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Natalie Riess is a cartoonist from Pennsylvania. She now lives in Austin, TX, where she makes comics with her girlfriend and gets yelled at by their beautiful cat. She loves to draw food, nature, and horrible plant monsters. Her previous titles include Space Battle Lunchtime and Snarlbear.

Sara Goetter is a Pennsylvania-born cartoonist, currently based in Austin where she draws comics with her girlfriend. She specializes in drawing goofy faces, dumb jokes, and she cries whenever she thinks about frogs too much.

Editorial Reviews

★ 08/10/2020

Anxious dog June; stolid Goro, a legged snake; flamboyant cat Rose; and self-assured frog Prince Chirp are the Dungeon Critters, a wisecracking, villain-fighting, dungeon-raiding group of anthropomorphic friends who roam a magical fantasy kingdom. A clue linking a plant necromancer with Prince Chirp’s lifelong archnemesis, the Baron, serves as an excuse for the team to don disguises and infiltrate the Baron’s next soiree. Soon, they are neck-deep in a madcap spree involving secret identities, monsters and thieves, relationships and rivalries, trials and treason, and even a bit of arson. Riess and Goetter create a lighthearted slapstick escapade that prioritizes jokes per page while playing with the conventions of fantasy and RPG adventures. The largely queer main cast (Rose and June give off a will-they/won’t-they vibe, Goro has a distant beau named Horseboy), with their complementary skills and personalities, create solid chemistry emphasized by cute character design and an amusing preponderance of meticulously assembled outfits. The panels are busy, both crammed with visual and textual jokes and filled with near-constant action, but this generally works in the book’s favor, maintaining a rollicking pace that covers the occasional plot hole. Jaunty, funny, and fun. Ages 8–12. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

Hilarious, heartwarming, and triumphantly FUN!” —Carey Pietsch, artist of The Adventure Zone series

“I can’t remember the last time a comic made me laugh out loud like this!” —Ngozi Ukazu, author of the Check, Please series

“Dungeon Critters has everything: thrilling adventure, fantasy hijinks, and a ragtag team of heartfelt dummies you’ll fall in love with!” —Cathy G. Johnson, author of The Breakaways

“I want to hop universes into the world of Dungeon Critters immediately. It’s a playful, clever fantasy that looks like a fistful of jewels. Kids are going to go wild for this!” —Aliza Layne, author of Beetle and the Hollowbones

"Dungeon Critters is a fantasy tale full of style, wit, and charm, featuring a cast of lovable characters and vibrant, expressive artwork."—The A.V. Club

"The whole book is vibrant—the characters and scenes jumping to life!"—Sequential Tart

"Jewel-toned art and fast-paced humor are sure to please young fantasy lovers, and clever visual puns and throwaway jokes might have parents picking up this quest for a quick giggle."—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"A delightful middle-grade tale that is inclusive, imaginative, and complex." —Kirkus, starred review

"Jaunty, funny, and fun." —Publisher's Weekly, starred review

" A pure joy to read on a variety of levels, this is destined to be a hit with fantasy-adventure fans and beyond." —Booklist, starred review

From the Publisher

★ 2020-07-14
A group of animal friends investigates a pernicious plant.

Set within a vaguely medieval landscape, friends Goro, a hulking snakelike creature with legs; golden retriever and plant expert June; pun-loving arsonist cat Rose; and hot-tempered royal frog Prince Chirp are known as the Dungeon Critters. The Devil’s Thorn, a villainous vine, has appeared in their kingdom, and their investigation leads them to Chirp’s archnemesis, Baron Foxworthy, and his daughter, Verona. When Prince Chirp’s dad is gravely injured by the plant, June is implicated and the group is divided. Will they be able to find the source of the plant and save the king? Riess and Goetter’s brightly hued graphic novel is not only an inventively wrought fantasy, but also features queer characters; male Goro has a boyfriend; next in line to be king, Prince Chirp uses she/her pronouns; and Rose and June have a budding romance. The worldbuilding is accessible and instantly engaging, consisting of not only an approachable setting, but also emphasizing the importance of friendship and communication. Though primarily a fantasy, the fast-paced adventure, romance, and humor make for easy crowd appeal that traverses genre boundaries. The first in a proposed series (a cliffhanger teases subsequent adventures to save Goro’s boyfriend, horseboy), anticipate demand and expect rereads. Aftermatter offers a fascinating glimpse into the creators’ collaborative process of writing, drawing, and coloring the work.

A delightful middle-grade tale that is inclusive, imaginative, and complex. (Graphic fantasy. 8-13)

Kirkus Reviews