Vault Comics; $9.99 

I finally gave in. 

For the longest time, I never understood the hype surrounding Dungeon Crawler Carl. My girlfriend has been a fan for ages, so I've heard plenty about Carl and Princess Donut… usually on a daily basis. I wasn't avoiding the series – I just never got around to it. When Vault Comics released Dungeon Crawler Carl Special Edition #0, it seemed like the perfect excuse to see what I'd been missing. 

Now I get it. 

Based on Matt Dinniman's bestselling LitRPG novels, this special edition collects the opening episode – and additional material – from the hit WEBTOON adaptation, which has amassed more than 5.6 million reads and 225,000 subscribers. If you've been curious about the series but haven't known where to start, this comic makes for an easy jumping-on point. 

The premise is wonderfully ridiculous. Carl survives the end of the world only to find himself trapped inside a deadly alien game show alongside Princess Donut, his ex-girlfriend's pampered cat. That setup alone is enough to grab your attention, but it's the characters that kept me turning pages. 

Carl is the kind of protagonist you can immediately get behind. He's thrown into an impossible situation, yet never loses the determination to keep pushing forward. Then there's Princess Donut, who steals just about every scene she's in. Her personality bounces off Carl perfectly, creating some genuinely funny moments without making the danger feel less real. Ms. Parsons also leaves a strong first impression, adding another memorable personality to the mix. 

One thing I wasn't expecting was how much this comic reminded me of Adventure Time. No, the stories aren't the same, but they gave me a similar feeling. Carl and Princess Donut have a dynamic that brought Finn and Jake to mind. They stumble through a bizarre world filled with strange encounters, balancing comedy, adventure, and heart in a way that simply works. It wasn't a comparison I expected to make, but it kept coming back to me as I read. 

The comic also tapped into something personal. I grew up playing Dungeons & Dragons and just about every tabletop RPG I could get my hands on. Reading this brought back memories of gathering around the kitchen table with friends, rolling dice, creating characters, and getting completely lost in imaginary worlds for hours. It even reminded me of the first season of Stranger Things, when friendship and the joy of playing games were just as important as the adventure itself. 

The humor deserves a mention, too. The jokes land naturally because they grow out of the characters instead of interrupting the story. The RPG mechanics are easy to follow, even for someone who has never read the novels, and they become part of the fun rather than something that slows the pace. 

I opened this comic simply because I wanted to understand why so many people love Dungeon Crawler Carl. I closed it, planning to read more. That's about the strongest endorsement I can give. 

–Scott Schlazer