Bioware’s Dragon Age video game series has had quite a following for some time, so much so that the series isn’t a stranger to the odd comic adaptation. The latest, “Deception,” explores a lighter side of the fantasy universe with a pair of con artists for protagonists. Is this what the franchise needs to succeed in this medium?
Written by Nunzio DeFilippis and Christina Weir
Illustrated by Fernando Heinz Furukawa
Colored by Michael Atiyeh
Lettered by Nate PiekosBioWare’s best-selling fantasy franchise lives on in these canonical comics from Dark Horse!
Olivia Pryde hasn’t worked an honest day in years. Once an actress, she now lives by the con and has come to Tevinter with a new target: Calix Qintara, the heir to a wealthy house. Once she approaches the young man, she quickly realizes that he is not exactly who he says he is–and she may be in too deep.
The focus of this story, Olivia Pryde, is certainly an interesting focal point character. We’re thrown into the story with a pretty quick and vague briefing as to who and what she is, which gives us the idea that she’s someone straight to the point looking to get the job done, and someone who can dance around a topic easily. It’s clever, but also a little disorienting. Our writers Nunzio DeFilippis and Christina Weir have Pryde run into a few typical plot trappings, like running into her ex-lover on her job. It’s a little eye-roll worthy, but DeFilippis and Weir smartly have her decide to ignore the man and focus on the job at hand, avoiding messy relationship politics and making her a stronger character for it. Pryde also works as a relatable protagonist because despite her being a self-proclaimed seasoned con, she’s fallible. People pick her apart at times, like when a passing mage notes “YOUR STAFF. HOW CAN THAT EVEN CONDUCT MAGICAL ENERGIES?”
DeFilippis and Weir integrate the Dragon Age universe pretty well into this comic while still making this accessible to curious readers. From the second page, the world is set up nicely as a backdrop with a tension between races acting as a kind of anxious undercurrent to make the citizens of the town seem more on edge and likely to fall for cons. DeFilippis and Weir weave in the idea of Magisters as a kind of ruling power, making a clear connection to the video games. It’s a good way to introduce the counterbalance to Pryde, Calix Qintara, and works as a platform for Pryde to build her facade off. Outside of these facts, however, one could be forgiven for thinking this is a generic fantasy-style comic. There’s not a lot here that separates it from feeling like a Dungeons and Dragons campaign aside from a few name drops. One of the more subtle ways that this feels like the game, however, is that Pryde and Qintara’s dialogue choices feel similar to someone picking a dialogue option in a video game to solicit a certain reaction. When Pryde first talks to Qintara, she slips up and says that he is her target. In the next panel, we see her appropriately react and try to cover it up, but not before Qintara starts to get a big head about his status. It’s dialogue that has a lot of character that seems to evoke the spirit of the video games.
Looking at Fernando Heinz Furukawa’s art style, I can’t help but get some Arthur Adams vibes with a little bit of Shonen manga mixed in. This is nicely detailed art that is expressive and human, yet fluid and fast-paced at the same time. As I previously stated, the dialogue is a lot of the charm of this book, having well-thought-out discourses between characters, and the art needs to be good enough to support that. Luckily, Furukawa seems to be adept in working with facial expressions. Pryde herself is the most dynamic and interesting of the characters. She operates most of the time with a fierce, unwavering visage, yet whenever she slips up or something from her past is revealed, we see her a little more human. When she sees her ex-lover in the tavern, she slips from shock, to regret, but quickly back to developing a steely resolve to work on the job at hand. Qintara is a great counterbalance in this regard too, as his general facial expression is that of the proud jester. When first talking with Pryde, he seems determined in finding out her motives. When he tries to talk to a real magistrate, however, we quickly see him realize the gravity of his situation as he visually falters, his face beaded with sweat and even his well-groomed hair looking stressed out.
Continued belowFurukawa works well at aping the visual style and aesthetic of the Dragon Age world. We get a good sense of scale from the start of the comic, something that the games tend to represent. The second page shows us the setting of the story Ventus from the perspective of a nearby forest cliff, giving a very interconnected world feel before we delve into the more urban setting. Then, once we head down into Ventus, we see bustling streets, lots of white stone and a lot of coastal areas, lending that classic fantasy setting with the refinement and natural feel that the games tend to have. What Furukawa really nails, however, is the fashion in the town. All the higher class characters wear tight-fitting and well-shaped clothes, like Pryde’s material pauldrons and slim cape/dress combo. These people are also decked out with tasteful accessories, making them feel like a character from the game with the best stat-boosting items. But what I really love is how they all carry their weapons loosely strapped their backs, mirroring the game’s aesthetic to a T. Whether it be a staff or a spear, this makes it truly feel like we’re following around our video game character through an adventure.
“Dragon Age: Deception” has a very coastal and fresh feel to it, which is due to Michael Atiyeh’s coloring. It’s important that this lighter palette is set at the start when we see Ventus depicted from a clifftop. Atiyeh uses some nice greens and blues with textured shading, and this tone lingers throughout the city scenes so that we don’t feel bogged down in browns and harsh indoor lamps. The use of greens in a lot of the characters costumes, like Pryde and Qintara’s, keeps it feeling fresh in these scenes too, and visually looks distinctive to the Dragon Age games. However, I find the shading can be a little too digital looking at times. When we first see Qintara, he seems to have a soft blur of colors on his face, looking like natural lighting contradicting the fact that they’re inside a tavern. It’s a little nitpicky, however, and doesn’t upset the general tone and palette of the book.
“Dragon Age: Deception” #1 proves to be a fun side-story for those wanting more from their Dragon Age games, and a neat teaser of the world for those interested. Olivia Pryde is a great leading character, and the comic evokes the visual and storytelling style of the games pretty well. Furukawa also shows he’s more than capable dynamic facial expressions to go with the fun dialogue, and Atiyeh polishes the issue off with a fresh, bright palette.
Final Score: 7.7 – A light-hearted tale of con-artists and fantasy, “Dragon Age: Deception” #1 has great characters, dialogue, and dynamic artwork.
