Oni Press Invites You To Choose Your Own Adventure Next Spring
by Anton Kromoff
Welcome to the table,
I had a teacher in elementary school who was unreasonably mean to me. I could go into all the stuff she did to me that caused me to dislike myself for most of my life, but that would be kinda sad. So, rather than talk about all the bad she did, I want to call out the one really good thing she had going for her.
In her class, there were three massive double-sided bookshelves and these bookshelves were stuffed full of all sorts of books that you could not find in the regular school library. The Witches by Roald Dahl, My Teacher is an Alien by Bruce Coville, and more Choose Your Own Adventure books than you could shake a stick at.
These Choose Your Own Adventure books were amazing in my early years, as I was trying to figure out my voice in the TTRPG space. They also provided a way to critically think about the information I had just read and how it would decide if I would turn to page 7 and fall down the spider-infested well or turn to page 43 and grab the golden key hanging from the silver rope.
The more options the better, the more ways to think about the situation at hand the more opportunities for risk and reward. Somewhere between the House of Daggers and descending from space onto Ultima (if you get that reference we might need to be friends), I figured out how to be a better storyteller.
So I got really stoked when Oni Press announced that next Spring they are publishing Choose Your Own Adventure: Forecast From Stonehenge from acclaimed writer Stephanie Phillips and artist Dani Bolinho. This is going to be an interactive adventure graphic novel where the reader decides what happens next. With 16 possible endings in total, this vibrant and non-violent adaptation will take readers on their own visual adventure as a detective exploring London’s underground to uncover the secrets of the famous prehistoric monument, Stonehenge.
In this Choose Your Own Adventure graphic novel, adapted from the classic ChooseCo book, you’ll be visiting the infamous and enigmatic Stonehenge as a young traveler. While attending a solstice event held by a nameless group of druids in disguise, you’ll meet numerous characters like the excitable wizard Alistair, the deadly fairy Elaine and her horde, and even a woodland nymph Liandra.
At the center are the secrets of Stonehenge and a magical scythe that’s fallen into your hands. Who you meet, and whether they’re friends or foes will be up to you as you choose where the story takes you! Part explorer, part detective, you’ll explore London’s underground in search of answers to uncover the secrets of the famous Stonehenge.
“I was excited to help bring a choose your own adventure story to comics and expand the audience of readers who get to experience this fun and unique format,” said Phillips. “As a kid, I loved CYOA stories because they allowed me to take an active role in the story being told, and thanks to Dani Bolinho’s art I think readers will absolutely feel like they are being pulled into the world of Forecast from Stonehenge.”
“I fell in love with the Choose Your Own Adventure books as a kid and it’s thrilling to see those original stories adapted for graphic novels readers,” said Oni Press Editor-in-Chief Sierra Hahn. “All the fun, mystery, and intrigue are delightfully captured in Stephanie and Dani’s revisiting of Forecast From Stonehenge.”
This is the third officially licensed Choose Your Own Adventure graphic novel and is based on the previously published Forecast from Stonehenge prose book from ChooseCo. Choose Your Own Adventure: Forecast From Stonehenge will be available at retailers everywhere on April 30, 2024.
Until next time, always check under the bed!
