Final Face-off

Dungeon Club #3

by Molly Knox Ostertag, Xanthe Bouma (illustrator)

In the third and final installment of the heartfelt Dungeons & Dragons graphic novel series by Molly Knox Ostertag and Xanthe Bouma, the club battles new monsters—both real and imaginary—as their first campaign comes to an epic conclusion.

Tyler has a secret—Sunny, the imaginary friend he had when he was younger, hasn’t gone away. Not only that, she now acts as his butt-kicking character in his after-school D&D club, too. Whether it’s helping him deal with his rowdy cousin, Luis, or avoiding his archnemesis, Kelly, at school, Sunny always has his back, often encouraging soft-spoken Tyler to be a little more…bold.

Until one day Sunny pushes Tyler a little too far and he unexpectedly confesses his feelings to Sam, his outspoken and dreamy crush. Instead of a happily ever after, Tyler’s confession turns into gossip fodder for the entire school. Hurt and angry, Tyler banishes Sunny from his mind.

But the silence afterward is louder than Sunny’s presence ever was, and Tyler must look to the people in his real life to discover who he truly is—and who he wants to be. 

Praise for Dungeons & Dungeon Club

A Harvey Award–Nominated series

“An absolutely wonderful story that exemplifies the joys, challenges, and lifelong memories forged between friends in the creative furnace of role-playing games. The vibrant, energetic art further elevates the beautiful dichotomy between epic, fantasy adventures and finding one's place in those awkward teenage years. I couldn't help but see much of myself and my own youth in parts of each character as they find their companions in real life through their imaginary adventures, and the sense of unparalleled bonding one finds within a good game group resonates deeply throughout this story. I absolutely loved it.” —Matthew Mercer, creator of Critical Role

“The power D&D has to help you explore and express yourself is on full display in this lovely story of friendship and growing up." —Kat Leyh, author of Snapdragon

“Perfectly captures the magic when the world you create with your friends becomes as real as the world around you.” —Tim Probert, author of the Lightfall series

“A thrilling and gorgeous adventure that goes straight for your heart.” —ND Stevenson, New York Times bestselling author of Nimona 

“What Molly Ostertag and Xanthe Bouma pull off in Dungeon Club is nothing short of astounding. Contained within these magical pages are not one but two amazing fantasy and reality woven masterfully together by Ostertag's spellbinding storytelling. An adventure filled with fun, magic, and deep insight into the trials and tribulations of high school, Dungeon Club is what we in the D&D world would call a 'Critical Hit'! To everyone who knows that there's always adventure and a little bit of magic just around the corner, this book will be a treasured artifact for years and years to come!” —Brennan Lee Mulligan, creator of Dimension 20

“Middle grade readers intrigued by the cult classic RPG and fans fond of popular campaigns like Adventure Zone and Critical Role will enjoy the message of this series ‘Monsters are easier to fight when you’ve got people by your side.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Middle Grade, LGBT, Comics, Queer, Graphic Novels Comics

208 pages, Hardcover

First published September 30, 2025

About the author

I grew up in the forests of upstate New York, where I spent the first half of my childhood reading about fantastical adventures and the second half acting them out with foam swords at a live action roleplaying camp . I graduated in 2014 from the School of Visual Arts, where I studied cartooning and illustration, and I currently live in Los Angeles. My artistic interests include women in fiction, fantasy and sci fi, superheroes, and history.

I illustrate a twice weekly webcomic called Strong Female Protagonist with co-creator Brennan Lee Mulligan, which was listed as one of io9's Best New and Short Webcomics when it launched in 2012. I ran a successful Kickstarter in the summer of 2014 to print the first volume, which was distributed by Top Shelf comics and is now available in stores and online.

I'm currently working on a graphic novel with First Second named Shattered Warrior, coming out in Spring 2017.

Reviews

[Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

me and my 4th grade bestie both felt melancholy as hell after this but we loved it so much

[Sam Donovan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hate to say goodbye

[Jenna-booklooksbyjenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall so CUTE but i did not appreciate the emotional support stuffed animal slander.

[Alexandria · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn't expecting to shed tears around 6am reading this! I loved this series. I wish it continued into high school.

[Cami · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this graphic novel series! The art is beautiful, and the character-driven stories are compelling. I like how each book focuses on the struggles of a different character. Tyler's plot is especially interesting to me, because it explores how the designs of our original characters might reflect back on us as their writers/artists.

We saw in the first graphic novel how Jess's choice of D&D character foreshadows their own gender exploration, and in the second, I found it remarkable how similar the two Sams D&D characters are to themselves outside of the game. In contrast, Tyler's D&D character is an imaginary friend founded on wish-fulfillment rather than self-insertion. Sunny is everything that Tyler is not, and rather than deciding that he must become more like her in order to succeed and be happy in life, Tyler learns to embrace who he is already.

Ultimately, he doesn't need a "disguise" to make his original characters more interesting or heroic, and that can lead readers to some fascinating discussions. When is it helpful to look to others (such as the fictional Sunny) for inspiration in our lives, and when does it become harmful to focus so much on the things that we are not? Moreover, at what point should our focus turn to self-acceptance and shaping fiction to reflect reality, rather than the other way around?

[Miranda · Rating 5 out of 5]

magiskt bra. älskade den! nu måste jag köpa hela serien till mitt eget personliga bibliotek, inte bara skolbiblan.

[Jenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing ending to an amazing series ❤️😭

[Aidan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful conclusion to a wonderful trilogy.

[Kaylie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super cute ending to a beloved series!

[Ally · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is so cute

[Jones & the books · Rating 5 out of 5]

such a rollercoaster of emotions 🥹

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Final Face-off (should the O be capitalized?) concludes the Dungeon Club series, and unfortunately doesn't feel quite as strong as the previous installments.

The art style is still really charming (so many cute outfits on the characters!), and the in-game D&D action is still well-done.

Unfortunately, the out-of-game plot wasn't as well-written. It's always been harder to get a read on Tyler compared to the rest of the cast, and now that he's in the protagonist position, I found him kind of frustrating and difficult to sympathize with. The supporting characters, like Jess, Olivia, Sam, and Kelly, also feel oddly flat now. There's a confusing time-skip or two near the end that result in the reader not getting to see how/whether several important plotlines get resolved.

This series as a whole is fun and I'm very glad I read it, but Final Face-off doesn't live up to the standard set by the first two Dungeon Club books.

[Lilly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two of the main characters from the first two volumes were barely even in this. It makes no sense. I really didn’t like that, even when they were in a scene they barely got any dialogue. I loved the first two volumes and felt like they did a way better job on focusing on all the characters. This volume was 80% just about one character. I also don’t get why every volume is so short, if it were longer we would have gotten to actually have conversations with the other characters. Barely anything even happens in this. Really disappointing. I was so excited for this because I loved the friendships in the first two, why would you take that away in volume 3 and replace that with a focus on one character and his imaginary friend?

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

this series is one of my all time favorites, and this was a fantastic conclusion! the juxtaposition of scenes in the campaign and real life is exceptional, and it's so easy to be endeared to every one of the characters. seeing the whole of tyler's character arc was really sweet, and the layers of relatability continue to make this something I would recommend to any middle grade reader. it's heartfelt, and very fun! a perfect balance! and still really enriching for any d&d enthused reader, as I am exactly that, and it may even feel nostalgic if you started playing in middle school yourself. I highly recommend this entire series! I'm sad to see it's over, but I'm so happy to have a really well done middle grade dnd series to recommend, and revisit in the future.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Art and coloring still great! Tyler listens to the imaginary friend Sunny he has in his head and makes bolder life choices, just like he does as Sunny in their D&D game. He does have character growth and I enjoyed that he did tell the truth to Sam. I rated it a 4 because it felt like it had less substance than the previous two works. Latino rep with Tyler’s family culture. He realizes he is gay. Bullying. He and Sam end up together in the end (at least holding hands). My favorite part was actually the epilogue where it wraps up nicely - it shows their party of five playing D&D right before their first day of high school and them considering if they want to start a high school D&D club! Satisfying ending.

[J.D. Holman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am truly sad that this series is ending. The epilogue takes place the night before the group starts high school, which is a sensible conclusion, paired with the events in and out of the D&D game, but could also beg for a spin-off.

Also, I may have gotten misty-eyed at a couple points.

There is a plot element that I think is problematic, but I won't spoil it. There's also a comeuppance with the bully that ... I don't know, it feels too simple?

The art continues to be marvelous.

[Boyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Um so actually this book is perfect and my heart is so happy and I want to own them all and re-read them all the time! If there’s more of them, I’ll read those too!

Only by the third book did I realize they’re rated for Elementary School readers, but my friend said “If it resonated with you, it’s for you!” But I bought the first one for my elementary school cousin just in case 😆.

[Elaja · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ahh the awkward avoidance and lying about not liking things (and hurting people's feelings in the process) annoyed me, but I know that's just awkward teen. I appreciated the character development. I love the new character Tyler came up with that looks like him! And I'm glad he was honest with Sam in the end.

I love this series! The whole thing was very cute.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Graphic Novel
Terrific finish to this series. Tyler finds his courage with help from Sunny but everything goes wrong when he shares secrets about others. The Club's eighth grade year certainly has some strong moments and sad times along with the fun. Hard to say goodbye to these characters. Hope she shares their high school adventures.

[Dana · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid ending to this series! I wish we delved a little into Tyler's feelings, maybe saw him getting help or therapy, but I'm glad it turned out well in the end. I enjoyed seeing all the characters grow through the books, and while I of course wish for more in the series, I feel this is a good stopping point.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

The focus shifts to Tyler in this final volume of the D&D Dungeon Club trilogy in another excellent blend of roleplaying fantasy and middle school drama. Sad to see this series end, but it's a good ending!

[Tyler · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was my least favorite of the trilogy. I understand the author wanted to shine a spotlight on Tyler's experience and tell his story, but I felt like it neglected the other characters we've come to know.

[⋆Ⓜⓔⓡⓒⓤⓡⓨ⋆ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Um... I feel bad for Kelly. She was a brat, but didn't deserve it. And, pageants are cool. I also feel SO BAD for Tyler. I mean, I think he and Sam got together? I'm not really sure.

[Adriana Martinez Figueroa]

cuuuute ending to this series 💗

[GoBeIt · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet and lovely conclusion to this set!

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

This was the exact ending I hoped for. This is a cute series. Glad I read it.

[Brittany Lutz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Goodreads for providing me with a copy of this book! The artwork is amazing and the story was adorable!!

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Molly Know Ostertag knows what's shes doing.

[Ada · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was soooo good! And kinda sad! I wish we could get more! I can’t find any other good dnd series!

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great conclusion to the series and I might reread them all in order just to relive the experience!