Dungeons and Dragons 2 Featured Reviews 

“Dungeons and Dragons: Shadows of the Vampire” #2

By | June 17th, 2016
Posted in Reviews | % Comments

It’s no secret to anyone who knows me that I am a big fan of “Dungeons & Dragons,” ever since a friend introduced me to the game several years back. (For those about to ask: 3.5e, but we can talk about the specifics and my thoughts on the other editions in the comments.) So any D&D related media is always welcome, so long as it’s handled well. IDW has had some great “Dungeons & Dragons” comics in the past, and knowing that this mini series would take a trip to Barovia, home of the vampire Count Strahd von Zarovich and his Castle Ravenloft, I went into “Shadows of the Vampire, Part Two” with optimism.

Written by Jim Zub
Illustrated by Nelson Dániel

Lost in Ravenloft! Our intrepid heroes have been pulled into the realm of eternal night. With dark forces watching their every move and unknown horrors hunting for their blood, will our heroes endure?

“Shadows of the Vampire” continues from where the “Baldur’s Gate” mini series left off. However, it’s fine to jump in without having read “Baldur’s Gate,” as the characters are easy to get a feel for early on; we have our typical party of a ranger, sorcerer, cleric (who was introduced last issue), and two rogues (the reason for having two is the only thing that’s made clear by reading “Baldur’s Gate” first), so their roles are apparent right off the bat.

Of those characters, the best by far is Minsc, the ranger who clearly put intelligence as his dump stat, and his animal companion, a hamster named Boo. Jim Zub gives him some excellent dialogue (“If she points us towards badness, we shall slap the evil from their ugly faces!”) as well as some surprisingly good character moments, as we see some true bravery and compassion under the bravado and recklessness.

The other characters don’t get quite as much focus, although it does help us get to know Nerys, the cleric of Kelemvor who was introduced last issue, a little better. Delina, the elven sorcerer, gets the least to do this issue, but considering most of “Baldur’s Gate” was about her story and journey, it’s fine to give the others more time.

The Strahd storyline, one of the most famous and well-loved campaigns in D&D, is a dark setting, bereft of hope and set in a land with both a literal and metaphorical shadow cast over it. So a character like Minsc, full of bluster and comedic attempts at heroic dialogue, makes a good contrast. In fact, the story seems to be trying to follow the campaign module to the letter, with Minsc acting as that one player who won’t take it quite as seriously as the Dungeon Master would like.

At one point, he gets into an argument with the fortune teller, Madam Eva, who tries to insist “You’re not listening! This place you find yourself in is ruled by a dark lord of incredible power! The earth and air are a vault for his tortured soul!” I could only read that as I would a DM trying to tell his players “Guys! You’re not taking this seriously enough!”

As someone who’s been in both the player and the DM sides of that situation, I can appreciate those sorts of moments.

Nelson Dániel’s artwork is not my favorite, but it does work well for the story the comic needs to tell. The character designs are a little on the boxy and linear side, although sometimes we get close-ups of the characters expressions that do a fine job selling the emotion.

However, the art is great for the setting of Barovia. The twisted, darkened trees, the obscuring mists, and the red glow from within Madam Eva’s tent all to a fine job at setting the scene and tone. There’s a particularly great panel where a character is taken away by a swarm of Strahd’s bats, and we see the characters watching helplessly, cast in shadows and colored black against a white panel.

It should be noted that Madam Eva’s tarokka cards appear to use the same artwork as the actual cards that can be used with the 5th edition campaign module (of which I own a set). It may be interesting to compare the fortune telling that she performed with what the module says the cards represent, and see if the rest of the comic follows them accordingly. If so, that’s a fantastic bit of foreshadowing for anyone who cares enough to check.

Overall, this is a strong start to what may very well be a fantastic run. It’s got some great characters in one of D&D’s greatest settings and storylines, so there’s a lot of potential. However, given all the detail, characters, and potential plot lines held within the Strahd story, I wonder how much can actually be covered in the three remaining issues. Still, even if it doesn’t encompass enough of Strahd’s story, perhaps it will be enough to encourage readers to pick up the campaign and take a trip to Barovia themselves. (Fun fact: I recently just finished rolling up my own character for this very campaign; I’ll be playing a Drow Bard. But that’s entirely unrelated to the comic.)

Final Verdict: 8.8 – A very fun read, full of great characters, good lines, and a connection to a classic “Dungeons and Dragons” game storyline. If you wanted to see more of the characters from the “Baldur’s Gate” comic, their latest adventure will not disappoint.


Robbie Pleasant

EMAIL | ARTICLES