Tabletop games and comics have a lot in common, with many stores carrying both, and their audiences overlap as well. So it’s not surprising that creators who came of age playing Dungeons & Dragons and Magic: The Gathering are now making comics about those and other tabletop games. Here’s a sampling of new and upcoming graphic novels that will have special appeal to gamers.
Arkham Horror: The Terror at the End of Time, by writer Cullen Bunn and artist Andrea Mutti, is a Lovecraftian horror story based on Arkham Horror, the mystery/adventure RPG set in the 1920s (see “Edge Studio Unveils ‘Arkham Horror RPG Core Rulebook’”). The 96-page paperback, published by Dark Horse, follows socialite Jenny Barnes and private investigator Joe Diamond as they search for Jenny’s sister, who was kidnapped by a cult. The book, rated for ages 14 and up, is available now and has an MSRP of $19.99.
Stranger Things and Dungeons & Dragons: The Rise of Hellfire, by writers Jody Houser and Eric Campbell and artist Diego Galindo, tells the story of Eddie Munson and the Hawkins High Hellfire Club, how he recruited Lucas, Dustin, and Mike, and how the D&D and the Hawkins High social scene impacted each other. Dark Horse will release the 104-page paperback, rated for ages 14 and up, on September 30 with an MSRP of $19.99.
Destroy All Humans. They Can’t Be Regenerated. A Magic: The Gathering Manga, by writer Katsura Ise and artist Takuma Yokota, is a manga that follows a pair of teenagers through a series of Magic: The Gathering duels and tournaments. The manga is published by VIZ Media and rated Teen Plus; four volumes are out so far, priced at $14.99 each, and the fifth is set for release on October 15.
Dark Horse has three Critical Role titles coming out on November 4. Critical Role: The Mighty Nein Origins Boxed Set includes the complete set of eight hardcover volumes, telling the stories of Jester Lavorre, Fjord Stone, Caleb Widogast, Mollymauk Tealeaf, Nott the Brave, Yasha Nydoorin, Caduceus Clay, and Beauregard Lionett; MSRP is $143.92. Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins Vol. IV, by writer Jody Houser and artist Noah Hayes, continues the story of that campaign in two formats, a paperback with an MSRP of $19.99 and a deluxe slipcased hardcover with an MSRP of $69.99.
Our Brilliant Ruin: Horror at Crane Mansion, by writer Cullen Bunn and artist Christopher Mitten, collects the three-part miniseries based on the TTRPG (see “Exclusive: Cullen Bunn to Write ‘Our Brilliant Ruin’ Comics for Dark Horse”), featuring a private investigator who visits a wealthy heiress’s birthday party to check out her suitors but soon finds herself contending with a murderer as well. Dark Horse will publish the 80-page hardcover, rated for ages 16 and up, on November 18 with an MSRP of $19.99.
The Swords of Wintersea, by writer Matt Hawkins and artist Pat Boutin, is a graphic novel based on the D&D campaign game-mastered by Hawkins over 40 years (see “Image Comics Will Release ‘The Swords of Wintersea’ 5E Series”) and includes a fully playable 5E open-source RPG with maps, so readers can also be players. Image Comics will publish the 128-page paperback on December 2 with an MSRP of $16.99.
The first issue of Die: Loaded, the new arc of Kieron Gillen and Stephanie Hans’ dark fantasy, will be out on November 12 from Image, and Die: The Roleplaying Game, Quickstart Edition will be out the same day (see “‘Die: Loaded’”). The pair might make a nice set of stocking stuffers. Both are rated 18+, and the 56-page RPG is priced at $6.99.
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Source: ICV2
