Mighty Nein Origins: Caduceus Clay

Title: Mighty Nein Origins: Caduceus Clay

ISBN: 9781506723730

Price: $17.99

Publisher/Year: Dark Horse, 2024

Artist: Selina Espiritu

Writer: Kendra Wells

Rating: 4/5

Follow the origin story of the Mighty Nein’s Caduceus Clay in this beautiful hardcover graphic novel written by Kendra Wells, illustrated by Selina Espiritu, with colors by Eren Angiolini and letters by Ariana Maher. Created in consultation with the cast of Critical Role!

Generations of the Clay family have tended to the careful rituals in the Blooming Grove. But when corruption begins to creep in on their sacred space, the Clays depart one by one to seek answers. Soon young Caduceus and Clarabelle are the only ones left, and when a dangerous burial quest falls to Caduceus, he must leave the Grove to do the family’s work.

This is the third The Mighty Nein Origins I have read and I’m enjoying the series so far. I do think this is the weakest so far in terms of giving background on the character, but it also felt a lot shorter than the others. 

What I did really like was that this ends at the exact moment that The Nein meet Caduceus. It was so lovely to see that moment come to life on the page, especially the ‘I think I only have three other cups’ moment. 

That was the moment I knew I’d love Caduceus and he’s so cute in this graphic novel. I love him in this art style and how we get to see him at different points in his life. You can’t tell just how tall he is in this though as he spends most of it alone, as I knew he would as that’s the first thing you learn about him.

His family are also really cute. I wish we got just a little longer with them during this graphic novel, but for the sake of consistency of his character background, it makes sense. Caduceus is a lonely guy and it makes him so endearing. I’ll never forget him trying milk for the first time.

The Blooming Grove is so beautiful. The color palette and style of this instalment almost rival that of the Jester one, but not quite. The slightly toned down hues make sense for a graphic novel about Caduceus as he is a walking pastel, other than his bright pink hair I suppose, but it really brought the cozy vibes that I expect from his character.

While this hasn’t been my favorite so far, it is still a very enjoyable read. I still don’t think these graphic novels will be entertaining for those that know nothing about The Mighty Nein but they are a lovely companion for those that love the characters.