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geekwayne's review
4.0
'Dragon Age Library Edition' collects three sets of stories in the King Maric storyline. The main characters are a young king named Alistair, a cynical dwarf named Varric and a resourceful, beautiful pirate named Isabela. The art is quite good and this edition features artist commentary in the margins of some of the pages.
Alistair is in search of his father and he enlists Varric and Isabela to help him. They go in search of a swamp witch who controls dragons to find answers. This leads them to the Qunari, where Isabela is captured and attempted to be converted. The final showdown for this book is a big fight with Titus, where we learn the fate of Alistair's father, enter an odd dreamscape, and learn a bit more about some of the characters.
It's all based on a series of video games which are artistically beautiful. The comic is also. The commentary at times was a bit too congratulatory, but the comments about style choices or how a character were portrayed were interesting insights. My best advice is to read them after you've read either the whole thing as a graphic novel, or just the page, since some of the notes do include spoilers for the current page.
I was given a review copy of this graphic novel by Diamond Book Distributors and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
Alistair is in search of his father and he enlists Varric and Isabela to help him. They go in search of a swamp witch who controls dragons to find answers. This leads them to the Qunari, where Isabela is captured and attempted to be converted. The final showdown for this book is a big fight with Titus, where we learn the fate of Alistair's father, enter an odd dreamscape, and learn a bit more about some of the characters.
It's all based on a series of video games which are artistically beautiful. The comic is also. The commentary at times was a bit too congratulatory, but the comments about style choices or how a character were portrayed were interesting insights. My best advice is to read them after you've read either the whole thing as a graphic novel, or just the page, since some of the notes do include spoilers for the current page.
I was given a review copy of this graphic novel by Diamond Book Distributors and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
averypleasantpineapple's review
2.0
I'm afraid that pretty much the only thing I liked about this comic is that it was set in Thedas, and I'm always hungry for every tiny bit of Dragon Age lore. Although I have to admit that the hardcover edition is gorgeous.
Frankly, I was surprised by how little I liked it. I did enjoy Gaider's Dragon Age novels but here the story left me cold. In particular, the characterization of Alistair sounded way off to me.
Frankly, I was surprised by how little I liked it. I did enjoy Gaider's Dragon Age novels but here the story left me cold. In particular, the characterization of Alistair sounded way off to me.
gilroi's review
3.0
An excellent collection, I recommend this series highly if you're a fan of the Dragon Age universe (less so if you're looking to get into the series in the first place, but then, this comic is the gateway that got my roommate to want to play the game, so who knows). Not only does the comic itself clear up some mysteries that have been hanging in the background since the beginning of Origins, it also has gorgeous, colorful art. The writing is full of character-- no wonder, David Gaider had a direct role in the writing-- and so is the art, with expressive faces and a wonderful handle on rendering action that feels both naturalistic to a static illustrative medium while still holding true to the interactive world of video game physics.
As for this edition in particular, it has something nothing else has: commentary. I'm a giant sucker for DVD commentary, so I absolutely adored getting to hear the behind-the-scenes tidbits the artists and writers were willing to leak. All of it revealed how much thought and care went into the making of this volume, which really made me appreciate it even more. I can't speak highly enough of this comic. I didn't expect tie-in material to be high quality, and yet my expectations have been exceeded in every way.
As for this edition in particular, it has something nothing else has: commentary. I'm a giant sucker for DVD commentary, so I absolutely adored getting to hear the behind-the-scenes tidbits the artists and writers were willing to leak. All of it revealed how much thought and care went into the making of this volume, which really made me appreciate it even more. I can't speak highly enough of this comic. I didn't expect tie-in material to be high quality, and yet my expectations have been exceeded in every way.
shifo's review
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
chaoseisor's review
4.0
such a lovely book, definitely my favorite way to read these, the story was strong, and dark, Varric was awesome as always
vkm13's review
5.0
I originally read all of The Silent Grove and some of Those Who Speak as digital editions, but it was an absolute treat to read them again in this volume, with annotations from the creative team. I also hadn't read Until We Sleep, so it was nice to get caught up with this comic series in one fell swoop (even if swooping is generally bad).
I really love the story here and how it brings together characters from the first two games and tells a story that not only continues their development but also develops the world of Thedas a whole.
This book is fun and action-filled and heartbreaking, all the things make Dragon Age the great series it is. Highly recommended for any fan, even if the canon-ness of anything set after the games is a bit shaky, especially where Alistair is involved.
I really love the story here and how it brings together characters from the first two games and tells a story that not only continues their development but also develops the world of Thedas a whole.
This book is fun and action-filled and heartbreaking, all the things make Dragon Age the great series it is. Highly recommended for any fan, even if the canon-ness of anything set after the games is a bit shaky, especially where Alistair is involved.
nikchick's review
5.0
I had read the comics but seeing them in this collection, with the art so finely reproduced and everything annotated made it all the better.
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