The Woods (comic)
The Woods is a serialized graphic novel written by James Tynion IV, with art by Michael Dialynas. In the story, more than 500 students, faculty, and staff from a Midwestern preparatory school vanish from Earth, and reappear on the forested moon of a planet in another star system.
| The Woods | |
|---|---|
.jpg.webp) Cover of the first printing of issue #1, published in May 2014 | |
| No. of issues | 36 |
| Publisher | Boom! Studios |
| Creative team | |
| Writer | James Tynion IV |
| Artist | Michael Dialynas |
| Creator | James Tynion IV & Michael Dialynas |
| Original publication | |
| Dates of publication | May 2014 – October 2017 |
| Language | English |
The Woods was published by Boom! Studios in 36 issues, from May 2014 to October 2017.[1] Distributors bought every copy of the first issue the day it was made available for wholesale purchase; Boom Studios! issued a second printing with a slightly different cover design.[2] The entire series was later anthologized in nine volumes, which Boom! Studios published from September 2014 to March 2018.[1]
Honours for The Woods include "Best Graphic Novel for Young Adults" (YALSA, 2016) and the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Comic Book (2017).
Plot
The story begins at a college-preparatory school in the suburbs of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, a city in the Midwestern United States. From there, 513 people—including 437 students, 52 teachers, and 24 staff—disappear on the date October 16, 2013. They reappear on a forest-covered moon in an uncharted part of the universe.
The story follows seven students in particular: Isaac Andrews, Karen Jacobs, Calder McCready, Sanami Ota, Maria Ramirez, Adrian Roth, and Benjamin Stone.
Illustration
After James Tynion wrote The Woods, Boom Studios helped to find an artist to draw the comic. "We were looking at a bunch of people, but when I saw Michael [Dialynas]' character work, it made me see… the characters in my head, and they had come to life in a way that was wholly them, and in that moment, it was a no brainer," Tynion said.[3] Among Dialynas' previous illustration credits are Amala's Blade (Dark Horse Comics, 2012), Trinkets: An Attic Full of Stories (Comicdom Press, 2011), and Swan Songs: Fleeting Feathers (Comicdom Press, 2010).[4]
Reception
In 2016, the Young Adult Library Services Association named The Woods the "Best Graphic Novel for Young Adults" of the year.[5] In 2017, GLAAD awarded Tynion the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Comic Book for his work on The Woods.[6] The Woods was renominated in 2018; that year, it was one of three Tynion stories to be nominated.[7]
Television adaptation
US television channel Syfy began developing a series based on the comic,[5] but the project stalled. The screen adaptation was written by Michael Armbruster,[5] and episodes were to be produced and directed by Brad Peyton.[5]
References
- "The Woods". Comic Vine. CBS Interactive. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
- Burlingame, Russ (May 14, 2014). "The Woods #1 Sells Out, Heading Back for Second Printing". ComicBook.com. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
- Magnett, Chase (August 18, 2014). "Interview: James Tynion IV Goes Deep in the Woods". Comics Bulletin. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
- "Michael Dialynas". Lambiek Comiclopedia. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
- Andreeva, Nellie (December 2, 2016). "The Woods TV Series Based on Boom! Comic in Works at Syfy with Brad Peyton". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
- McLelland, Keenan (June 27, 2017). "GLAAD Honors BOOM! Studios' The Woods". Geek.com. Ziff Davis. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
- Chuba, Kirsten (January 19, 2018). "GLAAD Media Awards Nominees: Full List". Variety. Archived from the original on April 21, 2018. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
