Dungeons & Dragons: Legends Of Baldur's Gate #4 - IDW Publishing

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: LEGENDS OF BALDUR'S GATE No. 4, January 2015

Despite actually promoting Issue Four of “Dungeons & Dragons: Legends Of Baldur’s Gate” as containing “less talk, more fight!”, Jim Zub’s narrative for this twenty-page periodical regrettably doesn’t really get going until the comic is half-way over. Sure, the Canadian author manages to whip up a modicum of mystic mischief at the very start of the publication by taking its audience back to when an adolescent Delina first realised her rare aptitude for magic “without any training”. But this glimpse into the young Moon Elf’s backstory is fleeting, and arguably is included more to show the angry resentment stored up within her jealous brother than to provide any injection of dynamic action.

Instead, this book’s audience must first negotiate a series of conversational pieces between “The Fist of Truth” and “Ugly Walrus Face”, as well as the evidently evil Deniak’s unsurprising betrayal of his naïve sister. These dialogue-driven scenes are somewhat necessary to explain how Minsc, Krydle and Shandie can quickly navigate the legendary city in the hope of thwarting the cultists’ dark ritual. However, it’s not until some thirty-six text-laden panels later that any bibliophile will actually see Boo explode onto the scene atop his ranger’s formidably sized shoulder; “My hamster speaks truth, ugly ones! Surrender or face huge justice!”

Enjoyably though, once Zub’s penmanship does finally get things going, it’s easy to imagine most of this publication’s 4,602 strong circulation thoroughly enjoying its jaw-cracking concoction of powerful pummels to the face, well-aimed arrows and deadly attacks by a certain miniature giant space rodent. Furthermore, the pace of the already frenzied action is ramped up every so often by the clever inclusion of Deniak feverishly working his dark magic upon his immobile, sacrificial sibling to become imbued with all the dread power of a dragon.

Ably aiding any reader through this comic’s sedentary start, and then gleefully hurling them face-first into the sheer carnage of Minsc bludgeoning a basement full of Bugbears, is Max Dunbar, whose artwork does a tremendous job in depicting the emotions of this mini-series’ considerably sized cast. Indeed, besides the sheer ferocity on show during this book’s climatic fight sequence, one of its highlights is just how well the concept artist manages to etch the venomous envy upon Deniak’s face and the genuine concern upon Delina’s for her beloved brother’s wellbeing despite everything he has done against her.

Written by: Jim Zub, Art by: Max Dunbar, and Colors by: John-Paul Bove

Dungeons & Dragons: Legends Of Baldur's Gate #3 - IDW Publishing

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: LEGENDS OF BALDUR'S GATE No. 3, December 2014

Despite essentially consisting of a frantically paced, night-time dash across some of the city-state’s most precarious, tile-covered rooves, Issue Three of “Dungeons & Dragons: Legends Of Baldur’s Gate” still provides plenty of intriguing insights into the corruption-riddled world of the Patriar, as well as a bag full of laugh out loud humour. In fact, Jim Zub’s ability to combine super-tense action with a seemingly never-ending carousel of one-liners is arguably this twenty-page periodical’s greatest strength, and certainly helps invigorate its potentially more sedentary scenes with some much-needed sparkle; “Hamster justice cannot be ignored, ugly man!”

Foremost of these sequences is the leading cast’s extraordinary entrance into one of “the upper crust’s" most lavish of social gatherings, in which Minsc somehow manages to convince a startled servant that the heavily muscled adventurer is supposedly a musically-talented troubadour. This somewhat lengthy conversational piece runs on for a good twelve, well-proportioned panels, and could easily have dragged on if it wasn’t for the Canadian author making the doorman extremely dry-witted, and “the beloved ranger” engagingly naïve.

Likewise, the sheer scale of the chaos caused by Delina when she inadvertently bumps into “one of the jerks who ambushed us” is hilarious and demonstrates just how fast things can get out of control when you allow the former bodyguard of the witch Dynaheir into a banquet whilst he’s still armed with his extraordinarily large two-handed broadsword. Whether it be Shandie stuffing her face full of vol-au-vents, Krydle face-palming himself at the sight of his partners-in-crime tearing up his brother’s party, or Coran’s disbelief at finding Boo suddenly squeaking in his hands, it’s doubtful that many of this comic’s 5,563 readers successfully managed to stifle a laugh or two during such well-penned carnage.

Adding enormously to this book’s sheer sense of fun are Max Dunbar’s layouts, which debatably do an incredible job of imbuing the storytelling with lots of energy and dynamism. The swashbuckling swordfights atop some the metropolis’ tallest buildings are particularly noteworthy for their prodigious pencilling, as are the plethora of facial expressions drawn upon every character as they endure a myriad of different emotions during the Dragon Cult’s attempted abduction of their young moon elf team-mate.

Written by: Jim Zub, Art by: Max Dunbar, and Colors by: John-Paul Bove

Dungeons & Dragons: Legends Of Baldur's Gate #2 - IDW Publishing

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: LEGENDS OF BALDUR'S GATE No. 2, November 2014

Combining a marvellous mixture of flashbacks, swashbuckling swordplay and political intrigue, Jim Zub’s narrative for Issue Two of “Dungeons & Dragons: Legends Of Baldur’s Gate” probably landed rather well with the mini-series’ 7,642-strong audience in November 2014. For whilst the comic’s plot certainly contains some quite lengthy conversations between the likes of Delina and her would-be rescuers Krydle and Shandie, as well as those involving Duke Ravenguard and the duplicitous Fetcher, these dialogue-driven interludes are arguably just as mesmerising as Minsc’s bloody battle with a coven of mask-wearing magic users.

In fact, one of this twenty-page periodical’s greatest assets is the way its Canadian author manages to quickly establish just how complicated the coordination and running of the large city actually is; whether it be the major port’s devilish criminal underground packed full of favours and faceless cut-throats, or its supposedly more honourable noble quarters, where its City Watch dare not disturb its wealthy occupants even after two of their armoured number have been slain. Such attention to detail truly does help sell the menacing environment surrounding our heroes and also promotes the sprawling conurbation as a very real, living metropolis, full of merchants, warriors, priests and thieves.

Likewise, Zub perfectly projects the ever-present threat of a violent death into his storyline even when Delina’s newfound friends are both heavily-armed and evidently formidable fighters. Before the reader can really even register that the party are being waylaid by sorcery-aided assassins, its “beloved Ranger” is stabbed in the side by a sinister-looking curved blade and Krydle is fighting for his life against the razor-sharp talons of an unknown attacker. This shocking assault upon the senses immediately ramps up the tension within the comic, and demonstrates just how much danger the quartet are already in, even though they’ve yet to attempt to move between Baldur Gate’s upper and lower levels. 

Impressively imbuing all of this book’s numerous chess pieces with plenty of individual character is Max Dunbar, whose pencils are particularly impressive when it comes to facial expressions – even when the figure is that of “a miniature giant space hamster of great courage and wise wisdom” called Boo. Furthermore, this publication contains an enthralling insight into the artist’s preliminary sketches of its protagonists, as well as some of the highly-detailed landscapes required for his layouts - courtesy of a behind the scenes article by editor, John Barber.

Written by: Jim Zub, Art by: Max Dunbar, and Colors by: John-Paul Bove & Joana Lafuente

Dungeons & Dragons: Legends Of Baldur's Gate #1 - IDW Publishing

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: LEGENDS OF BALDUR'S GATE No. 1, October 2014

Featuring both a headlong dash through “the bustling urban centre”, and some sense-shattering swordplay by the Rashemaar warrior Minsc, this comic arguably doesn’t need to contain “a letter from series writer Jim Zub” to show just how much the fantasy tabletop role-playing game means to the Canadian author. Indeed, the Animex Honorary Award-winner’s love for “Dungeons & Dragons” absolutely resonates from every panel of this twenty-page periodical, as the moon elf Delina desperately attempts to outwit a pair of stone gargoyles amidst a delightful mixture of deadly danger and laugh out loud humour; “Stand down, dirty minions of evil -- Or face my hamster’s wrath!”

Furthermore, the Toronto art professor appears equally as adept at imbuing this book with some intriguing mystery and genuine sense of peril. Sure, it’s difficult to take “the legendary Ranger” too seriously when the do-gooder momentarily pauses whilst facing the murderous stone constructs simply to allow his positively rotund pet rodent to hiss at them. But beguilingly, just why the “wild mage sorcerer” who resurrected him is being chased by such devilish creatures is never explained, nor just why the fearless magic user is so convinced something terrible has happened to her brother “somewhere here in Baldur’s Gate.”

In addition, this publication’s plot is absolutely crammed full of just the sort of dice-rolling action that millions of players of Gary Gygax’s pioneering co-creation would expect, were they themselves traversing the municipal’s paved streets or visiting its famous late Fifteen-Century market in the upper city. Whether it be the aforementioned attack upon the lead-brained Minsc by a couple of vicious living statues, or his subsequent brush with the quite numerous and flamboyantly-armoured Watch, this comic contains plenty of character-driven shenanigans which could easily be recreated and enjoyed by its readers on their own RPG tabletop afterwards.

Undeniably helping Zub in his endeavour to provide this book’s audience with “that first taste of adventure” which “absolutely hooked” him is Max Dunbar, whose beautifully clean-lined style genuinely imbues this mini-series’ main cast with plenty of personality. The concept artist appears particularly good at getting across Delina’s inexperience and awkwardness when it comes to her less than successful spell-casting, with the teenager’s wide open eyes and occasional bead of sweat painting a picture of a thousand words.

Written by: Jim Zub, Art by: Max Dunbar, and Colors by: John-Paul Bove