Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

Irish Folklore Trilogy

WolfWalkers: The Graphic Novel

Rate this book
This full-color graphic novel from the award-winning studio that created The Secret of Kells allows fans to immerse themselves in the rich storytelling and beautifully hand-crafted art of Wolfwalkers, just in time for the film, released in fall 2020.
In a time of superstition and magic, an apprentice hunter named Robyn Goodfellowe travels to Kilkenny, Ireland with her father. Wolves are seen as dangerous and wild beasts, which need to be tamed, and Robyn and her father have traveled to wipe out the very last pack. But when Robyn saves a wild girl named Mebh, their friendship leads her to discover the world of the Wolfwalkers and transform her into the very thing her father is tasked to destroy. Featuring full-color original art from the film as well as never-before-seen images from the studio, this graphic novel will make a perfect gift for fans of all ages.
This title will be simultaneously available in hardcover.
© 2020 Wolfwalkers

272 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2020

25 people are currently reading
977 people want to read

About the author

Tomm Moore

16 books24 followers
Irish filmmaker, animator, illustrator and comics artist. He is co-founder of Cartoon Saloon, an animation studio and production company, based in Kilkenny, Ireland. His first two feature films, The Secret of Kells (2009) and Song of the Sea (2014), have received critical acclaim and were both nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
697 (44%)
4 stars
587 (37%)
3 stars
252 (16%)
2 stars
31 (1%)
1 star
6 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 217 reviews
Profile Image for Rod Brown.
7,378 reviews282 followers
January 2, 2021
Having enjoyed the animated movie a lot (4-stars!), I thought I'd give this adaptation a go. It's fine enough, but definitely watch the movie first because the sound and motion add so much to the story presented here.

I must admit that I'm quite ignorant of the real world events surrounding this fantasy: Oliver Cromwell's conquest of Ireland in the 1650s. A cursory overview says it was a bloody affair that has reverberated through the centuries since. The wolf pack and supernatural beings here seem to represent the Irish people themselves, being destroyed and pushed from their land by Cromwell's imperialism.

But the story can simply be enjoyed as one of friendship and magic helping good overcome evil. Plus wolves -- always awesome!!
Profile Image for Ben Nash.
110 reviews6 followers
December 22, 2020
Irish fairytales are fascinating. The illustrations and graphics are absolutely wonderful in this graphic novel. The story felt very similar to "The Secret of Kells".

The book addresses friendship showing how kindness can beautifully transform a relationship. It also shows the detriment of blind obedience and how we should question the status quo. Dead fish can't swim upstream. But the ones that are alive can. This story poses questions and challenges 3 groups of people - parents, rulers, and children. Parents should protect and give their children limits. But they also need to be the ones that are willing to go on adventures with their kids and allow their imaginations to soar. The religious pharisees need to repent of their pride and their legalistic rules they burden others with. The children should explore and learn to fight dragons. But they also need guidance, help, and need to know how to respect their parents.

I think the story is aiming at harmony--where the forest and animals are treated with care, and where their can be unity with both man and animals. Well, Isaiah addresses this very thing where the child will play over the cobra's nest. And we are longing for the day when that will happen because it will. We are groaning for the resurrection...for the sons of God to be revealed.

I haven't seen the movie yet, but I'm really excited to see it as the novel was written based off of the film, not the other way around. I do think the film will help give the novel even more life. I'm hopeful and excited to see what Cartoon Saloon and Tomm Moore will do for future animated films and graphic novels.
Profile Image for Dana.
933 reviews45 followers
January 29, 2021
So cute! I don’t have Apple TV+ so I haven’t seen the movie, but now I really want to! The graphic novel seems a very faithful adaptation of the film so some of the action gets lost when translated into panels.

Overall, very cute story and the art is lovely!
Profile Image for Kenya Starflight.
1,659 reviews21 followers
December 12, 2020
I absolutely loved "The Secret of Kells" and "The Song of the Sea," Tomm Moore's previous two films about Ireland and its mythology and legends. "WolfWalkers" looked to be just as gorgeous and impressive... and while I have yet to see the movie, its graphic novel adaptation is absolutely stunning and makes me hunger to see the movie all the more. It looks fantastic visually, tells a gripping story, and is all-in-all a wonderful read.

Robyn Goodfellow has come from England to Ireland with her father, a man tasked with helping the invading British government to wipe out the last of the wolves from its forests. Robyn, bored and chafing from being stuck in the city walls while her father goes about his task, sneaks out to explore... and runs into Mebh, a wild and precocious girl who turns out to be a Wolfwalker -- someone who can communicate with wolves and even turn into a wolf! Robyn and Mebh forge a strong friendship... but Robyn's father is determined to lock her up for her own safety and kill the wolves. And to stop him from hurting her newfound friend, Robyn may find herself becoming the very thing her father fights against...

The visual style of this graphic novel looks very close to the previews I've seen of the film, and of Tomm Moore's other films. His style hews closely to traditional drawings and illuminated manuscripts of ancient Ireland, and the colors are natural yet bold and pleasing to the eye. Illustrations have a nice dynamic flow to them, panel layout is easy to follow, and all in all the book looks gorgeous.

The story is a fascinating one centering on the British occupation of Ireland, and gives us two strong and likable young heroines, a fascinating mythology, and a menacing (if a little flat) villain. Robyn's father is portrayed as a man just trying to do the best he can rather than as a villainous figure, and Robyn's development as a character is very satisfying to follow. I'm not sure how closely the Wolfwalker myth follows actual Irish mythology, but it's still fascinating, even if it does ring rather closely to traditional werewolf myths (perhaps the Wolfwalkers inspired those myths?).

A beautiful companion piece to the "WolfWalkers" film, this is a great graphic novel for older kids and adults, albeit perhaps a bit too violent for very young children. And though it does seem to tell the complete story of the film, I'm still eager to see the film itself and see these gorgeous images in motion.
Profile Image for Cecilia.
112 reviews
November 11, 2024
I thought it was the worst graphic novel I’ve ever read! It made the Christians the bad guys and witchcraft the good guys I watched the movie and it was as bad as the book and I think that if you are looking for a graphic novel that has this kind of illustration I would recommend Song of the Sea or The Book of Kells
Profile Image for Reading_seas0n .
1,103 reviews20 followers
August 1, 2022
With an incredible artstyle that beautifully fits the heart-warming story of myth, magic, family and friendship, was it any surprise that this Irish girl would not love Wolfwalkers!

A piece of home and magic walks with stories like these, and they help me being away!
Profile Image for Shawna Fender.
115 reviews4 followers
July 31, 2023
A graphic novel based on one of my favorite animated movies of the past two decades?! Sign me up in a hurry! I love this movie more than I could possibly explain, and the graphic novel was just as beautiful as the movie itself. Plus the graphic novel added even more to the backstory of the movie, so that was much appreciated. I think this book and the original movie should be required reading/watching for anyone who enjoys the art of animation. ^_^
Profile Image for David.
998 reviews167 followers
December 17, 2023
Goodness and friendship prevail over the tyrant greedy king in this colorful story. The tale is fairly simple with constant action. My only qualm was maybe capturing too many panels directly from the movie to convey a short scene here in the book. The movie gets high ratings.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5198068/

The movie released in 2020, whereas this book came out in Dec 2020. This is one of those books derived from the movie, so I venture the movie exceeds the book in this case. This is a triplet of movies:
The Secret of Kells (2009)
Song of the Sea (2014)
WolfWalkers (2020)

4.25* I definitely need to watch the movie that generated this book!
Profile Image for Keisha | A Book Like You.
497 reviews558 followers
November 22, 2023
I really don't know how to rate this. Objectively, I would give this a 4-star, but personally I don't think this is a Keisha book. It made my stomach hurt to endure the stress and frustration I had for and with the characters in this book. But I genuinely think most people would really enjoy this.
Profile Image for Artemis Crescent.
1,217 reviews
April 12, 2022
Just as good as the film, in my opinion. In fact it's almost exactly the same as the film. This graphic novel was made for people who don't have access to the still-scarcely-released Cartoon Saloon animated feature 'Wolfwalkers'; and it is for people who have seen it, as well.

Whatever the medium, it is a powerful, enriching, wonderful story, with great characters and themes, and stupendous art.

A quote from my blog about 'Wolfwalkers', the film, which also applies to the graphic novel, in nearly every way:


'It's right up my alley, not just in its rich quality, but in terms of aesthetics, tastes, features and themes. It's a heartfelt treat for the eyes and ears. It's magical.

Speaking of, I always thought that animation is the closest we get to seeing real magic on the screen - it is a medium with literally no limitations - and
Wolfwalkers and a few of Cartoon Saloon's other films work hard to showcase this. It's also great that 2D animated films are still being made, and are lauded for their efforts in creativity, originality and vibrancy. They're as potentially beautiful - and necessary - as any art style.

I love animation. I love three dimensional and fleshed out female protagonists. I love mythology and tales. I love animals. I love wolves. I love mother-and-daughter relationships. I love father-and-daughter relationships.

Yeah, go
Wolfwalkers.'


A vitality. Boldly, soulfully, spiritually, movingly and aesthetically pleasing. Highly recommended.

Final Score: 5/5
Profile Image for Prokrastinuji čtením.
308 reviews103 followers
October 13, 2023
Tohle byla neuvěřitelně BOŽÍ záležitost😍 Pokud milujete legendy, Irsko, a animáky, věřím, že si tenhle příběh zamilujete. Hlavní hrdinka Robyn je dcerou lovce, kterého si najmou angličtí okupanti, aby zbavil lesy vlků, jenže legenda mluví i o Vlkochodcích - lidech, kteří se mění ve vlky. Robyn se skamarádí s divoženkou Mebh, která právě mezi Vlkochodce patří, a se svou maminkou jsou jedni z posledních.

Jedná se o adaptaci stejnojmenného filmu, který byl nominovaný na Oscary. Já se na něj teprve chystám, ale věřím, že si ho užiju stejně moc jako tuhle kouzelnou grafickou novelku. Na podzim je to za mě úplně ideální počteníčko, protože se příběh odehrává z velké části v lese, a dominují v něm krásné zemité barvy🙏🏻 Plus ta legenda, magie a síla přátelství🥺✨ Opravdu to má svoje kouzlo☺️
Profile Image for Sarah.
148 reviews1 follower
March 26, 2021
Very similar to their other work, The Secret of the Kells (movie). Nice story but some of the panels were hard, either chaotic and unclear or shown from a distance making detail hard to pick out. Probably better as a movie but the GN is useful for those of us who don’t have Apple TV.
Profile Image for Cristinarfv.
77 reviews2 followers
October 28, 2022
Una maravilla, recoge el espíritu de la película bastante acertadamente, si bien creo que todas las películas del estudio Cartoon Saloon son absolutamente mágicas y es difícil adaptarlas a cómics.
Profile Image for Ms. B.
3,749 reviews77 followers
October 7, 2023
Sometimes you have to join them to beat them in this story about two girls who can become wolfwalkers (similar to werewolves IMO) that appears to draw from Welsch and Celtic folklore about wolves. What happens when a town decides to chase all the wolves away? Can Mebh, wolfwalker and her new friend Robyn do anything to save the wolves?
The artwork and illustrations are absolutely beautiful in this graphic novel adaptation of the Oscar nominated animated film by Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart. Give it to fans of graphic novels, Oscar enthusiasts, or young people who like stories with wolves.
Profile Image for Camille.
605 reviews39 followers
March 13, 2021
Super Bande dessinée pour les enfants, adaptée du film d'animation.
Une belle histoire d'amitié, de confiance et un bel hymne à la nature !
Profile Image for V. M. Brewster.
376 reviews7 followers
August 11, 2024
• Wolf, wolf, howls the wolf - For ever and ever and after! •

🏘️🐺🌲

Eine süße Graphic Novel passend zum Animationsfilm, die dementsprechend vor allem mit ihrem detailreichen, farbenfrohen Zeichenstil punkten kann. Die Story ist relativ simpel und vorhersehbar, aber mit Found Family und Gestaltwandlern hat man bei mir immer leichtes Spiel.
Profile Image for Anne.
45 reviews1 follower
May 28, 2025
Thanks to my uni professor for adding graphic novels to the coursework :)
Profile Image for Alana Robinson.
205 reviews
October 1, 2024
After seeing clips of the movie, I was so excited when I found this book! Despite the fact I read it in one day, I just didn’t really like the vibe of the book. I also found it almost cringe in some ways. And the images look like someone went to the movie, took a picture of a frame, and slapped some text on top.

The one thing I did enjoy about this book is how they make it that the wolves are the “good guys”. I always see people making wolves out to be these wicked, horrifying creatures while they’re literally just trying to live their lives and keep to themselves.

But, overall, I wouldn’t recommend this book, especially if you’ve already watched the movie. From what I can tell, they are basically the same thing, but one’s a book and the other is a film.
Profile Image for Simone.
527 reviews51 followers
October 13, 2023
Krasne to bylo! Moc. Zhruba tak stejne jako Pisen more a Brendan a tajemstvi z Kellsu. Paradni kresba, pribeh s myslenkou…
Profile Image for Klara (klarinkniznisvet).
367 reviews19 followers
October 5, 2023
Vlkochodci jsou překrásným grafickým románem, který si rozhodně zaslouží vaši pozornost. Nejenže obsahují rozmanitě barvité ilustrace, ale taky zajímavý příběh. Ten sleduje Robyn, mladou dívku žijící s otcem, jenž je lovec vlků. Když se mu Robyn jednoho dne snaží pomoci, potká v lese divoženku Mebh s její vlčí smečkou, čímž započne velmi nečekané přátelství, které dá do pohybu dost událostí.

Jak už jsem naznačila, děj se hodně zaměřuje na přátelství, rodinu a na to, jak dokáže laskavost a lidskost budovat vztahy mezi lidmi. Mimoto se věnuje porozumění a významu slova svoboda. Vyprávění je nasáklé irskou historií a foklorem, což je téma, jenž osobně mám moc ráda a v tomto případě bylo opravdu dobře zpracováno.

Těším se, až si pustím animovanou předlohu. Pokud máte rádi irské pohádky, rozhodně se čtením neváhejte.
Profile Image for Taun.
327 reviews1 follower
February 7, 2022
I haven’t watched the film, so my review is solely based on the graphic novel.

A blend of history of the Irish people, and folklore, I thought the story was decent… although the trope of evil masquerading as pious men wears a bit thin, (historically accurate tho it may be). I loved the relationships featured, good conquering fear, the artistic bent of Cromwell’s invasion, & the interpretation of wolfwalkers (werewolves, wolf-people, etc).

The real winner here tho is the vibrancy & movement of the artwork, truly making the story come to life, which is what one looks for & loves in a graphic novel. I almost think this is a case of the film being as good or perhaps even better than the book. A dangerous thing to say in the bookish world.
Profile Image for Katelynn.
84 reviews21 followers
December 27, 2020
Love the beautiful, colorful art; love anything to do with shape-shifting and British Isle accents; love the nature, family, and folklore themes! If you're a fan of Brave, Song of the Sea, The Owl House, etc. then you'll enjoy this graphic novel adaptation of the Apple TV movie. (Note: I haven't watched the movie yet, so I can't speak to how thourough the adaptation is, but this made me excited to see it)
Profile Image for Paige Dillard.
138 reviews42 followers
February 11, 2021
I loved this story and can't wait to watch the film! It reminded me a lot of The Secret of the Kells and Song of the Sea, both of which I love! This graphic novel will be great for young adult readers ages 9+ but there are some scary concepts so maybe care giver should read through first or with them?
Profile Image for Via Luino.
Author 1 book23 followers
June 2, 2025
4.5 stars rounded up

Robyn and her father are outsiders: English immigrants just moved to Ireland. Robyn longs to join her father in the woods, hunting down the wolves that threaten the town and getting to use her crossbow for more than just target practice. When she sneaks out after him, chaos ensues, and she ends up being rescued by Mebh. Mebh is a wolfwalker—a human when awake, and a wolf when asleep. Robyn discovers that the wolves aren’t dangerous at all, and that it’s the townies who are causing problems by cutting down the forest. When the Lord Commander, a religious zealot, demands the whole forest be burned, it’s up to Robyn and Mebh to save the wolves and the woods.

I loved this graphic novel for so many reasons. It has many of my favorite things: fierce girls fighting back against the patriarchy, enchanted forests, wolves and wolf-shifters, and roots deep in folklore. The subtext is also extremely queer, and while I am all for a sisterhood story (I am such a sucker for big sis/little sis plot lines), I really think this one had much more of a sapphic angle than a platonic besties vibe. It wouldn’t be a stretch to read trans experience into the story, too: the uber-conservative town is forcing Robyn into a traditionally “female” role that constrains her, and when Mebh introduces her to the wilderness and freedom, Robyn can’t stop her true self from bursting out. Could be feminism, could be transness—or could be both—but either way, I am so here for it!

The only reason this didn’t get stars is because there were several action sequences in the graphic novel that didn’t make a whole lot of sense, and after watching the movie, I think the adaptation could have been better. There were a lot of subtle things that were either left out or poorly translated onto the page.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 217 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.