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
Cover of the first printing of issue #1, published in May 2014.
Publication information
PublisherBoom! Studios
ScheduleMonthly/bimonthly (irregular)
FormatOngoing series
Publication dateMay 2014 – October 2017
No. of issues36
Main character(s)
  • Isaac Andrews
  • Karen Jacobs
  • Calder McCready
  • Sanami Ota
  • Maria Ramirez
  • Adrian Roth
  • Benjamin Stone
Creative team
Written byJames Tynion IV
Artist(s)Michael Dialynas
Collected editions
The ArrowISBN 978-160886-4546
The SwarmISBN 978-160886-4959
New LondonISBN 978-160886-7738
Movie NightISBN 978-160886-8223
The HordeISBN 978-160886-8575
The LostISBN 978-160886-9435
The Black CityISBN 978-160886-9893
The Final WarISBN 978-168415-0403
The Way HomeISBN 978-168415-1271

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

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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

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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]

Collected editions

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The series was originally published in nine volumes that cover the three years the characters are on the forested moon.

Title Material Collected Format Pages Publication Date ISBN
The Woods, Volume 1: The Arrow The Woods #1-4 Trade Paperback 96 September 23, 2014 ISBN 9781608864546
The Woods, Volume 2: The Swarm The Woods #5-8 112 May 12, 2015 ISBN 9781608864959
The Woods, Volume 3: New London The Woods #9-12 112 January 19, 2016 ISBN 9781608867738
The Woods, Volume 4: Movie Night The Woods #13-16 112 June 7, 2016 ISBN 9781608868223
The Woods, Volume 5: The Horde The Woods #17-20 112 November 8, 2016 ISBN 9781608868575
The Woods, Volume 6: The Lost The Woods #21-24 112 April 25, 2017 ISBN 9781608869435
The Woods, Volume 7: The Black City The Woods #25-28 112 July 11, 2017 ISBN 9781608869893
The Woods, Volume 8: The Final War The Woods #29-32 112 December 5, 2017 ISBN 9781684150403
The Woods, Volume 9: The Way Home The Woods #33-36 112 March 20, 2018 ISBN 9781684151271

The nine volumes were also collected into three "Yearbook" editions.

Title Material Collected Format Pages Publication Date ISBN
The Woods Yearbook Edition: Book One The Woods, Volume #1-3 Trade Paperback 304 May 14, 2019 ISBN 9781684153640
The Woods Yearbook Edition: Book Two The Woods, Volume #4-6 240 August 13, 2019 ISBN 9781684153923
The Woods Yearbook Edition: Book Three The Woods, Volume #7-9 304 December 3, 2019 ISBN 9781684154685

Reception

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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

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In December 2016, US television channel Syfy was announced to have begun developing a series based on the comic,[5] but the project stalled. The screen adaptation was written by Michael Armbruster,[5] with episodes set to be produced and directed by Brad Peyton.[5]

References

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  1. ^ a b "The Woods". Comic Vine. CBS Interactive. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
  2. ^ Burlingame, Russ (May 14, 2014). "The Woods #1 Sells Out, Heading Back for Second Printing". ComicBook.com. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
  3. ^ Magnett, Chase (August 18, 2014). "Interview: James Tynion IV Goes Deep in the Woods". Comics Bulletin. Archived from the original on July 5, 2018. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
  4. ^ "Michael Dialynas". Lambiek Comiclopedia. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
  5. ^ a b c d 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.
  6. ^ McLelland, Keenan (June 27, 2017). "GLAAD Honors BOOM! Studios' The Woods". Geek.com. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on February 20, 2020. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
  7. ^ Chuba, Kirsten (January 19, 2018). "GLAAD Media Awards Nominees: Full List". Variety. Archived from the original on April 21, 2018. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
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