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Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms Classics series
Dungeons & Dragons: Forgotten Realms Classics, Volume 1
The classic DC Comics Forgotten Realms series returns to print for the first time! This action-packed volume collects the first eight issues of the fan-favorite series by writer Jeff Grubb and artist Rags Morales.
210 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 1, 2011
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124 people want to read
About the author
Jeff Grubb
199 books193 followersHe is an author and game designer.
See more at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Grubb
See more at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Grubb
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
November 6, 2015
Better from a nostalgia standpoint than a pure storytelling standpoint, but, hey...who doesn't love nostalgia?
Because I love nostalgia.
Because I love nostalgia.
July 3, 2017
Despite its overblown cheesy, 80's/hair metal aesthetic, and ridiculous wizards shouting the names of their spells...I sort of adored this? It's a decent dnd story with memorable characters and the promise of a solid arc in further volumes. It's not outstanding but its fun, light, and imaginative with great golden age era artwork. It feels like the old X-Men comics I read as a kid, only dnd flavored.
November 6, 2017
Since I don't even remotely pretend to be objective,
FOUR STARS!!!!
(and by that I mean I enjoyed the art, the storytelling, the shoehorning of character development and actions into norms that fit the Dungeonmasters Guide, and the cameos by old-timey Realms luminaries like Alias, Dragonbait and Elminster hisself!)
FOUR STARS!!!!
(and by that I mean I enjoyed the art, the storytelling, the shoehorning of character development and actions into norms that fit the Dungeonmasters Guide, and the cameos by old-timey Realms luminaries like Alias, Dragonbait and Elminster hisself!)
September 27, 2015
The book consists of two stories, one about a magical hand and another of a quest to save some dragons. I enjoyed them. Both fun and entertaining.
March 13, 2022
Great nostalgia factor, fun and light read, mostly the first story arc.
Read
September 7, 2015Part of the IDW / D&D Humble Bundle.
It's real tempting to start this off with some reality checking: this wasn't great literature; this review isn't meant to spark a rediscovery of these classic (i.e., 1980s) comics; and I'm deeply in the bag for D&D and Forgotten Realms.
(Then again, I'm arguably even more in the bag for the Dark Sun setting and Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Sun Vol. 1 - Ianto's Tomb didn't work for me at all.)
But let's skate by all that and get to the meat: this comic shows how to do a media tie-in well. The secret is an interesting balancing act between recognizable elements, some new elements, and showing something of what that might be for real characters.
There's a lot that we might call fan-service, with recognizable rules and flavor from the game. For instance, when a wizard casts a spell, they often announce what it is: "Magic Missile" is a pretty common word balloon here. Also we get all the typical monsters, from dragons to ogre magi. And these adventurers do sometimes act as if they've read the rule books; so the paladin might comment on what type of breath weapon a dragon has.
(There's one pretty funny moment when one character wonders what creature could possibly change its appearance, which the other characters answer with a litany of all the many entries in the Monstrous Manual that include that power.)
There's also mentions of characters and topics that RPG players will recognize, from Elminster to Halruaa.
And yet, Grubb doesn't give us a bunch of 1st-level characters that hew directly to the rules. Sure, we have an odd group of adventurers here, going around finding artifacts. It's pretty much like your campaign at home. But one of the characters is an iron golem, another is an elf who veers between xenophobia and exogamy; sure, the halfling is a little thief, but the paladin has a past where he was a drunken bum.
It's not ground-breaking fantasy, but it's a good instructional comic both for doing a media tie-in and for playing your own standard D&D game.
It's real tempting to start this off with some reality checking: this wasn't great literature; this review isn't meant to spark a rediscovery of these classic (i.e., 1980s) comics; and I'm deeply in the bag for D&D and Forgotten Realms.
(Then again, I'm arguably even more in the bag for the Dark Sun setting and Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Sun Vol. 1 - Ianto's Tomb didn't work for me at all.)
But let's skate by all that and get to the meat: this comic shows how to do a media tie-in well. The secret is an interesting balancing act between recognizable elements, some new elements, and showing something of what that might be for real characters.
There's a lot that we might call fan-service, with recognizable rules and flavor from the game. For instance, when a wizard casts a spell, they often announce what it is: "Magic Missile" is a pretty common word balloon here. Also we get all the typical monsters, from dragons to ogre magi. And these adventurers do sometimes act as if they've read the rule books; so the paladin might comment on what type of breath weapon a dragon has.
(There's one pretty funny moment when one character wonders what creature could possibly change its appearance, which the other characters answer with a litany of all the many entries in the Monstrous Manual that include that power.)
There's also mentions of characters and topics that RPG players will recognize, from Elminster to Halruaa.
And yet, Grubb doesn't give us a bunch of 1st-level characters that hew directly to the rules. Sure, we have an odd group of adventurers here, going around finding artifacts. It's pretty much like your campaign at home. But one of the characters is an iron golem, another is an elf who veers between xenophobia and exogamy; sure, the halfling is a little thief, but the paladin has a past where he was a drunken bum.
It's not ground-breaking fantasy, but it's a good instructional comic both for doing a media tie-in and for playing your own standard D&D game.
December 23, 2015
Volume 1 is actually a compilation of two stories, 4 issues each. Great nostalgia factor if you grew up with the Forgotten Realms as the fantasy world.
The first story is "The Hand of Vaprak", where we're introducing to a band of adventurers led by a wizard, and together with two new recruits, managed to put an end to the evil artifact. What was awesome about this story is the appearance of Alias and Dragonbait (shown on some of the covers). Brings back memories. Elminster was in the shadows, as usual.
The second story is "The Dragonreach Saga", where the bands visit to Elminster got them tangled into a very serious matter, but taken in a rather light-hearted manner. Not quite sure how I liked this one; it builds upon the characters from the first story, but the way the main villain () was dispatched felt rather callous given the subject material.
The first story is "The Hand of Vaprak", where we're introducing to a band of adventurers led by a wizard, and together with two new recruits, managed to put an end to the evil artifact. What was awesome about this story is the appearance of Alias and Dragonbait (shown on some of the covers). Brings back memories. Elminster was in the shadows, as usual.
The second story is "The Dragonreach Saga", where the bands visit to Elminster got them tangled into a very serious matter, but taken in a rather light-hearted manner. Not quite sure how I liked this one; it builds upon the characters from the first story, but the way the main villain () was dispatched felt rather callous given the subject material.
January 6, 2016
This book collects the first several issues of DC's series Forgotten Realms from the late 80s/early 90s. I read this after just having read their Advanced Dungeons and Dragons series, and, I have to say, this is clearly much better. The writing on this is much better at most everything. The dialogue feels more natural, the action more tense, and the bits which are supposed to be funny actually are (not always hilarious, but not bad). There's still some overhead at the beginning of this book as we're being introduced to a bunch of new characters, but even that isn't too awkward. On the whole, definitely an enjoyable read.
June 27, 2014
I still have the originals that a old friends gave me. Lady's and Jent's I still love and treasure this comic strip. Not only does it have outstanding artwork but it also has something I've never seen since. A story with real people with real human problems. Having to face the daily grind of life. I couldn't say enough about this comic series and I hope you give it a chance no matter how old. A good story is ageless as well as timeless.
February 25, 2014
Revisiting some old friends . . .
I remember reading most of these when they came out back in the 80s and loving the artwork and the story. The opportunity to re-read and revisit these "old friends" on my Kindle Fire was too good to miss. I only wish my Fire had a bigger screen so I could experience the pages in the same size I did the first time . . .
I remember reading most of these when they came out back in the 80s and loving the artwork and the story. The opportunity to re-read and revisit these "old friends" on my Kindle Fire was too good to miss. I only wish my Fire had a bigger screen so I could experience the pages in the same size I did the first time . . .
December 23, 2012
I was pleased to find "Hand of Vaprak" as enjoyable as I remembered, with great characters, nice integration with D&D, and a fun, fast-paced plot [7/10]. Though not quite as strong, "The Dragonreach Saga" is still fun, though its ending is a bit anticlimatic [6/10].
October 3, 2022
Crusty.
If I could give this a bonus half a star, I would. But I can't... so I won't.
If you are a fan of old school D&D, and are particularly into the Forgotten Realms, and have a certain nostalgia for bad comics from the 80's, then you will find this a lot more palatable than I did. I did finish it, and I am going to read the others (because I got them as a free bundle and I am reading them for research, and am kind of curious about how bad they be).
The artwork is truly horrendous. The colours are garish and weird, the proportions of everything are terrible, the backgrounds are flat, and the sense of style is horribly dated, even for the late 80's. This is the kind of dreck that comic books were putting out 10-20 years earlier.
The stories are somewhat better, but not a great deal. Considering that the default for a D&D story is 'an unlikely group of adventurers get into some random scrapes with evil-doers' then this is making sure to hit that very low bar and not exceed it at all. Explanation of why anything is happening, sometimes from scene to scene is woefully absent, but you swiftly conclude that it really does not matter as the depth to the plots are even more lacking in dimensional than the 2D art.
The dialogue is atrocious. I was literally cringing as I was reading some of it. Perhaps I should have been reading this as a pastiche and my opinion would have been different, because a lot of it is massively laughable. It is not even laid out particularly well, as you sometimes find yourself reading the wrong speech bubble.
So, what does this even have going for it that I would like to bump it up half a star and am willing to waste my time on reading on further? Well, it does have lore about the Realms, and I am a lot more willing to flick through the pages of a bad comic for an hour than spend a day reading some horrendously written fanfic level of crud which is a lot of the official novels set in the Realms. Secondly, there is that sort of morbid curiosity that has me looking to see how far the genre and setting has changed in thirty odd years back from the first edition days when halflings still had giant hairy feet, and elves apparently had ears the size of halfling's feet. When racial slurs and casual sexism was the norm, even while the comic is probably far more progressive than the norm at the time.
Reading this is like finding a time machine and thinking how much fun it would be to go back to the Elizabethan period, only to discover that the plague was rampant through the streets of London... but then you see a leper's nose fall off, so that is pretty funny, right?
If I could give this a bonus half a star, I would. But I can't... so I won't.
If you are a fan of old school D&D, and are particularly into the Forgotten Realms, and have a certain nostalgia for bad comics from the 80's, then you will find this a lot more palatable than I did. I did finish it, and I am going to read the others (because I got them as a free bundle and I am reading them for research, and am kind of curious about how bad they be).
The artwork is truly horrendous. The colours are garish and weird, the proportions of everything are terrible, the backgrounds are flat, and the sense of style is horribly dated, even for the late 80's. This is the kind of dreck that comic books were putting out 10-20 years earlier.
The stories are somewhat better, but not a great deal. Considering that the default for a D&D story is 'an unlikely group of adventurers get into some random scrapes with evil-doers' then this is making sure to hit that very low bar and not exceed it at all. Explanation of why anything is happening, sometimes from scene to scene is woefully absent, but you swiftly conclude that it really does not matter as the depth to the plots are even more lacking in dimensional than the 2D art.
The dialogue is atrocious. I was literally cringing as I was reading some of it. Perhaps I should have been reading this as a pastiche and my opinion would have been different, because a lot of it is massively laughable. It is not even laid out particularly well, as you sometimes find yourself reading the wrong speech bubble.
So, what does this even have going for it that I would like to bump it up half a star and am willing to waste my time on reading on further? Well, it does have lore about the Realms, and I am a lot more willing to flick through the pages of a bad comic for an hour than spend a day reading some horrendously written fanfic level of crud which is a lot of the official novels set in the Realms. Secondly, there is that sort of morbid curiosity that has me looking to see how far the genre and setting has changed in thirty odd years back from the first edition days when halflings still had giant hairy feet, and elves apparently had ears the size of halfling's feet. When racial slurs and casual sexism was the norm, even while the comic is probably far more progressive than the norm at the time.
Reading this is like finding a time machine and thinking how much fun it would be to go back to the Elizabethan period, only to discover that the plague was rampant through the streets of London... but then you see a leper's nose fall off, so that is pretty funny, right?
February 19, 2023
This is an extremely cheesy yet very enjoyable version of D&D.
You know what's weird about D&D? I mean, other than everything?
It seems like it's never really made the leap into other formats very successfully.
Movies, no. TV, not really. Comics, eh, probably the closest, best version that has the charm without trying to, I don't know, do something incredibly dumb with it.
My pet theory is that adaptations have been done by Hollywood types, and the chances of Hollywood types really understanding the appeal of D&D is almost nil.
A theory that might be totally false!
In 1990, Courtney Solomon got in touch with the rights-holding studio for D&D, and they supposedly told him that they couldn't figure out what the "x factor" for D&D was. D&D X factor is like too many single letters in one term.
Solomon got the rights, then spent almost two years traveling to get funding, THEN had multiple fallthroughs with GIGANTIC directors, including James Cameron (who went and did Titanic instead. I would've thought D&D would turn out a better movie than a real-life disaster that we all know the ending to, and this is one of many reasons I am not James Cameron and still kinda buy his Avatar nonsense. I've never understood him, so why would I understand him now?").
A BUNCH of things fell through, Solomon ended up writing and directing himself, which he didn't seem particularly keen to do, and, well, a movie like this with a passionate, but perhaps inexperienced, writer/director definitely presents a dicey proposition, and the results weren't incredible.
There's a new D&D movie on its way soon, and I'm...not slobbering in anticipation here. I mean, I'm sure it'll be fine. Most things that get wide release these days are mostly competent, I don't know that studios can put the kind of money into a medium-sized movie they once did.
But I think the x factor is just that: it's an unknown. Because with D&D, it's probably the little side quests, the unplanned adventures, the nature of roleplaying in the game that make it what it is, and I think it's probably those things that make it beloved by fans and completely baffling to those who never played or just don't dig that sort of thing.
You know what's weird about D&D? I mean, other than everything?
It seems like it's never really made the leap into other formats very successfully.
Movies, no. TV, not really. Comics, eh, probably the closest, best version that has the charm without trying to, I don't know, do something incredibly dumb with it.
My pet theory is that adaptations have been done by Hollywood types, and the chances of Hollywood types really understanding the appeal of D&D is almost nil.
A theory that might be totally false!
In 1990, Courtney Solomon got in touch with the rights-holding studio for D&D, and they supposedly told him that they couldn't figure out what the "x factor" for D&D was. D&D X factor is like too many single letters in one term.
Solomon got the rights, then spent almost two years traveling to get funding, THEN had multiple fallthroughs with GIGANTIC directors, including James Cameron (who went and did Titanic instead. I would've thought D&D would turn out a better movie than a real-life disaster that we all know the ending to, and this is one of many reasons I am not James Cameron and still kinda buy his Avatar nonsense. I've never understood him, so why would I understand him now?").
A BUNCH of things fell through, Solomon ended up writing and directing himself, which he didn't seem particularly keen to do, and, well, a movie like this with a passionate, but perhaps inexperienced, writer/director definitely presents a dicey proposition, and the results weren't incredible.
There's a new D&D movie on its way soon, and I'm...not slobbering in anticipation here. I mean, I'm sure it'll be fine. Most things that get wide release these days are mostly competent, I don't know that studios can put the kind of money into a medium-sized movie they once did.
But I think the x factor is just that: it's an unknown. Because with D&D, it's probably the little side quests, the unplanned adventures, the nature of roleplaying in the game that make it what it is, and I think it's probably those things that make it beloved by fans and completely baffling to those who never played or just don't dig that sort of thing.
March 22, 2023
Jeff Grubb is the forgotten (no pun intended) hero of the Forgotten Realms. He wrote the Azure Bonds books, was involved in the campaign setting adaptation of Ed Greenwood's copious Dragon Magazine articles, and is behind 25 issues of this comic book series. These are, hands down, the best of the Dungeons and Dragons comics--possibly with the exception of the adaptations of the Homeland Trilogy and Dragonlance Legends comics.
This is all original content with a wacky-ass crew of 1st Edition heroes ranging from an alcoholic paladin (played with strong nuance), an ex-drug addict halfling (I'm noting a pattern here), a samurai girl, a dwarvish female iron golem that probably inspired Dragon Age's Shale, an obnoxious Gold Elf, and a arrogant Halruaan wizard. They have an airship!
Together they deal with an ogre mage, an evil troll god's artifact, the Tarrasque (!?!), and a bunch of obnoxious dragons.
I loved it all from start to finish.
This is all original content with a wacky-ass crew of 1st Edition heroes ranging from an alcoholic paladin (played with strong nuance), an ex-drug addict halfling (I'm noting a pattern here), a samurai girl, a dwarvish female iron golem that probably inspired Dragon Age's Shale, an obnoxious Gold Elf, and a arrogant Halruaan wizard. They have an airship!
Together they deal with an ogre mage, an evil troll god's artifact, the Tarrasque (!?!), and a bunch of obnoxious dragons.
I loved it all from start to finish.
March 18, 2023
Considering how old these comics are, they're still surprisingly readable. We get a diverse cast of characters under the guidance of the wizard Captain Omen, on a quest to destroy dangerous relics. The collection has two 4-issue stories. The first one works a lot better than the second, although the second has a lot more characters familiar to fans of D&D's larger stories and worlds. There's a fair bit of action, some decent humor, some aspects that are definitely dated, but all in all, it's a fairly fun adventure with a unique selection of characters. Not high art, but enjoyable enough to read.
January 13, 2021
Very nice. That's kind of entertainment that I sort of expected when decided to get at DnD comics. Both graphics by Rags Morales and story by Jeff Grub work really well to make for an enjoyable and not overwrought in terms of art-style, plot or character motivations etc. (if a little too-light at times for my tastes) whole.
February 12, 2023
I really wish there were half stars, I'd go to 3.5. The stories weren't bad, but they were not all that spectacular, either. There was some good humor and the action was a-plenty. There even managed to be some thoughtfulness in them. The artwork was okay, but not mind-blowing. They looked like something from the 80s, which isn't surprising since that was when they originally came out.
May 6, 2023
Actually not bad, surprisingly. Especially compared to the straight ‘Dungeons & Dragons Classics’ series.
The art is okay, but looks a bit rough compared to some of the amazing art we get nowadays. The first story arc is alright, but is also the introduction to characters and the forming of the party. The second arc, featuring Elminster and dragons galore, was good.
The art is okay, but looks a bit rough compared to some of the amazing art we get nowadays. The first story arc is alright, but is also the introduction to characters and the forming of the party. The second arc, featuring Elminster and dragons galore, was good.
August 30, 2019
Good memories
I had the orginal copies back when they first came out plus in order. So brought out wonderful memories. I enjoyed reading them again . Jeff grubb is always good spin on dragon storyline or D and D
I had the orginal copies back when they first came out plus in order. So brought out wonderful memories. I enjoyed reading them again . Jeff grubb is always good spin on dragon storyline or D and D
September 26, 2019
A good fun read this one. I always enjoyed Jeff Grubb's novels in the Forgotten Realms, and these comics continue in the same style, with the pictures supporting it well. Feels nice and Realmsy for me, with good call outs to the D&D system as well. I look forward to reading the other volumes.
December 24, 2019
The D&D comics mararhon moves on (thanks, humble bundle!)
The first volume of the forgotten realms classic was fun, intersting and well drawn. Nice charecters and premise, if the next volumes in the series are on par, some fun times are afoot.
Nice for the noatalgic bone, if you have it.
The first volume of the forgotten realms classic was fun, intersting and well drawn. Nice charecters and premise, if the next volumes in the series are on par, some fun times are afoot.
Nice for the noatalgic bone, if you have it.
September 8, 2020
PLEASE BRING THIS BACK! We want more! The world is dying for this type of classic fantasy story telling. This series is timeless! It never got the reapect it deserved, an fun read for any fan of fantasy fiction!
June 12, 2021
Mixed reviews on the characters - tend to be stereotypical with some nuance. It takes place in the Forgotten Realms but doesn't feel like the Forgotten Realms. Reading more about Alias (Curse of the Azure Bonds) after her previous adventures was an added bonus.
August 19, 2022
I came to this hoping it was like the 1980's Saturday morning cartoon. It seems as if it is an entirely different universe. I don't care for fantasy, and won't continue the series. That said, this packed a lot of story into limited pages, and the artwork is superb.
March 11, 2023
If you like sword and sorcery series this old school title is a lot of fun. It’s broken down into two four part stories and I thought the first one where they got together was a little tighter than “The Dragonreach Saga” even though it about someone murdering dragons.
June 2, 2024
That was a lot of fun. I liked it quite a bit more than Dungeons & Dragons Classics Volume 1.
May 28, 2017
A cute dash of nostalgia.
September 17, 2018
Not that great but incredibly amusing
November 13, 2018
Algunas historias valen la pena y hay algunos personajes memorables. Pero a no ser por una historia con Elminster, no debería llamarse FR classics.
May 2, 2019
This is a good collection of stories and artwork, introducing the diverse crew, and sending them forth on several adventures.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews