There’s something beautiful about living in a world where tabletop role-playing games have become not only socially accepted but inspirations for the media that we consume. For a while, due to pop culture in general and the Satanic Panic specifically, role-playing games were something that seemed to be the ultimate taboo, something that nerds who sounded like Mandark played talking about their “plus 2 chain mail” or “casting magic missile.” Yet, despite its nerdy reputation, these games have gained massive popularity over the past few years thanks to notable celebrities discussing their nerdy habits (thank you, Vin Diesel) and popular actual play podcasts and web streams. People who are just sitting around the table and telling stories together. RPGs have made their way into other media, with metal bands releasing stat blocks of characters in their discography or comics that have abandoned all pretense and just use language common around any table a party assembles. It’s exciting to see creators capturing the type of tonal balance that comes out of an adventuring party, narratives that are equal parts messy and earnest. This, for the record, is not an easy balance to hit. That’s why something was exciting about the premiere issue of ‘Helm Greycastle,’ from Image. It was a book that had everything right. While there is still a lot to like, ‘Helm Greycastle” #3 leaves a bit too much on the table when it comes to its worldbuilding. There is a lot to like, but there are elements that lessen the overall impact.
Written by Henry BarajasCover by Chloe M. Giroux
Illustrated by Rahmat M. Handoko
Colored by Bryan Valenza
Lettered by Gabriela DownieMontezuma III and the MEXICA Gods have assembled their army. Will Helm and Camazotz be enough to stop the war—and rescue the last dragon prince before it’s too late?
BONUS: This issue includes a Latinx action-adventure RPG (5E Compatible) one-shot by TRISTAN J. TARWATER (Rolled & Told)!
The major shortcoming of “Helm Greycastle” #3 is that it leaves you with too many questions and seemingly no interest in answering them. This problem comes mainly from the setting of New Azteca where the majority of the action takes place. While Henry Barajas does an admirable job making New Azteca feel like a vibrant world filled to the brim with exciting locations, characters, and enough political intrigue to make any fantasy fan happy, there seems to be a lot of unanswered questions. While the adventuring crew of Helm Greycastle wouldn’t feel out of place at any weekly session, existing in a world with dwarves, elves, half-orcs (the list goes on,) New Azteca seems to exist in an alternate version of our world. New Azteca is a world where Montezuma III and his armies beat Cortez and fights against the cult of “Christ.” While it is fun and interesting to see an alternate history presented, the ambiguity of everything left so many questions. Are we dealing with a portal? Is this an alternate version of our world where magic and fantasy creatures existed alongside our history? Perhaps it doesn’t matter to the overall story. Maybe it’s nothing that Henry Barajas and Bryan Valenza were thinking about as they began to draft their adventure. In any case, there were moments that it just became distracting.
That being said, Barajas was able to keep a lot of the balanced tone that he established in the first two issues. While “Helm Greycastle” #3 splits the parts between Mictlan and New Texcoco, the way he breaks the party allows for some of the quality banter that made the first issue stand out. While both teams are good, the team of Oskar (the perpetually grumpy dwarf) and Shava (the elven bard who speaks only in musical notes) steal the show. The two have the dynamic of Rocket and Groot, with Oskar interpreting the music of the non-verbal bard. Meanwhile, Helm and Vola have all the love and banter of an old married couple, trading loving barbs as they fight their way across the field. However, there’s trouble in paradise as the issue slowly reveals that Helm might not be who he seems and that Vola might have been keeping secrets from her husband. Again, it’s not doing anything particularly revolutionary, though Helm does get in some amusing action hero quips as he quite literally disarms his opponent and uses it against him. It all works. He writes the characters with the rapport of a group who has been traveling for quite some time, a wordless bond connecting them as they rush into battle or plan their next scheme. Like most things that feel inspired by sitting around a dining room table with paper sheets and polyhedral dice, you can almost imagine the characters sitting around the table, playing their characters or sneaking into the kitchen while the focus is on another character to grab another slice of pizza. The characters still work, still make the comic feel special, but the mystery of Helm’s origin isn’t as exciting or intriguing as the creative teams seem to think.
Continued belowIt’s a shame because there is a lot that the series does well. Rahmat M. Handoko and Bryan Valenza help bring the world of New Azteca to life. It’s always exciting to see a solid fantasy series in a non-European setting, and in this way, “Helm Greycastle” #3 delivers. Everything feels unique and distinct, from the portrayal of the underworld to the Aztec-inspired temples, the jungles, and the warriors. Valenza’s colorwork, in particular, is worth mentioning because of his use of lighting and shading. While the world of New Azteca is vibrant and colorful, Valenza can manipulate their impact based on each setting. In the murky swamp, the uniforms are dark and imposing. In the bright light of the arena, they are flamboyant and pop off the screen. The armor design also creates dynamic action, as Handoko creates some intense action scenes. Again, Helm rips off a man’s arm and uses it as a weapon. As a person who primarily plays barbarians, it was a delight to see.
Perhaps it’s unfair to put that much complaint on the setting of the world of “Grey Helmcastle” #3. The characters, dialogue, action, and intrigue are all well-executed and fun, but the setting created confusion that was overall distracting and lessened the issue’s impact overall. It’s always good to see diversity in a fantasy setting and explore worlds outside of Europe, but introducing real people just brings up too many questions. It doesn’t ruin the comic but sometimes took me out of it as I thought about what other things from our world existed in Helmcastle’s universe. Again, if you don’t think about it too hard, it’s a lot of fun, but when combining the real and the fantastical, you have to be careful about the how and why.
Final Verdict: 6.5 – “Helm Greycastle” #3 continues the fun fantasy feel of a tabletop role-playing game, but inconsistencies in the setting detracted from the overall experience.
