The heroes of Baldur’s Gate are back, with the next chapter of their ongoing adventures. “Infernal Tides” took them on a trip through the first layer of Hell, so where can they go from there? Well, back to Baldur’s Gate, where Jim Zub has an all-new adventure planned for them, accompanied by artist Eduardo Mello.
Written by Jim Zub
Illustrated by Eduardo Mello
Colored by Katrina Mae Hao
Lettered by Neil UyetakeThe prelude to the much-anticipated video game Baldur’s Gate III begins here!
Changed by their experiences in Avernus, Krydle, Shandie, Delina, Nerys, Minsc, and Boo return home to Baldur’s Gate to find that something much more insidious has taken root… what could be behind the odd behavior of the Head Librarian of the Knowledge-Hold?
It’s practically a tradition for the “Dungeons & Dragons” comics by Jim Zub to tie in to the latest D&D adventure book, give or take the ones that don’t coincide with their timing. So after Minsc and the rest of the party return from Avernus (as “Infernal Tides” tied in to the “Descent Into Avernus” campaign), and the “At the Spine of the World” comics handled events connected to the “Rime of the Frostmaiden” adventure, one might expect the next comics to be a Feywild adventure connected to “The Wild Beyond the Witchlight.”
Instead, “Mindbreaker” ties in to the “Baldur’s Gate III” video game, which is honestly poetic. After all, Minsc and Boo made their debut in the first “Baldur’s Gate” game, and the city serves as the first setting for the comics and the characters’ home turf. So it’s only natural that the comics come full circle and bring them back to not only the city of Baldur’s Gate, but the game that bears its name.
With that preamble out of the way, how’s the comic itself?
Jim Zub has been writing these characters enough to have them down to an art. Right from the first lines of dialogue, their personalities shine through. Minsc must be especially fun to write, given all the amazing dialogue he gets, even after losing his memories during “Infernal Tides.” In fact, we even get amusing dialogue about him not remembering losing his memory, which is just so fitting for Minsc.
Oh yes, this comic absolutely continues carrying on plot points from the last “Dungeons & Dragons” comics, primarily Minsc losing his memories in the River Styx and Krydle dealing with the implications of selling his soul. It’s great that the character arcs continue across the storylines, and while it may be a little confusing for readers picking up this comic without reading the others, everyone is caught up quickly through proper use of dialogue and flashbacks.
“Mindbreaker” also takes its time setting up the story by giving us time with each member of the party. We get to catch up with Nerys as she returns to the church of Kelemvor, Delina as she checks up on the library, and Shandie as she tries to figure out what’s going on with Krydle. In a comic with as many central characters as “Dungeons & Dragons,” it can be hard to give everyone enough spotlight in each mini-series, but Jim balances the characters well.
Of course, each of these character moments helps build the plot, as they begin to realize something’s wrong. The different pieces of the puzzle start falling together nicely as the characters uncover clues to their connected mysteries, just like a good D&D adventure should.
And of course, it wouldn’t be a D&D adventure without a fun little random encounter. One thing that the “Dungeons & Dragons” comics do particularly well is turn the game’s mechanics into proper comic flow, rotating between characters in action smoothly as it goes through their initiative. So when the characters encounter a group of displacer beasts, the way they avoid damage by projecting an image of itself slightly away from its physical location comes through in the art and dialogue in a way that matches how it would look in the game.
Now let’s talk about the art. In this run, we have Eduardo Mello illustrating the comic, with Katrina Mae Hao providing the color work. The art in this issues in particularly clean and bright, using bold linework, lightly exaggerated features that add personality and expressiveness to the characters, and a nice balance of detail and shading.
Continued belowThe strong line work really makes the characters pop off the screen, adding emphasis to their outlines and features. It gives us a great look at the little details on the characters, like the scratches on Nerys’ armor to Minsc’s muscles.
However, that does bring us to one critique I have. While the art is great on its own, the designs are not always consistent. Minsc in particular seems to shift the proportions of his musculature with relative frequency. However, this is a small point, if not a nitpick, and did not impact my enjoyment of the comic in the least.
And of course, my compliments about how the action flows in both an easy to read way and in relation to D&D combat extends to the artwork as well. The art makes the action move quickly from panel to panel, drawing our eyes to each relevant image. In one scene, for instance, we see Shandie’s arrow extend beyond the panel’s frame, drawing our eye right to the displacer beast she’s shooting in the next panel. It’s a nice little touch that helps keep the comic moving.
All the while, Katrina’s color work keeps things bold and bright, using lighter shades that stand out against each other. This not only adds to Eduardo’s clean and bold designs, but emphasizes each image too.
Overall, “Dungeons & Dragons: Mindbreaker” is a great new quest in the ongoing D&D comics. I’ve been enjoying every issue of Jim Zub’s run, and each artist he’s worked with brings something new and engaging to the table. (I’ll be honest, after reading these comics for so long, I would love to play a game of Dungeons & Dragons with the creative teams behind these comics, and I don’t care if I’m a player or Dungeon Master for it.) If you’re a fan of “Dungeons & Dragons,” especially “Baldur’s Gate,” you’re going to love “Mindbreaker.”
Final Verdict: 8.0 – A fantastic new chapter in the ongoing adventures of the heroes of Baldur’s Gate, carrying on plot points introduced in “Infernal Tides” and tying the characters in to the “Baldur’s Gate III” video game.
