Pearl of Pandaria

by Micky Neilson, Sean Galloway (Artist), Saida Temofonte (Lettering)

In this enthralling original graphic novel published in a landscape format, you will meet the PANDAREN, one of the most beloved (and mysterious) races in World of Warcraft! Written by Blizzard’s own Micky Neilson (the World of Warcraft MMORPG, World of Warcraft: Ashbringer and World of Warcraft: Curse of the Worgen), with art by fan favorite Sean “Cheeks” Galloway (TV’s Teen Titans Go and WEDNESDAY COMICS), this story ties directly into the upcoming World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria expansion pack. The tale introduces Li Li Stormstout, a precocious young student who lives atop a giant turtle called Shen-zin Su. Like the rest of the wandering island’s pandaren, Li Li comes from a line of adventurers who left their homeland long ago to explore the world...and she wants nothing more than to chase that dream. But when Li Li runs away to find her famous uncle Chen, how will she survive Azeroth’s perils?

Genres: Warcraft, Fantasy, Comics, Graphic Novels, World Of Warcraft, Fiction, Adventure

128 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2012

About the author

Micky Neilson is a two-time New York Times best-selling author whose graphic novels, Ashbringer (#2 on the list) and Pearl of Pandaria (#3) have both been published in six languages. As one of the first writers at Blizzard Entertainment, he has more than two decades of experience in the cutting edge of the gaming industry. He has self-published three horror novels in his original series The Turning, on Amazon. In 2017 Micky was tapped to write The Howling: Revenge Of The Werewolf Queen, a comic book continuation of the beloved 1981 Joe Dante horror film The Howling. In 2018 Micky completed his first original sci-fi novel, Ridgerunners, and co-wrote the graphic novel The Invisible Empire: Madge Oberholtzer And The Unmasking Of The KKK, as well as the illustrated novel Strange Highways. Most recently Micky wrote the bestselling book The Art Of Spyro: Reignited Trilogy and completed his sci-fi trilogy Skiptracer. Micky lives in beautiful Washington State with his wife and daughter where he enjoys life's essentials: movies, comic books, chocolate and sushi.

Reviews

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

My husband and kiddos love to play World of Warcraft and while I have successfully avoided this addicting pastime (too busy reading and logging my books!), I am more than familiar with many of the terms, locations, and characters in the fantasy world.

I discovered this graphic novel and knew that it would likely appeal to our girls. I borrowed it for them, but thought I would read it, too. It's a lot longer than I expected and I am sure that I would have appreciated it more if I played the game, but it is a good story.

[Anika Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review originally posted on The Oaken Bookcase on September 24, 2012.

I’ve been a World of Warcraft player for quite a few years now, so I was thrilled to be given the chance to review this graphic novel. It’s a tie-in with the upcoming expansion release of Mists of Pandaria on September 25th, and introduces us to the Pandaren and their wanderlust.

Long ago, a group of Pandaren followed the explorer Liu Liang onto the back of his giant turtle, known as the Wandering Isle, to set off to see the world. Gradually the wanderlust left them, but one Pandaren still longed to explore – Chen Stormstout. Years later, Chen’s young niece Li Li decides to set out on a dangerous journey to the Eastern Kingdoms to find her Uncle Chen.

The journey takes her and her protector sent from the Wandering Isle, Bo, across the Eastern Kingdoms to familiar cities, to the drunkenness of Brewfest, then across to Kalimdor. Along the way Li Li and Bo face darker forces intent on taking the Pandaren treasures for themselves.

I really enjoyed the gorgeous illustrations in Pearl of Pandaria. The story itself is cute and funny at times – not quite on the same scale Lore-wise as the other Warcraft books but introduces quite a few stories and should appeal both to children and veterans of Azeroth alike. The Pandaren are amazing characters and I’m really looking forward to exploring more of their lands soon!

[Shane · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun and quick read as a graphic novel. Li Li is a Pandaren and leaves home to find her adventurous uncle, Chen Stormstout - whom you are familiar with, if you played the Mists of Pandaria expansion. We are taken on a small tour of the Eastern Kingdoms and are reminded of some landmarks forgotten history. We also take a brief tour of BrewFest and fight off the dark iron dwarf attack as they do in the game. A fun story, less lore-based and less serious.

The copy I purchased from Barnes & Noble has a bonus section in the back, “Behind the Senes of World of Warcraft: Pearl of Pandaria” with the artist, and shows you rough drafts of a couple key scenes/locations. The graphic style in this is good, not amazing.

The back cover does a great job of summing up basically everything that happens. I’d recommend skipping purchasing this one, as it’s irregularly shaped 7 x 10.5 hardcover, longer than it is tall.

[Vojtěch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nebylo to špatné. Hlavním lákadlem pro mě byly samozřejmě pandy, co si budeme zastírat :D Ale děj byl nijaký, strašně moc jednoduchý a v samém záměru strašně ukvapený a klišovitý. Tento komiks cílí poněkud na mladší čtenáře (i když si ho vychutnají i starší), nenabízí však něco extra. Ale prostě... pandy!

[NEVEN · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful comic about Li Li, cousin of the legendary Pandaren brewmaster Chen Stormstout.

The comic gives insight into the Pandaren lore and culture while giving us an engaging and tear-inducing story.

Highly recommended!

[Jaime Guzman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really don't know anything about World of Warcraft but the main thing that caught my eye was the amazing art of Sean "Cheeks" Galloway. A very good story and top notch art makes Pearls of Panderia a very fun read.
Sean is best known for his character design work on the Marvel animated TV series Spectacular Spider-Man and The Avenger's Earth's Mightiest Heroes.

[Timothy Pitkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The art style is really good and the story is a really enjoyable one. Li Li and Chen are both really fun and while Bo start off a little annoying but he does grow as a character.

[Lily Highwind · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much love for Lili and her adventures!!!!

[Steven Shinder · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was hard not to think of Kung Fu Panda and a bit of Discworld while reading this.

[Jordan Brantley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pearl of Pandaria is a graphic novel set in the World of Warcraft Universe. Taking place before the Cataclysm, it follows the adventures of two Pandaren, Li Li Stormstout, niece of the legendary brewmaster Chen Stormstout and her teacher Strongbo who is trying to bring her back to her to home on the Wandering Isle.


The Good:

According to developer’s, the character of Li Li Stormstout was created in order to bring a fresh perspective to the warcraft universe, and in the book, this definitely works. Through Li Li’s tween eyes we see a renewed sense of wonder for old warcraft wonders such as Brewfest and Stormwind City. In a fanbase that seems increasingly jaded, her childlike wonder makes it all seem new and fresh again.

There is a real sense of character development for Li Li as well as Strongbo. In the opening chapters, we see that while having a good heart, Li Li is rather spoiled and/or arrogant. She wants to go off and have adventures regardless of the consequences to herself or to others and she neglects her responsibilities. On one hand, her desire for a more exciting life is understandable, on the other hand, she can be seen as rather selfish.

Perhaps she acknowledges this privately and simply doesn’t care.

Chen Stormstout is a character that has been in Warcraft for quite some time. He came around during the Warcraft III era and has been a fan favorite. Even though he is not seen much, he is very much a memorable character in his zeal and lust for life.

The artwork is great. It is a mixture of epic landscapes and somewhat cartoony characters that fit really well into the Warcraft Style.

The Flaws

The main gaffe Bookworm has with this story is the artist’s interpretation of the Pandaren. In other media, the pandaren, are clearly portrayed as having sharp teeth, however in Pearl of Pandaria, they are shown as having short, stubby incisors that jut from their upper jaws. That, combined with their pupil lacking eyes, gives the Pandaren, particularly Chen and Lili Stormstout, a look that makes them appear dumb, which they are anything but.

It is not that big a deal but it is one of those things that the reader can’t help but notice throughout the reading and it really is to the books detriment, and in some parts the artwork can get a little too cartoony.

Also, the facts mentioned above about the protagonist Li Li Stormstout, may make her unattractive as a protagonist.

Final Verdict:

Graphic novels depend greatly upon personal taste so it makes it a little difficult to attach a rating. But Pearl of Pandaria is a fun, dynamic, story that tells the tale of Warcraft’s most beloved characters, Chen Stormstout, and introduces a personal favorite character. It’s a fun read for all ages and fans of Warcraft.

Four out Five Stars.

[Diayll · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally Reviewed At: Mother/Gamer/Writer
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Controllers
Review Source: Edelweiss
Reviewer: Me


World of Warcraft: Pearl of Pandaria is an enchanting tale of one young girl’s quest to find adventure in the midst of a land that has truly forgotten what it means to dream. For fans of World of Warcraft, Pearl of Pandaria is a direct tie-in to the newly released World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria expansion. And for those graphic novel lovers who have never played a single game of WoW, the story opens with a brief overview of the WoW universe, giving us a glimpse at past happenings and other popular characters from the PC games.



Our story is centered around Li Li Stormstout, a headstrong young girl who, despite the teachings at school and constant discouragement from her father, is determined to find adventure and remind her father that their people once thrived on steeping out into the unknown and discovering whatever life has to offer. Her heart longs for zest, fun and excitement and knows there is more to life than just living on the Wandering Isle. In order to prove a point, Li Li decides to leave her home and search for her notorious uncle, Chen. However, none of the stories and clues left by her uncle over the years could have prepared her for the captivating, dangerous, amazing world of Azeroth.




Over the course of this breathtakingly illustrated graphic novel, we are led on one precarious escapade after another. The quest to decipher Chen’s clues, gives us some history on Chen’s life since he’s been missing, while introducing us to other characters and villains who are related to the Mists expansion. I thoroughly enjoyed being engrossed in the story and couldn’t wait to see what type of trouble our young friend would encounter next!


Overall, World of Warcraft: Pearl of Pandaria is a great addition to any WoW fan’s collection. It will definitely bridge some gaps and tie up loose ends from previous games while enhancing your knowledge of the WoW lore. There’s a lot of quick-witted humor and fantastic dialog to read and plenty of over-the-top characters to meet. Moreover, let’s not forget the artwork is without a doubt, a remarkably well put together masterpiece that will immediately suck you into Li Li’s world. I highly recommend it to not only WoW fans, but to fans of great fantasy adventures and video gamers alike.

[Andre · Rating 3 out of 5]

Since this is a very short book you cannot say too much about it without going into serious spoiler territory; so I will keep it as short as possible.
I think it's all in all a good book for kids and middle-graders. The main character Li Li is a charming little daredevil of a Pandaren girl and I think in a few years she could be a very charismatic woman, of course who knows whether there would ever be any story like that.
Actually speaking of her gender, this here is one of the few gender neutral books I know off written for this age group where the main character is a girl, usually it's a boy.
The stories are engaging and never too long or anything. It is nothing outstanding of course but for me it was refreshing seeing a girl in a story who actually does not question herself and her more outgoing, or if you want "tomboyish," attitudes and does not try to hide it.
Li Li knows who she is and what she wants and its rather her environment who cannot deal with her, except for her uncle Chen, and not she with her environment, in fact based on what her father stated, it seems that she is in fact the normal one and the others the abnormal, technically she is "one of the old crowd" and not the other way around.

If there is something to criticize it is that the end is sort of rushed. Also while the artwork is good, a handful of times it was a tad mismatched, e.g. eyes going into slightly opposite directions as it seems or that one Keeper of the Grove being shown in a running upper body position that a being with an elf's upper body and the lower part being a full stag body probably would not have. You see the arms' postures are in line with that of a human runner, but a "centaur" like this probably would have its arms still at his side.

Hm, this was longer than I thought it would be... :D

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book in a Goodreads give-away. Pearl of Pandaria introduces World of Warcraft fans to the Pandarem race, panda-like beings who live atop a floating island, the Wandering Isle, which is actually a giant turtle named Shen-zih Su. WoW is the world’s most popular multi-player online role-playing game (MMORPG) so there is sure to be demand for this title and other spin off books. This book coincides with the release of the new game, Mists of Pandaria. Li Li is a young female student, niece of the infamous Uncle Chen, who abandoned his home to seek adventure and has become a legend. Li Li decides to follow in her uncle’s footsteps and seek adventure, but upon her departure, her father sends a guard, Bo, to retrieve her. Bo’s attemps are thwarted by Li Li’s cunning and the odd couple faces numerous challenges, including a battle with the witch Zahara who seeks the mythic Pearl of Pandaria. Thematically, the book focuses on adventure, wanderlust and retribution. Heavily interwoven with folklore and fantasy, readers are introduced to elves, trolls, goblins, giants, demons, dwarves, and dryads. There is a bit of environmental messaging having to do with the destruction and re-greening of the forest, and there is a lot of focus on brewing herbs for tea and beer, especially beer, as uncover the secrets of the Brewfest and grapple with drunken fantastical beings. The violence is mild for the most part (some stabbing and gushes of blood, but not too graphic) but the continued references to drunkenness and the cult of beer make lessen the appropriateness for a younger audience; recommended for 9-12th grade. I would probably give it 3.5 stars if I could; the artwork is excellent and the story is engaging.

[Janna · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story reads like it's for younger readers, but there's quite a lot of hack n' slash that doesn't match the perceived age range. It was an ok way to pass the time, but not terribly good. The panel arrangement can be confusing, confounded further by speech bubbles that seem to be in the wrong place. In one panel, Li Li has an item, and the speech bubble is the male saying he has something for her, then a panel has him giving it to her (the thing, she already had..). On the very first page, in three consecutive panels the riding tortoise has one shell ring, then three, then two that might be tree, then two again. There are other smaller inconsistencies. A character starts with green eyes, then has yellow eyes later in the page. The notes in the back say that the Pandaren had green eyes until they were all recolored yellow, so they may have just missed those two green-eyed panels.

There is one tiny racist stereotype, and it comes from the bad guy. He basically comments that since two characters are both Pandaren, they will have equivalent fighting skill. It doesn't help that both of the characters the villain is talking about look nearly exactly alike. Seriously.

The only saving grace of the book is the zone lore Li Li and Bo retell as they cross into new areas.

So, a little flat, confusing panel arrangements, but little bits of lore. I say don't go out of your way to pick this one up.

[Rod · Rating 4 out of 5]

The whole Pandaria thing is actively raising my interest in World of Warcraft. This book only continues that trend. An introduction to the world of the pandas in the realm of Azeroth. The protagonist, Li Li, is an almost daring character: Though she's a young child she's witty, plucky in a fight, she can win an argument with adults, and she knows a thing or two about beer!

I did have a few minor problems with the book. Sean Galloway's art is wonderful (oh, Goddess, his character designs!), but the layouts sometimes demonstrate how difficult it is to show a fighting sequence in a comic book / storyboard format like this. Sometimes the moves get hard to follow. Also, Micky Neilson's writing was fine, but the dialogue in places felt like it could have had a few once-overs. Come on, people! Unless you've established that everyone is speaking is 'Yea, forsooth and verily!' type language, it's okay to use contractions! They make the character's speech feel more like it's (not it is) coming from real people.

Minor quibbles. This is a fine graphic novel for all ages.

[Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I may be a nerd but I do have a semblance of a life so I can't really play world of war craft. I played the second war craft when I was young and recently saw a game trail for Pandaria that was pretty cool. When I saw this in the giveaway list I was like sure, let's go for it.
Honestly didn't think I'd win but surprise surprise! I did.
I flipped through it a few times and it's pretty good. I'm not sure if this will have anything to do with the story line of the game but I liked it none-the-less. It's a quick read and my daughter even sat in my lap and ooh'd and aah'd at the colorful and bold illustrations. It takes a lot to hold a two year-old in place for long and this book did, which impressed me to no end
Anyway, I won this as a Goodreads First reads giveaway.

[Shawn Fairweather · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was free thanks to Goodreads First Reads! I was hopping this was going to be more of a YA -Adult graphic novel for the Warcraft Lore fan that I am, however what we have here is a graphic kids novel that gives some more flavor to a couple new characters that can be found in the new World of Warcraft expansion Mists of Pandaria. Id gauge this for the 8-12 crowd but what I really like about this book is that it comes across in a way that makes me wonder if this is a test for a possible new animated series. It has the look and the feel for it. The artist shows some traits of Disney like animation rather than realism and the storyline is more geared towards Pandarian philosophy and lessons learned. A definite solid effort.

[Michael Alexander · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some time ago DC comics announced that instead of doing the World of Warcraft comics as individual issues, they were going to change to a graphic novel format. Pearl of Pandaria is the first one to be released, and is just in time to coincide with Mists of Pandaria, the latest WoW expansion.
I very much enjoyed this story and found it added quite a bit to the game world. The characters were very fun, especially Li Li Stormstout. She's a very spunky youngster, an archetype that I usually find very annoying, but it works in this book. The art is very cartoony, but it fits perfectly with the WoW style. The story does take place back during the Wrath of the Lich King era, so it is a bit of a look into the past. Quite fun.

[Adrian Nieto · Rating 3 out of 5]

La novela grafica de World of Warcraft, que cuenta la historia de Li-li, y sus aventuras por Azeroth.

Cuando hallamos a Li-li en el juego, esta aventura ya ha sucedido, y vemos Azeroth a traves de los ojos curiosos y energeticos de la pequeña panda, que busca a su tio Chen (Stormstout), que ha dejado la Isla Errante para buscar aventuras.

La historia es rapida y entretenida, no perdemos mucho tiempo en Li-li, y casi toda la historia se dedica a contar las aventuras que su tio ha tenido, al tiempo que ella vive la suya propia (unos seres misteriosos la siguen). En general es una lectura rapida y light, no soy fan de Li-li, pero me gusta su sarcasmo en ocasiones. El dibujo es simple y lleno de color, casi estilo anime.


Mi veredicto es: Entretenido.

[David(LA,CA) · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick catch up on where one specific character has been since last appearing in this universe. On the plus side, it doesn't spend large chunks retelling events that have already been covered. On the other hand, by skipping those events, the faction most associated with the character feels missing in action.

Also, have to say that I loved the art style. So many of the things like this I've been reading lately have looked like someone left their watercolor illustrations out in the rain. While very stylized, it's very nicely done.

[iTZKooPA · Rating 3 out of 5]

You can definitely tell that this was meant to expand upon Pandarian culture before we were given an entire expansion on it. Still a fun read for nostalgia, as part of it is like a travel agent's pitch for various locations of Azeroth.

http://lorehound.com/news/the-novel-p...

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Uncle Chen spirit seeks wanderlust and teaches the love of adventure to those who follow him. After a period of time, followers become complacent and happy to stay put but Chen's wanderlust called again and went searching for adventure again. Li Li follows I pursuit after reading Chen's adventures to eventually finding Chen and coming back home.

[Lissibith · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very cute story with a lovely art style and rich colors, carried by the personality of its central character Li Li. The plot may be simplistic and it may feel a little more like an introduction to the basics of WoW than a story in its own right, but its a cute tale.

[Heather - Just Geeking By · Rating 2 out of 5]

For me, art is an important factor of a graphic novel and if I dislike the art it ruins the whole experience. The art in this is terrible. The story itself is very dull, and lengthy. I accidentally read the short stories set after this graphic novel first, and they feature much better writing.

[Bara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Komiks a hlavní hrdinové jsou roztomilé pandy! To jsem si nemohla nechat ujít. :3
WOW nehraju, ale kdybych hrála, zcela jistě bych měla postavu Pandarena. :)
Člověk si při čtení vzpomene na Pung-fu pandu (asijská kultura, bojové umění a pandy), ale příběh je samo sebou jiný.

[Lulu]

I won this book from the first reads giveaways and I am so excited to read it. Thanks.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love Pandarens.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun book, nice stories, but some of the drawings just don't look like the game.

[TK421 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Life truly is the greatest adventure...