Darryl Openworld is a graphic novel based on a European YA series. Darryl is a journalist who travels between worlds. In this milieu, journalists are highly valued and respected. Darryl is investigating the disappearance of a giant. Or is he?

I liked this. In order to catch people (like me) who have never even heard of this series up to speed, the creators use a framing sequence of an author describing her story about Darryl Overworld to an editor. It's a good conceit to give some exposition and ends up being an interesting part of the story.

The story- described in the blurb as Steampunk Harry Potter- moves along at a good clip. The art is very nice and the world-building holds together. I'm now curious about the novels this is based on.

I found much to enjoy in this science fiction graphic novel. Recommended for readers looking for a unique visual design, some steampunk, and an entertaining comics adventure.

The blurb description of “steampunk Harry Potter” is wildly inaccurate here. I think the general art is good, but I had problems distinguishing between the two male leads (same face! same hair)! A bigger problem was the plot that seemed contrived in places, and none of the characters are memorable.

Thanks to NetGalley and Diamond Book Distributors for the review copy.

As a prominent (legendary) journalist, Darryl has the ability to move through realms/worlds. And as he does so, he reports on various newsworthy occurrences. But lately there are some big shifts across the realms that have previously been thought to be "impossible." And so with the support of a rag-tag crew consisting of a fairy, an elf, a ghost, and a friend-girl who may want to be more than just friends, Darryl needs to unravel the mystery of who is behind it all before total collapse in all the realms.

While this is inspired by a popular European YA series, I did not have any trouble jumping into the plot and being instantly intrigued. My only complaint - and it's a minor one - is that with the e-version of this graphic novel, it was a little difficult to tell the difference between the main character and the ghost character, especially when the viewpoint was extremely closeup.

Thanks to Diamond Book Distributors and NetGalley for this ARC.

#DarrylOpenworld #NetGalley

THANK YOU to Magnetic Press & NetGalley for sending me this ARC. All reviews are honest reflections of my own opinions, always.

Journalism is valued above all, & Darryl is its master.

Able to travel between Openworld & the Grey World, Darryl's investigation into a story leads him deeper & deeper into a twisted plot, leading him into the heart of a realm no one returns from. An archive of forbidden knowledge, a deal with darkness, a broken heart...

With the help of his companions & his own talents, twisted plots begin to unfold, and truth rises to the surface in this story that defies death itself.





This one was not for me. While the art/illustrations aren't bad, I feel like they're lacking uniqueness & expression, they look & feel like any other comic. The story line is a bit disjointed, hard to follow, & leaves a lot of gaps. I couldn't connect with any of the characters (the Tinker Bell-esque side kick really threw me), & I wasn't invested in the plot at all. I really disliked the love triangle/sabotage & the culmination of those relationships. In short, this was a drag to get through for me, but I can appreciate that other readers enjoy it.

The artwork in this is superbly done. It’s got a manga like appeal while still being closer to an America or steampunk style.

The frame story was interesting and I wasn’t expecting the twist at the end.

I’m not totally positive on the magic of the world. Especially Darryl’s powers aside from he can go between worlds.

The story itself, just didn’t do it for me. And that’s a me thing not a story thing. I did also have issues reading the speech bubbles but it should be noted I was reading on my phone.

Great artwork and world building although I felt a bit lost as I tried to pick up the threads of the story. This graphic novel is actually based on a series of prose YA novels and this explains why it felt as if I was missing some of the back story and intro to some of the characters. It is still a great adventure and enjoyable to read but I couldn’t explain the world properly because I didn’t get the entire background from this novel. I think this is worth reading if you have read the prose novels.

Darryl Openworld is a comic book novel illustrated by Remi Guerin and based on the novels by Oliver Peru.
Darryl is one of the most popular journalists in Openworld thanks to his power to travel between realities.
In this adventure, while Darryl investigates the disappearance of a Giant, he uncovers a conspiracy to use magic for unknown purposes.
The illustrations are beautiful, the use of colors is truly masterful, and the story has a very well-crafted plot, with perfectly developed characters that makes me want to read more from this author.

Fascinating concept opening with a woman pitching her book and ending with that woman finishing, and then we find it was potentially real.

However, while the drawings are beautiful and the worlds and Power are very cool, the plot was very confusing, and it felt like many things had passed, and we were just given mentions about past adventures. Many pieces were missing, and I lost the connection to the characters.

I have mixed feelings about this book; there were definitely some positive elements, but on the whole, it felt underdeveloped. The world was certainly unique and interesting, although I would have preferred to learn about it solely through the story and the beautiful artwork, rather than having the frame story explaining it throughout, which felt a little tacked on (despite the twist at the end, which was heavily telegraphed). What I enjoyed was learning more about the Openworld and its inhabitants. Unfortunately, the story and characters fell a little short for me. I didn't know enough about the story to know why everything was so high stakes; it seemed that there was a lot of pre-existing context that I would have needed to know in order to fully understand the plot. The characters did not end up seeming sufficiently complex, and, to be honest, they were not all overly likable. On the whole, it was interesting and I definitely enjoyed the artwork and the concepts of the world, but I did feel a little disconnected to the characters and plot.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read a review copy of Darryl Openworld. I've been trying to get into more international comics lately and Magnetic Press seems to be an incredible place to find beautifully drawn, expansive worlds, that you can easily lose yourself in.

Darryl Openworld offers a unique take on the steampunk genre by merging it with the idea of a magical world parallel to our "grey" world, Even though it felt like I was thrown into the middle of a story (since this comic is based on YA novels), I still felt I was able to understand the motivations of the characters and most of the rules of the fantasy setting (although I am confused how they just pop into the grey world every once in a while).

Some of the story was a bit off to me. It could have been that these characters and settings were formally introduced somewhere else and I should have read that first, but it seemed like the protagonist was threading together very random strands of clues that I, as a reader, could not understand.

All in all, I did enjoy the book, but I think it could have benefited from some form of prologue introduction to the world.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Darryl Openworld by Remi Guerin and Oliver Peru is an amazing fantasy graphic novel with jaw-dropping art. The story revolves around Daryl, who can travel between realities. According to the description, when Daryl "investigates the disappearance of a Giant, he uncovers a conspiracy by a mysterious individual who would exploit magic for unknown purposes."

Overall, Darryl Openworld is an amazing graphic novel that will appeal to fans of Final Fantasy or anime. One highlight of this book is the amazing artwork, which really deserves to be hung up on a wall somewhere. I was astounded by how beautifully the characters and backgrounds were drawn. If i had to complain about 1 thing, I would say that I wasn't a huge fan of the ending. If you're intrigued by the description, you can check out this book when it comes out in July!

Steampunk is not a simple genre, standing out for its characteristic visual appearance and its very common environments.

However, this graphic novel manages to stand out by far. Its graphic section is impressive, very polished, perfectly colored, and consistently impressive from start to finish. Its illustrations are extensive and detailed, allowing expressions and elements to be shown that the reader cannot miss, to fully understand the mysteries that this work proposes.

On a narrative level, the story is quite charming, light, and interesting. I haven’t read the source material it's based on, but I never felt I needed it. This graphic novel stands on its own.

I would recommend it without a doubt, not only for a young audience but also for anyone who wants to enjoy an artistically admirable work.

Beautiful art, visually pleasing but I had a hard time following the story. The text was too long and confusing to read amid all the pretty art work. It took a while to grasp the story plot too. But overall I can see people enjoying this.
Thank you.

A steampunk, parallel universe adventure following elite journalyst Darryl Openworld as he seeks to find who stopped the clocks and released a giant into the city.

Art: The art in this novel is phenomenal! The colors and shades are great and the characters are well illustrated. I love the steampunk/fantasy realm.

Story: The story was really interesting, but I hope there is more. It seems to have ended with some loose ends. There was a twist in the end. I am not sure if I just missed the clues that it was coming or if it wasn’t mentioned at the beginning.

Overall, great story! Would love to add it to my library collection for the secondary students.

Thanks Netgalley and Diamond Book Distributors for the ARC. Love the story and looking forward to others from this artist and writer!