‘Dragon Age’ #1 Review: Video Game Series Makes Smooth Transition to Comics

From David Gaider, the lead writer of “The Dragon Age” video game series, comes a new six part comic book from Dark Horse Comics, “The Dragon Age: The Silent Grove.”

Set a decade after Ferelden’s King Cailan’s death in battle against the terror of the Fifth Blight, the adventure continues through Cailan’s brother, the new King Alistair.

In “The Silent Grove,” Alistair is joined by Varric Tethras, a heavily armored sharp shooter of a dwarf, fans of the game will recall as the narrator for “Dragon Age II,” and Isabela, the sexy pirate, thief, with the sharpest blade in Rivan. Like the dwarf, the vixen too joins the cast from the sequel of the popular fantasy role-playing game, “Dragon Age: Origins,” developed by two video game powerhouses, BioWare and Electronic Arts studios.

The comic starts off with a beautiful scenic shot of the port of Antiva City, romantically aglow from the pristine lights of a full moon. The frames that follow swiftly zoom to a corner of the city where we discover the cloaked Alistair as he walks up to a pair of guards. From there, just like in the games, it doesn’t take long for the action to unfold.

Chard Hardin, the accomplished penciller and artist for Marvel Comics, DC Comics, and BooM! Studios, is the man who brings the story alive with his crisp, smooth, kinetically cohesive artwork that importantly engages from start to finish.

Hardin’s style, accompanied by the script written by Alexander Freed, makes this first of six chapters of the series effectively cinematic as the images keep the pages moving with clever shifts in perspective, from one angle to another, and thoughtful execution to details when the gang makes their way through a bobby-trapped library.

For readers looking to get a quick fix of fantasy, the dozen pages of “Silent Grove,” for less than a dollar, will more than meet and deliver. Readers now will no longer be required to visit their local newsstand, book store, or comic shop to pick up a copy as “Dragon Age: The Silent Grove” is now available through the Dark Horse app, for Android and iOS devices.