The Fables of Erlking Wood

by Juni Ba, Aditya Bidikar (Letterer)

The Fables of Erlking Wood is a century-spanning epic, exploring the intertwined lives and fates of the denizens of Erlking Wood, the many peoples, critters, and demigods that call it home, and the shadowy figure of the Erlking himself, an ancient entity who haunts the woods and is known to strike bargains with any brave enough to dare approach him, offering them their hearts' desire…but at a great cost.

Weaving together fantasy, folklore, adventure, and humor with gorgeously painted artwork, The Fables of Erlking Wood is sure to capture your imagination and your heart, and take you on a journey into a fabled forest, lovely, dark, and deep, where you might be tempted to strike your own bargain with the Erlking…

Suggested for readers Age 11 & up.

Genres: Fantasy, Comics, Graphic Novels, Graphic Novels Comics

184 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2024

About the author

Juni is an illustrator and writer hailing from Senegal and France. His current works include the Kayin and Abeni mini series and the Monkey Meat stories both published by Kugali. He’s also a cover artist with works for Skybound and IDW. His artistic fuel is mostly based on orange juice.

Reviews

[Colin Post · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a masterpiece, a spectacular thesis statement for comics from one of the best up and coming comics creators working right now. Ba instantly creates an entire mythology and spins out a dozen interconnected stories that add up to something greater than the sum of the already very very good parts.

The book itself is a gorgeous object with so many cool design details. This should be a classic, and I hope it gets a bigger print run beyond the Kickstarter.

[Sinai C. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even just opening the book and feeling the paper quality, I could tell I was in for a good time. A lot of time and effort was clearly put into this and it gives heavy Over The Garden Wall vibes, perfect for fall/Halloween.

I did need to flip back and forth after I finished it because I felt like I missed something and needed to put the pieces together at the end (and I'll be really honest...I couldn't figure out who/ what the Red-Eyed man was supposed to represent - help?). I think maybe if I sit with it longer, I can try to figure it out.

[Joshua K · Rating 5 out of 5]

I backed this on the kickstarter and read it the moment it landed it landed in my hands. I think its Ba’s best work, the story is fantastic, the art is great and the letters tie it all together. Definitely my favorite comic of the year.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s hard to give this lower than 2.5. The packaging is amazing. The book FEELS incredible. It’s definitely what books with a premium format should be. The paper. Colors. Printing. Excellent. Like a little dose of autumn in your hands.

However - if I were reading this digitally I don’t think the story would resonate with me very much. It’s got a ton of wonderful elements and the culmination, like when plenty of stories, did not ring that bell for me.

Again - rarely anything does. But I did not love the direction this went. Without the book maybe a 2? 1.5?

It may be that the $60 price tag has me a bit more critical. But I get why. It’s such a beautiful premium format. If it were $30 or under I’d say for sure snap it up and see if it reads like autumn.

[Malcolm · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's beautiful.

It's a modern folk tale about loss and self loathing and being a better person. Ba and Bidikin have excellent chops on comic books. They've worked for the best. This transcends the kinds of stories one is used to seeing in comics and you'll find something you relate to in its pages. Each chapter is relatively short and the book will draw you in and you might not notice how many you've read in a single sitting. The art styles changes frequently which gives you new eyes for how the story is being told. It adds a lot of visual flare and the graphic novel has some very neat tricks such as when a character enters a strange spiritual realm and the layout of the pages rotates 90 degrees. It's House of Leaves esque.

It's lovely.

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spectacular!
I love Juni Ba’s work. His Robin miniseries is great. Djelyia was unique and beautiful. Monkey Meat is strange and fun. But this his best work yet.
Magical. Beautiful. The book itself is even gorgeous. From paper quality to the art on the page edges. But the weaving fables that make this story up are all great individually that even with an ending that is a hair short of perfect I was left 100% satisfied. The Fox and the Bear and the Witch and the Erlking. Love them all.

[Drew Woodworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars. This book had a lot of charm. The art is simple , intricate, subtle, and complex. The great thing about the art is it just fits with the design and narrative of the book. Why not higher then? Well, the story is good, but it just didn’t flow and draw me in the way the art did. At points, I found my mind wandering and the writing just wasn’t engaging me on the same level as the art and design.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

A bittersweet comic full of stunning visuals that approaches the woe that is human condition through fantasy and anthropomorphic animals, sprinkled with folklore, bits of humor and the narrating style of ancient Greek tragedies.

The front cover is stunning and right away gives the idea of what lies within.

It's a title you shouldn't miss, and a great work by Juni Ba.

[Dominic Iacono · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is absolutely fantastic. Beautifully written, drawn, and lettered. The art is incredible with its use of negative space and well crafted layout. Helps drive the story forward and makes putting down the book near impossible. The story it self bought me to tears at the end. A must read.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good. A collection of short stories that build to tell a larger tale. Ba's artwork is characterful and expressive and this edition is beautifully packaged.

[Alexia Lefebvre · Rating 5 out of 5]

Es un libro increíble. Si tienen oportunidad de leerlo, no se lo pierdan. Tanto la historia como los dibujos y hasta la edición del mismo libro son una joya. Un imperdible.

[Shubha SV · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

[Oakley Whitehead · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely beautiful. An amazing book and piece of art.

[Rakib Khan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A rather unorthodox piece of modern-influenced folk tale incorporating a healthy dose of humor, sadness, and charm with beautiful design and artwork. That is how I can describe in one sentence this delightful little graphic novel that came literally out of nowhere to hit me in the feels reminding me a bit about my own lonely childhood.

This one is presented as a collection of fables and tales focused on the Erlking Wood of the title, the small bits then coming together in the overarching story of the main characters while creating an atmosphere of magically charged longing and contentment at the same time.

These characters despite being a mixture of animals, humans, and demigods are all quite emotional and relatable, and the author makes the reader care for their journeys of self-discovery and attempts at redemption.

The art is just a joy to look at, giving another extra dose of magic into the overall mix. The changes in style are quite a unique experience, creating a different realm for the reader to explore.

A delightful read, gets 4.5 out of 5 stars from me.

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