Dark Horse Comics 2018
Written by Nunzio DeFilippis & Christina Weir
Illustrated by Fernando Heinz Furukawa
Coloured by Michael Atiyeh
Lettered by Nate Piekos of Blambot
Olivia Pryde hasn't worked an honest day in years. Once an actress, she now lives by the con, and has come to Tevinter with a new target: Calix Qintara, the heir to a wealthy house. Once she approaches the young man, she quickly realizes that he is not exactly who he says he is--and she may be in too deep.
Now I don’t play video games, I haven’t seen Arcades went out of style and those well are much different than gaming today, so my real exposure to the franchise has been these arcs. For me these arcs rival the work done in Alien franchise. Each one focusing on something from a different aspect of the world and exploring places and people who inhabit it. It also has the distinction that each arc seems to focus on a new never before revealed character or characters while managing to maintain the kind of quality and standards expected from BioWare.
The combination of bring a Dungeons & Dragons type world together with strong stories, characters and political settings is what makes us love this. I never know what is going to happen with each new arc and as it turns out that unknown feeling is exactly the perfect lure to dangle in front of folks to get them to come back time and time again. These two for example bring us their take on a Rogue, I say take on and it’s true because Rogue’s are so versatile and can come from a myriad of places, see origins. So in Olivia and by extension the boy using the name Calix we get a story that you cannot trust anything being said or anyone saying it and that’s mind games to the Nth degree.
The way that this is structured is incredibly well done. The ebb & flow that we experience is smooth yet rocky, kind of like zip-lining, and this is one of those times when the dialogue is so darn important to the story and to the characterisation. Our unexpected duo going back and forth and trying to do this whole one-upmanship whether intentional or not, there are moments when they don’t consider it that but that’s up for you to decide, is so sublimely done.
I am a huge fan of the interior artwork here as well. This is another staple of the franchise each arc has some fabulous interior artwork. The attention to detail is utterly marvellous and the way that Fernando is able to manipulate the varying weight of the linework only serves to strengthen that. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective show off a very strong solid eye for storytelling. The way that backgrounds are utilised is sensational they serve to expand the story, the moments and the overall size and scope of the story. The creativity and imagination on display is great to see and the way that Michael colours this is phenomenal. He is able to use colour to make moments pop, stand out and give us that mood or ambiance that the story needs.
I am one of those people who is excited by the fact that this is as cerebral as it is. I mean the two are so similar and they use their words to confuse and to manipulate those they talk to. So that it’s so integral to the story and how we see them it has to be that way and I cannot get enough of it! This is a sensationally well written book with characterisation that is off the charts and with the interior artwork that serves to enhance it you can never go wrong with Dragon Age.