So much fun! Love the artwork (just like I love the artwork in the game). The story is solid too though the narration can be a bit heavy handed at points. It makes me want to play the game again, and this is about how far I got into the story.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc!

Summary:

The Lamb was foretold to end the rule of the old gods, so it was ordered to death. Yet, by targeting the Lamb, they set about the very events they hoped to avoid. Now the Lamb is back, fighting and establishing their own cult.

Lamb’s journey is far from easy. He must battle, collect followers, and learn to trust again. Likewise, there are many difficult decisions to make along the way, including how to lead and who to save.

Review:

Ahhh! As a massive fan of the Cult of the Lamb game, I was excited by the news of a graphic novel adaptation. Better yet, it seems like Cult of the Lamb Vol. 1: The First Verse may be the first in a series? I can hope!

I think it's important for readers to be aware of this book's content (and content warnings). The cover looks cute, but it deals with very dark themes. I hope the title helps give some indication of that. Check out the TW below for more information.

Cult of the Lamb Vol. 1 covers the history of the world, the introduction of our leading character (the Lamb), and the stakes. It's heavy and depressing sometimes, but there's always a reason behind it all.

This story did a great job of capturing the gameplay elements and turning them into something readable. Given that at least half the gameplay is a roque-lite, I worried about how it'd translate. The good news is that there was already a strong plot, so adapting it worked brilliantly.

Cult of the Lamb Vol. 1 is absolutely worth checking out if you played (and loved) the game. It'll help fill the void between playthroughs.

Highlights:
Based on the Cult of the Lamb video game
Horror & Fantasy
Characters & Lore

Trigger Warnings:
Graphic Elements
Death & Murder
Sacrifice

Thanks to Oni Press and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

This was a wonderful way to revisit the world of Cult of the Lamb!
I'd love the opportunity to dive deeper into the lore, and the art style is the perfect blend of creepy and cute that made the game so appealing.
It's a really generous volume with heaps of new content for established fans of the world, without leaving people who haven't played the game behind.

Thank you Netgalley for an advanced edition of this compendium. While I’m somewhat familiar with the game, I hadn’t been acquainted with the Cult of Lamb comics yet. Because of that, I’m not sure what of this story may have been a spoiler and what might be added lore. Either way, some of the character arcs throughout the 4 volumes endeared me to this story even more than the game previously had, and I’m actually more excited to try it out again now. The use of cute characters to highlight the darkness of the themes really is outstanding, delivering heavy messages with a side of sweet. My issues with this reading experience were that it is not always immediately obvious which panel to jump to next, and there were a lot of apparent time jumps where the reader had to fill in the gaps. They didn’t necessarily detract from the story, but it did feel like more work than necessary on the audience end.

I loved the drawings and the colors of this comic/Graphic Novel. The panels flowed well along with the story. The flow was well done.
This is a fun revenge story with sacrifices, and uniquely drawn animals. I could see one plot point so it's a little predictable.
The comic/Graphic Novel is definitely for older readers with the violence and I did say sacrifice...
Go into this story for the vibes. Very entertaining and I personally had fun reading.

Cult of the Lamb Vol. 1 is a great companion graphic novel. I don’t have a ton of knowledge on the game as I haven’t played it myself, but I have seen a couple of hours of gameplay. This means I know a little about it but I don’t know the deep lore behind the story and its characters.

I was somewhat worried I wouldn’t understand what was going on and why. Thankfully, this graphic novel starts from the very beginning and I feel like everything was explained really well. So well, that I’m tempted to play the game myself. I love how it’s both cutesy and gory. It’s often hard to find the balance between the two but it was done extremely well here.

I really enjoyed the style of the art, which is obviously the same as the game, but I felt like some of the pages were ridiculously busy. I’m all for small details in graphic novels, but there were some pages that were edge to edge covered in large characters and objects. This often made it difficult to follow the illustrative narrative and the dialogue as my focus kept being pulled away from the words by the sheer amount of things on the page. It was overwhelming sometimes but not to the point that my reading experience was negatively impacted too much.

The character designs were great though. Again the balance between cute and horrifying was done really well. I’m not sure if this is the same artist that worked on the game but the art translated very well.

Overall, Cult of the Lamb Vol. 1 is a pretty good adaptation. The story was well conveyed in a short space of time and when the art wasn’t overwhelming, it was great. I’d definitely check out volume two if that ever happens.

Rating: 3.5/5

As a fan of the game I was very excited to read this one! First off the art is GORGEOUS. The colors are so bright! It was really neat to basically see how the cult was started in this comic. I cannot wait to read more of these!

Thank you NetGalley and Oni Press for the ARC 🤍

This was so cute!! I'm obsessed with the game so reading this just made me love it even more. I cannot wait to get a physical copy for my shelves.

I am absolutely obsessed with the Cult of the Lamb games and reading this comic gave me the exact same feels I get when playing. It's a really fun read definitely encompasses the feelings of the game. I cannot wait for volume 2!

3* generally enjoyable:
This graphic novel shares a lot of the features that are endearing about the indie game that inspired it. It has a great mixture of monsters and gory battles, and an idyllic setting for a hopeful cult full of cute characters. Fortunately, this is more than a rehashing of the video game storyline - it adds a more complex interpersonal side story.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the digital ARC of this.

I’m a fan of everything related to Cult of the Lamb and this is a great comic! The art is so well done and the storyline is really interesting.

As a huge fan of the game, Cult of the Lamb Vol. 1 did NOT disappoint! This graphic novel perfectly captures everything that makes the game so unique, from its darkly whimsical tone to its eerie charm. The lore is rich and consistent with the game, diving deeper into the world of the cult, the rituals, and the mysterious forces at play. The art style is just as bold and expressive as the game, with stunning visuals that bring the twisted, colorful world to life. What really stood out to me, though, was how the novel gave real depth to the Lamb character. While the game leaves much up to the player's imagination, the book offers a closer look at the Lamb's journey and motivations, adding a layer of complexity I didn’t expect. It’s a perfect complement to the game and a must-read for fans. Can’t wait to see what happens next!

I have always wanted to play the video game Cult of Lamb so I was immediately interested in the storyline. A sheep that was to be a sacrifice ends up getting revenge and starting a cult of followers with the hope that he may reign over all that previously attempted to make sacrifices to the old gods. The art style was a lot of fun and I am really looking forward to seeing more of this story

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this graphic novel. 3.5/5 stars.

I freaking LOVE Cult of the Lamb, so I was so excited to see these graphic novels coming out. While they add to the lore, they don't necessarily change how you play or understand the game. I could 110% see someone who had no idea about the game being utterly confused about this though. Some of the pages also felt VERY cluttered and distracted from the art....and the dialogue was meh (but there's also not as much in the game so....).

Quick read and a nerdy way to appreciate a game.

I love the video game, Cult of the Lamb. So when I got approved for this comic, I squealed.

It was perfection. I loved the dive into the lore of this game, the cult system being created, and the relationship with Nana and the Lamb. The ending though? I am still crying.

Me encanta Cult of the Lamb, en particular el estilo artístico, y la verdad es que esto fue un poco decepcionante. El equilibrio entre lo lindo y lo gore es genial, los diseños de los personajes y la historia encajan perfectamente, añadiendo una cantidad interesante de lore a lo que ya existía en el juego. Además, fue una lectura rápida y fácil, pero lamentablemente no puedo quitarme la sensación de que no está realmente terminado.

Esto se siente descuidado, como si hubiera sido hecho por personas con poca o ninguna experiencia en cómics o novelas gráficas. Muchas de las páginas/paneles son visualmente abrumadoras; estas páginas presentan un gran arte, pero hay tanto de él que se superpone de una manera que enturbia la imagen o la hace difícil de leer, en lugar de hacerla emocionante y dinámica. Hubo inconsistencias en la trama/personajes/arte a lo largo de las páginas, la escritura fue débil y necesitaba menos diálogos forzados, y simplemente no me veo gastando dinero en esto. Creo que me molestaría si lo hubiera hecho, y aunque soy un gran fan del juego, no siento que esto me dé muchas razones para seguir con los próximos volúmenes.

An innocent lamb is sacrificed to feed the selfishness of the Bishops of the Old Faith but comes back with unholy powers and a thirst for revenge. Lamb’s death was supposed to stop the prophecy they feared, but of course, their plan backfired spectacularly. Instead of staying dead, Lamb struck a deal with the One Below, coming back with dark powers and a new mission: bring the Old Faith crumbling down, one Bishop at a time.

This journey is wild. Vengeance, justice, new allies, enemies lurking everywhere, and somehow, in the middle of all this chaos, Lamb has to figure out how to run a cult that’s supposed to be kinder than the Old Faith.

As they assemble their flock and build their new cult, Lamb is determined to do things differently—valuing the lives of their followers, unlike the Old Faith that discarded them without a second thought. But let’s be real: running a cult isn’t easy, especially when you’re still figuring out what the heck you’re doing!

The artwork? Magnificent. It's as gorgeous as it is sinister. Lamb is equal parts adorable and terrifying, which is a weirdly perfect vibe for this dark, chaotic world. Plus, the cosmic designs, creepy landscapes, and the haunting characters really bring the whole unsettling-yet-charming atmosphere to life.

Overall, this is an amazing first dive into the Cult of the Lamb universe, blending dark humor, epic revenge, and some seriously stunning visuals. If you loved the game, this graphic novel is a must-read—praise be to the Cult of the Lamb!

I am a big fan of the game and I loved this so much I can’t wait when this comes out physically I can wait to own a physical copy

I am thrilled to have received an ARC of this, especially with how amazing the art style is and how it matches the vibes of the game COMPLETELY. I cannot wait until the plot becomes a little stronger, as the exposition took up a large chunk of the story. I am interested to see where other elements of the game come into play when looking at the various things like marriage, more fighting, etc.

Beautiful artwork and a faithful adaptation of the cult of the lamb video game. The characters felt very similar to their in game counterparts. The only thing I came close to disliking about the graphic novel is that sometimes the dialogue feels a little off in ways I find hard to describe. A few characters make mini speeches that feel slightly long winded perhaps. It’s a fairly small gripe though and I will definitely grab a copy when it comes out!