Dark One is a portal fantasy story; the story's protagonist, Paul, is transported to a fantastical world (Mirandus), where he becomes the prophesied Dark One. While it sounds cliche, the team has done it very well. The fast-paced plot offers nice twists and turns and the characters feel convincing.

A graphic novel from Brandon Sanderson...how could I say no to picking it up? He does a very good at building up his (fantasy?) world, but I did feel something was lacking from it. His character sketches were amazing, and the art style really vibed with me. I am a fan of fast-paced stories, so I LOVED THIS!

Also, I liked the concept of morally grey characters and was hoping it to have a villain arc, but nevertheless, this was a really good read and would recommend 10/10 to people who love fast-paced character-driven plotlines.

I received an e-ARC from the author/publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

(This post will be live on my blog on 17 May 2021)

Dark One was a fast-paced, action-packed read with phenomenal worldbuilding. Our main character is a young man named Paul, who has visions of another world, and of a girl who says she is his sister. Except Paul has never had a sister. So he believes he is hallucinating, and he fears that he is a danger to others. The general gist of the story is that Paul is a dark tyrant, destined to destroy a world called Mirandus.
Much of the book is spent working out the backstory and magic system of the book, which I really loved.

I'm not super well-versed with artistic critique, but I really enjoyed the art style, and the colours were absolutely fantastic. I felt like they helped convey the tone and atmosphere of each setting, whether on Earth, or at various locations on Mirandus. In general, I thought the narrative was easy to follow, and I was completely engaged in the story.

I have only two minor criticisms of this work:
1) I felt like the pace was a bit fast sometimes, which made it hard to focus on character development. I am aware that this is often a problem with the medium, so I'm not too fazed by it.
2) As readers, we're promised a story about a 'reluctant' villain, but it kind of read more like 'the good guys THINK they're good, but they really aren't.' In which case Paul is still actually a hero. Which is fine, but I think it's going to disappoint readers who were actually looking for a villain arc.

I wouldn't say this is a character-driven story, so if that's important to you, then this may fall a bit flat. But if you love action and worldbuilding, this is definitely worth a go.

When I saw a new graphic novel by Brandon Sanderson, OF COURSE I had to read it! I liked the juxtaposition of two different worlds: our world, and another (fantasy?) world. What interested me most about this story was wondering how the two narratives (haha) were connected, and discovering what was behind the whole "Narrative" that seems to drive everything in Mirandus. Frankly, this wasn't as enthralling as most other works I've read from Sanderson; I think I was expecting a deeper level of world building (and that's not to say it isn't possible, considering how vast and interesting his other graphic novels are, like White Sand). Overall I would give this one 3.5/5 stars. I enjoyed it, but it wasn't my favorite. And yes, I am still looking forward to the next volume!

Everything Sanderson does seem to turn to gold and this one isn't different. Very cool illustrations and a complex story that felt captivating from the start. I love the protagonist and the mix between real and fantasy world. Highly recommended!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.


It was so captivating from the start, witnessing the rise of a dark lord. A fantastic world where light and darkness fight for an immutable destiny that has been written since the beginnig of all times. Would the next Dark one change the narratives?

I enjoyed reading and discovering this book, it was pretty interesting. I have to say that I got lost from time to time to get the meaning of what some characters said or were referring to. Also, what Paul says at the end about his mother's job and that he gets now what she was really doing in defending a certain kind of criminels/killers and him doing the same for the Drull. Sorry, but nope and at that moment he became a real evil character in my eyes if he was seeing things like that. This changed everything.

I started reading the Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson years ago, but to this day I haven’t managed to finish the first book of the series. I know there's a real hype about Brandon Sanderson's books and as a big fantasy fan myself, I will one day try to pick it up again. So, when I saw that Sanderson plans to publish a graphic novel, I just had to get my hands on it and see if this medium would catch my attention better, seeing as I love reading comics! And it’s true, it was great. The story has great potential, the artwork is amazing, and I couldn’t put this down until I finished it. This feels like an epic fantasy in graphic novel format and I’m all here for it!

In the Dark One Volume 1 we stumble upon the world Mirandus (much like the protagonist Paul), a world which is connected to our well-known Earth, and whose people live by the legacies of the Chosen Ones. There is always a Destined One, chosen as the Narrative’s Champion to be opposed by the Dark One. Once in every generation, there is an epic battle between the light and the dark. And it seems, the chosen ones are always picked from Earth and somehow pulled into Mirandus.

Paul is the Chosen Dark One, but does he want to be? Does he truly understand what this means? He battles with a lot of fear, a forgotten sister, a lost father, a mother he loves but cannot communicate with. So the story starts of with him being in therapy (and hiding the ghost he sees from his therapist). Paul seems like a great character with so much depth. He gets whisked into this new (or rather forgotten) world to him and has to immediately fight his enemies, although he understands nothing that’s happening until he takes a sip from a magic well. The first person he meets is the Princess, who tries to tell him about the dangers they’re in, not knowing who he truly is. I am very intrigued by the relationship between Paul and the Princess, and hope to see this blossom in the next volume.

All in all, such a great read! I recommend this to everyone who likes fantasy, even if they're not usually a big graphic novel fan. Trust me, the read is worth it! Also, I can’t believe that I now have to wait for so long until this continues!

Usually i don't like HQ, but Brandon Sanderson exists to prove me wrong.

The plot it's perfect, the concept of the Narrative as conductor and a silent character it's brilliant. The characters have their on plots that ended creating the "Dark One" even when they are fighting againts this.

Again, I have problems with HQ, mostly because of the construction, but here the design apoie with me, show me what happens on the characters mind. It's was complement to the story.

This book was provided by NetGalley for free to review. It's a well plotted story with great art and panel work. The world building could be stronger, and the main character could be more fleshed out too. I wish that it were longer as it seemed like this storyline was a little rushed. Overall, I enjoyed it and look forward to reading more from Sanderson.

Thank you to Vault Comics for an e-galley in return for an honest review.

“Then again, when you’re a kid, an hour is just the length of two cartoons, so who knows?”

I blew through this in less than an hour. Yes, I can typically read comics/graphic novels quickly but I literally sped through this. It was good. I loved the artstyle and the story behind it, the interweaving of Mirandus and Earth. The end did get a little confusing as I don’t know where we’re going, who the Dark One is, and where the Narrative lies, but that’s what Sanderson does best.

If you’re looking for something that screams Sanderson at his finest, look no further than this. This is Marvel/DC meets Stormlight Archive meets portal fantasy. There are no superheroes, there are humans and there are gods. Who is good, and who will come out winning?
Read to find out.

This was an interesting book to read! I've always been a huge fan of how Sanderson creates his worldbuilding so it was no surprise that it was done well in this too! The storyline was intriguing, the characters were entertaining. Overall, it was a fun book to read and I can't wait to see where Sanderson will take us with this story.

Thank you to Netgalley and publisher for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I never heard that Brandon Sanderson was coming out with this, but I LOVE BRANDON SANDERSON (well, his books)
I've read the majority of his books and haven't been disappointed.

This kept up with my standards, I've never heard of these artists before, but I love their style!!!

HIGHLY recommend for fans of brandon sanderson (and lovers of high fantasy and graphic novels!)

I love a good graphic novel. I like books that are easy to read and come with lots of pictures. This though… I don’t just like it. I love it!!!

It’s seriously intense. You jump right out of the gate and this story keeps going, which, personally left me trying to grasp what in the heck is happening. You get a handle by the end, but that’s why I took off half a star. Four and a half stars rounded up.

The art is sooo great!!! Very detailed and dark and twisted. Partly why I love this so much. The things you see in this are not pretty, they’re so evil or just plain intense. Add in the dialogue and you’ve got yourself an insanely crazy read down the darkness rabbit hole I’ve been in for a while.

I recommend this to those who like reading about the underworld or hell, in this world or the next. There is nothing cute in this read. Everything is rough and there’s lots of death.

Thanks so much for NetGalley and Vault Comics for the opportunity to read this for my honest and unbiased opinion. Keep em coming! 😁

I liked this! I like how it's almost old fashioned in its epic scale, and I like how the art harks back to 70s and 80s fantasy art, think Conan and Heavy Metal, but without the sexist overtones.

Our protagonist, a young man called Paul, has visions of a fantasy world, and also of the ghost of a sister he's never had. Quickly turns out he's not hallucinating, there is a lot of truth to his visions. Turns even more out that he is the prophecied Dark One in this other world.

It's wordy, and a bit of a slow read (I originally thought it was adapted from a novel), but that pacing actually worked with the story's epicness, I think.

Two volumes to follow, and I am here for it.

I was very excited to read this new graphic novel from Brandon Sanderson. Dark One follows Paul, an ordinary boy who has the ghost of a young woman following him around. When violent visions of another world begin, he is convinced he is experiencing mental illness. As the visions become stronger, it becomes clear that there is another world calling to Paul. Only Paul isn’t being called to be the hero, but the villain.

Dark One has a gripping and intense premise, with lots of action and high stakes. The artwork is very well done, with excellent attention paid to use of light. The overall story was intriguing, but I can tell that this volume is only scratching the surface of what promises to be a compelling graphic novel series. I would definitely be curious to see how the story continues! Dark One Volume 1 releases May 18, 2021. Thank you so much to Brandon Sanderson, Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly, Diamond Book Distributors, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'm a huge fan of Brandon Sanderson's Cosmere books, so I was excited to see what he'd do with this medium. Unfortunately, it didn't grab my attention.

Story plays with an interesting inversion on the usual epic fantasy "Dark Lord vs Lord of Light" trope, which I'm not sure if I liked but is certainly interesting. Admittedly, it's only the first part of a series, so there may be room for the inversion to develop into something more profound over time. Certainly the start of a unique and interesting fantasy series.

As a fan of Sanderson's 'The Way of Kings' series, I was initially interested in the 'Dark One' due to his involvement and the premise of the story. I really liked the concept of this graphic novel and how it played with classic fantasy tropes (e.g. 'The Chosen One') and the well-trodden fantasy story of a world caught in a cycle of good and evil.

However, I felt that compared to the world-building in many of his other novels, the world in the first volume of 'Dark One' was a little simplistic. Additionally, while I liked the plot and the idea of the 'Narrative', I found some of the characters a bit boring - though Paul definitely became more interesting as the story progressed.

As it's a graphic novel, I also wanted to mention the art. While I felt that some of the character designs were a little boring, overall, I thought the art did a good job with the action scenes and conveying the story effectively.

Overall, I enjoyed the story and would be interested in reading more, even if I have read more exciting fantasy stories recently.

A big thanks to Diamond Book Distributors and NetGalley for the digital copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Since I enjoyed Sanderson's books, I didn't hesitate getting a copy of this new graphic novel. It was my first time reading his work that was not in a prose form, so I was definitely intrigued and curious if this one would deliver.

Dark One's premise might look at first the cliche 'The Chosen One' trope that we mostly see on fantasy stories. However, the author completely gave this trope a twist that made it more intriguing, interesting, and a little bit darker. The story followed a young man named Paul who heard and saw things that were not in this world. One night when he was attacked by a strange dressed man, he was transported into another world which followed what they called 'The Narrative.' In this world, Paul had to face his destiny, not to be a hero, but to be the tyrant villain known as the Dark One.

Several themes that were already familiar to the author's previous works were also prevalent in this graphic novel such as light vs dark, prophesied destinies, political intrigues, and gray morality. The pacing was a little too fast for my liking, but I liked how the narrative alternated between the present modern Earth to its parallel universe. For a graphic novel, the world-building and magic system were well-done and detailed. Also, the art style completely complimented the narrative.

Paul's character's complexity was well-written and how he slowly changed and became corrupted after realizing and learning more about how things worked in the new world was satisfying.

The ending left so many unanswered questions that I hope to find on the next volume. Overall, this is a solid first graphic novel for the series.

4/5 stars!

Trust Sanderson to take the light vs dark narrative, and subvert it in an interesting manner.

As I've said time and again, I'll read anything Sanderson writes. Dark One was written for the graphic novel format, and I could see how it worked so much better compared to White Sand which did not translate well from prose (which I've read in its rough draft stage and still enjoyed). The artwork here is also pretty good.

The concept of a world that is caught in never-ending cycles of destiny and outcomes called The Narrative is fascinating. Sanderson literally seized the trope of the chosen ones of good vs evil and made it into commentary about blindly following what was dictated as absolute. Not surprisingly, I found myself sympathizing with the 'dark side' and questioning the morality behind the actions of the 'light side' all in the name of fulfilling The Narrative.

I anticipate Sanderson taking this 'narrative' on an intriguing journey and am looking forward to more.