The adventures of the original Dungeons & Dragons Saturday morning cartoon cast continues in comic form, with a second series that ties them further into the Forgotten Realms and the lore of the game. With the second mini-series wrapping up this issue, does it stick the landing, or will it roll a 1? Let’s take a look, with some spoilers.
Written by David M. Booher
Illustrated by George Kambadais
Colored by John-Paul Bove
Lettered by Ed DukeshireHere there be…Venger?! As the team battles an island beast, Sheila tries to convince Bobby to return to his friends and help Dungeon Master. Little does she know Bobby has other plans. Just as they get the upper hand and find the artifact that might cure Dungeon Master, a tempest rolls in. Venger has arrived…and he wants what the party has. Will Hank, Eric, Presto, Diana, Sheila, Bobby, and Uni finally defeat Venger? Or will this be the end of their adventures? The thrilling conclusion of arc one awaits!
“Dungeons & Dragons: Saturday Morning Adventures II” has, to this point, created a decent story that showcases growth and conflict within the team, while giving them major stakes by putting Dungeon Master’s health on the line. The first three issues explored a growing divide between Sheila and her brother Bobby, while sending them across the Forgotten Realms and teaming up with other characters from D&D lore.
This issue wraps it all up, giving the characters time to talk, develop, and build tension. So in that regard, it does help tie up the story points nicely, giving at least a few members of the cast a bit of character development.
As far as the characters go, writer David M. Booher does a good job capturing the personalities of the cartoon cast. While Shiela and Bobby get the most focus in terms of character arcs and growth, and Presto is given a chance to shine, Eric is also given the most best dialogue, since he’s the one who gets to complain and be snarky. Overall, their voices come through nicely, making this comic a good continuation for the story the cartoon began.
While the first “Dungeons & Dragons: Saturday Morning Adventures” comic established the cartoon as being set in the Forgotten Realms, this new run has really leaned into it. These four issues have given the cartoon cast a Spelljamming ship, then taken them to several iconic locations, from Icewind Dale to Waterdeep, and brought in a plethora of cameos.
So many, in fact, that it feels a little superfluous; as much as I like Drizzt Do’urden and Minsc, it didn’t feel like they added that much to the story. Minsc even declined an opportunity to kick Jarlaxle’s butt when he started doing something evil.
With that said, it’s still fun to see such iconic characters interacting with the cartoon cast, so I’m going to cut it some slack and enjoy the cameos. (I mean, what’s not to like about Bobby giving Boo the miniature giant space hamster a cookie while Boo chill’s on Uni’s head?)
One thing I’ll be less forgiving of is the anticlimax for the final fight in this issue (and this is where we get into major spoiler territory). While it was built up nicely, with Dungeon Master’s life in danger, and Venger revealing he’s responsible, Venger was defeated in barely two pages. Preston essentially reverses Venger’s magic, drains his powers, and gives it to Dungeon Master, allowing Venger to be taken away without a fight.
For the character who was the primary antagonist of the Dungeons & Dragons cartoon, it’s a rather fast and unsatisfying defeat. Sure, we get the “I don’t think this is the last we’ve seen of him” line, but it doesn’t do him any favors as a threat.
However, the real final conflict of the issue is more about the party’s moral dilemma: do they return home at the cost of Dungeon Master’s life (and Venger’s, but he matters less), or do they stay in the Realms and look for another way? While the answer is obvious, the decision is still treated with proper weight, and the decision is a good character moment for the party.
Continued belowFrom there, it gives a proper “adventure goes on” conclusion, suggesting that there are more stories to come.
Now, let’s talk about the art. George Kambadais continues to provide the artwork, having illustrated the first “Dungeons & Dragons: Saturday Morning Adventures” mini-series. He brings his own unique style to the comic, rather than trying to replicate the look of the cartoon. This allows the comic to have its own personality, adding in lighting effects and action that wouldn’t flow as well if it tried to mimic the cartoon, but it also has some drawbacks.
The biggest setback for the art is Kambadais’ character designs. While the exaggerated features aren’t an issue, the characters still often feel blocky or misshapen, with their silhouettes constantly changing. Their faces can be especially off-putting, as their expressions are often misaligned or don’t properly fit their heads. While this isn’t an issue in every panel, it happens enough to be worth noting.
However, there are also moments where the artwork can shine. When Sheila uses her cloak of invisibility, for instance, the artwork pulls a nice trick where everything covered by the cloak is replaced by the background, giving an impression of true invisibility, rather than leaving an outline in its place. And since Presto is given a chance to shine, the artwork also gives him a nice focus, like when the light of his spell is reflected in his glasses. (Also, Kamabdais gives Presto’s design a nice visual upgrade, simply by replacing his floppy green sleeves with slimmer black sleeves; it adds a bit of visual variety that makes him feel at least a bit more impressive.)
Kamabdais’ artwork does work nicely for the more dramatic moments, such as an oncoming storm or Jarlaxle’s moment of betrayal. Moments like these use his style to its fullest, adding dramatic effect and dynamic action.
So while the artwork is hit-and-miss, the hits do deserve credit.
This is helped by the colors by John-Paul Bove, assisted by Ed Pirrie and Ben Pirrie. The colors complement Kambadais’ style, adding in splashes of color that accentuate the designs while adding shading and lighting effects. The darker color pallets used for the backgrounds set the atmosphere of the oncoming storm, while the characters match their cartoon designs in shade if not vibrancy.
The colors also do a great job bringing out the most dramatic moments. A flash of red in the background when Jarlaxle turns on the party makes the moment hit, and a flash of purple lightning against a black sky adds a striking effect to Bobby’s brave stand. Similarly, the bright yellow background upon Dungeon Master’s recovery makes the moment all the more joyful, before the color’s shift to a brighter, more cartoon-like shade.
All in all, “Dungeons & Dragons: Saturday Morning Adventures II” hits some stumbles, but has enough strengths to still be a worthwhile read for anyone nostalgic for the cartoon (or will read anything with the D&D name on it, which, admittedly, I often fall under). The cameos, though occasionally superfluous, are still a lot of fun, and it’s enjoyable to see the cast of the cartoon interacting with iconic D&D legends. And while the artwork doesn’t always work perfectly, it still hits some nice beats and makes its distinct style work.
Is it a must-read for fans of the Forgotten Realms and the overall lore of the “Dungeons & Dragons” game? No, but it doesn’t have to be. It’s enjoyable enough for fans of the cartoon, and that’s all it needs to be.
Final Verdict: 6.4 – Some ups and downs, but overall a decent addition to the ongoing story of the Dungeons & Dragons cartoon, featuring many iconic D&D characters and good character beats.
