Costume Quest: Invasion of the Candy Snatchers

by Zac Gorman

Hot on the heels of the freshly announced video game COSTUME QUEST 2, Oni Press presents an adorable Halloween-themed graphic novel from Double Fine Productions (BROKE AGE, PSYCHONAUTS) and comics superstar Zac Gorman (MAGIC GAME TIME)! Klem and his pals aren't the most popular Grubbins in candy-starved Repugia, but Klem's hoping that will change once he brings a hoard of candy back from the human world. After all, it's Halloween, so there's candy everywhere! Unfortunately, there're also bullies everywhere, ready to steal all of Klem's sweet, sweet loot. Will he and his friends make it out alive, or are they doomed to an eternity of sugar-free torment?

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Fantasy, Middle Grade, Halloween, Childrens, Video Games

54 pages, Hardcover

First published October 8, 2014

About the author

Zac Gorman is an author and cartoonist from Michigan. He received an Emmy for his work on Over the Garden Wall (Outstanding Animated Series, 2015) and was nominated for an Annie Award for his character design work on Welcome to the Wayne.

For some reason, his webcomic Magical Game Time was archived by the Library of Congress.

Reviews

[Skirmish]

Book Reaction: https://nildivision.blogspot.com/2018...
Rating: 4 Stars - minor quibbles but I loved it to bits

I received a copy of Costume Quest: Invasion of the Candy Snatchers from Oni Press via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Melki]

A graphic novel based on a . . . video game I've never heard of?

Okaaaaay . . .

Actually, this is pretty cute, and seems to require no knowledge of the source material.

In a land filled with monsters where there's a dire candy shortage, what's a creature to do but zip through a portal to visit the humans . . . on Halloween, 'natch!

Fun times, no cavities.

[Holly]

This is a cute story, which was spun off from the popular video game and features the art of Zac Gorman.

It is Halloween, a night which monsters rule and anything can happen. Klem is courageous and decides to go over to the cool kids even though he knows they won’t want to talk to him. He gets close and hears them discussing a party for that night. Because Repugia (where they live) has a candy shortage, Klem volunteers that he will bring candy to their party if they will let him come. The “cool kids” agree but do we believe them?

Klem ropes his two friends Sellie and Brolo into accompanying him to Earth. Sellie doesn’t want to go but Brolo runs ahead and jumps through the portal, thus forcing Sellie to accompany Klem so they can find their good friend Brolo.

On Earth, Klem and Sellie search but cannot find Brolo and the last portal back to Repugia is at hand. If they don’t take this portal, they will be stuck for one year. What should they do and where is Brolo? Did they at least get lots of candy?

This graphic novel, perfect for October or Halloween, is entertaining and has great artwork. It has an important message about friendship and what being a good friend means.

Thank you to NetGalley and Oni Press for an advance reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.

[The Wintermute System]

Very cute, too kids-y for me, but the youngest of us needed a break and I read it to him and he liked it very much. It's kind of sweet, but also I have a question about the ending that's bothering me.

I'll probably reread it if we need something to keep the baby distracted later.

[Etienne]

Not bad, but not really good either and certainly not for me. I didn't like the illustrations or the story, like I said not because it's bad, but for personal preferences. My liking, 1 star, overall work around 2,5 maybe, so I will go with 2.

[First Second Books]

One of the freshest, loveliest children's comics I've come across this year!

In a format akin to Luke Pearson's HILDA books—also beloved of my own children—COSTUME QUEST is pure reading pleasure. There's a joy and clarity to the storytelling in every aspect that makes this little universe a rare treat. Funny enough, it's tied in with a video game. Makes me want to give it a try. But more than that, I hope more books are coming. First rate.

[Molly]

Oni Press rarely does me wrong, and this is no exception. It's basically a story about a group of Grubbins - sort of monsters, sort of kids (but what's the difference, really? ha) - who travel from their home world to the human world in their search for Halloween candy. It reminded me of Ahh! Real Monsters with just a little more tenderness and heart. I hope there are more adventures for these Grubbins in graphic-novel form.

[Melissa]

Cute little Halloween themed comic about some kids trying to get candy. Overall, a fun read, but I felt like it was part of a larger story that I didn't quite get.

[Beck]

Thankyou to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a very cute middle-grade-YA-ish comic with some really important ideas about wanting to fit in and hang out with the "cool kids" (who probably aren't that cool in hindsight), and about true friendship, these things are obvious to me now but when I was the target age for this kind of comic I really didn't get it. The art wasn't really for me (it was quite sketch-y) and the story was quite simple but it did have some good stuff in it.

[Ham]

Loved it. Great art, clever dialogue. Never insipid. Thanks Netgalley for the free copy.

[Justin]

I played the two games from Costume Quest, they were very cozy. So i thought i’d give this a try. It was cute and quick. But the story could’ve been better. Even for a “children’s book”.

[Ariana Morales]

Costume Quest: Invasion of the Candy Snatchers is a fun filled Halloween themed graphic novel. Klem and his friends were never the most popular Grubbins in their candy starved home, Repugia. In hopes that his luck will turn around, Klem and his friends set out on a quest to bring a hoard of candy from the human world back to their world. After all it is Halloween down on earth, so therefore is candy all around. However when a few unwanted guests disrupt their quest, Klem and his friends must strive to prevent the bullies from stealing all of his candy and get out alive, otherwise they will be forced to return empty handed.
The book can be categorized as an adventure/fantasy novel, given the fact that it is an adaption made by Zac Gorman of a popular video game, Costume Quest. When analyzing the novel what I noticed from the individual panels is that they differ in size as well as the amount of characters included in each section given the situation. The gutters included in the book represent time passed and shifts between the setting and the scenes. Going hand in hand with the gutters the visual sound effects and speech bubbles that appear in every single slide are vital to the story's meaning being clear. Another observation I made is that each double page has a different color scheme, and the colors chosen seem to mirror the situation or emotions of the characters. Given the novels content I would say the book is directed more towards a younger audience looking to get into the Halloween spirit.

[Ryan]

Costume Quest: Invasion Of The Candy Snatchers was a great read that reminded me a lot of the movie Superbad. It was also illustrated by the same person that drew the comic book edition of Rick and Morty which helped me be more engaged in the interesting art style. It was a story about a young monster that wants to go to a party with the cool kids on Halloween, but the only way he is able to get in is to find a way to get candy to bring in. Candy is scarce in their world which makes it a hot commodity. Will he get in or will the cool kids take the candy from him?

The gutters in this novel are very evenly spaced and the pictures are laid out like a normal book. It is intended for young kids but there are many adult references which keeps the story interesting and fresh the whole time. The onomatopoeia in the story is important because it shows interaction between main plot lines or emotional connection with the reader. I think it is a good novel for any age group.

[Nikki in Niagara]

First, I looked up "Costume Quest" to see what it is and found that it is a game and this is the first graphic novel based on it. This is an adorably cute Hallowe'en story that focuses on the creativity and smells of the holiday rather than the scary part. Fun little adventure about bullying and friends sticking together to overcome adversary in the end. I loved the cute little monster guys and, even though there are three main characters, they had a very Sponge-Bob & Patrick type of relationship going on which was endearing. Fans of the game will like this and I should mention the book is huge, it's oversized, large. Anyway, think I'll go take a look at the game myself now. Bye, bye.

[Robert Olson]

This book is hilarious for both kids and adults (or at least adults with childish sense of humors like me). A great book to read around Halloween, it revolves around a small band of monsters that travel to our world in an attempt to steal candy!

This graphic novel I feel makes excellent use of the small time jumps between panels. In one image everything is normal and going according to plan and then the very next image BOOM you get hit by a wacky surprise that'll make you laugh. It's a good read so I'd recommend it!

[Olivia Lindner]

This book is all about a monster and his friends. The monster is trying to impress the popular girl and get her favorite candy. But candy only exists in the human world. The monsters travel through a portal to the human world in search for candy. They go through some crazy adventures along the way . The images are laid out like a comic book. They are very colorful. There's word bubbles that show what the monsters are saying. The monsters and all of the pictures in this book are very detailed !

[rhea]

Bought because I played the first game and am currently playing the second game of the same name and love the idea and game play. The book was cute and fun. You also get the one paged original comic in the back. Worth it for some Halloween light reading. I should've had candy nearby...

[Dolores]

There is a candy shortage in Repugnia, and it's Halloween. Three monster friends take advantage of the once-a-year portals to travel to the human world and collect candy there. This graphic adventure is fun, with some deeper messages about friendship, loyalty and bullies.

[Scott Robins]

A fun kids graphic novel about a bunch of monsters who travel to the human world to find candy. This had lots of cute moments in the vein of Adventure Time and even though the plot felt familiar it was still an enjoyable read.

[Derek Royal]

A fun, solid all-age book. And you don't have to know about the Costume a Quest game to understand or enjoy this work.

[Matthew Murray]

Super cute. I really liked the art too (kind of Dungeon-y?). Yay monsters!

[Mehsi]

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

So I played Costume Quest YEARS ago, I just had to check out this comic when I saw it.

A monster named Klem (*snorts* because Klem is a Dutch word and means clip/clamp in English) bribes his way into a party with the older (and cooler) kids for candy. And what better place to get candy then on Earth/human world where it is Halloween! They won't even need a costume as they are scary already (well, some of the monsters are, Klem and his friends are just cute).

But of course Halloween isn't fun enough, we also need 3 baddies from Klem's world who are determined to ruin things. Really, I would rather have had this whole volume be about Klem and his adventures. Though I would also have rather seen it also be about trick or treating, and less about Klem and his feelings. How he feels about the girl he likes, about his friends and how he dragged them with him. About their quest to find their friend.

Plus invasion of the Candy Snatchers? There was a little bit of candy snatching, but most was just drama and feelings.

I did like that we have a meeting with characters from the game!

The ending was sweet, and I was happy for Klem and his friends.

The art was pretty decent, I do feel the style fits perfectly with the Costume Quest world.

But yeah, all in all, this was a disappointment to me. I really was hoping for something magical and tons of candy and trick or treating, but instead it was mostly about feelings and some candy.

Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/

[Wayne McCoy]

'Costume Quest' by Zac Gorman is a graphic novel based on the new animated series, which is based on the video game. It's fun and it works.

The video game follows a group of children as they enjoy Halloween. The premise here is a mirror world with monsters that come to our world to get candy. Monsters Klem, Sellie, and Brolo aren't the most well liked in their group. Klem wants to hang out with the cool kids, and promises to bring candy to a Halloween party. The problem is that there is no candy in monster world, and all the candy is in the human world. Klem and his friends set off to find candy, pursued by bullies. Things, predictably, don't go as planned, but lessons are learned along the way.

This was a fun read. I'm not the biggest fan of Zac Gorman's art, but I know other folks are. The story is cute enough for younger readers, and I really like how the video game characters get to have a part in the story.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Oni Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

[Theediscerning]

I came to this knowing nothing at all about the franchise (apparently some games, and soon to be a TV cartoon), but found this quite decent. I don't really like Halloween or stories with that as a theme, but there was something about this that really worked as a comic for the young. Three young monster friends want to hang with the cool monsters, and their way in to the select few is through sweets, and their general shortage – but lo and behold us horrid humans are giving them away, as it's Halloween. However nothing seems to turn out right when they come through a portal to our realm and try their best to fit in. Bullying features, but it's done well and never cloyingly, and the narrative turns at a decent lick. The only thing is that character needed to be better defined – the three are the smart one, the average one and the thick one, and that's about it. But the young reader will find pleasure in the differences between monster world and ours, and definitely enjoy the race against time drama the friends get caught up in. Recommended.

[Afa]

Kebetulan masanya perayaan Halloween yang dirayakan (dan tidak bagi saya), menjadi latar utama buku ini. Dari afterword, pembaca akan tahu yang buku ini adalah expansion dunia rekaan yang asal-asalnya adalah dari sebuah videogame dengan tajuk yang sama, Costume Quest. Walaupun pembaca tidak pernah bermain gamenya, saya rasa tidak ada masalah, kerana saya sendiri sebagai salah seorang yang pernah bermain game ini, tidak mendapat banyak kesinambungan dari buku ini, ia merupakan babak baru dengan watak-watak baru (kecuali cameo 1-2 watak muncul pun sekadar 'petik nama' sahaja). Ceritanya mudah dan saya rasa watak-wataknya comel dari segi gaya mereka berfikir dan bertindak.

Dari segi lukisannya, Zac menggunakan gaya mudah, sesuai untuk sasaran pembaca kanak-kanak. Raksasa pun kelihatan comel-comel sahaja. Saya sarankan pembaca untuk main kedua-dua videogamenya jika berminat untuk melihat sisi lain bagi raksasa comel ini.

[Connie]

Based on the video game of the same name, this children’s graphic novel came highly recommended by fellow Rioters. It unfolds on Halloween, a day when “[a]nything can happen.” With the promise of a party invite from the “cool kids,” a few unpopular Grubbins vow to bring candy back to Repugia from the human world. Klem and Sellie immediately lose Brolo to suburban streets filled with trick-or-treaters and—just like their home—bullies. Before the magic portals close at midnight for an entire year, they search for Brolo and sweets. With cackle-worthy humor and fun illustrations, this darling story about the endless possibilities of Halloween, loyalty, and imagination can be enjoyed by the whole family.

from "7 Spirited Graphic Novels for Halloween" via BOOK RIOT: https://bookriot.com/spirited-graphic...

[Michelle]

Being a fan of the Costume Quest 2 video game and it's adorable art style, this graphic novel was not at all what I was expecting. The illustrations had an unfinished look to them which I wasn't a fan of and while the story offered a strong message to children, it was just too short to really enjoy.

A younger audience would probably enjoy this though, especially around Halloween!

Thank you to the publishers who provided me with an ARC of this book through NetGalley!

[Kerstin]

Thanks to Edelweiss and Simon & Schuster for the digital ARC.

I'd give this a 2 1/2 stars if I could. It's cute, but very easily forgettable.
This was a cute Halloween read. I love everything Halloween, but this story didn't quite land with me. After reading two other graphic novels today, this one just doesn't quite hold its own with the others. It's a cute holiday read, but nothing more. I did love the illustrations though!

[Julia]

3.5 Sterne
Costume Quest ist eins meiner liebsten Spiele, weswegen ich mit hohen Erwartungen an diesen Graphic Novel herangegangen bin. Die Geschichte war relativ kurz, hatte aber dennoch ihre herzerwärmenden und amüsanten Passagen. Mit dem runden Ende hat man mich an die Cartoons aus meinen Kindheitstagen erinnert, in denen innerhalb einer Episode ein Problem aufgezeigt und anschließend gelöst wurde. Sehr schön umgesetzt!

[Nathaniel Darkish]

This was a fun little graphic novel. I am only semi-familiar with the Costume Quest video game (I've played just the beginning), but even still I wasn't lost in this story-- it did a good job of getting me caught up on the important points of its universe. The story was simple but fun, and the art, though not particularly amazing, worked for the story.