Lost Fantasy Volume 1

by Curt Pires, Luca Casalanguida (Illustrator)

Genres: Comics, Fantasy

144 pages, Paperback

First published November 18, 2025

Reviews

[James DeSantis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lost Fantasy takes a premise I should fucking adore: mixing high fantasy, secret societies of monster hunters, and a magical "World Beneath" with a modern, gritty, urban setting. The main character is a cynical hunter whose constant, explicit exasperation with his job perfectly captures the desired tone, with just about everyone screaming "Fuck this" and "Fuck that" every other line. When the comic focuses on the central mystery of the mass killing in Montana and the immediate monster threat, the quickly paced main story can be a ton of fun and is genuinely engaging, providing glimpses of the dynamic story the creators are aiming for.

But sadly, the comic's execution is constantly hobbled by an intrusive and poorly managed delivery of its lore. Every time I start to get into it, Curt decides to throw a shit ton of exposition and history lessons at you. This gives you the most DULL way to tell background imaginable. This jarring shift in pacing, moving from thrilling action to a static, dry, history lesson about the Great Hunters and the "Schism," severely breaks the flow of the book. Furthermore, the artwork, while featuring some cool monster and character designs, contributes to the feeling of being held back, as faces are often sketchy to the point where you can barely see their eyes.

Ultimately, Lost Fantasy Volume 1 is an assembly of promising, cool ideas that suffers from a lack of polish in its execution. The core concept and the foul-mouthed attitude of the protagonist are strong enough to keep one invested, but the uneven pacing from the constant, poorly delivered exposition and the visual struggle to convey dynamic action prevent the comic from reaching its full potential. The execution is lacking, but the intriguing foundation earns it a slightly above-average score of 3 out of 5.

[Michelle Graf · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and Image Comics for the ARC.

I guess it's okay? Nothing really stood out to me. Even the reveal of a betrayal within the monster-fighting group didn't stand out; of course the guy that looks brooding and evil is hiding something, he looks like the stereotypical bad guy. The art is fine, but the whole thing doesn't hook me enough to want more.

[Dan Holland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was looking forward to "Lost Fantasy" and it deserved my hype. Been seeing alt covers that give homage to some of the inspiration. Really like the Devil May Cry alt by Alex Diotto.

Writer - Curt Pires
Artist - Luca Casalanguida
Letterer - Micah Myers
Colorist - Mark Dale

Bit over 100 years ago a natural disaster was used as an excuse for a magical incursion into our world. Since then the slayers of those monsters have worked with world leaders to obfuscate and contain magical threats. But things break through the cracks. In Montana something laid waste to a party of teens and the lone survivor is in a coma. Henry Blackheart is called in, things are going to get bloody.

Reasons to read:
-Based on just the first issue I feel like I could geek out on so many topics with the creators
-The magic we have seen is not a win button
-Big sword makes good brain chemicals
-The meta plot is going places
-Ominous foreshadowing

Cons:
-I prefer volumes so it means waiting longer to continue stories...

[Rustic Red Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

thank to netgalley and Image comics for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review
all four issues present in this first volume of Lost Fantasy were also released in public, as of writing this review

This reminds me of Tynion/Werther Dell'Edera's Something is Killing the Children, but no matter how tried that series fluctuating from good to bad for me. This series by Pires and Casalanguida has a way faster pace and we have lore of the different groups/families in just the four issues. While I liked the worldbuilding, it wasn't really enough to hook me and no characters really interested me, it's been only a month after I read the four issues but nothing really pops up - controlling the bullet is cool, I guess reminds me of Children of the Sun game.

Don't know if I'll continue reading this series...

[C · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you netgalley for this graphic novel. I enjoyed this one and all the action moments and fight scenes as well as this novel had a good storyline and some fantasy elements to it as well and im trying to branch out to more genres when it comes to graphic novels so at times i was a little confused but i still enjoyed the artwork and the plot i really enjoyed the werewolf aspect in this novel. Overall it was a good story and a quick read

[Tara Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven’t read a graphic novel in quite some time and I had a lot of fun! This really flexed the strong attributes of quick short prose with magical whimsy that best comes through with images. If you’re into a dark, sci-fi, cop-show, thriller sci-fi then this is for you! This was so good it really got me excited to read more. Thank you to the publisher for the ARC.

[Ali Suchy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This had a very promising start, and for a little bit, I was shocked at how low this series was actually rated. And then the dragon thing came out and truly screwed everything over. I could not care less what happened, and flipped through the rest. I'm giving this two stars, mostly because I didn't fully read it, so maybe it gets better? I received a free copy from NetGalley for my honest review.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of reviews not feeling so hot for this comic but I dug it. It's basically a teenager's notebook of things they think are cool and Luca Casalanguida's art is 100% in synch with that.

Is it "high art"? No. But sometimes I want a Final Fantasy character and a lightsaber-wielding Blade hunting werewolves in modern day Montana.

[Theediscerning · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh – fantasy where one fight causes another fight, which causes another, and we're just left watching them all, trying to work out who is who and why the fights are supposed to be interesting. One of those questions is almost answered – the second not nearly enough.

[Mee Too · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn't great. The art was not that good and the writing was mediocre. The concept is kind of interesting though. If they ever make a vol 2 its possible that this series could be saved. Going to have to get yourself a good editor though.

2.6🌟

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Concept is fantastic, love the secret kingdom high fantasy nature of the book. The realism of the small town back woods cop looking like Sam Elliott in the art is neat. The dragons looked cool. But it just didnt wow me. Maybe i need to read it again sometime.

[Thomas Stanistreet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Been wanting to read this for a while since I kept seeing the single issue covers but had to wait for the tp, and to me it did not disappoint. A beautiful mix of fantasy, action and mystery that works perfectly to create a great story and can’t wait to see what comes next.

[Eilidh · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unfortunately this wasn’t for me. There wasn’t anything inherently wrong with it, it just didn’t excite me but I know some people who’d love this.

💕 thank you for the arc 💕

[Sam Perez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finished issues 1-4. Can’t quite tell how into it I am yet, but the breadcrumbs are starting to add up, and I am intrigued on where it is going.

[Odo · Rating 4 out of 5]

7.25/10

[Aliyu · Rating 3 out of 5]

A simple, fun action fantasy story with a modern setting and ok art. The story has a lot of mysteries and starts to pick up in the later issues.