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amethystarchild's review
4.0
Thank you to NetGalley and IDW Publishing for the ARC of this graphic novel!
"Dungeons & Dragons: Ravenloft--Orphan of Agony Isle" was an entertaining and spooky frankenstein-esque story. The frame story follows a young girl called Miranda covered in bandages who awakens in the lab of a Doctor Viktra Mordenheim with no memories of her past. Dreams/memories come to her as she begins to strain against the Doctor's insistence that she cannot leave the castle. I think juvenile and older readers who enjoy gothic horror and "Dungeons and Dragons" will enjoy these tales. Readers also don't necessarily need to know very much about "Dungeons and Dragons" to understand the stories. I was a bit disappointed with the open ending, so I hope another installment will be published eventually. It was a fun creepy little read.
"Dungeons & Dragons: Ravenloft--Orphan of Agony Isle" was an entertaining and spooky frankenstein-esque story. The frame story follows a young girl called Miranda covered in bandages who awakens in the lab of a Doctor Viktra Mordenheim with no memories of her past. Dreams/memories come to her as she begins to strain against the Doctor's insistence that she cannot leave the castle. I think juvenile and older readers who enjoy gothic horror and "Dungeons and Dragons" will enjoy these tales. Readers also don't necessarily need to know very much about "Dungeons and Dragons" to understand the stories. I was a bit disappointed with the open ending, so I hope another installment will be published eventually. It was a fun creepy little read.
redrosesrot's review
5.0
4.5/5 stars, with disclosure that I've read this before as individual issues on Comixology. I just bought the tradeback today, so new review time.
Ravenloft is my all-time favorite D&D settings, and the 5e revival has been so thrilling. In particular, the new/revitalized character of Dr. Viktra Mordenheim in the land of Lamordia was an instant favorite, so when I found out that there existed a brand new comic book based around her and the setting, I was thrilled! I immediately sunk my teeth into the issues, and I waited for months for the tradeback to be released so I could read it again.
The story is split between a recurring, long-form A plot and four separate anthology-style B plot stories that do, eventually, relate back to the central plot, to not put too fine a point on it. The A plot is centered around Dr. Mordenheim and a mysterious, amnesia-riddled young girl she names Miranda; the B plots take place over the wider Ravenloft/Domains of Dread settings, each a spot of dread and heartbreak to showcase different flavors of horror and portions of the setting.
I never have very high hopes when it comes to a lot of these D&D or western issue-style comics; the pacing and flow often leaves something to be desired, as too often does the art. So when I say I came away from the reading of Orphan of Agony Isle, I was simply stunned by the beauty and the brilliance of it! The horror is felt, the heartbreak and despair is oozes in the pages, and the art--both inks and brilliant colors--really helps to hammer the horror home. (I'd also like to give a very special shoutout to the art of the short story "Making Friends in Falkovnia"--that art style is absolutely to die for.)
I do wish that this story had been given a proper Graphic Novel treatment--I think the pacing is fine for what it is, but a story like this benefits from room to breathe, which is not alloted to it by the tight constrictions of comic issue page limits. Especially given the nature of the horror on display--there is body horror, to be sure, but more than that, the moody gothic horror that permeates the story could have benefited more from slower pacing, especially some of the interactions between Miranda and Mordenheim, and the ending which seems a little abrupt for what it is.
My *real* gripe isn't about the story at all, but rather the marketing--or specifically, the lack thereof. I follow a lot of D&D's social media profiles rather closely; it is a signifcant hobby for me and has been for over a decade of my life. Ravenloft is a special interest of mine, and with the release of Van Richten's Guide a couple of years ago, the interest in Ravenloft as a property has been fairly high! But I never saw an ounce of advertisement or marketing for this comic. I found it on *accident* while looking up the Ravenloft miniatures on Amazon; never once on twitter, nor an article... It was just sort of. Thrust out there, Hope For The Best, and given how hard I've seen them push some of their Markedly Worse comic adaptations, I think it's a shame.
I want this comic to do well, both because I think it's a good comic, but also because I want to see more Ravenloft adaptations in the D&D media zeitgeist, especially more comics. If you're interested in short Frankenstein-esque stories of gothic horror, Ravenloft, or D&D comics as a whole, I think this little comic is more than worth your while.
Ravenloft is my all-time favorite D&D settings, and the 5e revival has been so thrilling. In particular, the new/revitalized character of Dr. Viktra Mordenheim in the land of Lamordia was an instant favorite, so when I found out that there existed a brand new comic book based around her and the setting, I was thrilled! I immediately sunk my teeth into the issues, and I waited for months for the tradeback to be released so I could read it again.
The story is split between a recurring, long-form A plot and four separate anthology-style B plot stories that do, eventually, relate back to the central plot, to not put too fine a point on it. The A plot is centered around Dr. Mordenheim and a mysterious, amnesia-riddled young girl she names Miranda; the B plots take place over the wider Ravenloft/Domains of Dread settings, each a spot of dread and heartbreak to showcase different flavors of horror and portions of the setting.
I never have very high hopes when it comes to a lot of these D&D or western issue-style comics; the pacing and flow often leaves something to be desired, as too often does the art. So when I say I came away from the reading of Orphan of Agony Isle, I was simply stunned by the beauty and the brilliance of it! The horror is felt, the heartbreak and despair is oozes in the pages, and the art--both inks and brilliant colors--really helps to hammer the horror home. (I'd also like to give a very special shoutout to the art of the short story "Making Friends in Falkovnia"--that art style is absolutely to die for.)
I do wish that this story had been given a proper Graphic Novel treatment--I think the pacing is fine for what it is, but a story like this benefits from room to breathe, which is not alloted to it by the tight constrictions of comic issue page limits. Especially given the nature of the horror on display--there is body horror, to be sure, but more than that, the moody gothic horror that permeates the story could have benefited more from slower pacing, especially some of the interactions between Miranda and Mordenheim, and the ending which seems a little abrupt for what it is.
My *real* gripe isn't about the story at all, but rather the marketing--or specifically, the lack thereof. I follow a lot of D&D's social media profiles rather closely; it is a signifcant hobby for me and has been for over a decade of my life. Ravenloft is a special interest of mine, and with the release of Van Richten's Guide a couple of years ago, the interest in Ravenloft as a property has been fairly high! But I never saw an ounce of advertisement or marketing for this comic. I found it on *accident* while looking up the Ravenloft miniatures on Amazon; never once on twitter, nor an article... It was just sort of. Thrust out there, Hope For The Best, and given how hard I've seen them push some of their Markedly Worse comic adaptations, I think it's a shame.
I want this comic to do well, both because I think it's a good comic, but also because I want to see more Ravenloft adaptations in the D&D media zeitgeist, especially more comics. If you're interested in short Frankenstein-esque stories of gothic horror, Ravenloft, or D&D comics as a whole, I think this little comic is more than worth your while.
dangermom's review
4.0
Good stories great art, we love a story within a story but I feel like they could have been "stitched" together a bit better haha.
starzyrose's review
4.0
I am a fan of weird horror stuff with interesting art so I enjoyed this and am definitely interested in diving into this particular D&D setting more.
(I did have an issue with the digital ARC I received where it was too large for the screen and would not allow me to zoom out so did miss the bottom of the pages...)
(I did have an issue with the digital ARC I received where it was too large for the screen and would not allow me to zoom out so did miss the bottom of the pages...)
starzy's review
4.0
I am a fan of weird horror stuff with interesting art so I enjoyed this and am definitely interested in diving into this particular D&D setting more.
(I did have an issue with the digital ARC I received where it was too large for the screen and would not allow me to zoom out so did miss the bottom of the pages...)
(I did have an issue with the digital ARC I received where it was too large for the screen and would not allow me to zoom out so did miss the bottom of the pages...)
darianrudderham's review
4.0
Thank you Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This was an enjoyable read if you’re someone who appreciates an engaging, quick paced story built around Dungeons and Dragons. I’m familiar with D&D, but not the Ravenloft setting and this was an enjoyable introduction! I’m excited to see a second instalment and follow Miranda as she becomes an adventurer all her own!
4stars for fantastic art and a page turner of a story!
This was an enjoyable read if you’re someone who appreciates an engaging, quick paced story built around Dungeons and Dragons. I’m familiar with D&D, but not the Ravenloft setting and this was an enjoyable introduction! I’m excited to see a second instalment and follow Miranda as she becomes an adventurer all her own!
4stars for fantastic art and a page turner of a story!
choeyjane's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
adelaideofthehollow's review
5.0
Having not read the manual I didn't know what I was going to expect for this, but the art is brilliant, the characters are compelling, and the story is pretty good. I'm excited for the next issue to find out what monster is going to be released into the world.