Dungeons & Dragons | |
---|---|
Publication information | |
Publisher | IDW Publishing |
Schedule | Irregular |
Format | Ongoing and limited series |
Genre | Action/adventure, fantasy, magic, swashbuckler |
Publication date | August 2010 – April 2024 |
No. of issues | 104 |
Dungeons & Dragons is a series of comic books published by IDW Publishing, under the license from Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast, based on the Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) fantasy role-playing game. From 2010 to 2024, IDW Publishing released two Dungeons & Dragons ongoing series, fifteen Dungeons & Dragons limited series, three crossover series, two annuals and a graphic novel.
It was originally based on the 4th Edition core setting of D&D. [1] [2] Starting with the Legends of Baldur's Gate mini-series in 2014, the comics have been tied to the 5th Edition core setting. [3]
In July 2024, Wizards of the Coast announced that Dark Horse Comics will gain the Dungeons & Dragons comics license in 2025. [4] [5]
Set in Nentir Vale, the first ongoing series of Dungeons & Dragons [6] started in August 2010 with an issue 0 that introduced the major characters. It then continued with issue 1 in November of that year. 16 issues were published with the last issue being released in February 2012. [7] [8] [9] The series was written by John Rogers and illustrated by Andrea Di Vito, Denis Medri, Horacio Domingues and Juanan. [10] The collection includes three adventures for D&D 4th edition, with encounters from the story; [10] SP-1 Bad day, SP-2 Hide in plain sight, SP-1 1 It goes horribly right.
Dark Sun is a five-issue limited series that was released from January–May 2011 based on the Dark Sun campaign setting. [1] [11] It was written by Alex Irvine with art by Peter Bergting. [12]
The Legend of Drizzt: Neverwinter Tales, also a five-issue mini-series, started in August 2011. It was written by R.A. Salvatore and based on his famous D&D character, Drizzt Do'Urden, from the Forgotten Realms setting. [1]
A two-issue mini-series, Infestation 2: Dungeons & Dragons, was published in February 2012 as part of the IDW-wide Infes2ation crossover. The series is based on the Eberron campaign setting. [13] It was written by Paul Crilley with art by Valerio Schiti, Livio Ramondelli and Menton J. Matthews III (credited as menton3). [14] [15] Dungeons & Dragons Annual, published in April 2012, was also set in Eberron. It was written by Paul Crilley with art by Paco Diaz and Menton J. Matthews III (credited as menton3). [16] Then in June 2015, an Eberron themed trade paperback was published - Dungeons & Dragons: Abraxis Wren of Eberron collects Infestation 2: Dungeons & Dragons #1-2, the 2012 Annual and the Eye of the Wolf comic. [17] The Eye of the Wolf comic was originally published in 2006 by Devil's Due Publishing and was written by Keith Baker with art by Chris Lie and Rob Ruffolo. [18] [19]
Forgotten Realms is an ongoing series that released five issues between May and November 2012; it was based on original characters in the Forgotten Realms setting. It was written by Ed Greenwood, creator of the setting, with art by Lee Ferguson and Sal Buscema. [20] [21] [22]
Forgotten Realms: Cutter is a five-issue mini-series that started in April 2013. It was written by R. A. Salvatore and Geno Salvatore with art by David Baldeon and Steve Ellis. [23] [24]
A Darkened Wish is a Forgotten Realms five-issue mini-series set in the Sea of Swords (a region in Faerûn that separates the Sword Coast from the Nelanther Isles and the Moonshae Isles) written by B. Dave Walters with art by Tess Fowler. [25] The first issue was published in March 2019. [26] In 2020, Walters was the Dungeon Master for A Darkened Wish , an official actual play web series, which was based on the comic; it ran for 30 episodes and ended in 2021. [27] [28]
A four-issue mini-series set in the Icewind Dale region of Faerûn, entitled Dungeons & Dragons: At the Spine of the World, began in November 2020. [29] [30] It was written by AJ Mendez and Aimee Garcia with art by Martin Coccolo and colors by Katrina Mae Hao. [30] [31] Its release corresponded with the release of the adventure module Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden (2021). [29]
A four-issue limited series by writer Casey Gilly and artist Bayleigh Underwood [32] which was released between June and October 2022. The series focuses on the mad scientist Viktra Mordenheim, the Darklord of Ravenloft's Lamordia domain introduced in Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft (2021), and Miranda, a woman without memory who was resurrected by Mordenheim. [33] [34] [35] [36]
The Feast of the Moon is a 96-page graphic novel which serves as a prequel to the film Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023). The graphic novel focuses on Edgin (the bard played by Chris Pine in the film) as he and his band of thieves end up in conflict with both the Bandit King and a local town's inhabitants. It also includes a back-up story focused on Xenk (the paladin played by Regé-Jean Page) and the Helmet of Disjunction. [37] It was written by Jeremy Lambert and Ellen Boener and drawn by Eduardo Ferigato and Guillermo Sanna [38] [39] and was released on March 7, 2023 before the release of the film on March 31, 2023. [40] [41]
A four-issue limited series based on the 1983-85 Dungeons & Dragons animated TV series was released starting in March 2023, written by David M. Booher and Sam Maggs and drawn by George Kambadais. [42] [43] IDW Endless Summer Dungeons & Dragons Saturday Morning Adventures #1, as part of IDW's Endless Summer annuals, was published in August 2023; it was written by Booher with art by Jack Lawrence. [44] [45]
A sequel four-issue limited series based on the 1983-85 Dungeons & Dragons animated TV series, which continues the adventures of Dungeons & Dragons: Saturday Morning Adventures (2023), was released starting in January 2024. It was written by David M. Booher and drawn by George Kambadais. [46] [47]
Set in the Forgotten Realms setting, Legends of Baldur's Gate is a five-issue limited series that started in October 2014. It was written by Jim Zub with art by Max Dunbar and Sarah Stone. [48] [49] Jim Zub "has had a hand in nearly every D&D comic since" this limited series was published. [50]
Five sequel limited series have been published:
Shadows of the Vampire is a five-issue sequel to Legends of Baldur's Gate written by Jim Zub with art by Nelson Daniel and Max Dunbar. It features Strahd von Zarovich as the main villain and the realm of Ravenloft as its main setting. It started publishing in May 2016. [51] [52] [50]
Frost Giant’s Fury is the third five-issue mini-series centered on the group of heroes from Baldur’s Gate written by Jim Zub with art by Netho Diaz. [53] [50] It started publishing in January 2017. [54] [55]
Evil at Baldur’s Gate is the fourth five-issue mini-series following the heroes from Baldur’s Gate written by Jim Zub and Steven Cummings with art by Dean Kotz, John Wycough, Harvey Tolibao, Jim Zub and Francesco Mortarino. It started publishing in April 2018. [56] [57]
Infernal Tides is the fifth five-issue mini-series involving the heroes from Baldur’s Gate. It was published in November 2019 and written by Jim Zub with art by Max Dunbar. [58]
Mindbreaker is the sixth five-issue mini-series involving the heroes from Baldur’s Gate; the series acts as a prelude to the video game Baldur's Gate III . [59] [60] It is written by Jim Zub with art by Eduardo Mello and started publishing in October 2021. [61] [62]
In 2018, publishers IDW Publishing and Oni Press presented a crossover between the adult animated sitcom Rick and Morty comic book and Dungeons & Dragons . [63] The four-issue crossover comic was co-written by Jim Zub and Patrick Rothfuss, with art by Troy Little, starting its own publishing in August 2018. [64] [65] [66]
The Rick and Morty vs Dungeons and Dragons Deluxe Edition was nominated for the 2022 "Best Graphic Album—Reprint" Eisner Award. [67]
A four-issue sequel mini-series was published in September 2019. [68] It was written by Jim Zub and Sarah Stern with art by Troy Little. [66]
A five-issue crossover comic with the Netflix television series Stranger Things was published by IDW and Dark Horse Comics on November 4, 2020. It was co-written by Jim Zub and Jody Houser with art by Diego Galindo, colors by Michele Assarasakorn, and letters by Nate Piekos. [69]
Dungeons & Dragons was #7 on CBR's "10 Best Comic Books & Graphic Novels Any D&D Player Should Read" list — the article states "it's a 15-issue comic book series that unfortunately got canceled. Don't be put off by that though– Fell's Five is highly-rated and features interesting characters each complementing and opposing the other, making them a dysfunctional party that somehow still works and gets through the skin of their teeth". [70]
In his review of the ongoing Dungeons & Dragons series, Chris Sims, for ComicsAlliance , wrote that John Rogers has "devoted the book not just to a great fantasy storyline [...] but some of the strongest and most engaging character work I've seen in a while. [...] The amazing thing is that Adric Fell and his crew are actually good characters in their own right, while still being completely believable as being the inhabitants of a world build entirely on the rigid, arcane rules that govern a roleplaying game. It's unbelievably tricky to pull both of those off at once, but Rogers does it. [...] It's all stuff that fans of D&D (and the fantasy literature it draws inspiration from) are all familiar with, but the way they interact with each other makes it feel fresh and fun, and it's perfectly complimented[ sic ] by Di Vito's expressive art. [...] In short, it's the story of the best D&D campaign ever, as played by the group I wish I was a part of". [71]
Reviews of Dungeons & Dragons:Days of Endless Adventure, which collects the Legends of Baldur’s Gate, Shadows of the Vampire, and Frost Giant’s Fury trades, were generally positive. SJ Twining, for Screen Rant , wrote: "Days of Endless Adventure is the perfect illustrated introduction to the world’s greatest roleplaying game. [...] Legends of Baldur’s Gate faithfully recreates the Forgotten Realms in continuity and detail, drawing upon the legendary campaign setting’s lore and adapting it with aspects highlighted in Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition". [72] Gavin Sheehan, for Bleeding Cool , wrote in his review: "You're getting 15 issues total with nearly three years worth of storytelling. Each set serves a very specific purpose in the canon of the characters you're introduced to. The first set brings about proper introductions and forming up the party of characters and dealing with a crisis, the second set gives you a familiar villain to Dungeons & Dragons lore, and the third, quite frankly, goes off the rails on purpose with an insane adventure that few mortals would ever dare tread into. [...] The back of the book features a mix of official artwork from Dungeons & Dragons' various adventure books and promotional material, as well as alternative artwork for certain scenes and even a few sketches of the characters as you can see the work that went into making them come to life. You also get character sheets for all five of the main party characters [...]. Its a slice of something different that doesn't read like other adventure comics out there, which fits perfectly with the motif of the tabletop RPG franchise it's based on". [50]
The series has been collected in the following trade paperbacks:
Title | Material collected | Date | ISBN |
---|---|---|---|
The Legend of Drizzt: Omnibus Volume 1 | The Legend of Drizzt: Homeland #1-3, The Legend of Drizzt: Exile #1-3 and The Legend of Drizzt: Sojourn #1-3 | September 2011 | ISBN 1-60010-997-7 |
Dungeons & Dragons Volume 1: Shadowplague | Dungeons & Dragons #0-5 | June 19, 2012 | ISBN 1-60010-922-5 |
Dark Sun: Ianto's Tomb | Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Sun #1-5 | August 14, 2012 | ISBN 1-60010-996-9 |
The Legend of Drizzt: Omnibus Volume 2 | The Legend of Drizzt: The Crystal Shard #1-3, The Legend of Drizzt: Streams of Silver #1-3 and The Legend of Drizzt: The Halfling's Gem #1-3 | September 2012 | ISBN 1-61377-395-1 |
Dungeons & Dragons Volume 2: First Encounters | Dungeons & Dragons #6-11 | December 18, 2012 | ISBN 1-61377-084-7 |
The Legend of Drizzt: Neverwinter Tales | Neverwinter Tales #1-5 | March 2012 | ISBN 1-61377-156-8 |
Dungeons & Dragons Volume 3: Down | Dungeons & Dragons #12-15 | May 8, 2012 | ISBN 1-61377-178-9 |
Forgotten Realms | Forgotten Realms #1-5 | January 15, 2013 | ISBN 1-61377-825-2 |
Forgotten Realms: Cutter | Forgotten Realms: Cutter #1-5 | December 17, 2013 | ISBN 1-61377-792-2 |
Dungeons & Dragons: Fell's Five | Dungeons & Dragons #0-15 | February 25, 2014 | ISBN 978-1613778463 |
Legends of Baldur's Gate | Legends of Baldur's Gate #1-5 | May 19, 2015 | ISBN 1-63140-250-1 |
Abraxis Wren of Eberron | Infestation 2: Dungeons & Dragons #1-2, 2012 Annual and Eye of the Wolf, 2006 Eye of the Wolf (originally published by Devil's Due Publishing) | June 2015 | ISBN 978-1-63140-265-4 |
Forgotten Realms Omnibus | Forgotten Realms #1-5, Forgotten Realms: Cutter #1-5, Neverwinter Tales #1-5 | February 2016 | ISBN 978-1631404641 |
Shadows of the Vampire | Shadows of the Vampire #1-5 | November 2016 | ISBN 1-63140-766-X |
Frost Giant's Fury | Frost Giant’s Fury #1-5 | October 2017 | ISBN 1-63140-928-X |
Evil at Baldur's Gate | Evil at Baldur’s Gate #1-5 | November 2018 | ISBN 1-68405-335-8 |
Rick and Morty vs. Dungeons & Dragons | Rick and Morty vs. Dungeons & Dragons #1-4 | March 2019 | ISBN 978-1-68405-416-9 |
Rick and Morty vs. Dungeons & Dragons: Chapter II: Painscape | Rick and Morty vs. Dungeons & Dragons: Chapter II: Painscape #1-4 | March 3, 2020 | ISBN 978-1620106907 |
Dungeons & Dragons: Days of Endless Adventure | Legends of Baldur's Gate, Shadows of the Vampire and Frost Giant's Fury | March 23, 2020 | ISBN 978-1-68405-275-2 |
A Darkened Wish | A Darkened Wish #1-5 | April 8, 2020 | ISBN 978-1684055388 |
Infernal Tides | Infernal Tides #1-5 | February 2021 | ISBN 978-1684056293 |
Stranger Things and Dungeons & Dragons | Stranger Things and Dungeons & Dragons #1-4 | July 6, 2021 | ISBN 978-1506721071 |
At the Spine of the World | Dungeons & Dragons: At the Spine of the World #1-4 | July 27, 2021 | ISBN 978-1-68405-791-7 |
Rick and Morty vs. Dungeons & Dragons: Deluxe Edition | Rick and Morty vs. Dungeons & Dragons #1-4 & Rick and Morty vs. Dungeons & Dragons: Chapter II: Painscape #1-4 | September 7, 2021 | ISBN 978-1-62010-875-8 |
Dungeons & Dragons: Best of Minsc & Boo | Legends of Baldur’s Gate #1, Shadows of the Vampire #2, Evil at Baldur’s Gate #1, and Evil at Baldur’s Gate #5 [73] | April 13, 2022 [74] | |
Mindbreaker | Mindbreaker #1-5 | July 19, 2022 | ISBN 978-1-68405-888-4 |
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves- The Feast of the Moon | March 7, 2023 [41] | ISBN 978-1-68405-911-9 | |
Ravenloft: Orphan of Agony Isle | Ravenloft: Orphan of Agony Isle #1-4 | March 14, 2023 [75] | ISBN 978-1684059560 |
Dungeons & Dragons: Saturday Morning Adventures | Dungeons & Dragons: Saturday Morning Adventures #1-4 | October 31, 2023 | ISBN 978-1-68405-943-0 |
IDW began printing trade paperback collections of earlier Dungeons & Dragons series by other publishers starting in March 2011.
A list of reprints:
Forgotten Realms is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) fantasy role-playing game. Commonly referred to by players and game designers as "The Realms", it was created by game designer Ed Greenwood around 1967 as a setting for his childhood stories. Several years later, it was published for the D&D game as a series of magazine articles, and the first Realms game products were released in 1987. Role-playing game products have been produced for the setting ever since, in addition to novels, role-playing video game adaptations, comic books, and the film Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.
Ravenloft is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. It is an alternate time-space existence known as a pocket dimension or demiplane, called the Demiplane of Dread, which consists of a collection of land pieces called "domains", brought together by a mysterious force known only as the Dark Powers. Each domain is tailored to and mystically ruled by a being called a Darklord who is forever trapped and surrounded by magical mists surrounding the domain. Strahd von Zarovich, a vampire in the original AD&DRavenloft I6 module released in 1983, became the first Darklord, both ruler and prisoner of his own personal domain of Barovia. The story of how Count von Zarovich became Darklord of Barovia was detailed in the 1993 novel I, Strahd: The Memoirs of a Vampire. As originally established in the Ravenloft: Realm of Terror boxed set known as "the Black Box" released in 1990, the Ravenloft campaign setting was located in the Ethereal Plane. As a physical manifestation of that plane, lands, monsters and even people were created out of the mysterious mists, and the realm acted as a prison where one could enter or be transported, but means of escape were few. Other Ravenloft Domains and Darklords were eventually added in various AD&D 2nd edition products establishing a core continent attached around Barovia which could be traveled to by others if their respective lords allowed entering or leaving their borders; while some Domains remained isolated in the mists and were referred to as Islands.
Ravenloft is an adventure module for the Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) fantasy role-playing game. The American game publishing company TSR, Inc. released it as a standalone adventure booklet in 1983 for use with the first edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons game. It was written by Tracy and Laura Hickman, and includes art by Clyde Caldwell with maps by David Sutherland III. The plot of Ravenloft focuses on the villain Strahd von Zarovich, a vampire who pines for his lost love. Various story elements, including Strahd's motivation and the locations of magical weapons, are randomly determined by drawing cards. The player characters attempt to defeat Strahd and, if successful, the adventure ends.
IDW Publishing is an American publisher of comic books, graphic novels, art books, and comic strip collections. It was founded in 1999 as the publishing division of Idea and Design Works, LLC (IDW) and is recognized as the fifth-largest comic book publisher in the United States, behind Marvel, DC, Dark Horse, and Image Comics, ahead of other comic book publishers such as Archie, Boom!, Dynamite, Valiant, and Oni Press. The company is known for its licensed comic book adaptations of films, television shows, video games, and cartoons.
Count Strahd von Zarovich is a fictional character originally appearing as the feature villain in the highly popular Advanced Dungeons and Dragons adventure module I6: Ravenloft. Later, this character and his world would be explored in follow-up modules, novels, and the Ravenloft campaign setting. Within this setting, Strahd is the first and best-known of Ravenloft's darklords. He is a powerful ancient vampire. He is also a master necromancer, a skilled warrior, and the unquestioned ruler of the domain of Barovia.
D&D Adventurers League is the organized play association for the Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) roleplaying game which is officially administered by D&D's publisher, Wizards of the Coast. It was rebranded with the launch of D&D's 5th Edition in 2014. Prior to 2014, it was known as the Role Playing Game Association Network. The organization was originally established by D&D's previous publisher, TSR, Inc., in 1980.
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Andrea Di Vito is an Italian comic book artist.
The Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) fantasy role-playing game has been adapted into many related products, including magazines, films and video games.
The lich is an undead creature found in the Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) fantasy role-playing game. Liches are spellcasters who seek to defy death by magical means.
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Troy Little is a Canadian cartoonist working in comic books and animation. He began self publishing with Chiaroscuro, a graphic novel that was developed between 2000 and 2005 under his Meanwhile Studios imprint. After winning two grants and being praised by Dave Sim, Chiaroscuro vol. 1 was released in 2007 by IDW Publishing.
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Jim Zubkavich, known professionally as Jim Zub, is a Canadian comic book writer, artist, and art instructor best known for creating comics Skullkickers (2010), Wayward (2014), and Glitterbomb (2016) for Image Comics, writing on the series Thunderbolts (2016), Uncanny Avengers (2017),Avengers: No Surrender (2018), and Champions (2018) for Marvel Comics, and creating Rick and Morty vs. Dungeons & Dragons (2018–2022) and Rick and Morty vs. Cthulhu (2022–2023) for Oni Press. As well as writing and creating comics, Zub is the former program co-ordinator and a current art professor at Toronto's Seneca College.
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Rick and Morty vs. Dungeons & Dragons is a crossover American comic book series, published by IDW Publishing and Oni Press, based on the adult animated science fiction sitcom Rick and Morty and the tabletop role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons which follows the characters from the former series in the setting of the latter.