IDW Publishing 2016
Written by Jim Zub
Illustrated by Nelson Daniel
Lettered by Neil Uyetake
Lost in Ravenloft! Our intrepid heroes have been pulled into the realm of eternal night. With dark forces watching their every move and unknown horrors hunting for their blood, will our heroes endure?
I don’t know what it is about this series and maybe it’s Jim’s writing but this for me is one of those purely fun books that seems to epitomise just what a team is and should be. Yes it has different races, built like and superhero team, who have various abilities some magical some with weapons. Each may have their own reason for traveling with the group but over time they form that bond that is inescapable.
Aside from the setting in general one of the best things about this is Jim’s characterization. There really is something about Minsc and Boo that you can’t help but to adore from his childlike naivete to his companion, space hamster Boo, and their unwavering faith that they are mighty warriors meant to do good. He’s like this wonderful overgrown child the rest have to constantly keep tabs on but would do anything for. As far as characters go he’s one of the undisputed most interesting around these days.
For those of you who don’t play D&D or are unfamiliar with it think of the realms like multiple Earths where history has taken a decidedly different path. Ravenloft is the darkest and most dangerous of those realities and these heroes of light and goodness find themselves here for the first time. This is the place that will change you at your soul regardless of how good and noble you may be so it’ll be interesting to see how they fare here as they try to find a way back home.
Nelson’s interiors are very strong here. I like the way he’s able to demonstrate the darkness of this realm against the lightness inside out heroes. There are different styles at play to showcase that and they work really well together. It does very much feel like an animated series and that alone makes me wish these characters would get their own movie now. His ability to have the flow of the stories through pages and panels is very well portrayed and the use of backgrounds, angles and perspective help give the feel of action that we need here.
So as we await their continuing adventures and see what will happen when they meet the big bad Vampire who rules with an iron fang and try to be manipulated by the locals i’ll just keep admiring what we’ve got here.
I’m a huge fan of this series and it makes me long to find a game to play in again. There’s nothing like the feeling of camaraderie and family that being in a group like makes you feel.