Writer & Artist: Mig
Creator: Tot
Editor: Élise Storm
Publisher: Magnetic Press
Price: $19.99
Release Date: November 18, 2025
Ogrest enjoys telling the story of his birth. Dathura doesn't mind. The living doll delights in everything about life. But Papa Otomaï wishes Ogrest wouldn't bother Dathura with his life story, and would concentrate more on his studies. Whether Ogrest likes it or not, Otomaï sits the little ogre down at a boat-shaped desk in their tree house and tells him how the world works. Can Otomaï help Ogrest develop a love of learning? And how will world events affect their tranquil island? Let's grab a dofus, leap into Ogrest Vol 1 SC, and see!
Story
Otomaï is an alchemist. He created Ogrest and watches over Dathura. The little ogre may be utterly unique. Still, Ogrest doesn’t suffer constant injuries like the living doll he adores. While Dathura and the dragon Aguabrial created the Turquoise Dofus, Otomaï guards the Ocher Dofus. These dragon eggs are rare and can imbue the holder with power. When a newspaper reports that the Dofus have gone missing, people abandon their usual pursuits to find them.
Ogrest Vol 1 SC splits the point of view between numerous characters. The most prominent are Otomaï and Lupa. Unlike Otomaï, who prefers to hide himself away on his island, Lupa embarks on a quest. As the dofus hunters enjoy the jaunt of their lives, Lupa leads a group of warriors in search of children with special abilities. She and her brotherhood aren't too careful about how they go about their search for the Chosen Ones. But then, neither are the souvenir seekers when they arrive at Otomaï’s island.
While introducing readers to Otomaï’s world, Ogrest Vol 1 SC is a coming-of-age story. When we first see them, Ogrest and Kali enjoy sheltered lives. Who they might have become, had they grown to adulthood without outside interference, we will never know. By the end of Mig's book, the ogre and the girl have grown significantly. Such rapid growth isn’t good for either one. But like a society gifted with superior technology, Ogrest and Kali inhabit a world of transformative magic.
Like Dathura, Otomaï can create life. He can also use magic to crossbreed magical creatures. But once he creates Ogrest, and the little ogre starts to grow, Otomaï cannot control his rambunctious creation. And despite the Dofus’ ability to balance the powers of the world, Otomaï cannot prevent his island from throbbing with disharmony in Ogrest Vol 1 SC.
Art
Ogrest binds his hair in a short ponytail. His ears droop to his diaper or loincloth. While Ogrest hates school, he enjoys art. So, as Ogrest sits before a chalkboard, he illustrates his origin on scraps of paper. Dathura wears fake bunny ears and a bikini top. A sheer fabric drapes from the bikini around her hips and legs. Like Ogrest’s ears, Otomaï’s long hair falls around his face, hiding an eye while falling around his pointed ears. The trio lives in a tree house filled with barrels of food, shelves stocked with crockery, and a breakfast bar curving around a cooking hearth. The roof of the multistoried treehouse extends to a point, evoking a character readers will meet in Ogrest Vol 1 SC.
Compared with the tropical island where Otomaï, Dathura, and Ogrest live, Kali grows up in a temple. A statue of her winged god towers over the worshippers. Water falls from the statue’s outstretched hands. While her brother gazes hesitantly up at a robed priest, Kali regards them with irritation. The pent-up anger Kali expresses links her with the god she serves.
Ogrest, Kali, and all the characters speak black uppercase words into balloons in this Black and White comic. The words grow bold with intonation and enlarge with volume. Balloons grow spikes when characters display emotions. Paragraphs below the panels illustrate Trumbo's misadventures. Sound effects accentuate involuntary utterances as Otomaï’s creations respond to Dathura’s loving touch in Ogrest Vol 1 SC. Thanks to Magnetic Press, Oni Press, and Superfan Promotions for providing a review copy.
Final Thoughts
While focusing on Otomaï’s struggles, Ogrest’s irrepressible exuberance for life, and Kali's transformation, Mig intersperses his coming-of-age fantasy with brief chapters from Trumbo the Iop. This children’s story is as delightfully dark as any of Grimm's fairy tales. Iop’s misadventures could represent bedtime tales Otomaï reads to Ogrest before world events disrupt their carefully balanced life in Ogrest Vol 1 SC.
Rating 9.8/10
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