Thank you to the publishers on netgalley for my copy! I've played cult of the lamb once through myself, and am currently playing through with my partner with the new multiplayer update!

The comic series follows the lore loosely set up in the world but expanding on it comprehensively, it's a really great read for anyone who enjoys the game & I'll probably be getting future editions!

The artwork is gorgeous, the colours used really good too, and the story is easy to follow & enjoyable!

I really loved this! Granted, I have a CoTL tattoo, so I'm clearly down bad. I thought that this fleshed out the inner workings of the world and the way the lamb's mind was working. I think that you may not be as hype for this if you haven't played the game, but I do still think it would be enjoyable! I love this game, and I loved this graphic novel, too.

This was SO good! I'm not sure, but I think it would be pretty enjoyable for people who haven't played the game. As someone who finally picked up the game earlier this year and fell into a DEEP spiral of obsession over it, I adored this. It was neat to see some of the inner workings of the lamb's mind and the minds of their followers! I'm really excited that there will be future issues and I can't wait to read them!

As an avid player and fan of Cult of the Lamb, I couldn't wait to read this graphic novel, and it did not disappoint! It perfectly captured the spirit of the game. The artwork was bold and eye-catching, and the story was fun and engaging! This was an absolute delight!

Cult of the Lamb, Vol. 1 by Alex Paknadel masterfully captures the essence of the game, weaving a story that’s as endearing as it is unsettling. As someone who adored the game’s blend of dark humor and chilling charm, I was impressed by how this graphic novel expands on its world. The artwork strikes a perfect balance between whimsical and grotesque, breathing life into the bizarre cult and its enigmatic leader. Paknadel’s writing is sharp and layered, delving into themes of devotion, power, and morality with a dose of biting humor.

What stood out most was the emotional depth given to the characters. The tension between the lamb’s benevolence and the dark forces guiding their actions was brilliantly explored, making this story feel both intimate and epic. It’s a bold, imaginative expansion of the game’s universe, with a narrative that stays with you long after reading. Fans of the game will relish every panel, and newcomers will find a captivating entry point into this macabre yet strangely uplifting world. A perfect 5/5.

Okay, confession time: I’ve played Cult of the Lamb an embarrassing amount (I’m talking “should I start calling it a second job?” levels). So when I heard there was a graphic novel, my inner cult leader was all in. And guess what? It delivers.

This book takes the game's twisted charm and cranks it up a notch. The story is dark, weirdly heartwarming, and gloriously unhinged—just like the game itself. If you haven’t sacrificed a dissenting follower recently, don’t worry: the graphic novel will make you feel right at home.

Paknadel gives us more backstory for Lamb, the squishiest little ball of vengeance and divine reckoning you’ll ever meet. The comic fleshes out (literally, sometimes—there’s gore, folks) the Old Gods, the Bishops, and the One Who Waits in ways that make them feel even more sinister. It’s like the game, but with the volume turned up on the “cult propaganda” aesthetic. The art? Chef’s kiss. It’s as if someone took the game’s already stunning visuals, added a heavy dose of nightmare fuel, and made it impossible to look away.

My only nitpick—and why this is a solid four stars instead of five—is that the pacing felt a little off at times. Some sections move like a sprint through the forest, while others linger a bit too long at the altar. Still, it’s forgivable when the overall vibe is this strong.

If you’re a fan of the game, you’ll love the deeper dive into the lore. If you haven’t played the game, first of all, go fix that. Then, come back for this graphic novel, which feels like a sermon you didn’t know you needed.

Huge thanks to Alex Paknadel, NetGalley, and BOOM! Studios for the ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts. This was a delightful descent into darkness, and I’m already sacrificing my free time to the idea of Volume 2. Praise be! 🐑

I’ve heard of the game before but never played it! The artwork was well done and very vibrant! I’m intrigued to see where the story goes with Lamb and will definitely be continuing on with it!

4 STARS

CW: gore, violence, (animal) death, suicide, blood, murder

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review - thank you to NetGalley and the publisher.

I love Cult of the Lamb, the video game, and am continuously playing and enjoying it. Upon my discovery that there was a graphic novel coming out, I knew I had to get and read it. I was not disappointed.

I really appreciate the video game for its aesthetic and the subversion of the "sacrificial lamb" and having it be the chosen one who establishes a cult and fights against those who wanted to sacrifice it. Amazing. This graphic novel retains much of what makes the game so charming: the art style, the story telling and the character design.

The transition from game, with adhering to game mechanics and having a player to actively integrate into it, to the different medium of the graphic novel was very successful in my opinion. The story beats remain the same and central figures from the game appear but the story about establishing the cult is a little different which worked really well in my opinion.

I will definitely continue reading the following volumes and I think you can also enjoy this if you're unfamiliar with the game. In case you know it, there won't be many new things in here regarding world building and storyline but it grants access to the world and story in a new way which was fun.

I picked up the videogame this is based on awhile back after hearing rave reviews from friends and unfortunately, the gameplay just isn't something that works for my brain. The concept of it is so much fun though that I wanted to pick up the graphic novel and see if that worked better for me and happily, it did!

The art style of this is very similar to the game, with a lot of vibrant colors and that fantastic blend of cuteness and gory violence. I feel like they've captured that perfectly in the graphic novel.

While I can't say how true it is to the source material since I didn't get that far into the game, I really loved the story of this. The way that fate plays with your head and the intrigue between the lamb and the various gods he's going up against was very compelling.

If you enjoy a blend of cuteness and violence or were a fan of the game, I definitely think it's worth picking up!

Having never played the game I was interested in seeing how this worked. The art work is dark and inviting. Sometimes there is too much going on in the page and the txt feels like an afterthought. I really enjoyed the story but felt it tried to crame a lot into one volume. And the story itself was overwhelmed by the art Not having read many graphic novels I did feel there was something missing the story didn't flow enough for me. It felt like it needed more editing before publication. Depending on it's target market this might appeal more to younger adults although the dark themes could do with a warning. Hope the next volume has learnt from this. I did enjoy it so it 3.5 rounded up to 4.
Thank you netgallery and publisher and author

Fun, cute, violent, fans of the video game will enjoy this. Young YA or teen comic / graphic novel readers will also get a nice introduction to the world and background of the characters. This will also be an upcoming series.

Hit video game Cult of the Lamb works shockingly well as a comic. And to my benefit, it's a great way to get the story without playing the game. It has a very interesting story, but the gameplay wasn't for me. A graphic novel that's just as bright and cute-gory was perfect. It balances the story arc well, and makes Lamb surprisingly compelling given that they're a player character. I also never expected to feel so much for the side characters. Unfortunately, it's just part one :(.

Una graphic novel che rende onore a un videogioco, anzi IL videogioco, amato da tutti.
In "Cult of the Lamb i giocatori si trasformano in un agnello posseduto salvato da una terribile sorte da un misterioso straniero".
Non sempre creare un manga dedicato a un videogioco è una buona idea, perché snatura il senso del videogioco in sé. Ma qui è un vero e proprio modo di rendere onore a Cult of the Lamb.
I disegni sono meravigliosi, la storia è appassionante.
Lo comprerò sicuramente.

Thanks to NetGalley and Oni Press for the ARC.

This took me by surprise for a comic based on a fairly silly video game. The story actually had me hooked and went in a direction I wasn't expecting. The art style is just as cute and fun as the game. I don't know where it goes from here because fighting Leshy was as far as I got into the game because I suck at resource management. So I'm excited for the next volume!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7058030607

https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/d614b6e7-e0ae-44c3-b6c2-2ea5e716b634

Check out this review of Cult of the Lamb Vol. 1: The First Verse (Cult of the Lamb, #1) on Fable. https://fable.co/review/8a14c612-2448-4597-ab86-893aedf36767/share

This is one of my favourite games from last year, and I was beyond excited when I saw that they were releasing a comic. Well, this is exactly what I expected from the chaos that Cult of the Lamb is. It captures the heart of the game perfectly, and all the references are Chef Kiss.
I wish it had a bit more essence. I feel like they tried to follow the gameplay pretty closely, and that doesn´t always translate well into a comic. I wish it was more of a prologue or side story rather than the main story of the game.
That being said I am super pumped for the rest of these comics and I will pick up the next one to see what else our little Lamb will be up to.

The first installment of the Cult of the Lamb graphic novel was nothing if not well-made; the art was gorgeous, and care was clearly taken in crafting a story based on a Hades-style roguelike game. Unfortunately, it toes the line between fan service and a story in its own right, and it doesn't quite excel at either. For fans of the game, there are some great moments where the creators pull in quotes from gameplay, and the gods' voices, as well as Clauneck's, rang true to the source material. When translated to this format, however, the villagers' blind faith doesn't feel as cutesy and entertaining as it does in the game—it just feels a bit shallow. They tried to remedy this by including the character of Nana and giving the Lamb dialogue, but it all felt too earnest and serious. The game succeeds by balancing ethical dilemmas with dark humor, which is what was lacking in the adaptation. Going forward, it would be nice to see the authors tap into more of the comedic and tongue-in-cheek aspects that give the game its charm.

2.5 stars overall. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me check out the ARC ahead of the Dec. 17 pub date!

As charming as a comic book about a murderous, cult-leading, lamb can be!

I really love the video game that this is based off of, so I leapt at the chance to read this graphic novel. There are some differences to the game (Ratu, a retired cult leader, is more involved here, and there’s a focus on a character called Nana, a sweet little bunny, who holds the title of first cult member, for example) but it fellows along quite well with the start of the game, adding extra drama, humour, and context.

The drawings are great, and really keep the balance of gore, fun, death, and cuteness, that the game has. Cult of the Lamb is both a frantic rouge-like, and a cult management sim, and that juxtaposition between both the intense moments, and the quieter ones, is captured here extremely well.

I’m invested, and I’m looking forward to picking up the next volume in this series!

Thank you to the publishers, and Netgalley, for the copy to review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this graphic novel! It was an engaging read that added much-needed context to the events of the game, helping to flesh out the storyline and give a deeper understanding of the world and its characters. The art style is vibrant and dynamic, perfectly complementing the narrative. The way it expands on the game’s plot and delves into the backgrounds of key characters makes the overall experience more immersive. I found myself connecting with the characters on a whole new level, and it definitely enhanced my appreciation of the game. I’m already looking forward to Volume 2 to see where the story goes next!

As someone who loves the game, this was great. The art is just as nice as it is in-game, and the art-style and coloring was especially good.

Actual Rating 2.5

This graphic novel is based on a popular video game. I’ve never played the game, but I’ve watched friends play it so I was interested in giving this book a go. The plot (unsurprisingly) is quite dark, which I enjoyed, though it felt like some important parts were skimmed over and could have used some more dpeth. It seems like a commentary on how easy it is to become the very thing you’re fighting against and swore to defeat, plus a cute lamb leading a cult is great imagery.

However, the actual execution of this graphic novel wasn’t the best. There was often too much going on visually on a single page to the point where it was overwhelming, not easy to digest, and made it easy to miss things. The art was phenomenal, but it just wasn’t arranged well. The writing also wasn’t that great. In some places, it felt like they just took dialogue bubbles from the game and copied them straight into this, rather than trying to make conversations flow or feel even a bit realistic.

While this was okay overall, I’m glad I didn’t pay for it. I think folks that do may end up disappointed. My thanks to NetGalley and Oni Press for allowing me to read this work. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.