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“Dungeons & Dragons: Frost Giant’s Fury” #1

By | January 13th, 2017
Posted in Reviews | % Comments

With their adventures in Barovia coming to a sudden end, the Baldur’s Gate heroes are on to their next adventure. So grab your dice and hope the DM is merciful, because it’s time to see how this quest unfolds.

Written by Jim Zub
Illustrated by Netho Diaz

Mighty giants stir across the land and, before their crushing might, nothing is safe. Badly injured after their encounters in the Demiplane of Dread and now lost in the frozen northern reaches of the Forgotten Realms, the Baldur’s Gate heroes will be tested like never before. Roll for initiative, a new Dungeons & Dragons adventure begins!

Just the other day I was running a Dungeons & Dragons campaign, using the latest official adventure, “Storm King’s Thunder.” The current “season” features giants wreaking havoc across the land, leaving it up to the adventurers to stop them.

Thus, just as the previous “Shadows of the Vampire” arc ran parallel to the release of the “Curse of Strahd” adventure, this new arc is thematically connected. (I wonder how it’ll work when the next adventure book, “Tales From the Yawning Portal” is released, since that’s a series of smaller adventures; a D&D “Greatest Hits” if you will.)

Though the comic states new readers can jump in without needing to have read the previous parts of the story, it will definitely be helpful to have prior knowledge of the series and characters. Otherwise readers just have to go off of what the characters say in regards to being soundly beaten by Strahd, Nerys being gravely wounded, and Minsc not being his usual bombastic self. So while technically you can start from here, it definitely helps to have read the earlier stories.

Once we get into the story itself, however, it’s perfectly fine. There’s an air of gloom and desperation near the start, matching the bleak skies and snow-swept mountains that fill the panels. The mood is well-set and appropriate, given the danger the party faces, both from the elements and their wounds.

Thus, the goals our heroes have is currently “survive.” Tensions are high and time is running short, and it does a great job of making us fear for the safety of the characters.

Though with that in mind, Minsc’s normally humorous dialogue feels a tad awkward. It’s all well and good for him to shout things like “run away like terrified gophers without a hole,” but it doesn’t work quite as well while he’s clearly devastated from their recent defeat and fearing for the lives of his companions. That said, the moments where he is serious, quiet, and even wracked with self-doubt do well to showcase the severity of the situation, and even set up some good opportunities for character growth and insight.

At the same time, the artwork is more detailed than in previous issues, thanks to Netho Diaz’s illustrations and Thiago Ribeiro’s color work. The finer points in every character design come through remarkably well, from the light dancing around Minsc’s muscles to the details on Delina’s robes. It looks fantastic, and the issue’s impact is all the better for it.

Of course, any good Dungeon Master knows when it’s time for a random encounter, so the latter part of the issue involves a monster attack. Here, the great artwork comes through once again, with combat that flows from panel to panel, and impacts that come through from the page to the reader. The monsters they fight do look sufficiently, well, monstrous, and provide a good threat to kick the action off.

The introduction of a new character is a welcome addition as well, adding in a party member to represent the less human-faced character options in D&D. As much as I like the characters the comic has given us so far, it’s currently two humans, an elf, a half-elf, and a halfling; without looking at their ears, one would forget that Delina and Krydle are elvish anyways. I love it when comics based off fantasy games give us characters that truly remind us that this is a fantasy world, where heroes come in all different forms, and as far as introductions go, the new character is off to a good start, lightening the mood while propelling the plot forward.

Continued below

Of course, the new story arc has just begun, and new threats are looming in just the right manner to keep the readers going. We were promised giants, and while technically ogres are a giant subtype in the D&D Monster Manual, Jim Zub is delivering all that and more in the issues to come.

Last but not least, a welcome little bonus after the issue is a character sheet for Minsc. I love it when comics based off tabletop games give us character, monster, or item stats we can use for games (in fact, that’s one of the driving forces behind me buying “Pathfinder” comics), so this is a great way to let players bring their favorites from the comic into their campaigns.

That said, there are a few little miscalculations here and there in the character sheet; for instance, with a +3 proficiency and +4 strength, Minsc should be at +7 to hit with his sword. I’m also not sure what kind of stat distribution they used to determine his ability scores, aside from just going “Okay, here’s how he’s written, so these should be his stats accordingly,” but theoretically a set of rolls could create the same results. I could go into greater detail, but that would be getting incredibly pedantic, and these are insanely minor details that really aren’t worth complaining about. I’m just glad we’re getting a character sheet at all.

Fun fact: as a Ranger’s animal companion, Boo the hamster (or rather, Boo the Miniature Giant Space Hamster) has 24 HP and adds +3 to his attack and damage rolls. Now that’s a tough little hamster!

Final Verdict: 7.3 – Overall, the issue is a good start to a new arc. The writing is solid (I’ve come to expect great things from Jim Zub when he’s behind a fantasy tabletop game comic), and the artwork is excellent.


Robbie Pleasant

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