Critical Role: The Mighty Nein Origins: Beauregard Lionett

Critical Role: The Mighty Nein Origins

by Mae Catt (Writer), Marisha Ray, Matthew Mercer

Beauregard’s backstory will explore her pre-Mighty Nein time with the order of monks known as the Cobalt Soul as the result of falling into criminal activity - something that leads her own father to arrange a kidnapping as a way of disciplining the wayward Beau.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Comics, LGBT, Queer, Dungeons and Dragons, Fiction

Hardcover

Published April 30, 2024

Reviews

[Alexander Peterhans · Rating 3 out of 5]

I always feel I should start these Origins reviews by saying that I don't really follow Critical Role (except for the main comics line), I approach the series as a reader of graphic novels and enjoyer (?) of DnD.

I quite liked the main theme of a daughter trying to revitalise her father's business, and showing him that he has underestimated her. I also like that it ends badly, in an unfair and heartbreaking way. The whole thing could've maybe done with some more pages, make the story and the characters feel a bit more nuanced.

One of the better entries in this series.

(Thanks to Dark Horse Books for providing me with an ARC through Edelweiss)

[Madeline W · Rating 2 out of 5]

Beau is one of my favorite characters from Critical Role, tied only with Caleb as my #1. I literally dressed up as her for Halloween because she inspires me so much and I love her vibes through and through. With that being the case, I did have extremely high expectations for this graphic novel and was even willing to wait a month for this from a different library. While I did still like it overall, I am disappointed to say that it was not nearly as good as I hoped it would be.

The characters and plot are always the main two facets that are going to propel a story forward. When it came to the characters, I thought that the balance between Beau as a "good guy" and her parents as "bad guys" was not as strong and clear cut as it needed to be. I am all for gray areas, but her dad in particular is just objectively bad. Furthermore, the mom here was so flat that I hardly knew what to make of her, except that she did not stand up to Thoreau. Luckily, I did like the plot a good deal; even though I would have loved even more details about the Cobalt Soul, I understand why the story ends where it does.

I hate to say it, but the artwork was probably the biggest negative standout for me. It was very static, in my opinion, particularly toward the beginning. This is not ideal for a book about a fighting monk. The pencil shading was odd and the teeth looked like highlighter streaks. The only saving grace was the coloring, which I do think was fairly well done, especially in comparison.

I would recommend reading this if you like Beau and if you are making your way (hah) through the M9 volumes. But compared to some of the other texts, this one does not stand alone as well, meaning that you can likely skip it if you have not watched/listened to Campaign 2.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

You could just sense Marisha all throughout this comic. I found more than any of the other books how Marisha played Beau was so prominent in this book. It gave a deeper understanding to Beau’s rage and relationships and showed a lot of her true self.

[Sivert · Rating 4 out of 5]

A verry Good family drama.

[Samuel Peterson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was never a fan of the character of Beauregard while watching Critical Role's Campaign 2: The Mighty Nein. An A.H. and a bully whose character fit more with that of a criminal than that of an iconic adventurer and, eventually, hero. Even after finishing the campaign and rewatching it, I still can't stand her at times; her character growth is immensely small compared to some of the others, and in some ways I feel she had learned the wrong lessons or made the same mistakes as her father. She isn't a good person, and given her occupation and her choice of friends and companions, it's going to take a long time for her to be a good person.

Which brings me to this story. I wasn't sure what I was expecting when I bought this graphic novel. Most of the rest of the origins elaborated on particular points of life of the members of the MN, usually leading up to a significant moment in their backstory. I think I was secretly hoping that this story would explore that shift between the changes of the character of Beauregard from loving, doted daughter to selfish, conceited brat. I was hoping to find something that I could like about her, that she had good qualities. Imagine my disappointment.

To bring up some things that I did like about this story, the art and dialogue was better than some of the other Origins' stories, if the former was a bit inconsistent at times. There were many panels where it would just be the character in front of a colored page and be highlighted. That's a sign that background artists got a little lazy or perhaps weren't paid enough or couldn't meet the timetable for the release of this issue. Also in the final page, Nott does not look like a 3-foot goblin; she looks like a 5-foot person wearing a goblin costume. I can't tell if it was the same artist who did the goblins earlier in the story or a different one, but someone certainly didn't check to see what Nott looked like. There was also a lot more dialogue and a lot more characters involved here compared to the previous story I read, about Caduceus Clay. It gives me more to appreciate and understand even if what is being said is terrible.

In truth, I bought this book as I am a fan of the show and of the cast and I would like to support them in this way. I am a completionist, and so I would like to know all of the backstories of each of the characters from both Vox Machina and Mighty Nein. It is on both of those criteria that I would recommend this book to others.

[Willemijn · Rating 3 out of 5]

The third Mighty Nein Origins story I've read. I genuinely love how different each story is portrayed through different art styles and narration styles.

I've never really connected with Beau when watching the campaign (didn't finish watching) but it was definitely interesting to learn more about her through this graphic novel.

(I was annoyed by the mum. Why didn't she say or do anything?)

[Chanel Chapters · Rating 3 out of 5]

Raised rich. Chose violence

[Olav Knardal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Prefacing this by saying that I am a huge fan of critical role and Beauregard ranks among one of my favorite characters across all three campaigns.

I did like the story, and it adds to the character who we see played in critical role. although there could have been more depth in the characters, they still had enough to develop the story in a natural manner. (except the mother, who I barely remebered being in the book)

My biggest gripe with this book is the artwork, it just didnt really feel on point and sometimes a bit sloppy. there were some faces in this book that were really distracting. It's mostly linework thats the issue, the colours are wonderful and the character designs are very nice to look at.

mixed feelings, I don't think I would be as positive to this book if it wasn't bound to a world which I love. give it a read if you like CR

[Tamara Morrill · Rating 4 out of 5]

This comic tells the story of Beauregard Lionetts backstory

If you watch or listen to the critical role: Mighty Nein podcast then you will have heard the story
It was great to see the story come to life in a graphic novel

If you like critical role you will like this addition to the franchise

[Lizzy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Refreshing origin story that’s a bit different than the usual stereotypical DND ones. Rich pampered girl tries to grow her family’s business (winery!) and break free of society’s constraints, only to be sent off to a nunnery (here: monks), only to leave for found family and adventure. A perfect Pride Month story. Refreshing also in its (relatively) low trauma levels for a DND backstory lol. Art is OK.

[Suz · Rating 4 out of 5]

My wife.

[liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

the 4 stars is literally only because beau is my wife and my all time favourite because i was unfortunately a bit disappointed with this book

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like Beau's backstory is kinda weak for me, and she was one of the best of the Mighty Nein. She shines more in the game than this comic. I'm more interested in The Tornado XD

[Charlotte · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a fan of the art style.
Didn't really give any information that we didn't already know.

[iasmin · Rating 4 out of 5]

<3

[V K · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ✨ unapologetic women just always hit the spot

[Myles Gerber · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably my least favourite entry in the series- unfortunate that it’s the last one I read. Story is predictable, art is kinda blah. It’s not baaad but it’s just okay, even bordering on mid.

[Dany Doncel · Rating 5 out of 5]

My girl’s first pop pop! 🥹

[emilee · Rating 3 out of 5]

girl kisser (now in technicolour)

[Ash · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would have liked the plot to explore more of where the dads superstitious beliefs come from and whether they are true or not. I also didn’t fully understand or buy into Beau’s need to prove her dad wrong and escape so the conflict and tension wasn’t very high for me. It is still three stars though because the concepts were interesting and the potential was there!

[DaniLanglie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sure, this was fine! Like most of these other short comics on the origins of the Mighty Nein, I'm not blown away by anything but I'm also not heavily disappointed or anything.

A few cons I had for this story right off the bat, though: I felt like Thoreau's characterization was a bit too... hmmm. It was like he was a well-meaning guy who stifled his daughter's desires out of fear and concern for her. And I think that's an element that was present in the character in the campaign, but I was missing more of that flavor of ambition, the fact that he only cared about Beau as regarded his legacy. It was maybe just a bit too gentle of a depiction of the man right up until the turn at the end. And Beau, by contrast, seemed a bit more like a spoiled, sheltered rich kid than I was expecting. Maybe that's the point? Maybe since this is all pre-Cobalt-Soul, this is what we're learning Beau was like during her youth? I don't know.

Another con was that Beau's face seemed to change shape a lot during the comic. There were times when she looked like an entirely different person between panels, and only the fact that she was wearing the same clothes helped me to track her through a scene. Thoreau also seemed to shift in appearance more than is ideal.

All that said, I did like the setting, the colors, I liked the smuggling story, the romance that was doomed to fail from the start. I liked the moment when Tori calls Beau out on her shelter and her privilege. The life of a criminal smuggler isn't all fun and games, getting to be "free." And while Beau feels stifled by her father, her money actually gives her far more opportunities than most. That was a good framing for the conflict between them!

[Rhys Causon · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I never really paid much attention to Beau’s story in the Critical Role streams, as I just didn’t like her much as a character, this backstory explains exactly why she would act the way she did.

I knew she came from a bad home but as it’s been a few years since those characters appeared in the show I couldn’t remember just how bad the home was. Granted with Beau as the narrator it may give the story a skewed bias view.

The main issue I had with this was the Art. While not as bad as the Yasha story for me, there were some panels that just looked bad. For example when two characters are arguing, the poses chosen don’t really convey anger in my opinion. It just felt off.

[Monica (Tomes Project) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story didn't really do a lot for me. While I appreciate the look into Beau's story with her family, this story with her parents really didn't do anything for me. I was kind of hoping going into this that there might have been more about her time in the Cobalt Soul, but it simply mentions it in one of the last frames before moving on. Definitely the least compelling of the MN Origin comics that I've read so far.

[Ana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not gonna lie, I really did not like the art style in this comic, so I'm starting off on a negative on the get go... It was kind of messy in some areas and, my biggest issue, the faces of the characters were not very expressive unless they were really angry.

The story itself was fine, it got across what it needed to. I wish we had a bit more of the actual relationship between Beau and her parents shown rather than simply implied or talked about though.

[Dani's Forehead · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's was a deeper dive into the story.
While I was never shocked by the story as it's been told before.
It was nice to see it fleshed out

[Freya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beau’s character was captured well, but I wasn’t a fan of the art style with this one and the story didn’t quite hook me. It felt strange that they didn’t include any of the monastery.

[Cal · Rating 3 out of 5]

While it was fun to learn about Beau’s life from the beginning, it would have been nice to see at least a bit of her life with the Cobalt Soul.

[Nelle · Rating 1 out of 5]

eh, kinda made me dislike both beau and her dad more, and the art wasn't for me.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beau probably isn’t ever going to be my favourite — I actually liked her more in the animated show than here in this book — but it’s nice finding out more about her origins.

[Adam M · Rating 3 out of 5]

As an introduction to Beauregard, this book is great. As part of the larger series of books from the world of The Mighty Nein, this left something to be desired. Thematically it was great and felt true to the character and story. The art felt stylized correctly and the beats all were there. I think for me, as a reader who watched the series, it just fell a little flat as we had all this information. Nothing here was really illuminating or new and Beau was one of the more fully realized and fleshed out characters anyway. Hers was maybe the most straightforward backstory and so this was fine, but didn't really feel as special as some others did. Worth the read for non-fans though as this is the sort of introduction meant to bring you into the world.