Dungeons & Dragons webseries Critical Role has taken the internet by storm since it first debuted back in 2015. Now, Dark Horse Comics has announced three new projects based on epic tales from the world of Exandria, allowing fans to explore new, original aspects of the Critical Role universe through comics and an art book.
The first of these three projects will be the sequel to “Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins series I,” debuting this July 10, 2019. In “Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins series II” #1, we find the heroes of Vox Machina back in their beloved style of action-packed yet absurd adventures. The six-issue series comes from Eisner Award-nominated writer Jody Houser (“Orphan Black,” “Stranger Things”) and first series artist Olivia Samson, with colorist MSASSYK (“Isola,” “Gotham Academy”), letterer Ariana Maher (“James Bond,” “Xena”), and a first issue cover by artist Fiona Staples (“Saga”). It will be available through Dark Horse Digital and retail stories, and hints at revealing material discussed, but not fully disclosed in the livestream. From the announcement:
“In Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins series II, familiar faces from Critical Role’s smash-hit first campaign return as their escapades in Stilben lead them towards their next adventure—and a dire threat to Grog Strongjaw, the goliath barbarian, when he goes missing in the night. Tracking him down will see the party lose one member, gain another, and reveal parts of Grog’s secret past. But first, his friends have to actually find him.”
Next, Dark Horse will also release a trade paperback collection of “Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins series I” on October 15, 2019. The first series by Samson, writers Matthew Mercer and Matthew Colville, and colorist/letterer Chris Northrop told the story of how Vox Machina first met. Featuring a cover by Stjepan Šejić, the 168-page collection will be available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, critrole.com, and in local comic book shops.
Finally, in late 2019, Dark Horse will release Critical Role: The Chronicles of Exandria — The Mighty Nein. With cover art by Matteo Scalera and Moreno Dinisio, this hardcover, 200-page collection features a wide variety of illustrations from the Critical Role fan community paired with text by cast members Liam O’Brien and Taliesin Jaffe, and art direction from Lauryn Ipsum. The book will contain materials presented chronologically from the first few story arcs of the Mighty Nein campaign.
