Why You Should Be Reading The D&D Comic

There’s a perception, both outside the gamer community and to some extent within it, that all roleplaying fans are also comic nerds. It’s not always an accurate assumption, even if there does tend to be a lot of overlap. I’m what you could call a casual comic book fan, as are many of my friends. I read a lot of the more popular or critically praised comics (The Sandman, V for Vendetta, Transmetropolitan, etc.) and I’m pretty familiar with a lot of comic characters in a general sense. But I don’t have a pull list at my local comic shop, I don’t buy individual comic issues (instead preferring to wait until they’re collected into graphic novel format), and I don’t really get excited for playing games based on comic books. With that said, the recent D&D comic from IDW is a great piece of work that absolutely deserves to be read right now, whether you’re a comic fan or not and whether you’re a big D&D fan or not. Even if you’re not big on D&D4e, it’s such a great comic that I think it deserves your attention anyway.

The cast of characters at first glance appears to be something right out of a classic (or cliche) adventuring party. Human fighter? Check. Dwarven Paladin? Got it. Halfling thief? Got one of those too. Elven Ranger? Present and accounted for. Wizard? Ah, here’s the first sign that things might not be quite as predictable as you might otherwise expect. We have a Tiefling Warlock instead of the Wizard you might think you’re getting. And there’s no cleric to be found either. It’s something I found to be the case about the comic in general. It gives you most of what you want or expect to see, but gives it a refreshingly subtle twist in some way. The characters are no different in this respect. The human fighter isn’t a dim brute, but a smart and surprisingly effective leader. The Elven Ranger is a down to earth deadpan snarker, not easily confused with any of the many Legolas clones you see out there. The characters really feel like more than a stereotype.

That’s helped that it’s a genuinely fun and funny comic. It’s written by John Rogers, probably best known as the creator and executive producer of the TV show Leverage and it shows a similar wit and charm. It’s written almost like a casual D&D game might sound with lots of one-liners, funny situations, and a general sense that it’s not taking itself too seriously. Just seriously enough to tell an entertaining story. The very first page of issue #1 has a burning orphanage and zombie orphans attacking our heroes and that sets the tone for what’s to come. It’s never an outright parody or comedy in the lines of Monty Python and the Holy Grail, but you’ll never mistake it for a grim and serious adventure like a Conan story or even Tolkien either. It lies somewhere in between and I think it’s all the better for it.

As for the art? I’m not a critic and I don’t know how to couch it in comic or art terms, but I like it. It’s done by Andrea Di Vito, who has done a fair bit of work for Marvel. It feels clean and crisp and I think the character designs and environments are excellent. What else is to like about the comic? Well, each one comes with a character sheet for one of the main characters. Handy if you happen to need an NPC or even a bad guy for your campaign. I’ve seen that some of the earlier issues have actually come with tabletop encounters based on those in the comic, which could be fun for a casual night of gaming or a DM in need of a quick combat encounter. Not a necessary thing, in either the case of the characters or encounters, but a nice little gesture.

So what are you waiting for? This isn’t just a good D&D comic, it’s a just a damned good comic. Period. As of right now there are 6 full issues of the comic, plus an issue #0 that was often given out as a promotional item (I got one at PAX Prime last year). And if you’re not up to buying them seperately? The graphic novel collection will be released next month.