Dungeons And Dragons #0 Review
Dungeons And Dragons #0
Did you ever play D&D when you were a kid? Anyone who grew up in the 80s or 90s will definitely say yes. What was your favorite character? This book will bring you back some nostalgia. Today I will be reviewing Dungeons and Dragons #0. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think.
So let’s talk about the book. There are basically two stories in this issue. (One is good and one crappy.) The first story is a general intro to a party of adventurers doing a mission. We have all your staples. A halfling fighter, a human thief, a dwarven cleric (I assume), an elven ranger (I assume), and a magic user (not sure of race). Its a quick mission that basically gives you an idea of what each character is like, what powers they have and how they will act in the regular series. The second story is about a gladiator who gets caught and is about to be sold as a slave but escapes. And that’s the book. (Not bad for $1)
So let’s talk opinions. I loved the first story. It brought back so many happy memories of hanging with my friends with a bunch of chips (Dorito’s naturally), a few bottles of soda (Pepsi and Mountain Dew), some Entenmann’s soft baked cookies, and my dice. (We would play until two in the morning, but I digress. Back to the review.) The thief is my favorite character so far. I always played the thief in our adventures. The writer captures the essence of the thief character perfectly. (Greedy, sneaky, conniving, smart, greedy, stealthy, self-preserving, did I mention greedy?) The fight against the dragon was pure bullshit but what do you expect from a 10 page story. In real D&D, that Dragon would have killed them all in three rounds. Artistically speaking, the book was spot on. Just like I remember from my Monster Manual. The second, Dark Sun story was a waste but once again it was only a six page story. The strange, dark art did not help the book at all. If anything, it made me want to read the book even less. I hope the full story in the mini-series is better. And I hope they get someone else to draw it. As for the regular series, I’m reserving my copy as we speak. That’s my opinion folks. Take it or leave it.
A COMIC BOOK BLOG RATING
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| surprisingly got a lot for my dollar. The thief was hilarious. Great art. Nice Dragon stat card. | Dark sun story was weak. Art on it was bad too. Makes me not want to pick it up. |
| Rating |
6 Comments
Interesting… I’m actually a DM (not used to be, still am, lol), but I had no idea about this comic… I might have to pick it up, though I’m unsure if I should given the lackluster review. Oh well, maybe my LCS owner will let me read it pre-purchase.
Tom, As a DM and a D&D player, you will definitely appreciate the 1st story and if the preview is any indication, then the regular series will be great. The second story will not impress you, I’m afraid. But for $1, the book is definitely worth getting. (I’ve spent $1 on much worse things.)
What a stinker. First off the characters in this comic are WAY too overpowered and the dialog feels like it was written by someone with a 7th grade reading level. I know they are trying to capture the younger generation, but seriously, those mouthbreathers will still have trouble reading this. The story is just not fun.
In story 1 there is no sense of danger or potential loss since they just bash their way through everything, even a dragon! Of course this is a young dragon but still, what a lame way for it to die. The second story actually had some interesting elements, betrayal, broken heart, revenge; all the juicy bits of the steak you like to sink your teeth into. However, the plot held my interest for all of a minute after the main character again just bashed his way out and ran off. But, at least he did get hit with one arrow.
I have to think that these campaigns would be run by a DM who is more on the Monty Haul side and lets his characters get away with anything, plus they all probably have stats that are all over 17 of course. Nah, this doesnt capture Dungeons and Dragons, it actually shows whats WRONG with the game in its current incarnation (3.5/4e). Overpowered, ridiculous character actions, monsters who are simply cardboard xp dispensers and a plot that will always end with a win for the party. Sad.
Finally the art…I dont know what the deal is with everything looking like a pseudo-anime offshoot these days, but it definitely lacks originality. Its like they put out a call for someone to capture an audience that frequently dresses like furry animals at conventions and shouts ‘KAWAI!’. Pandering to the lowest common denominator in this comics case. Not to mention the cheezy marketing ploy to have 5 different covers to put out that ‘collect-ability’ factor that Wizards of the Coast is known for…Ah well, it was only a dollar after all.
Fred, while I truly appreciate the comment, I must completely disagree with you on much of it. While the book was not a gem, it certainly did not stink. The characters are not WAY overpowered. They were fighting a bunch of level 1 creatures. Any seasoned party can handle a few dozen kobolds. And while the dialog is simple, I can relate to it. Personally, when my friends and I used to play back in the days, we NEVER used any words that had 4 or more syllables in it. It’s a game, not an english class.
The first story was great and a D&D story because of the bashing and decimating. (Yes I agree about the dragon, but putting that aside, what do you expect from 10 pages?) It was meant as a general character intro. Nothing deep or complicated. As for the second story, it sucked because it was NOT a D&D story. It could have been the intro to any action, adventure, style comic. When you put D&D in the title, I expect D&D, not drama.
I also agree on the overpowering of the current D&D incarnation, but as a true gamer, part of the fun is house rules. We tried playing by the rules back in the day and the games sucked. So of course by making everyone a high stat character, it became a game of role-playing, instead of a game of survival. Without having to worry about the rules, a gamer can actually get into the character they were playing. Plus, as a DM, your job is to take the characters into a world that they can deal with no matter what their stats are. So they have higher starting stats, put higher level monsters against them and even the playing field. And if a party does not win at the end, gamers lose interest. Just don’t give them as much rewards at the end, but keep them alive, and leave a breadcrumb or two to greater power and your gamer will come back for more.
As for the art, I agree. It is pretty bad, but hopefully it will improve in future issues. And I hate multiple covers as well but that is the current market trend on ALL books out there. And like you said, for one dollar, I feel you got your money’s worth. I have one final request though. If you are a gamer or have played D&D in the past, re-read the issue and focus on the thief only. Tell me that they did not capture the character perfectly. That recapturing of nostalgia alone, for me, was worth the dollar.
Where do you get this comic? Is it available online?
Originally, I bought it through Previews. I also picked up a copy at the NY Comic Con. Try Ebay.com. Lots of copies available there.