The Guild #2
Writer: Felicia Day
Artist: Jim Rugg
Cover Artist: Kristian Donaldson
Genre: Fantasy, Humor
Felicia Day (Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog)’s hysterical extension of her multiple award-winning web series continues with this brand-new story!
Since discovering role-playing games, Cyd Sherman spends more and more time in-game as the healer Codex. As her boyfriend ignores her in favor of his fledgling band and her therapist questions whether or not she has “real” friends, Cyd decides to form her own group within the game after meeting Clara, who teaches her about reputation points, and Zaboo, who introduces her to “friending” within the game.
Detailing the never-before-told origin of The Knights of Good, this is essential reading for fans of the show, and a great jumping-on point for readers new to The Guild. And don’t miss season three of the show at watchtheguild.com!
* Named “One of the Net’s Best Serial Shows” by Rolling Stone!
Publication Date: April 21, 2010
Format: FC, 32 pages
Price: $3.50
UPC: 7 61568 17148 8 00211
Check out my thoughts after the cut!
If there’s one thing I wish I would see more of, it’s Felicia Day writing. In a world of people making video game nerd jokes, she is the only one who I think still keeps a very fresh and real take on the culture in a way that doesn’t feel trite, slapstick or stereotypical – and this is why The Guild (both in comic and video form) works.
In this issue, we slowly are putting the Knights of Good closer and closer together. We get to see Codex/Cyd learns about friends lists, Zaboo and Clara are introduced as well as Tink (briefly), and the first real group battle takes place. In seeing the story play out, I rescind my initial doubts about the story being concise enough to squeeze into 3 issues (based on assumptions of how long the show goes). It’s really playing out quite smoothly, and the transition between social bufoon Cyd to social shut-in Codex is really quite amusing to watch, especially as the game becomes more “real.”
Of course I can’t praise Felicia Day’s writing enough. She always had a sharp tongue in the show, but her sense of neurotic humor translates just as well to the page. Codex is just as alive in the comic as she is in the show, and Day’s ability to translate each actor’s role so well into the comic is very telling of her ability. The comic works so well, in fact, that I swear I can hear the voices of the actors playing each character as I read. While the show acts off each actor’s ability to be awkward (especially Zaboo), the comic easily displays everyone’s social ineptitude and quirks with a simple flair (especially Zaboo). It makes for an incredibly fun read.
Artist Jim Rugg is also a star in this book as well, having clear definitions between the real world and the game world. What’s amazing is that it really is too distinct styles – the real world is a lot more rigid and gloomy full of Allred sensibilities, where the game is smooth and colorful with an intense water color feel. Obviously the costume changes and setting would be enough to distinguish from the two realities, but Rugg’s ability as an artist to actively change styles between the stories makes the read that much more engaging.
The Guild is making for a great little comic, and my only major complaint would be that it’s only three issues. I’ve heard that there will be more in the future, but as of now I’m not looking forward to the end. Just like each season of the show, I’m having way too much fun laughing at/with the video game subculture to want to see this go.
Final Verdict: 8.8 – Buy
