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Dungeon Crawler Carl Graphic Novel #1
Dungeon Crawler Carl
The Apocalypse WILL be televised!
You know what’s worse than breaking up with your girlfriend? Getting stuck on a sadistic alien game show with her cat. Join Carl and Princess Donut as they try to survive the end of the world — or just get to the next level of a trap-filled fantasy dungeon.
You know what’s worse than breaking up with your girlfriend? Getting stuck on a sadistic alien game show with her cat. Join Carl and Princess Donut as they try to survive the end of the world — or just get to the next level of a trap-filled fantasy dungeon.
320 pages, Paperback
First published May 19, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 538 reviews
May 22, 2026
I miss Carl's inner monologue, but I really like the visuals.
July 21, 2026
3,5 ⭐⭐⭐✨ (7,5/10)
Bienvenidos a Donut la Mazmorrera. Ah, sí... y Carl también sale
Llego aquí, como muchos de vosotros, después haber leído los libros, Así que más que a descubrir la historia, he venido a ver si la adaptación en viñetas conseguía capturar el caos y la esencia de la mazmorra. La respuesta para tu tranquilidad es que sí, aunque todo el mérito es de Donut.
No hay una sola aparición que no me saque una sonrisa. Si en la novela ya me flipaba, verla dibujada con esa expresividad, esos ojazos, el dramatismo de diva y su capacidad innata para robarse el plano hace que el personaje explote mucho más en este formato. Si ya te gustaba Donut, aquí directamente es la dueña del show. El apartado artístico le sienta de maravilla.
Por otra parte, los monstruos, los cofres, los objetos y toda la interfaz del sistema ilustrada hacen que el mundo cobre vida de forma espectacular, aunque bueno la interfaz del chat y el inventario es un poco mejorable pero en general, sobresaliente. El estilo le encaja como un guante a la historia (rezando para que no lo cambien en futuros tomos) y me parece una puerta de entrada brutal para la gente a la que le da pereza ponerse a leer.
El humor funciona, pero las descripciones de la IA (logros, objetos y enemigos) están bastante tijereteadas. Tienen su gracia, claro, pero pierden mucho el toque gamberro y pasado de rosca que es de lo mejor del libro.
Con Carl me ha pasado tres cuartos de lo mismo: lo siento desdibujado. Mientras Donut entra a matar en cada viñeta, Carl transmite esa vibra de "NPC" que todavía no termina de despegar. Supongo que ganará empaque conforme avance la trama y se equipe un poco más, pero en este primer tomo se queda flojete.
En cuanto a la violencia, está bien medida: no busca el gore innecesario, pero mantiene ese punto macarra y desenfadado. Lo único que me dejó con la miel en los labios fue el corte del tomo. Me habría encantado que incluyeran un capítulo más. Si conoces la historia ya sabes que está a punto de pasar, y habría sido un cierre muchísimo más potente.
— SPOILERS —
El tomo termina justo antes de cargarse a algún que otro goblin bebé y uno de los logros más graciosos.
Si el primer libro ya funciona como un tutorial gigante antes de que la historia empiece a repartir leña de verdad, este tomo es literalmente... el tutorial del tutorial. Realmente la aventura ni siquiera ha arrancado y quedarse aquí es como apagar la consola justo después de aprender a saltar y agacharte.
El problema está en que harán falta unos tres tomos para llegar al comienzo de la trama (El juicio final de Carl). Y viendo el ritmo de publicación en inglés, eso se traducirá en uno o dos años de calentamiento.
Por cierto, mención especial a Mordecai. Da igual la forma que adopte más adelante, mi cerebro en su momento decretó que siempre tiene la apariencia del maestro Astilla de las Tortugas Ninja y con lo guay que sale aquí, ya no va a haber descripción en el mundo que vaya a convencerme de lo contrario.
El segundo tomo caerá seguro en cuanto salga, eso ni se duda. Aunque casi prefiero juntar tres tomos en la estantería antes de volver a bajar a la mazmorra, y así no tener que dejar el juego eternamente en pausa.
Bienvenidos a Donut la Mazmorrera. Ah, sí... y Carl también sale
Llego aquí, como muchos de vosotros, después haber leído los libros, Así que más que a descubrir la historia, he venido a ver si la adaptación en viñetas conseguía capturar el caos y la esencia de la mazmorra. La respuesta para tu tranquilidad es que sí, aunque todo el mérito es de Donut.
No hay una sola aparición que no me saque una sonrisa. Si en la novela ya me flipaba, verla dibujada con esa expresividad, esos ojazos, el dramatismo de diva y su capacidad innata para robarse el plano hace que el personaje explote mucho más en este formato. Si ya te gustaba Donut, aquí directamente es la dueña del show. El apartado artístico le sienta de maravilla.
Por otra parte, los monstruos, los cofres, los objetos y toda la interfaz del sistema ilustrada hacen que el mundo cobre vida de forma espectacular, aunque bueno la interfaz del chat y el inventario es un poco mejorable pero en general, sobresaliente. El estilo le encaja como un guante a la historia (rezando para que no lo cambien en futuros tomos) y me parece una puerta de entrada brutal para la gente a la que le da pereza ponerse a leer.
El humor funciona, pero las descripciones de la IA (logros, objetos y enemigos) están bastante tijereteadas. Tienen su gracia, claro, pero pierden mucho el toque gamberro y pasado de rosca que es de lo mejor del libro.
Con Carl me ha pasado tres cuartos de lo mismo: lo siento desdibujado. Mientras Donut entra a matar en cada viñeta, Carl transmite esa vibra de "NPC" que todavía no termina de despegar. Supongo que ganará empaque conforme avance la trama y se equipe un poco más, pero en este primer tomo se queda flojete.
En cuanto a la violencia, está bien medida: no busca el gore innecesario, pero mantiene ese punto macarra y desenfadado. Lo único que me dejó con la miel en los labios fue el corte del tomo. Me habría encantado que incluyeran un capítulo más. Si conoces la historia ya sabes que está a punto de pasar, y habría sido un cierre muchísimo más potente.
— SPOILERS —
El tomo termina justo antes de cargarse a algún que otro goblin bebé y uno de los logros más graciosos.
Si el primer libro ya funciona como un tutorial gigante antes de que la historia empiece a repartir leña de verdad, este tomo es literalmente... el tutorial del tutorial. Realmente la aventura ni siquiera ha arrancado y quedarse aquí es como apagar la consola justo después de aprender a saltar y agacharte.
El problema está en que harán falta unos tres tomos para llegar al comienzo de la trama (El juicio final de Carl). Y viendo el ritmo de publicación en inglés, eso se traducirá en uno o dos años de calentamiento.
Por cierto, mención especial a Mordecai. Da igual la forma que adopte más adelante, mi cerebro en su momento decretó que siempre tiene la apariencia del maestro Astilla de las Tortugas Ninja y con lo guay que sale aquí, ya no va a haber descripción en el mundo que vaya a convencerme de lo contrario.
El segundo tomo caerá seguro en cuanto salga, eso ni se duda. Aunque casi prefiero juntar tres tomos en la estantería antes de volver a bajar a la mazmorra, y así no tener que dejar el juego eternamente en pausa.
May 29, 2026
Attention crawlers: This was amazing, I loved the novels by Matt Dinniman and this adaption is so amazingly done! It was also really amazing to dive back into the beginning of everything (I'm kinda craving a reread although I'm half way through novel number 8). Now go out there and read, read, read.
August 15, 2026
How can you NOT read this?! This was incredibly fun to read even though I’ve read the full novel (the audiobook is INCREDIBLE if you haven’t listened yet). My eyes feasted upon the story come to life in this graphic novel and are ravenous for the next graphic novels in this series. Definite read, re-read and absolute must purchase.
May 25, 2026
This graphic novel volume adapts the first 16 chapters of Dungeon Crawler Carl (up to page 133 of my copy). It's a fairly accurate adaptation so far, so this review will be less focused on the story and more on the graphic novel aspects.
Art-wise, I'm okay with this, even though I'd never have matched this particular art style up with this series. Neither Carl nor Princess Donut look how I pictured them, but that's not unusual for an adaptation. The important thing is that Donut, with her massive eyes, is so expressive and charming that her essence is still the same. And Carl's fine too. (We all know that Donut is the most important character here.)
That said, some of the action was occasionally difficult to follow, and if I hadn't read the book this was based on, I'm not sure I'd have fully understood everything that was going on. Another issue I had was with all the AI text. There is a LOT, and in order to include all of that loot box and achievement text, the font was occasionally very small. I imagine this was less of a problem for those reading the original Webtoon, but I, unfortunately, occasionally found it impossible to read in print, particularly when the boxes were orange with white text. The description text for the Crown of the Sepsis Whore was a triple whammy: lengthy, white text on an orange background, and located in a panel close to the inside of the book. If I'd actually tried to read it all, I'd probably have broken the book's spine.
I don't know how many people are jumping straight into the graphic novel adaptation without having read the books, but it's always safest to assume at least some people are. While I don't necessarily think this is a terrible way to go and may continue reading the graphic novel (accepting that there will be parts I just won't be able to properly read) just for the joy of seeing more Princess Donut, I personally prefer the original books.
(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
Art-wise, I'm okay with this, even though I'd never have matched this particular art style up with this series. Neither Carl nor Princess Donut look how I pictured them, but that's not unusual for an adaptation. The important thing is that Donut, with her massive eyes, is so expressive and charming that her essence is still the same. And Carl's fine too. (We all know that Donut is the most important character here.)
That said, some of the action was occasionally difficult to follow, and if I hadn't read the book this was based on, I'm not sure I'd have fully understood everything that was going on. Another issue I had was with all the AI text. There is a LOT, and in order to include all of that loot box and achievement text, the font was occasionally very small. I imagine this was less of a problem for those reading the original Webtoon, but I, unfortunately, occasionally found it impossible to read in print, particularly when the boxes were orange with white text. The description text for the Crown of the Sepsis Whore was a triple whammy: lengthy, white text on an orange background, and located in a panel close to the inside of the book. If I'd actually tried to read it all, I'd probably have broken the book's spine.
I don't know how many people are jumping straight into the graphic novel adaptation without having read the books, but it's always safest to assume at least some people are. While I don't necessarily think this is a terrible way to go and may continue reading the graphic novel (accepting that there will be parts I just won't be able to properly read) just for the joy of seeing more Princess Donut, I personally prefer the original books.
(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
June 3, 2026
*stupefy* Donut can talk?
Did Not Finish
July 4, 2026Soft DNF: Chapter 2
Other books just seem to be calling my name right now. Maybe I’ll return to this during the Fall Season?!?! Idk. We shall see. 😬😬😬.
~~~~~~~
***Pre-Read:*** I’ve been to B&N. I stay at my library. I know how long and thick these books look. The Graphic Novels feels more like my speed. 🤭🤭🤭.
Other books just seem to be calling my name right now. Maybe I’ll return to this during the Fall Season?!?! Idk. We shall see. 😬😬😬.
~~~~~~~
August 12, 2026
I picked up the first Carl prose novel about a month ago and was instantly hooked.
This contains the first thirteen chapters of the DCC webcomic. It’s very manga in style and a lot of fun. My
Only gripe is that the instructions given by the AI are in a white type with an orange background that can make it sometimes difficult to read, at least for my eyes.
If you enjoy the DCC series you should check these digest sized books out.
This contains the first thirteen chapters of the DCC webcomic. It’s very manga in style and a lot of fun. My
Only gripe is that the instructions given by the AI are in a white type with an orange background that can make it sometimes difficult to read, at least for my eyes.
If you enjoy the DCC series you should check these digest sized books out.
June 8, 2026
Actual rating: 2.5 for visual challenges, 5 for huge Donut eyes
Now that I am obsessed with this series, I enjoyed seeing the choices they made while turning part of the first book into a graphic novel. While I enjoyed it, I don't think it was as successful as, say, the graphic novel adaptation of The Adventure Zone podcast, which is the most similar kind of zany but also dark adaptation I could think of.
I really like the art style, especially the depiction of Carl and Donut (especially Donut!), but the action scenes were hard to follow, especially in the beginning (the destruction of Earth's buildings, etc., and creation of the dungeon, Carl's first foray into the wrong, trapped, hallway with the goblins, etc). I wonder how well people who came to the graphic novel first followed the initial beats of the story. I think too much is lost in the translation.
Speaking of things being lost in translation, a complaint about font choice and size. I wear glasses, and even with those, I could NOT read some of the text. In the print book, I found Carl and Donut opening the loot boxes and reading through the achievements peak fun (probably because I play a lot of video games and also because they are very funny), but here, in order to cram in a lot of this content, the text was so tiny, like the back of a pill bottle tiny, made worse by choosing blocky white letters on a light orange background. Maybe a person with young eyes could do this, but I needed a magnifying glass on top of my actual glasses. I had to give up in places and that's never a good feeling.
I'm glad this version of the story exists, and I'll probably skim through the other graphic versions just to see Donut's huge eyes, Carl's hilarious heart boxers, and the inevitable pedicure scene, but this won't be my preferred format.
Now that I am obsessed with this series, I enjoyed seeing the choices they made while turning part of the first book into a graphic novel. While I enjoyed it, I don't think it was as successful as, say, the graphic novel adaptation of The Adventure Zone podcast, which is the most similar kind of zany but also dark adaptation I could think of.
I really like the art style, especially the depiction of Carl and Donut (especially Donut!), but the action scenes were hard to follow, especially in the beginning (the destruction of Earth's buildings, etc., and creation of the dungeon, Carl's first foray into the wrong, trapped, hallway with the goblins, etc). I wonder how well people who came to the graphic novel first followed the initial beats of the story. I think too much is lost in the translation.
Speaking of things being lost in translation, a complaint about font choice and size. I wear glasses, and even with those, I could NOT read some of the text. In the print book, I found Carl and Donut opening the loot boxes and reading through the achievements peak fun (probably because I play a lot of video games and also because they are very funny), but here, in order to cram in a lot of this content, the text was so tiny, like the back of a pill bottle tiny, made worse by choosing blocky white letters on a light orange background. Maybe a person with young eyes could do this, but I needed a magnifying glass on top of my actual glasses. I had to give up in places and that's never a good feeling.
I'm glad this version of the story exists, and I'll probably skim through the other graphic versions just to see Donut's huge eyes, Carl's hilarious heart boxers, and the inevitable pedicure scene, but this won't be my preferred format.
July 31, 2026
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ 4/5 ⭐️
i really liked the visuals and honestly this was more fun than the original novel!
i really liked the visuals and honestly this was more fun than the original novel!
August 21, 2026
Dibujo excelente, ritmo increíble, historia sublime. ¡Se hace corto, eso sí!
August 2, 2026
Me quedo con los libros
July 5, 2026
This is a 3.5 stars read for me. The comic's rendition of the novel is great but I find the images to be too zoomed-in making it difficult to decipher what is happening.
July 14, 2026
Volume 1 of DCC contains the first 13 chapters of the DCC graphic adaptation. The story stops at around the halfway mark of book 1 (when Carl and Donut first meet Rory and Loralai and acquire their goblin motorcycle).
While I wasn't certain about the art style at first, I ended up really loving it by the end. This graphic novel is a great way to go through the story, and I really hope they continue it for the whole 10 books
That would be something amazing. Overall, everything from the art to the text and the design was fantastic. I loved loved lovedd it!
I can't wait for Volume 2!!!
While I wasn't certain about the art style at first, I ended up really loving it by the end. This graphic novel is a great way to go through the story, and I really hope they continue it for the whole 10 books
That would be something amazing. Overall, everything from the art to the text and the design was fantastic. I loved loved lovedd it!
I can't wait for Volume 2!!!
June 13, 2026
This was such a nice Graphic Novel!!!
Loved the art, loved having images of what I read in the book.
It’s a nice complement to the novel ✨
Loved the art, loved having images of what I read in the book.
It’s a nice complement to the novel ✨
June 29, 2026
Of course this graphic novel was AMAZING!
May 9, 2026
A fun adaptation of the novel that brings the characters to life in an entertaining way even if the visuals didn’t quite live up to the same events in my head from reading the original. Nevertheless, I will continue to look for these graphic novel versions.
Special Thanks to Vault Comics and Edelweiss Plus for the digital ARC. This was given to me for an honest review.
Special Thanks to Vault Comics and Edelweiss Plus for the digital ARC. This was given to me for an honest review.
May 11, 2026
Was a very pleasant surprise when a customer purchased this at work yesterday as I had no idea we had them already 👀
Naturally, I loved it. Anything in the DCC universe is top tier. Although not everything was pictured the same in my head, the art rendition was so funny to follow. I would certainly give this to someone who is overwhelmed of the series. A great starter point to see if you want to continue.
Naturally, I loved it. Anything in the DCC universe is top tier. Although not everything was pictured the same in my head, the art rendition was so funny to follow. I would certainly give this to someone who is overwhelmed of the series. A great starter point to see if you want to continue.
July 24, 2026
New Achievement!: Visual Learner!
It’s like the book but less words and more pictures.
Reward!: You get to buy the same story twice, once in book form, once in comic form. Isn’t that reward enough?
It’s like the book but less words and more pictures.
Reward!: You get to buy the same story twice, once in book form, once in comic form. Isn’t that reward enough?
June 30, 2026
4/5 Stars
Format: Paperback
Spoilers: No
I was one of the few people who was not a huge fan of the original Dungeon Crawler Carl book. I tried reading, audio, and immersive, and it just didn't work for me. The story was so over the top, the humor got repetitive for me, and I felt like I wanted a lot more character work. On top of that, the LitRPG thing just didn't work for me - I like playing a game, not reading one. However, it is such a beloved series, and when I heard they were making a graphic novel version, I thought it might work in this format.
Overall, I was right - this story works well as a graphic novel. The video game stuff and inventories seem more at home in an animated format, and the format forced a lot of the repetitive jokes to be cut back. I even felt like I got a bit more emotional connection between Donut and Carl in this version.
I'm hoping they keep putting these out, as it was a fun interlude in between heavier books, and again I would love to see how the story progresses in a format that works for me.
Format: Paperback
Spoilers: No
I was one of the few people who was not a huge fan of the original Dungeon Crawler Carl book. I tried reading, audio, and immersive, and it just didn't work for me. The story was so over the top, the humor got repetitive for me, and I felt like I wanted a lot more character work. On top of that, the LitRPG thing just didn't work for me - I like playing a game, not reading one. However, it is such a beloved series, and when I heard they were making a graphic novel version, I thought it might work in this format.
Overall, I was right - this story works well as a graphic novel. The video game stuff and inventories seem more at home in an animated format, and the format forced a lot of the repetitive jokes to be cut back. I even felt like I got a bit more emotional connection between Donut and Carl in this version.
I'm hoping they keep putting these out, as it was a fun interlude in between heavier books, and again I would love to see how the story progresses in a format that works for me.
May 23, 2026
That was a fun read. I was a little unsure about the art style at first, but it worked. It did a good job at conveying the story.
I’m a big fan of the original series, so it was fun to read it in another format. It stayed true to the story, and even had a couple extra tidbits added in. Overall, I’d be interested in continuing. It was a fun read.
I’m a big fan of the original series, so it was fun to read it in another format. It stayed true to the story, and even had a couple extra tidbits added in. Overall, I’d be interested in continuing. It was a fun read.
August 21, 2026
I need the next volumes asap
May 27, 2026
absolutely exquisite
May 24, 2026
A fantastic pictorial romp through the beginning of the Dungeon Crawler universe, in which Carl and Donut get swept away in a competition they never wanted to join.
Seeing Dinniman approved art and reading a shorter retelling was a vibe I am glad I did not miss.
Seeing Dinniman approved art and reading a shorter retelling was a vibe I am glad I did not miss.
May 27, 2026
After finishing A Parade of Horribles it was fun to go back to the beginning with this graphic novel. I initially thought that Volume 1 = Book 1...but it was pretty quickly clear based on pacing that was not the case. This volume is roughly the first third of Dungeon Crawler Carl.
There's been a lot of hot takes regarding the artwork, but I liked it (yes...even though Carl looks like a teenage boy and Donut is white instead of tortoiseshell). It's fun, the characters are expressive, and it's cool seeing parts of the dungeon come to life outside my head.
My only real complaint is that so much of the AI explanations have to be included to make the story make sense so the writing is SO TINY sometimes. There's also a few times where I think the plot would be confusing if you hadn't already read the novel (you just simply can't jam everything into a graphic novel), so I'd be curious to speak with someone reading this in isolation.
I'm not sure how quickly all these volumes will be released, but I suppose it's something while we wait for Book 9.
There's been a lot of hot takes regarding the artwork, but I liked it (yes...even though Carl looks like a teenage boy and Donut is white instead of tortoiseshell). It's fun, the characters are expressive, and it's cool seeing parts of the dungeon come to life outside my head.
My only real complaint is that so much of the AI explanations have to be included to make the story make sense so the writing is SO TINY sometimes. There's also a few times where I think the plot would be confusing if you hadn't already read the novel (you just simply can't jam everything into a graphic novel), so I'd be curious to speak with someone reading this in isolation.
I'm not sure how quickly all these volumes will be released, but I suppose it's something while we wait for Book 9.
May 22, 2026
It’s so cool seeing the characters in print! My only complaint is the book, and therefore the print, is too small. It’s hard to read sometimes.
June 21, 2026
donut's goober faces are something so precious to me personally
May 30, 2026
Super fun to revisit the world in graphic format.
It makes sense that we don’t get all of book one in volume one but I do feel eager for volume two and not satiated.
The details were hazier and so you do lose more of the plot. Having read the novel first I had a better sense of things, some parts wouldn’t make sense and perhaps they are just relying on the fan base having read the novel first.
I had a great time regardless!
It makes sense that we don’t get all of book one in volume one but I do feel eager for volume two and not satiated.
The details were hazier and so you do lose more of the plot. Having read the novel first I had a better sense of things, some parts wouldn’t make sense and perhaps they are just relying on the fan base having read the novel first.
I had a great time regardless!
August 8, 2026
Esta historia siempre es bien y en este formato no iba a ser menos.
Me ha gustado volver a sumergirme en el comienzo de esta historia y continuaré con la novela gráfica cuando la vayan publicando (este primer tomo llega aproximadamente a la mitad de la primera novela).
Creo que es una buena opción tanto para aquellos que dudan si leer la novela, como para los que prefieren los cómics, así como los que llevan tiempo sin leer: esto les dejará con ganas de más.
Me ha gustado volver a sumergirme en el comienzo de esta historia y continuaré con la novela gráfica cuando la vayan publicando (este primer tomo llega aproximadamente a la mitad de la primera novela).
Creo que es una buena opción tanto para aquellos que dudan si leer la novela, como para los que prefieren los cómics, así como los que llevan tiempo sin leer: esto les dejará con ganas de más.
May 31, 2026
Its really weird to go back to the beginning of this series. The art is amazing and the graphic novel is very true to the source material. I do miss some of the inner thoughts of Carl and some pieces of information that are well worked out in the books are just 1 panner in the graphic novel. Still a must read for anyone who is already into Dungeon Crawler Carl OR if you want a great staring point
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