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A review by moto1480
Dragon Age, Volume 1 by Chad Hardin, Michael Atiyeh, David Gaider, Anthony Palumbo
5.0
This volume collects the first three Dark Horse Dragon Age comics: The Silent Grove, Those Who Speak, and Until We Sleep. Alistair is the King of Ferelden, yes he has secretly left his throne unattended to take care of private business. Accompanying him? Isabela, a Rivaini pirate captain, and Varric, a sarcastic crossbow-wielding dwarf. They don't really get into why Alistair would choose these two to accompany him (Alistair was one of the companions in Dragon Age: Origins, Isabela was an NPC in Dragon Age: Origins and a companion in Dragon Age 2, and Varric was a companion in Dragon Age 2), but it's understood that Varric and Isabela are thieves and therefore were paid for their protection.
I'm going to avoid spoilers, but in my opinion, the reason for Alistair's mission, while sad, seemed pretty far-fetched. However, the real strength of the stories is in learning more about the backgrounds of Varric and Isabela, and learning about what happened to the world after the Fifth Blight (a catastrophic event that happens due to ancient gods, magic, etc; it's hard to explain and you should really play Dragon Age: Origins if you want to know more). We also learn what has become of Sten (a Qunari swordsman who was a companion in Dragon Age: Origins), see a little more of Tevinter (a place referenced in the games, but never seen), and meet a delightful magister named Maevaris Tilani. She was truly a highlight for me: strong-willed and sassy without be overbearingly so. In addition, she is Bioware's first transgender character, and I thought the writers handled her character elegantly.
Of course, the REAL question is "do you need to have played the games to enjoy the comics?" Sort of. As noted, the stories are excellent on their own, but a lot of the events and incidents that take place within the comics reference characters and mythos from Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age: Origins - Awakenings, and Dragon Age 2 (as they should). Therefore, a reader unfamiliar with the games may find themselves at a bit of a loss at the beginning, since the three main characters seem incredibly disparate.
I LOVED this collection. As a Dragon Age gamer, anything that adds to the canon is already favorable to me. The art and the storylines were great and I loved that in the Library Edition, there were tons of notations from the writers and the illustrator. The collections also provide more information regarding plots in the forthcoming Dragon Age: Inquisition. If you love Dragon Age, you NEED to own this.
I'm going to avoid spoilers, but in my opinion, the reason for Alistair's mission, while sad, seemed pretty far-fetched. However, the real strength of the stories is in learning more about the backgrounds of Varric and Isabela, and learning about what happened to the world after the Fifth Blight (a catastrophic event that happens due to ancient gods, magic, etc; it's hard to explain and you should really play Dragon Age: Origins if you want to know more). We also learn what has become of Sten (a Qunari swordsman who was a companion in Dragon Age: Origins), see a little more of Tevinter (a place referenced in the games, but never seen), and meet a delightful magister named Maevaris Tilani. She was truly a highlight for me: strong-willed and sassy without be overbearingly so. In addition, she is Bioware's first transgender character, and I thought the writers handled her character elegantly.
Of course, the REAL question is "do you need to have played the games to enjoy the comics?" Sort of. As noted, the stories are excellent on their own, but a lot of the events and incidents that take place within the comics reference characters and mythos from Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age: Origins - Awakenings, and Dragon Age 2 (as they should). Therefore, a reader unfamiliar with the games may find themselves at a bit of a loss at the beginning, since the three main characters seem incredibly disparate.
I LOVED this collection. As a Dragon Age gamer, anything that adds to the canon is already favorable to me. The art and the storylines were great and I loved that in the Library Edition, there were tons of notations from the writers and the illustrator. The collections also provide more information regarding plots in the forthcoming Dragon Age: Inquisition. If you love Dragon Age, you NEED to own this.