Griffon and Rana are heading into the city for the first time. How will they handle the technologically advanced city after living off the grid for their whole life? Find out in Dryad #4 by Oni Press!

DRYAD #4

Writer: Kurtis Wiebe
Artist: Justin Osterling
Colorist: Francesco Segala
Letterer: Jim Campbell
Editor: Jasmine Amiri
Publisher: Oni Press, INC.
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: August 12th, 2020

Previously in Dryad: Griffon and Rana have recently learned that their parents, Morgan and Yale, had a very different life prior to their birth. Now that their past has caught up to the twins present; the four must navigate new territory. For the parents, they have to protect their kids at all costs. For the twins, they must figure out what secrets their parents are hiding from them and decide if they can ever return back to their old lives.

FIGURING OUT THE PAST AND PRESENT

Griffon and Rana are having trouble handling the culture of the city. They feel alienated by their parents and they don’t understand any of this technology. Unfortunately, as they are being escorted to their safehouse, they are shot down and attacked. It seems their under the radar entrance was tracked and they engaged with a heavily armored man. Morgan recognizes this man as Stryfe, an old associate who is working for someone new. It seems that the target is not Morgan or Yale but the twins.

Valencia is able to run Stryfe over with a car despite being injured and Morgan drives off. Unfortunately, Val loses consciousness and they have nowhere to go. They opt to meet with an old acquaintance known as Creston. But little do they know, they are walking into a trap.

KIDS THESE DAYS

Griffon and Rana are growing apart from their parents due to all their secrets. As a parent though, can I blame the parents for not mentioning this stuff? They thought they left this weird secret life behind. Can I blame the kids? They learned that their fantasy-esque village wasn’t reality and that they were living a lie. What an interesting dilemma that draws me to this series because I don’t know the right answer. I want to see how this family handles these questions and if they will be able to reconcile; if they can reconcile at all. I also love the theme of family. Often in comics, people choose their team but in this case the team is related by blood.

The setting is interesting as well. While originally I thought this was a fantasy title due to the elves and magic in the first issue; we soon find out it is not. There is a huge bit of technology that kind of blindsides the reader like it blindsides the kids. This is kind of a crazy idea that can be a turn off for people looking for traditional fantasy. However, I think the characters and themes make it strong enough to overlook this. Plus, watching elves and orcs in a metropolis is so visually stunning and it was the mash-up I didn’t know I wanted.

BOTTOM LINE: STILL ON BOARD

I really enjoy this story and the themes. Since I became a parent, stories with strong parental figures seem few and far between. Most comic books seem to have broken families as a cornerstone of every protagonist. Visually the story is stunning and the writing is solid in this issue and I want to know more. I want to know the secrets of the parents and I can’t wait for issue 5. 4 out of 5 stars for Dryad #4.

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Dryad #4

80%

80%

Love it!

Griffon and Rana leave their technology free/fantasy village and head to a metropolis. Can these twins handle the culture shock of life in the big city?

• Writing

  8
• Art

  9
• Coloring

  7
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