Mage and the Endless Unknown

by S.J. Miller (Creator)

Peek through the leaves, beyond the clouded mountains, and you will find a garden with a strange attendant and an even stranger purpose. A young mage, asleep in a meadow, wakes to delights and fanciful spells that open a door to unknown wonder. Then, they eagerly step through to find only horror and death. There is no swashbuckling adventure in store; this world means them cold and deadly harm, and they’ll need all their resilience, wit, and magic to push it back.
Gaze through fascinating silent windows into a terrifying dimension and follow the wordless Mage and their companions as they travel a shadowy fantastical land of monsters. Will they survive this endlessly curious mystery, or will the unforgiving darkness swallow them whole?

Genres: Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Horror, Comics, Young Adult, Adventure, Graphic Novels Comics

152 pages, Hardcover

First published June 20, 2023

Reviews

[mel · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5★. A young mage is sleeping in the meadow. With a spell, she opens the door to another world. This other world is shadowy, creepy, and full of monsters.

Mage and the Endless Unknown is a fantasy/horror graphic novel. It is (mostly) a silent graphic novel - without words. At first glance, it feels like a middle-grade graphic novel, but it’s too dark for this age.

Although it is a silent graphic novel, it is quite easy to understand the story. Illustrations are different but very good in a distinguished BW style.

Thanks to Iron Circus Comics for the ARC and this opportunity! This is a voluntary review, and all opinions are my own. This graphic novel will be available in June 2023.

[itsfel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am honestly baffled at what I just experienced it. Going in I was shocked that the mage didn’t talk but I thought it would be an interesting experience. There are maybe 2-3 pages with words in this 150 page novel. At some points the drawing did communicate what was going on but overall I was left confused. The plot of the novel was for the mage to experience things and I felt all they experienced was extremely graphic gore and death. There were hanging scenes and it was incredible unpleasant. I saw that this would be disturbing but I didn’t realize the extent. Perhaps if that level of gore interested you more you would enjoy this but this novel was not for me. Plot and everything else aside the artwork was beautiful. Thank you for providing me with an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Rhys · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

A nearly wordless graphic novel that combines cute protagonists and beautiful settings with terrifying, grotesque monsters. I have enjoyed other SJ Miller works, so I had an idea of what to expect with this (i.e., lots of imaginative and disturbing body horror). The story is pretty simple: Mage is tasked with heading out into the "old worlds" and "[facing] the bearers of their destruction" before he can return home to his creator; along the way, he makes friends, uses his magic to face off against these beings, and loses (literal) pieces of himself.

The art is great and I liked the way Miller plays with the panels/space in the comic; I also really like both the main characters' simplistic but very cute designs as well as the monsters' designs. The horror works well and although I wanted a bit more with the story, I still liked it.

[Nathan Bartos · Rating 4 out of 5]

*3.5 stars
An odd and gruesome nearly wordless graphic novel; not for the weak stomach, despite some of the cutesy art.

[Adena · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like this is the physical manifestation of "Giving my OCs trauma as a treat" lmaoooo. I think the real moral here "Stop getting separated" lol. Simple yet grisly!

[Cassidy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, this one took me by surprise! I picked it up, saw that it was largely wordless and mostly one panel per page, and just read it. I still have a lot to process and unpack from it, but it is profound and powerful. And not for the faint of heart. There are two primary art styles: adorable chibi and terrifying Junji Ito. As there are very few words, readers really do have to pay attention to the nonverbals to follow this gut-wrenching story.

For those who have read it and are confused by the end: The key is in the clothing!

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful and dark. The artwork was stunning and I really enjoyed the lack of text, it gave the story an ethereal vibe.

[Brittny's Book Talk · Rating 1 out of 5]

What in the world did I just read 😭

No words is fine, if it doesn't take away from the book. In which case it most definitely does.

I was so confused and lost for the entire duration of this book.

[Katenaps · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was WAY darker than I was expecting

[Jana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this looked cute and wholesome but it was scary! This wordless graphic novel depicts cute characters traversing a dark world. There is gore and body horror and not much of an explanation for any of it. I wished there was more exposition but the minimal explanation and quality art panels got me totally immersed in the adventure.

[Jessika Hoover · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a whimsical but deceptively dark little story! I was initially worried when I saw that this was an essentially wordless story, but honestly it turned out to be fairly easy to follow. The ending did feel a bit abrupt, and I do wish that when words did come into play that we would have gotten some more world building. But as it stands, I did enjoy my time meandering through this one…it felt like a twisted dream. Fans of The Girl From the Other Side would enjoy this.

Thank you to NetGalley and Iron Circus Comics for the free digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions presented here are my own.

[itsfel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am honestly baffled at what I just experienced it. Going in I was shocked that the mage didn’t talk but I thought it would be an interesting experience. There are maybe 2-3 pages with words in this 150 page novel. At some points the drawing did communicate what was going on but overall I was left confused. The plot of the novel was for the mage to experience things and I felt all they experienced was extremely graphic gore and death. There were hanging scenes and it was incredible unpleasant. I saw that this would be disturbing but I didn’t realize the extent. Perhaps if that level of gore interested you more you would enjoy this but this novel was not for me. Plot and everything else aside the artwork was beautiful. Thank you for providing me with an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Lauren Hunter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Creepy and cute

[Kayla Zabcia · Rating 3 out of 5]

72%

Well that was....horrific. The description did say it was filled with horror and death, but the art style was so cute on the cover, I figured it couldn't be THAT creepy/violent/unsettling. I was wrong, and it was.

This would be a great book for people who are into goth, horror, monsters, and the gory side of Halloween.

~Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.~

[Vale ~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was amazing. Thanks to netgalley for the arc copy of the comics.
The drawing boards are in black and white and are decidedly very expressive, there are no words but everything is expressed without problems.
Every emotion is well defined and fully understood, there is discovery and travel but also horror and death.

A gaze into this dimension where this wizard and his companions journey, through a mysterious land filled with monstrosities

[Jenn Marshall · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the art. Very brutal story that is enhanced by being almost wordless. Not sure I followed the story completely, but I could not put it down. Once I got to the last page I started all over again immediately. Loved it!

5 stars

[Haley Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful and terrifying adventure, unlike anything else I’ve read. The most gorgeous art.

[BillyDingle · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars! Round up to 4

Honestly for what this was I thought it was really good. I've been wanting to read this book for atleast a year now and so now that it's October I finally decided to sit down, late at night, and read this spooky yet wholesome graphic novel. Firstly, there was little to no dialogue, which I actually enjoyed as I thought that it was different and that it worked and allowed for me to focus on the visuals this story provided as well as the plot. We watch our kindhearted character/s traverse eerie environments with untold horrors and terrifying monsters. There was quite a bit of body horror in this which I found horrific and grotesque and definitely did what it set out to do.

I also however found that this book kind of had a cozy or wholesome vibe? As the character/s we follow seem genuinely kind and good-natured. We see all of these absolutely horrifying things happen to them yet they remain good-willed and cheerful, which I found to be really heartwarming. The ending was also bittersweet, following the moral that just a little kindness and positivity can heal despite the world being very bleak and dark and terrifying, and I really liked that. So if you're looking for a short graphic novel with good art and an interesting plotline for the Halloween season and you can manage disturbing imagery, I would definitely recommend Mage. Would definitely read again

P.s: This is free to read online!!! (Legally of course, put out by the author themselves)

[Janne Janssens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Don't be fooled by the cover, this is not a cute book. However, I did really like it!
Everytime I read a comic or graphic novel, I tell myself I should read them more often. I'm an author with a background in animation and I feel like graphic novels live in the space where books and movies meet.

Mage and the Endless Unknown is a graphic novel with (almost) no text.
This will give you a tendency to speed through the story the first time, but I encourage you to pick it up again and spend some time looking at (really seeing) the images. The author gives a lot of room for interpretation and that makes this dark story really interesting for every type of reader (who can stand a bit of gory imaging) and the art style is beautiful. The clash of cute character designs and dark surroundings works so well. The full-page stills also make it very convenient to read this story on any device, even small ones like I experienced on my phone.

I can definitely recommend this book!

[Eule Luftschloss · Rating 5 out of 5]

trigger warning
body horror, gore, mutilation

A mage's journey.

Well that escalated quickly.
It's all cute and wholesome until it isn't, and then it gets gory fast.

Most parts of this graphic novel are silent, there is only one character who talks and they rarely appear. The illustrations, which are in black and white, are beautiful, well, until they aren't but that's down to the horror bits.

Liked this a lot, would recommend if you're interested in the contrast between the cutesy get-go and how dark a graphic novel can get visually. Would read more by the artist.

The arc was provided by the publisher.

[Fionna · Rating 3 out of 5]

pretty creepy with some really gnarly body horror. the tone was interesting as it was a little mundane and then interspersed with some pretty grotesque images. I liked that it was all in black and white with minimal dialogue - I think color might have been too much with all the gore. however, the horror part of the story was really delicately interspersed with a somewhat hopeful ending.

[Aless · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 maybe 2.5/5

So it's not bad, but it's okay. This is one of those stories that would translate better as an animation. Especially because it is wordless except for the mentor figure. The art is cool with the style and compositions. The tone and subject matter is dark. Definitely not a happy light read.

[Fifi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so good, mo words just pictures and you feel the story. It was dark but also a a new beginning. I love it so much, i found it at the library and read it in one sitting, now i need to buy my own copy. The art is beautiful!!! Such a great story with just art!

[⭐️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Got this as an xmas pressie from my partner. I love how cute the main characters are and i loved it even more when i found out this was surprisingly dark and violent!
Never experienced this sort of graphic novel before with a full image/scene/panel per page.

[Mori · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this with no knowledge of the synopsis was an excellent move on my part, I adore silent comics (I know this has a few words but since it's not from the Mage, I'm not counting it.) This had a great combination of plot, exploration, pacing, and just overall beauty in the style, even with the body horror.

[Tanner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thought-provoking and hauntingly grotesque (in a good way). I’m a sucker for a graphic novel with few to no words when the concept is implemented correctly. Mage and the Endless Unknown uses it to achieve excellent visual worldbuilding and storytelling.

[Ashlee Null]

Not sure about my rating yet but this book is basically Adventure Time if written by Emily Carroll.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the illustration but was confused in a few parts regarding the story. It was also creepy in ways I didn’t expect.

[Jack Phoenix · Rating 3 out of 5]

At times cute, at times horrifying, this (mostly) wordless graphic novel is an excellent showcase for Miller’s artistic talent.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute little horror story told through mostly images and very minimal dialogue....it was probably almost 100 pages in before the first bit of text.