Through the Elder Woods is volume one of the Nothing Special graphic novel series by Katie Cook, which is currently scheduled for release on March 5 2024. The first season of mayhem, magic, vegetables and adventure from Katie Cook's beloved Webtoon, Nothing Special, is collected in this gorgeous graphic novel, which also features exclusive behind-the-scenes content.
In the grand scheme of the worlds at large, Callie thinks she's nothing special. Sure, she's friends with the ghost of a radish and her dad owns a magical antique shop--but she's spent her life in the human world. Her dad won't let her join him on his collection trips in the magical realm “for her own protection”, so she’s only caught glimpses of that world through the gates of the town where her father’s store is. On her seventeenth birthday, Callie goes home with her friend Declan to find her home in disarray and her dad missing. Signs of a struggle point to the portal to the magical realm and when there are signs, you follow them. Now it's up to Callie, Declan, and Radish to band together and bring him home. As they face creatures good and bad, and all sorts of adventure, Callie and Declan may just find out that they are both special in their own ways after all.
Through the Elder Woods is an entertaining read, and one that I enjoyed on several levels. First, and with graphic novels very important, I love the art style. The artwork captures the emotion of the characters, gives subtle clues to the larger story, and also has a sense of fun and whimsy to it. It matched and complimented the story perfectly, and I enjoyed the book as a whole. I thought the character development and slow reveal of the world building was very well done. I loved getting to know Callie as she was figuring it out for herself. I loved getting to see her relationships bloom, and while there is romance and the dreaded love triangle hint in there, that part of the story never overshadowed the adventure and figuring out just who she was and what she wanted. That made me very happy. I think the fact that even when the adventure and danger got serious, there was still a light hearted whimsy to the overall story is what really captured me with this book. I will be eagerly awaiting book two, and perhaps finally exploring Webtoon for more as well.
Through the Elder Woods is a fun and engaging graphic novel. I only wish I had discovered it sooner. 
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