The Hunger and the Dusk vol. 1 collects issues #1-6 of the series. This comic features a dying world where only humans and orcs remain. They are mortal enemies, but when a group of ancient humanoids known as the Vangol pose an even greater threat, the humans and orcs form an alliance to take on this new threat together. This alliance is fragile but it’s the only way to move forward. The survival of both groups lies in the hands of a commander of a band of humans and a high-ranking orc healer. 

 

This story has an adventurous Game of Thrones/Dungeon & Dragons vibe which I enjoyed, and the vibrant art brings the characters, action and scenery to life. Unfortunately, everything else about the book fell flat for me. I wanted more worldbuilding and I feel like I don’t have a reason to care about the characters. And because I don’t care about the characters I also don’t care about the romance. There was an interesting moment where we learn about the Vangol, but it wasn’t fully explored. I know there’s only so much that can be done in six issues, but I was left feeling underwhelmed. This genre is so popular and overdone, and so far I feel like The Hunger and the Dusk isn’t bringing anything new to the table. Hopefully this will change as the story continues. I’m interested in reading the next volume to see if my opinion changes. 

 

Thank you NetGalley and IDW Publishing for providing me with an e-ARC to review.