Sacrificed in the honor of the Four Bishops of the Old Faith and lost between life and death, Lamb meets the One Who Waits, an ancient power determined to exterminate its enemies and return to existence. This begins Lamb’s return to life, to seek vengeance and gather influence by raising a cult in the name of the old god imprisoned below. At first, revenge seems the natural choice against Lamb’s murderers. However, things grow more complicated when Lamb meets pious Ratau and innocent Nana—the first two members of the group they will soon gather. It is in this—caught between devotion to an ancient being and the possibility of joy in a harsh world—that Lamb will be forced to make a choice. Will the cult become a fresh start for those who are rescued; or will it also grow from the blood of sacrifice?
With this first volume, Cult of the Lamb: The First Verse, Oni Press brings the popular video game to the page with Alex Paknadel and Troy Little capturing the animal cuteness and pervasive violence of the original in equal measure, humor and horror entwined into one epic adventure. I confess that, though I’ve seen others play portions of the game, I have yet to play through it entirely on my own. This gave me a measure of freedom from expectations regarding the adaptation, though nothing contained in this volume appeared to be a notable departure from the source material.
The story is consistently delivered in lighthearted tones, borrowing familiar language of chosen heroes and epic fantasy for this bright and colorful world of animals and strange magic. There are some pretty direct references to certain game mechanics which will likely be more humorous to those familiar with the game, but largely, the story takes its own shape without expecting the reader to have any great deal of previous knowledge.
And for a game that involves a lot of building and combat, Parknadel does an excellent job narrowing the focus to Lamb and the surrounding characters. At the core of the story, is the rise of a hero overshadowed by impending tragedy. With themes of devotion, friendship, and sacrifice, a comic that could have simply been an action-filled joke, takes on a surprising sense of gravity as even Lamb’s most sincere efforts seem to lead only toward more suffering. It’s a legitimately fun and entertaining read, but watching the rise of a well-meaning hero who may become the very thing they are fighting against gives the story a weight deeper than just watching Lamb battle cultists across the dark forest and beyond.
At the same time, Little’s art remains true to the original style. With bright colors, dramatic action, and visual humor, each page infuses the story with whimsy enough to balance out the darker elements of the world. Moving from light to dark with bold, cartoon illustrations, Little captures the shifting moods and ancient magic of the narrative, making the book a joy to read, even as things begin to turn toward the worst. The story is action-adventure and dark fantasy, and this imaginative world feel very alive at every turn, as do the hopes and sorrows of the characters that live there.
Oni gives the book a 16+ rating for older teens, which suits the audience well. Teen readers are likely to be familiar with the original game and may find themselves drawn to a comic adaptation. Though combat, blood, and sacrifice are core elements of the story and do appear regularly on the page, they’re depicted cartoonishly rather than realistically and never to such an extent that the violence overtakes the story being told. Along with some darker themes, mature teens of varying ages should be fine to pick this up—and it’s likely to be a hit with audiences who are fond of the game or similar media where cutesy characters find themselves in decidedly not-cutesy situations. In the end, Cult of the Lamb offers surprisingly focused layers of depth, complexity, and nuanced storytelling while also remaining true to the original material. This volume is only the opening act, but I’m seated and ready to follow Lamb wherever they lead, be it victory or tragedy.
Cult of the Lamb, Vol. One: The First Verse By Alex Paknadel Art by Troy Little Oni Press, 2024 ISBN: 9781637155226
Company Age Rating: 16+ Related media: Game to Comic
NFNT Age Recommendation: Older Teen (16-18), Teen (13-16)
Set in a Japanese middle school (equivalent to junior high in the US) during the nineties, Magic: the Gathering is a hot new card game. Hajime Kano plays in every spare moment between his studies. He’s determined to be the best. Best in his class. Best at Magic: the Gathering. But his school rival, Emi Sawatari retains the top spot in school! When Hajime travels to a new game store, he’s horrified to find Emi there playing Magic and dominating the competition. He challenges her to a three-round game. He quickly wins the first round, but after swapping cards with her sideboard, Emi wins the second round. They don’t start the tie breaking round though because Hajime dropped a die, and they both dive under the table to retrieve it and touch hands. Embarrassed, Emi rushes out of the shop, leaving her deck behind.
When Hajime tries to return her deck at school, Emi freaks out and asks if he told anyone she was at the game store or that she plays. Turns out, she doesn’t want anyone to know because she thinks it will ruin her respected honor student persona, so she plays in secret. It isn’t long before Hajime challenges her to a rematch, and their competition is renewed. The rest of the book features their growing relationship while explaining some of Magic’s metagame information.
Although Magic: the Gathering was first released in 1993, it wasn’t released in Japanese until 1996 with the set Fourth Edition. So, this story is set shortly after that in 1998. I know a little bit about early Magic history and the metagame, but not a lot of specifics. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from the story. So often, a story about a fantasy-based game will take on those fantastical elements; however, there was none of that in this story. Except for the occasional illustrative flare to make a scene more dramatic!
The energy and excitement of the characters felt real, and the author and illustrator both did a fantastic job capturing the intensity of those emotions throughout. The black and white illustrations were nicely detailed and made good use of shading and texture to give each panel depth. It was a little harder to recognize the colors of cards, which is essential to gameplay, but overall, the dialogue made it clear what was happening. I also liked that they were able to utilize the original art and design of the cards to make it feel more authentic.
Outside of the card game, this felt like a rivals-to-friends romcom. From hardcore nerds into Magic history and metagaming to slice of life readers, this series will appeal to a wide range of readers and would do well in high school and public libraries.
Destroy All Humans. They Can’t Be Regenerated. A Magic: The Gathering Manga Vol. 01 By Katsura Ise Art by Takuma Yokota VIZ, 2024 ISBN: 9781974747214
Company Age Rating: Teen Plus Related media: Game to Comic
NFNT Age Recommendation: Adult (18+), Older Teen (16-18)
Wake up in a strange place. Immediately get attacked by horrific monsters. Quickly realize that you’ve somehow gotten caught up in a world-changing series of events that you barely understand. This is Dark Souls.
Published by Yen Press, Dark Souls: Redemption begins an original story set within the familiar world of the Dark Souls games created by FromSoftware. At story’s open, a lit flame serves as an omen of things to come. A woman wakes amidst the dead with no memory of who she is or where she came from. In a world that quickly proves hostile, she encounters a secretive protector who is sworn to her defense but refuses to reveal the secrets of her past. And these are secrets that will prove to be important as humans and monsters alike begin to converge, all seeking the woman for whatever forgotten role she plays in this wider world.
French writer Julien Blondel provides the story, immediately showcasing the aesthetic and narrative ambiguity that defines Dark Souls. There is death and magic and angry monstrosities. The reader—alongside our nameless lead character—is dropped into a world with little initial explanation other than clues that emerge as new pieces of the world come into focus. However, one challenge of translating Dark Souls into written form is that narrative ultimately begins to move into the forefront. Though plenty of mysteries remain, Blondel delivers an unfolding story of a woman who has forgotten how important she is to the world and competing factions that either wish to see her return to power or see her destroyed forever. Even with this heavier focus on narrative, this first volume leaves a lot unanswered as sudden revelations and escalating threats push the characters from one conflict to the next. The individual moments are easy enough to follow, but readers who like their answers quickly may be frustrated by the need to wait for further volumes before all of this begins coming together.
Blondel’s story is given life in the detailed black and white illustrations of Shonen. A core aspect of Dark Souls is the large and intricate world, and the art quickly gives age, grime, scale, and history to this dangerous world. A significant portion of the storytelling unfolds through the visuals and action sequences, and Shonen clearly holds value for the aesthetic of the original games. Though a bit of clarity gets lost in the pacing and action at moments, it is largely a pleasure to see new pieces of this world unfold across the pages alongside misshapen abominations and dark heroes locked in ongoing conflict.
The series is rated for Older Teens, offering rough but often bloodless violence, monstrous imagery, and non-sexual partial nudity on the part of the main character. Nothing in the content should be surprising to those who are already fans and teens on the older end of the spectrum should have no issue picking up the series. Overall, this first volume should appeal to established fans but, at least without subsequent volumes to carry the story deeper, may not prove the strongest entry point for those without some familiarity with the games. It’s clearly made with deep affection for the source material, but I’d need to see more before making a final decision on the strength of the storytelling here.
Dark Souls: Redemption Vol. 01: Humanity Lost By Julien Blondel Art by Shonen Yen Press, 2024 ISBN: 9798855405712
Related media: Game to Comic
NFNT Age Recommendation: Older Teen (16-18) Creator Representation: French,
Bell and his friends (or Familia) have been working on fulfilling extra quests in the Dungeon of Orario in order to purchase a very expensive dress for their patron deity, Hestia, to wear to the Holy Night Festival. A member of the Familia, Haruhime, does not venture out of their home base often due to reasons explained in a different series set in the same universe, so Bell escorts her during the Festival so she can enjoy herself while feeling safe. While enjoying the scenery, they meet Tarvi, a mysterious stranger new to town who is also enjoying the Festival activities. It seems she is also trying to avoid some soldiers, so Haruhime convinces Bell that they need to help their new friend avoid being caught.
Tarvi and Haruhime have much in common and quickly become fast friends and we learn that Tarvi is from a small country outside of Orario called Beltane. When the truth comes out about the soldiers and their relationship to Tarvi, Bell and Haruhime join forces with them to keep both girls safe and out of trouble. Unfortunately, that is not easy when they’re trying to impress each other instead of paying attention.
This series could be read on its own without any knowledge of the original manga or anime; however, I would not recommend purchasing only this series since it is a spin-off. This first volume does include explanations of key terms such as “Familia,” “Deities,” and “Status” in between chapters or in exposition text boxes. All of the previous character development and relationship establishment is not explained in this volume. Some of it is alluded to if deemed important to explain the plot of this spin-off. As someone who has watched the four anime seasons and read a few of the spin-off manga, I had no problem following the relationship dynamics and personality traits of characters like Hestia, who has a super obvious crush on Bell, and Bell, who is oblivious to any female interest in him despite the name of the main series. I don’t think new readers to the world would be as enamored if they didn’t have this outside information.
For readers who are familiar with the world and established characters, this story introduces a new country and a new character who befriends Haruhime quickly. This spin-off looks like it might spotlight Haruhime a bit more and give her some room for growth and development on page, but that could change in the following volumes now that the new additions have been introduced. Tarvi is an interesting addition to the world and brings a new perspective from a country outside of Orario. I would recommend this series to libraries that cater to teen readers that enjoy the main Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? Series. Please note that this series is also rated Older Teen by the publisher due to kidnapping with the goal of sexual assault and violence. No sexual assault takes place on page in the first volume.
Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? Memoria Freese, Holy Night Traumerei Vol. 01 By Fujino Omori Art by Yu Shiomura Yen Press, 2023 ISBN: 9781975366537
Publisher Age Rating: Older Teen Related media: Game to Comic
Liliana, a planeswalker who can travel between planes aka dimensions, is taking time to reexamine her life as she teaches necromancy in Strixhaven. Unfortunately, her time there is interrupted by Tezzeret (another planeswalker)waiting in her office, where he attempts to kill her.During their battle, Tezzeret mentions some interesting facts about a planeswalker Liliana has never heard of in connection with a deadly opponent, Marit Lage. Once Tezzeret is defeated and flees, Liliana explores the vast Strixhaven library to learn more about Isona Maive, who has a rare amplification power. However, there is more to the story than the library reveals and soon Liliana must make a difficult choice: to be a hero or the villain.
Although this is a standalone volume, it is highly connected to the main comic series Magic from BOOM! Studios. There are several places within the story that are glossed over with a note that directs the reader to specific issues to read more. I don’t think this volume stands up by itself and would highly recommend that it only be added to collections that are also purchasing the main Magic series. This graphic novel series is not canon to the trading card game it is related to, but I loved learning more about the planeswalkers’ adventures and relationships. Isona is not currently part of the game, so it was exciting to explore an entirely new character.
The consistency of the artwork in this volume is great and each planeswalker is given a color scheme that matches their personality, making it easier for readers to follow the action depicted. I prefer when the same artist is used across issues for long running storylines, so it is great that the same artist is used for the main series as well as the side stories. This is especially helpful with so many different characters featured across arcs. High school and older readers will appreciate this world the most.
Magic: The Hidden Planeswalker By Mairghread Scott Art by Fabiana Mascolo BOOM! Studios, 2023 ISBN: 9781684158553
Related media: Game to Comic
NFNT Age Recommendation: Adult (18+), Older Teen (16-18), Teen (13-16)
Celebrity endorsements and a pandemic that forced many to stay indoors has helped the tabletop roleplaying game Dungeons & Dragons (or D&D) achieve a kind of resurgence. While enduring in an age of Xboxes and Playstations, its current popularity boost has created a smorgasbord of D&D tie-in media, even whole universes that exist under the D&D umbrella. One such universe doesn’t even use a dragon. The Ravenloft universe of D&D has its players typically fight vampires and werewolves rather than fire-breathing dragons, but this world does provide a lot of storytelling opportunities, as demonstrated in the book D&D: Ravenloft: Orphan of Agony Isle, written by Casey Gilly and illustrated by Bailey Underwood.
The opening of this story might be very familiar to some: a dark, foreboding castle; flashes of lightning, and a creation that has just awakened. However, it is not Dr. Frankenstein who has brought his creation to life. The doctor in question is Viktra Mordenheim and what has awakened has no memory of who she was before. She chooses the name Miranda, and she mostly obeys Dr. Mordenheim’s rules, particularly that she should stay on the castle grounds and never venture outside, but Miranda is desperate to learn more about her past, even if it could cost her the new life she was given.
This book could initially be dismissed as heavily plagiarizing Frankenstein. However, the dynamic of Miranda and Viktra is just the wraparound story, and the majority of this collection features stories about other Ravenloft inhabitants encountering ghosts, sea monsters, and other creatures that stalk the night. These stories might vary in quality from one to another, but they all involve characters meeting gruesome ends, which brings to mind horror anthology films that also keep their individual terrifying tales tied together with a wraparound story.
The artwork itself is restrained, using a more spooky atmosphere rather than relying on visceral, full-on horror. The designs of the various characters even show a slight manga influence, which signals that the target audience of this book are young adults who are familiar with the world of Ravenloft and of D&D. There are characters that appear to resemble elves and halflings (or Hobbits, a term familiar with Lord of the Rings fans), meaning that Gilly and Underwood expect their audience to have at least a basic familiarity with the universe their characters occupy.
This book is definitely for a specific audience, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a niche one. There are plenty of people that, if they’re not currently playing D&D, then they remember playing the game and having fun, and there are still those who have fond memories of or wish to learn more about the Ravenloft setting. To see if this would be a good purchase for your library’s collection, look for signs in your own library. Does it have a Dungeons & Dragons group? Do you have the rulebooks and adventures for the game, and if so, how often do they check out? This book is a solid collection of creepy stories, but the entryway into them requires knowing something about the book’s dark and dreadful universe.
Dungeons & Dragons: Ravenloft: Orphan of Agony Isle By Casey Gilly Art by Bayleigh Underwood IDW, 2022 ISBN: 9781684059560
Related media: Game to Comic
NFNT Age Recommendation: Adult (18+), Older Teen (16-18)
Writing stories set in a much loved, previously established universe is always a highwire act. It’s hard to make everyone happy. Tillie Walden takes the challenge in Clementine Book One, as she adapts a graphic novel from a Walking Dead video game character. Her success or failure is probably dependent on how invested in the Walking Dead universe you are.
This story opens with a Black teenage girl with an amputated leg traveling alone through a zombie apocalypse. She clearly knows how to take care of herself. She’s also been through a lot of trauma and doesn’t trust people easily, though no one seems to trust each other in this world. We learn that it’s been many years since the apocalypse began and Clementine has lived in this world for most of her life. We see flashbacks of what happened to her before (likely parts of the video game) and it informs who she is today. Soon she comes across a religious community and reluctantly accompanies one young man on a quest he’s undertaken to meet others on the top of a mountain in the hopes they can survive there away from the living dead. As with most zombie stories, nothing goes as planned and mayhem ensues. There is a complete story in this book but another door opens at the end in the hopes that readers will want to see what Clementine’s next steps are.
Walden’s art and storytelling are clear and distinctive. She is able to create the appropriate mood and atmosphere for a zombie apocalypse. The book is in black and white, just like the original Walking Dead series, which does make it hard to tell some characters apart. Walden uses clothing and hairstyle to do most of this work and she’s successful most of the time. The book is mostly set at night, so everything is pretty dark. This makes depicting Clementine’s race particularly challenging. In general, if you liked Walden’s art previously, you’ll enjoy what she does here.
We’ve had a lot of tales told in the world of the Walking Dead. Focusing on the trials of a capable teenage girl is a good story to tell, but it’s not breaking much new ground other than the fact she is an amputee. Fans of Tillie Walden will be interested to see her working in someone else’s “playground.” Fans of the Walking Dead and the video game will get to see Clementine’s story move forward. Not all of them will be happy about where the story takes us, though. I am curious where planned books two and three go. Image Comics head and Walking Dead creator, Robert Kirkman, has picked a good property to launch his new Skybound Comet imprint at Image with. It will be interesting to see how well this imprint expands Image’s audience to include a younger crowd of comics readers. Clementine is rated for older teens and could go in most public library YA or adult collections. Whether it stands alone or if it has too much backstory for most teens will be the test of whether it is a hit or not.
Clementine Book One By Tille Walden Image Skybound, 2022 ISBN: 9781534321281
Publisher Age Rating: 14+ Related media: Game to Comic
NFNT Age Recommendation: Older Teen (16-18) Creator Representation: Lesbian Character Representation: African-American, Bisexual, Missing Limb, Prosthesis
Magic is a tie in comic to the popular collectible trading card game Magic the Gathering and assumes some familiarity with the story and characters that have appeared in the game. In terms of storyline, this takes place sometime after the “War of the Spark” expansion, but I am unsure of the exact placement. The first caption reads, “The multiverse is vast, and the planes of existence innumerable,” which gives an idea of the scope covered here. The focus narrows from there to the plane of Ravnica which is a gigantic city, but it’s still an intimidating opening.
A mysterious group sets off explosions around the city of Ravnica, following up with assassination attempts on three guildmasters who are also planeswalkers (people who can travel between worlds). The three main characters: Vraska, Kaya, and Ral attempt to find out who is behind the attacks and end up embroiled in a wide ranging conspiracy. Along the way they work with other planeswalkers, butt heads with other guildmasters, and explore the many worlds they can travel to. There is a focus on exploring the world of Ravnica, as that is where the bulk of the action takes place.
The artwork is detailed and vibrant, very similar to the artwork typically found on Magic cards, but with some variations that differentiate from the game’s style. Some breaks from traditional layout and gutter style can be hard to follow. For example, early in the book the gutters are replaced with lightning effects for one page, but those same bolts can be found in the panel art, making it hard to tell what’s part of the story and what is meant to break up the sequence. There is a lot of fun to be had in the backgrounds. The main character’s ability to travel to different dimensions leads to a wide variety of locations, each with a distinctive environment.
McKay repeats place names and key pieces of vocabulary early on, which can be useful to the unfamiliar reader. Thankfully, voices of the main characters are distinguishable from each other. For example Vraska, the gorgon, is written as somewhat haughty while Kaya, the assassin, is more casual and modern. Some characters are introduced without much description, such as Jace Beleren, who is described as “the mind mage”. No further explanation of him being a planeswalker similar to the main characters is given, or a reason why he is so important to protect later on in the story. There are short descriptions of the various locales, but for more information the reader would have to turn to the game itself.
The publisher, Boom! Comics does not list a suggested age range for Magic, but I would place it firmly in teen. There are flashes of violence and death throughout, but very little in the way of adult language or sexual content. The concepts of various fantasy worlds that can be explored is a bit too complex for younger readers. This places the comic in the same suggested age bracket as the card game.
I would recommend this for public libraries with a strong fantasy or gaming population. If you have other tie-in works in your collection, or have a few Dungeons and Dragons groups using your space, this would be a welcome addition to your shelf.
Magic, vol. 1 By Jed MacKay Art by Ig Guara BOOM! Studios, 2021 ISBN: 9781684157358
This installment of the Dungeons & Dragons graphic novel series opens with a group of traveling miners caught in a blizzard in the Icewind Dale area when they are overcome by anger and start brawling, which ruins their cart and leads to the death of almost the entire party. The only survivor is the driver, Amos, and his leg was injured in the cart crash. Luckily, Runa, a nearby warrior, follows the wolves previously pulling the cart and arrives just in time to save Amos from a remorhaz that bursts out of the mountain and consumes the last of the cart and all of its contents. Runa finds herself facing the remorhaz alone while trying to keep Amos in one piece until she loses her ax in the beast’s eye and a passing dragonborn ranger named Saarvin, avails himself to save her life.
Runa decides to travel with Saarvin until she can repay the blood debt and save his life, so the three of them travel to Ten Towns to see if the local druid can heal Amos’ injured leg. Upon arrival to the town’s tavern, another brawl has broken out between two drunken humans over a bag of chardalyn, which introduces Patience the tiefling and her employer, Belvyre the druid. Amos convinces the party that they should look for the magic-filled lost city his miner companions were discussing in order to find plants that could survive the magical blizzard and help feed Ten Towns, which is almost out of food supplies.Along their travels, they must fight and defeat several frost giant skeletons, recover from a betrayal, overcome a confrontation with Runa’s family, and save a duergar army from a volcanic eruption.
This graphic novel ties in with the recently released D&D Icewind Dale adventure from Wizards of the Coast and does a good job of providing a sense of the terrifying creatures and icy conditions players could encounter were they to travel through the area. Overall, the story makes sense and follows a typical adventure path as the party forms and moves deeper into the dungeon. The side characters brought some extra worldbuilding even though they felt like forgettable non-player characters (NPCs). The main characters stayed pretty flat throughout the story with the exception of Amos, who exemplifies the bad guy with a heart of gold trope. Seasoned Dungeons & Dragons players will catch the Easter eggs sprinkled throughout, but new readers will still be able to enjoy the story as well.
The colored art does a great job of adding atmosphere to the story and identifying our main characters in a blizzard of snowy white and gray. It is highly detailed with a care for shading to add extra depth, which helps immerse the reader in a fantasy world. I particularly loved the facial expressions that conveyed a wide range of emotions from anger to sulking to big-bellied laughter. Although this would not be a core title to include in an average graphic novel collection, if you have a population interested in gaming in general, or D&D specifically, this title would do well. Be aware that there is violence and blood depicted throughout, so it’s probably for teens or older readers.
Dungeons & Dragons: At The Spine of the World By AJ Mendez, Aimee Garcia Art by Martin Coccolo IDW, 2021 ISBN: 9781684057917
Related media: Game to Comic
NFNT Age Recommendation: Adult (18+), Older Teen (16-18), Teen (13-16) Creator Representation: Latinx, Uruguayan Character Representation: Black
Vampire: The Masquerade (or V:tM) is probably the most successful role-playing game in history, apart from Dungeons and Dragons. The first game made for what became known as the World of Darkness setting, V:tM cast players in the role of the titular blood-sucking monsters, who spend their nights struggling to survive the Machiavellian political structure maintained by the eldest vampires, control the dark hunger that animates their undead forms, and retain what little humanity they have left. Generally V:tM is not a game of heroes and bold deeds, and that is well reflected by the new tie-in comic book series from Vault Comics.
“Winter’s Teeth” spins two different stories set among the vampires of St. Paul and Minneapolis. The first is centered around Cecily Bain, a freelance troubleshooter who reluctantly works as the muscle of the leaders of the Camarilla—the vampiric society that runs the nightlife of the Twin Cities and enforces the Masquerade that hides the existence of vampires from humans. Pressured to further tie herself to the local Prince, Cecily decides to claim the rare privilege of being allowed a “childe” and adopts Alejandra; a fledgling vampire seemingly abandoned by her creator and, by the laws of the Camarilla, an outlaw with no right to an afterlife. Thus does Cecily introduce “Ali” (and us) to the World of Darkness, even as she begins investigating Ali’s origins and a plot to overthrow the Prince.
The second story, “The Anarch Tales,” centers around a found family of Anarchs; vampires who live outside the structure set up by the Camarilla, but still try to maintain the Masquerade and their humanity. The central character here is Colleen Pendergrass; a thin-blood vampire who can pass for human and survive the touch of the sun but lacks the specialized powers most vampires possess. Colleen’s family takes a courier job that takes them to the Twin Cities, with each chapter revealing the origins of each member of the family and how the curse of vampirism altered them differently.
Fans of urban fantasy will find the stories of Cecily, Ali, Colleen, and company enjoyable, as Tim Seeley, Blake Howard, and Tini Howard do a fantastic job of establishing them as relatable, if not entirely likable, protagonists. What’s even more amazing is how well they establish the Vampire: the Masquerade setting and utilize the terminology of the game mechanics naturally within the context of the story. Newcomers who can’t tell a Brujah from a Gangrel will have no trouble getting into the swing of things, as the central story has Cecily showing Ali the facts of unlife and The Anarch Tales explains the Sabbath (i.e., vampires who embrace their inhumanity and seek to overthrow the Camarilla) as well as the particulars of some of the bigger clans and their powers.
Despite being a solid primer for the game and including some character sheets and other materials for players, Winter’s Teeth is a comic book, first and foremost, and the artwork perfectly suits the setting. Devmalya Pramanik and Nathan Gooden capture the Gothic splendor and horror of vampiric unlife. What truly completes the art, however, is the color art of Addison Duke, who renders most of the comic in a washed-out palette that subtly hints at the faded glory of the older vampire aristocrats and the muted half-life experienced by most young vampires.
Vault Comics rates this series as 15+, but I would suggest that it is more appropriate for adult audiences. As one might expect from a story centered around vampires, this series does not skimp on the bloodshed and there are many disturbing images of people being cut, stabbed, beheaded, set on fire, buried alive, eviscerated, defenestrated, and undergoing nearly any sort of physical punishment you can imagine. There’s not much in the way of sexual content, apart from the Prince of St. Paul (a vampire named Samantha) painting in the nude and even then only her bare backside is shown. While this is tame by the standards of True Blood and other similar shows, the story is mature enough to be best appreciated by adult audiences rather than most older teens.
Vampire The Masquerade: Winter’s Teeth Vol. 01 By Tim Seeley, Blake Howard, Tini Howard Art by Devmalya Pramanik, Nathan Gooden, Addison Duke Vault Comics, 2021 ISBN: 9781939424808
Title Details and Representation Publisher Age Rating: 15+ Only Series ISBNS and Order Related media: Game to Comic NFNT Age Recommendation: Adult (18+), Older Teen (16-18) Character Representation: American,
new card game. Hajime Kano plays in every spare moment between his studies. He’s determined to be the best. Best in his class. Best at Magic: the Gathering. But his school rival, Emi Sawatari retains the top spot in school! When Hajime travels to a new game store, he’s horrified to find Emi there playing Magic and dominating the competition. He challenges her to a three-round game. He quickly wins the first round, but after swapping cards with her sideboard, Emi wins the second round. They don’t start the tie breaking round though because Hajime dropped a die, and they both dive under the table to retrieve it and touch hands. Embarrassed, Emi rushes out of the shop, leaving her deck behind.
Wake up in a strange place. Immediately get attacked by horrific monsters. Quickly realize that you’ve somehow gotten caught up in a world-changing series of events that you barely understand. This is Dark Souls.
very expensive dress for their patron deity, Hestia, to wear to the Holy Night Festival. A member of the Familia, Haruhime, does not venture out of their home base often due to reasons explained in a different series set in the same universe, so Bell escorts her during the Festival so she can enjoy herself while feeling safe. While enjoying the scenery, they meet Tarvi, a mysterious stranger new to town who is also enjoying the Festival activities. It seems she is also trying to avoid some soldiers, so Haruhime convinces Bell that they need to help their new friend avoid being caught. 
Dungeons & Dragons (or D&D) achieve a kind of resurgence. While enduring in an age of Xboxes and Playstations, its current popularity boost has created a smorgasbord of D&D tie-in media, even whole universes that exist under the D&D umbrella. One such universe doesn’t even use a dragon. The Ravenloft universe of D&D has its players typically fight vampires and werewolves rather than fire-breathing dragons, but this world does provide a lot of storytelling opportunities, as demonstrated in the book D&D: Ravenloft: Orphan of Agony Isle, written by Casey Gilly and illustrated by Bailey Underwood.
Writing stories set in a much loved, previously established universe is always a highwire act. It’s hard to make everyone happy. Tillie Walden takes the challenge in Clementine Book One, as she adapts a graphic novel from a Walking Dead video game character. Her success or failure is probably dependent on how invested in the Walking Dead universe you are.
Magic is a tie in comic to the popular collectible trading card game Magic the Gathering and assumes some familiarity with the story and characters that have appeared in the game. In terms of storyline, this takes place sometime after the “War of the Spark” expansion, but I am unsure of the exact placement. The first caption reads, “The multiverse is vast, and the planes of existence innumerable,” which gives an idea of the scope covered here. The focus narrows from there to the plane of Ravnica which is a gigantic city, but it’s still an intimidating opening.
pens with a group of traveling miners caught in a blizzard in the Icewind Dale area when they are overcome by anger and start brawling, which ruins their cart and leads to the death of almost the entire party. The only survivor is the driver, Amos, and his leg was injured in the cart crash. Luckily, Runa, a nearby warrior, follows the wolves previously pulling the cart and arrives just in time to save Amos from a remorhaz that bursts out of the mountain and consumes the last of the cart and all of its contents. Runa finds herself facing the remorhaz alone while trying to keep Amos in one piece until she loses her ax in the beast’s eye and a passing dragonborn ranger named Saarvin, avails himself to save her life. 
