Dungeons & Dragons #0by Sheena McNeilReviews may contain information that could be considered 'spoilers'. Readers should proceed at their own risk. Publisher
Credits Grade: 6 This is the preview issue for the new Dungeons & Dragons series coming out in November and the Dark Sun series coming out January. It's only $1, but I hate that I now have to wait a few months before reading any more. The cover is wonderful with a big red dragon and a small (in comparison) knight facing off in an unrealistic situation (ie dragon flying and knight on the edge of a rocky outcrop). Classic.The Dungeons & Dragons story "Fell's Five" looks amazing. I'm definitely hooked on the art and character designs. The coloring is great too — I especially like the unusual slime greens and the glowing hues of the Underdark. The humor is fantastic and handled so well through dialogue and visual cues like body language, facial expressions and situations. I can't wait to get my hands on more of this, and it makes me wonder if there's more out there with previous D&D comics to tide me over. Khal, the drawf, looks almost exactly like Gimli from The Lord of the Rings movies. Are all drarves supposed to look alike? Adric, the human knight, is rugged and hansom and pretends to know what he's doing even when he doesn't. He's got that heroic luck that keeps him safe and helps everything work out. Like many a good hero, what attracts us to him is his flaws. I love that he is saved more than once in these ten pages by a woman, and each situation shows us the humor surrounding the nature of his character. Bree is a rogue and a thief, and her skills come in quite handy. She has more street (or dungeon) smarts than Adric, but is easily sidetracked by shiny objects. Her design is a little GI Joe meets a pirate-bandit, and she looks much cooler on the alternate cover design showed later in this issue (though, she's the only design I like on that cover). Varis is my kind of elf. Trademark blond hair, good looks and pointy ears? Check. Massively destructive, almost bloodthirsty, hand-to-hand combat skills? Hell yeah. My favorite part in this whole preview is when he releases his hold on his bow in order to slash his enemies apart with a battle-ax in each hand. Give me more! The newest addition to the team is a demonic-looking woman named Tisha; she wields magic. And it wouldn't be D&D if we didn't have a dragon right? So these ten pages manage to fit in jackal-men and a dragon. Best dragon death scene I've seen in a while. I had to laugh at the dragon's expression. This series should be fun and exciting! The Dark Sun story "Freedom" was a bit less exciting or enticing. Grudvik is a prisoner / slave on the run. Aki agrees to hunt him down for a price. These few pages show Grudvik being arrested from the bed of a mysterious woman of some social standing through his escape from the for-auction holding cell. Grudvic's appearance is mildly intriguing with the mohawk and tribal body art, but even next to the bland characters around him he's not a design that screams "follow my story." Aki is ... uninspiring. Part of it may be the coloring. It's well done, but it's very washed in orangey-yellows and maroons, blending for a very "yellow" and bland appearance. The only thing that I find interesting I learned from the interview in the back of this issue, and that is there is no metal in this world. Going back to look at the art, I realize the costumes are very caveman meets Mad Max (minus the modernization metal gives) and the weapons are all blunt instruments made of wood. It's a concept that could be more intriguing wasn't giving me a feel of ancient Rome mingled with Arabia with nothing more than clubs and bows and arrows. Others may find this kind of story alluring and full of adventure, but I'm unimpressed in every way. The interview in the back asks a couple questions of the writers and artists for both stories and gives links to the complete interview online. These are great for filling us in a bit more so we know what to expect from each story. For $1 you should definitely pick this up. It definitely provides and introduction to two very different stories, and you may find yourself with a new series to look forward to. Written: August 26, 2010
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