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Dragon Age Graphic Novels #4
Dragon Age: Magekiller
Legendary writer Greg Rucka begins an all-new story set in the immersive dark fantasy world of Dragon Age! Includes Magekiller comics 1-5.
Tessa and Marius are mercenary partners united by an unbreakable bond and compelled to eliminate those who use magic to hurt others. When they betray a powerful patron who intended to kill them once their job was completed, they're forced to run and join the Inquisition. With the breach in the sky tearing the world apart, there's more to fear than Venatori and an angry former employer. Can Tessa, Marius, and the Inquisition overcome the greatest threat Thedas has ever faced!?
Tessa and Marius are mercenary partners united by an unbreakable bond and compelled to eliminate those who use magic to hurt others. When they betray a powerful patron who intended to kill them once their job was completed, they're forced to run and join the Inquisition. With the breach in the sky tearing the world apart, there's more to fear than Venatori and an angry former employer. Can Tessa, Marius, and the Inquisition overcome the greatest threat Thedas has ever faced!?
120 pages, Paperback
First published August 9, 2016
37 people are currently reading
1421 people want to read
About the author
Greg Rucka
1,496 books1,927 followersGreg Rucka, is an American comic book writer and novelist, known for his work on such comics as Action Comics, Batwoman: Detective Comics, and the miniseries Superman: World of New Krypton for DC Comics, and for novels such as his Queen & Country series.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 191 reviews
November 24, 2016
If you love dark fantasy, the dragon age series is where it is at. From video games, novels and comics, it always delivers.
On a plot level this is really quite good. As the name suggests it’s about the hunting of mages. Marius hunts them down for profit, and like Fenris from Dragon Age 2, it’s the only thing he’s any good at. His body has been twisted by dark magic and turned into a mana severing weapon, so his line of work comes very easy to him: he was built for it.
He and his partner in crime (an obvious love interest from the start) get mixed up in the murky events of Dragon Age Inquisition.
Bloody, faced paced and morally grey, it’s everything you’d expect from a Dragon Age story; however, there are a few weak moments in the issues. Some of the dialogue was terribly written. There was the odd block of speech or narration that just broke my engagement with the story; it felt so out of place. The cover art of the issues is all good, though some of the character depictions as you get into it start to look quite similar- like the video game character models for humans and elves. It was also inconsistent. The first and fifth issues were tight with action and plot, but the rest didn’t achieve the same level.
Overall this series has potential. Hopefully the next few issues will take it where it needs to go.
On a plot level this is really quite good. As the name suggests it’s about the hunting of mages. Marius hunts them down for profit, and like Fenris from Dragon Age 2, it’s the only thing he’s any good at. His body has been twisted by dark magic and turned into a mana severing weapon, so his line of work comes very easy to him: he was built for it.
He and his partner in crime (an obvious love interest from the start) get mixed up in the murky events of Dragon Age Inquisition.
Bloody, faced paced and morally grey, it’s everything you’d expect from a Dragon Age story; however, there are a few weak moments in the issues. Some of the dialogue was terribly written. There was the odd block of speech or narration that just broke my engagement with the story; it felt so out of place. The cover art of the issues is all good, though some of the character depictions as you get into it start to look quite similar- like the video game character models for humans and elves. It was also inconsistent. The first and fifth issues were tight with action and plot, but the rest didn’t achieve the same level.
Overall this series has potential. Hopefully the next few issues will take it where it needs to go.
March 8, 2021
Upon a reread as part of the library edition, this isn't very good. There's very little actual story across this miniseries. It's more snippets from the videogame, or at least that's what it feels like. I haven't played the game, but then again I shouldn't need to if it was well-written.
Original Review
You pretty much can't go wrong with Greg Rucka. The series starts off strong where you are introduced to Tessa and Marius, a pair of Magekillers. Apparently, mages in Dragon Age are typically corrupted by power and think of the normal population as slave labor at best. The latter issues suffer a bit in that have a LOT of information condensed down into a couple of issues. It felt like this was supposed to be an ongoing series that was cancelled and Rucka had to cram a year's worth of stories into 2 issues.
Received an advance copy from Dark Horse and Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
Original Review
You pretty much can't go wrong with Greg Rucka. The series starts off strong where you are introduced to Tessa and Marius, a pair of Magekillers. Apparently, mages in Dragon Age are typically corrupted by power and think of the normal population as slave labor at best. The latter issues suffer a bit in that have a LOT of information condensed down into a couple of issues. It felt like this was supposed to be an ongoing series that was cancelled and Rucka had to cram a year's worth of stories into 2 issues.
Received an advance copy from Dark Horse and Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
June 28, 2016
I received this from Edelweiss and Dark Horse comics in exchange for an honest review.
Not much to this story. There's a couple of "magekillers", assassins-for-hire that kill mages. They are hired on a regular basis while they are on the run from previous employers who want to kill them.
So, the biggest problem I had with this book is that not a single story is completed, except for the maybe the last one. What happened with the group that tried to kill them near the beginning? What happened to the mages they were supposed to kill, but didn't? How did they end up in one city, when the end of the previous issue/chapter had them somewhere else? It was so very disjointed, and so many threads left hanging. Very sloppy. (If I was writing/editing this book, I would have turned it into a grand conspiracy, with the "bad guys" being manipulated by even "badder guys" behind the scenes. I know that's tried and true trope, but at least it's something to tie everything together into one cohesive storyline.)
Its one redeeming factor: the artwork was good.
Not much to this story. There's a couple of "magekillers", assassins-for-hire that kill mages. They are hired on a regular basis while they are on the run from previous employers who want to kill them.
So, the biggest problem I had with this book is that not a single story is completed, except for the maybe the last one. What happened with the group that tried to kill them near the beginning? What happened to the mages they were supposed to kill, but didn't? How did they end up in one city, when the end of the previous issue/chapter had them somewhere else? It was so very disjointed, and so many threads left hanging. Very sloppy. (If I was writing/editing this book, I would have turned it into a grand conspiracy, with the "bad guys" being manipulated by even "badder guys" behind the scenes. I know that's tried and true trope, but at least it's something to tie everything together into one cohesive storyline.)
Its one redeeming factor: the artwork was good.
December 16, 2017
I know, I know...what was I thinking? A book based on a video game? Was I expecting Dostoyevsky? No. But I saw that Greg Rucka wrote it and he has written some good stories in the past. Well working with this blatant money grab, which seems to be the muse that drives most modern authors/artists, is not an easy task. To be fair, the video game (Dragon Age: Inquisition) is superlative and it is one I have played.
Still translating a RPG into a workable novel has some limits. That is amply on display here- the first part of the story is actually decent. It shows us two magekillers who hunt down rogue mages. That part and the resultant mission is actually decent. Had that been the basis for this tale then it might have been have rated 3 stars. But, sadly, hampered by the "plot" of the game we then see the Rifts open and demons swarm out. This is where the story goes wrong (Rucka should have known better)..because the final part is a mission to secure a portal and close it. Ummm..ok...and the ending? With the two magekillers saying "We helped save the world" after they killed some demons. Ummmmmm..yeah? You SURE? Well I am not. See I AM the Herald of Andastre (in the game) and since this book is based of the game-well ummmm I'm the ONLY one who can close the portals. Soooooo when these two imbeciles sit there and claim to "help save the world" I had to do a double take and ask "How?" They killed a demon, or four, and that's cool but um if they looked up in the sky (one of the last panels) ummm see that hundreds of meters long glowing, green portal in the sky? Yeah THAT thing...yeah um..you can't close it. You're not the Herald of Andastre. I am. So while it's great that you killed 4 demons, perhaps you missed that hole in the sky through which hundreds about to pour through, that you didn't close..which means it is still that hole in the sky spweing demons. So no, I respectfully dissent from that statement, you didn't save the world. No more than some random idiot who brains a zombie with a spade and then crows triumphantly about how he "saved the world" while several hundred zombies wander through your town feeding on friends and family. Congrats.
Ok story (save the ending), ok art combine for an ok book. It wasn't bad till the ending. Shame, since this could have been good. but hey..that's ok..just think of the check Mr. Rucka will get for this dreck..and isn't that the truest test of what passes for "good" nowadays?
Still translating a RPG into a workable novel has some limits. That is amply on display here- the first part of the story is actually decent. It shows us two magekillers who hunt down rogue mages. That part and the resultant mission is actually decent. Had that been the basis for this tale then it might have been have rated 3 stars. But, sadly, hampered by the "plot" of the game we then see the Rifts open and demons swarm out. This is where the story goes wrong (Rucka should have known better)..because the final part is a mission to secure a portal and close it. Ummm..ok...and the ending? With the two magekillers saying "We helped save the world" after they killed some demons. Ummmmmm..yeah? You SURE? Well I am not. See I AM the Herald of Andastre (in the game) and since this book is based of the game-well ummmm I'm the ONLY one who can close the portals. Soooooo when these two imbeciles sit there and claim to "help save the world" I had to do a double take and ask "How?" They killed a demon, or four, and that's cool but um if they looked up in the sky (one of the last panels) ummm see that hundreds of meters long glowing, green portal in the sky? Yeah THAT thing...yeah um..you can't close it. You're not the Herald of Andastre. I am. So while it's great that you killed 4 demons, perhaps you missed that hole in the sky through which hundreds about to pour through, that you didn't close..which means it is still that hole in the sky spweing demons. So no, I respectfully dissent from that statement, you didn't save the world. No more than some random idiot who brains a zombie with a spade and then crows triumphantly about how he "saved the world" while several hundred zombies wander through your town feeding on friends and family. Congrats.
Ok story (save the ending), ok art combine for an ok book. It wasn't bad till the ending. Shame, since this could have been good. but hey..that's ok..just think of the check Mr. Rucka will get for this dreck..and isn't that the truest test of what passes for "good" nowadays?
July 12, 2021
Dragon Age: Magekiller was a gripping read that fit neatly into the broader Dragon Age: Inquisition timeline. I've always been curious about Tevinter so it was awesome to get a taste of it in this graphic novel. The main characters Tessa and Marius were gripping from the beginning plus there was an excellent appearance from a DA:I character I love.
November 6, 2016
My girlfriend came with me on my last excursion to my local comic book store when I picked up Poe Dameron #7 and Han Solo (2016) #4, and bought this comic because she is a huge fan of Bioware's Dragon Age video game series. We read this together and she asked me to review it, so because I love her with all my heart, I present to you all my first review of a non-Star Wars graphic novel!
I'm not a very big of a fan of the Dragon Age series. This comic takes place at the same time as the 3rd game, Dragon Age Inquisition, but I haven't even completed the first game (Dragon Age Origins). The vast majority of things I know about the Dragon Age Universe is the stuff my girlfriend shows and/or tells me.
I was very close to completing the first game when Steam did some updates and all my bioware games' save files got deleted (I had also completed the original Mass Effect before this occured), and I have yet to bother to go back to the game.
Dragon Age Origins isn't bad- it has a cool story and I really like the characters (Leliana was my favorite of the bunch- I thought she was adorable! When I eventually pick up the game again I definitely will still romance her a second time.). However, it suffers from painfully clunky gameplay and boring level design. I couldn't stand playing as anything that wasn't a warrior and the only areas of the game that I really enjoyed (aside from being in the camp and talking to the companions) was my male elf warrior origin and the Redcliff plotline.
Anyway, I have yet to play Dragon Age 2 and Dragon Age Inquisition, so I went into this tie in comic with next to nothing in terms of background information.
Overall, Star Wars: Shattered Empire writer Greg Rucka delivers a Dragon Age spinoff graphic novel with a perfect mix of impressively good, gratingly bad, and straight up "meh".
THE STORY: The book makes the very smart decision of not starring the Inquisitor (Dragon Age Inquisition's protagonist) and instead introducing us to two mage-killing mercenaries, Tessa and Maurius.
Tessa and Maurius are hired to kill the four heads of a growing cult called the Venitori, but when they learn that they will be betrayed by their employer, they flee. They are then recruited into the inquisition after killing multiple demons who are escaping out of mysterious green tears appearing in Fereldan and saving some civilians. Tessa and Maurius end up helping the Inquisition get rid of a big gaping green hole in the sky in order to save the world of Thedas.
THE BAD: Good god, I have never seen writing this all over the place. Half of it is pretty good, but the half that is bad, is definitely bad. The first half of each issue is spent on narration from our main character, Tessa. There is way to much of the "show, don't tell" problem in this book. There is a blatantly clear pattern of one block of straight narration followed by character dialogue, and the formula repeats the entire book! I got really bored with the narration after a while but my girlfriend pointed out that it was formatted with issue-by-issue in mind, with each stretch of exposition recapping the previous issue. It probably worked okay when the series was still running but once it was compiled into a trade paperback it just quickly dates the writing- we don't need a constant recap of the last issue if we are reading it all at once! It got annoying pretty quickly and definitely felt like tasteless filler in the perspective of a graphic novel.
THE GOOD: As bad as the bad stuff was, the good stuff was very well done.
I really liked the characters that Rucka created for this comic. There is some great character development and dialogue in the half of the comic that isn't taken up by narration. Tessa and Maurius have great chemistry and made me laugh on multiple occasions with their banter. Tessa proved to be an interesting and dynamic character and is definitely the standout in this comic. She's strong and can handle herself in a fight, but she can also have a caring soft side that Rucka does well balancing out. Maurius reminded me of the stoic and sometimes oblivious Sten from Origins and he was alot of fun as well. The side characters are also pretty good, whether it be new ones or those that cameo from the game. Specifically in terms of the game cameos, they can be enjoyable and fun even if you didn't get to know them playing Inquisition first .
The artwork is decent as well, in that the characters and backgrounds are nice to look at and the action sequences can be pretty fun.
I think the easter eggs from the video games were excellently used. Gamers who have played the games will remember Varric's novel "Swords and Shields" that makes an appearance here, but I thought the stuff Rucka did with it was hilarious even though I had no idea where it came from before my girlfriend told me. There's other references that pop up but I like how natural they fit in with the story and were not a big distracting wink to the audience.
THE "MEH": I thought the overall plot was just ok. Not terrible, but kind of anticlimactic. The very end with Tessa and Maurius was nice and sweet but the things surrounding the hole in the sky didn't really lead anywhere. My girlfriend told me it had to be like that because it is the Inquisitor/your character that eventually deals with it and Rucka couldn't have his characters encroach on the game storyline, but it felt like The Hunger Games Mockingjay Part 1 in that there was no big payoff after all the buildup. Much like how Mockingjay part 1 had to save the climax for Mockingjay part 2, this had to save the big climax for Dragon Age: Inquision.
I get that Rucka was trying to write a tie in story with scale and/or significance for the game players, but I think he was trying a little to hard. Actually, another tie in comic I read recently, The Lost Suns, did this better, connecting the storyline of Theron, Teffith, and Ngani Zho destroying the facility that created the Gauntlet and the Silencer, two major plot devices for the class stories of SWTOR.
THE CONCLUSION: This is a pretty good comic for a video game tie-in, especially for a video game I have yet to play. I wasn't a fan of the writing and the plot was meh, but the well-written and likeable characters, the nice artwork and action sequences, and the cleverly integrated easter eggs make up for it. This is passable for those that have no interest in the Dragon Age series, but fans should definitely check this out.
GIRLFRIEND'S TWO-CENTS: As a fan of the Dragon Age series, I thought this was a fun and dynamic addition to the series. Although I agree with Lance that the narration recapping each issue can be very repetitive and maybe a bit obnoxious at times, I give it a pass because it's all told from Tessa's perspective, and I have to admit that reading things from her perspective can be really entertaining and funny. I also enjoyed the chemistry between our two protagonists, its nice to see two characters who trust each other so much without necessarily being romantically involved. Also, like Lance I'm glad they didn't show a canonical version of the Inquisitor, mostly because we both agree that canonical versions of an RPG-Protagonist (especially from the level of customization from Inquisition) can back-fire with its intended audience where each person has their own ideal version of their Inquisitor. So if you like stories involving side-characters who happen to live in your favorite game world (or at least if you're interested in revisiting the world of Thedas), with gorgeous artwork, and don't mind a bit of narration *cough* Lance *cough* then I would recommend this to you as a solid tie in. Think of it as printed DLC. Since Lance is sitting here asking for how I'd rate the comic, I'd give it a solid 3.5 out 5 stars, its has it's flaws but it was still a fun read. I really look forward to reading some more comic tie-ins to one of my favorite gaming series.
I'm not a very big of a fan of the Dragon Age series. This comic takes place at the same time as the 3rd game, Dragon Age Inquisition, but I haven't even completed the first game (Dragon Age Origins). The vast majority of things I know about the Dragon Age Universe is the stuff my girlfriend shows and/or tells me.
I was very close to completing the first game when Steam did some updates and all my bioware games' save files got deleted (I had also completed the original Mass Effect before this occured), and I have yet to bother to go back to the game.
Dragon Age Origins isn't bad- it has a cool story and I really like the characters (Leliana was my favorite of the bunch- I thought she was adorable! When I eventually pick up the game again I definitely will still romance her a second time.). However, it suffers from painfully clunky gameplay and boring level design. I couldn't stand playing as anything that wasn't a warrior and the only areas of the game that I really enjoyed (aside from being in the camp and talking to the companions) was my male elf warrior origin and the Redcliff plotline.
Anyway, I have yet to play Dragon Age 2 and Dragon Age Inquisition, so I went into this tie in comic with next to nothing in terms of background information.
Overall, Star Wars: Shattered Empire writer Greg Rucka delivers a Dragon Age spinoff graphic novel with a perfect mix of impressively good, gratingly bad, and straight up "meh".
THE STORY: The book makes the very smart decision of not starring the Inquisitor (Dragon Age Inquisition's protagonist) and instead introducing us to two mage-killing mercenaries, Tessa and Maurius.
Tessa and Maurius are hired to kill the four heads of a growing cult called the Venitori, but when they learn that they will be betrayed by their employer, they flee. They are then recruited into the inquisition after killing multiple demons who are escaping out of mysterious green tears appearing in Fereldan and saving some civilians. Tessa and Maurius end up helping the Inquisition get rid of a big gaping green hole in the sky in order to save the world of Thedas.
THE BAD: Good god, I have never seen writing this all over the place. Half of it is pretty good, but the half that is bad, is definitely bad. The first half of each issue is spent on narration from our main character, Tessa. There is way to much of the "show, don't tell" problem in this book. There is a blatantly clear pattern of one block of straight narration followed by character dialogue, and the formula repeats the entire book! I got really bored with the narration after a while but my girlfriend pointed out that it was formatted with issue-by-issue in mind, with each stretch of exposition recapping the previous issue. It probably worked okay when the series was still running but once it was compiled into a trade paperback it just quickly dates the writing- we don't need a constant recap of the last issue if we are reading it all at once! It got annoying pretty quickly and definitely felt like tasteless filler in the perspective of a graphic novel.
THE GOOD: As bad as the bad stuff was, the good stuff was very well done.
I really liked the characters that Rucka created for this comic. There is some great character development and dialogue in the half of the comic that isn't taken up by narration. Tessa and Maurius have great chemistry and made me laugh on multiple occasions with their banter. Tessa proved to be an interesting and dynamic character and is definitely the standout in this comic. She's strong and can handle herself in a fight, but she can also have a caring soft side that Rucka does well balancing out. Maurius reminded me of the stoic and sometimes oblivious Sten from Origins and he was alot of fun as well. The side characters are also pretty good, whether it be new ones or those that cameo from the game. Specifically in terms of the game cameos, they can be enjoyable and fun even if you didn't get to know them playing Inquisition first .
The artwork is decent as well, in that the characters and backgrounds are nice to look at and the action sequences can be pretty fun.
I think the easter eggs from the video games were excellently used. Gamers who have played the games will remember Varric's novel "Swords and Shields" that makes an appearance here, but I thought the stuff Rucka did with it was hilarious even though I had no idea where it came from before my girlfriend told me. There's other references that pop up but I like how natural they fit in with the story and were not a big distracting wink to the audience.
THE "MEH": I thought the overall plot was just ok. Not terrible, but kind of anticlimactic. The very end with Tessa and Maurius was nice and sweet but the things surrounding the hole in the sky didn't really lead anywhere. My girlfriend told me it had to be like that because it is the Inquisitor/your character that eventually deals with it and Rucka couldn't have his characters encroach on the game storyline, but it felt like The Hunger Games Mockingjay Part 1 in that there was no big payoff after all the buildup. Much like how Mockingjay part 1 had to save the climax for Mockingjay part 2, this had to save the big climax for Dragon Age: Inquision.
I get that Rucka was trying to write a tie in story with scale and/or significance for the game players, but I think he was trying a little to hard. Actually, another tie in comic I read recently, The Lost Suns, did this better, connecting the storyline of Theron, Teffith, and Ngani Zho destroying the facility that created the Gauntlet and the Silencer, two major plot devices for the class stories of SWTOR.
THE CONCLUSION: This is a pretty good comic for a video game tie-in, especially for a video game I have yet to play. I wasn't a fan of the writing and the plot was meh, but the well-written and likeable characters, the nice artwork and action sequences, and the cleverly integrated easter eggs make up for it. This is passable for those that have no interest in the Dragon Age series, but fans should definitely check this out.
GIRLFRIEND'S TWO-CENTS: As a fan of the Dragon Age series, I thought this was a fun and dynamic addition to the series. Although I agree with Lance that the narration recapping each issue can be very repetitive and maybe a bit obnoxious at times, I give it a pass because it's all told from Tessa's perspective, and I have to admit that reading things from her perspective can be really entertaining and funny. I also enjoyed the chemistry between our two protagonists, its nice to see two characters who trust each other so much without necessarily being romantically involved. Also, like Lance I'm glad they didn't show a canonical version of the Inquisitor, mostly because we both agree that canonical versions of an RPG-Protagonist (especially from the level of customization from Inquisition) can back-fire with its intended audience where each person has their own ideal version of their Inquisitor. So if you like stories involving side-characters who happen to live in your favorite game world (or at least if you're interested in revisiting the world of Thedas), with gorgeous artwork, and don't mind a bit of narration *cough* Lance *cough* then I would recommend this to you as a solid tie in. Think of it as printed DLC. Since Lance is sitting here asking for how I'd rate the comic, I'd give it a solid 3.5 out 5 stars, its has it's flaws but it was still a fun read. I really look forward to reading some more comic tie-ins to one of my favorite gaming series.
March 20, 2018
2.5 stars.
Don't really have much to say about this one tbh? It wasn't bad, but it wasn't particularly good either.
Pros:
- The individual volume issues had pretty cover art - I'd seen Sachin Teng posting these individually on tumblr way back when and they were honestly a large part of the reason why I wanted to read this.
- Some DA:I cameos
- Very briefly-mentioned wlw romance between Tessa, the female lead, and Charter, one of Leliana's spies.
- Got to have a look at parts of Tevinter - the magic theatre laser/hologram show was cool tbh, idk what was happening exactly, but it was cool.
Cons:
- The actual art was a bit hit-or-miss, some panels looked great but others were messy.
- Story didn't do much for me. It didn't feel like Tessa or Marius really developed at all and while I don't dislike them, I don't really care much for them either.
- Felt like there was too much crammed into these five issues without there being enough time dedicated to fully exploring each arc before moving onto the next.
So... Yeah. Not bad, not good. Felt somewhat rushed overall, I guess. Reading it has made me miss the games, though. I really need to go back to Origins and play my way through again at some stage.
Want to read
June 3, 2016
July 8, 2023
„When you fear losing everything […] you’ll believe even the thinnest rope can hold your weight.“
August 21, 2016
More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/
Dragon Age: Mage Killer remains very true to the Dragon Age world. In fact, it takes place during the entirety of the Inquisition game. The illustrations are well done and likenesses are true to the game. But the story is rather pointless and seems more like a way to introduce/give backstory on characters that may be the leads in the next game. Nothing much happens and it jumps around everywhere.Tessa is a friendly rogue and Marius is a deadly serious warrior/mage killer. He was once a Tevinter slave but claims he bears no special ill will to all Tevinter. When they are lured to a job, they become embroiled in Tevinter politics - and eventually become part of the Inquisition. After excursions to Inquisition locations with Dorian and the Chargers (minus Bull), they take assignments from Charter as the Inquisition deals with the hole the sky.
I appreciated seeing cameos of many characters - from the Chargers, of course, to Leliana and Dorian. But it was also great to see Charter in action; she is Leliana's main spy and responsible for recruiting Scout Harding. Tessa and Charter have a little romance but we don't see any of it - it's only hinted at as off-jokes to oblivious Marius. And Marius himself seems like a mixture of Alistair's obtuseness with Hawke's gritty determination.
I wish the stories went somewhere. There really isn't much of a story here yet it seems so obvious that one could have been built upon instead of throwing character and game vignettes around willy-nilly. I like a cameo as much as the next person (Hi Dorian!) but I have already completely forgotten what this graphic novel was about. That certainly never happened after playing the Dragon Age games.
So yes, I'd say a graphic novel for fans and hope this is a sneak of the characters we will get with the next Dragon Age game. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.
June 7, 2016
Marius and Tessa are magekillers, mercenaries who kill blood mages for a living. Their partnership is one of friendship, though neither knows much about the other. They trust each other to get the job done and that is what they do, until they're tricked into working for Archon Radonis, leader of Tevinter, a country of mages. Radonis wants a new group of mages eliminated, ones who are trying to wrest power away from him. What seems like a simple job for Tess and Marius involves them in one giant complicated mess.
The cover art for this is what drew me in. Who can resist that? The art is fantastic. I don't know anything about Dragon Age or Thedas, but I didn't find myself too lost. When I did, it was due to Rucka's in media res style. The reader is frequently dropped into the middle of an action sequence without much information about what lead up to it, who is involved, why Tess and Marius are there, etc., etc., etc. I like the world of Thedas, but I wanted more world building or more explanation (which might be my fault for not having read more Dragon Age). What are the different races of Thedas? Who are the good mages? What's the difference in their magic? A little prologue or primer would go a long way toward answering these questions and wouldn't detract from the story or bother long time readers. I would pick up another trade of this to see how the story evolves, but wouldn't continue if I feel like the story continues to have big plot gaps.
My copy thanks to Edelweiss and Dark Horse.
The cover art for this is what drew me in. Who can resist that? The art is fantastic. I don't know anything about Dragon Age or Thedas, but I didn't find myself too lost. When I did, it was due to Rucka's in media res style. The reader is frequently dropped into the middle of an action sequence without much information about what lead up to it, who is involved, why Tess and Marius are there, etc., etc., etc. I like the world of Thedas, but I wanted more world building or more explanation (which might be my fault for not having read more Dragon Age). What are the different races of Thedas? Who are the good mages? What's the difference in their magic? A little prologue or primer would go a long way toward answering these questions and wouldn't detract from the story or bother long time readers. I would pick up another trade of this to see how the story evolves, but wouldn't continue if I feel like the story continues to have big plot gaps.
My copy thanks to Edelweiss and Dark Horse.
March 9, 2020
This was interesting, but the best part was seeing Dorian and Krem and the rest of the Chargers again, honestly.
October 5, 2020
I really enjoyed this graphic novel when I normally can’t get though them! I was very pleasantly surprised! I liked the two main characters, I loved the callbacks to the games like Varric’s book, a cameo from a side villain, a cameo from a few inquisition friends, the LGBTQ+ representation, and an interesting look at the “little people” as Sera would call them. There were a few moments that made me audibly chuckle and a few moments that hit me in the feels. I also liked how we got the inner monologue/narration for Tessa because I’m used to reading full length novels with lots of thoughts and maybe not narration but a more direct telling of the story. I enjoyed it a lot and I’ll be moving right into Knight Errant after this one.
February 14, 2020
This was okay! I love Dragon Age to pieces so anything I get to read/see from its world is always really fun. And the characters were fun too—I just felt like this story was bigger than it needed to be. I kind-of wish it just focused on Tessa and Marius and character moments with them more so than action. But I’m still glad I read it! Dorian was in there for a hot sec so that’s really all I need.
June 13, 2021
I love the dragon age world and this was a fun dive in. Can’t wait to see more. Also Dorian 😍
August 24, 2018
This was the first part of the Dragon Age expanded universe I’d read, and I was on the fence about whether I’d be into it or not. But, lads: I was very into it.
It features mage-hunters-for-hire Tessa and Marius, and their adventures amongst and around the events of the game Dragon Age: Inquisition. Having completed DA:I only this year, I was glad to discover how closely this comic ties in with the plot of the game. I didn’t know I needed to know more about Leliana’s master spy Charter—until I did! There were just the right amount of established character appearances to hook me in, and not so many as to overwhelm the story.
It’s true there’s no grand arc to this comic. Instead we get to watch Tessa and Marius’ lives change as the world-shaking events of DA:I push them and pull them in different directions. It’s the story of two almost-ordinary losers trying to get by while the apocalypse happens around them, and I loved that.
The art is also bloody gorgeous. I loved the colouring especially. And, while it was lovely to look at, it was also easy to follow panel-to-panel (I hardly ever read a comic that gets both right!).
Magekiller isn’t a life-changer—but it’s a delightful way to dally in Thedas for a little while.
It features mage-hunters-for-hire Tessa and Marius, and their adventures amongst and around the events of the game Dragon Age: Inquisition. Having completed DA:I only this year, I was glad to discover how closely this comic ties in with the plot of the game. I didn’t know I needed to know more about Leliana’s master spy Charter—until I did! There were just the right amount of established character appearances to hook me in, and not so many as to overwhelm the story.
It’s true there’s no grand arc to this comic. Instead we get to watch Tessa and Marius’ lives change as the world-shaking events of DA:I push them and pull them in different directions. It’s the story of two almost-ordinary losers trying to get by while the apocalypse happens around them, and I loved that.
The art is also bloody gorgeous. I loved the colouring especially. And, while it was lovely to look at, it was also easy to follow panel-to-panel (I hardly ever read a comic that gets both right!).
Magekiller isn’t a life-changer—but it’s a delightful way to dally in Thedas for a little while.
November 13, 2022
This is a fun fantasy comic distraction distraction that will please fans of the Dragon Age games. The two main characters, Marius and Tess, are Magekillers, for-hire assassins who kill renegade mages. Their relationship is interesting. It's romantically tense, like Mulder and Skully. You get the sene that there is an attraction there, or at least a deep platonic love, but the nature of their involvement is always made mysterious. The art is pretty good. The artists all clearly took the source material seriously and made the art evoke the Dragon Age games (even down to how the weapons are drawn). My favorite part of this was the setting, the way Thedas (the DA setting) is a strange alloy of serious dark fantasy and lightheartedness.
August 6, 2024
Enjoyed this story immensely. I liked the characters coming in from Inquisition while keeping the story focused on Marius and Tessa's friendship.
March 10, 2017
I think if you've not played Dragon Age Inquisition, not much of this will make any sense, but for light entertainment and a wee Dragon Age fix after a busy week, this was just right.
August 10, 2016
For something related to the Dragon Age series this was...slightly disappointing.
The artwork was beautiful, I really enjoyed how vivid and detailed it was. There was a lot of attention to detail in the characters and backgrounds. And the cover, just look at it! It's amazing.
I loved that there were familiar characters: Dorian, the Bulls Chargers, Charter, and Leliana. And some clues about a potential enemy depending on what path you take in Inquisition.
The art isn't a problem at all.
My problems lie in the crappy editing and confusing, incomplete story lines.
In my edition, a few words were either missing in the middle of sentences or misspelled. Made it a little awkward to read in a few spots.
And the story lines...
I'm not sure what I expected but apparently it wasn't this. The story arcs were jumbled, confusing, and often incomplete. The story seemed to always start in the midst of a conversation or in the middle of an action scene and ending abruptly, usually before the action was completed or just as it was.
No explanations. No who, what, why, when, and where. Just there and then it ended.
The stories were still interesting and kept me hooked till the end, but I guess I was hoping for a little more substance.
But, I still enjoyed it (as I've mentioned multiple times now) and I can't wait to see what the future holds for this series, both video games and literature.
The artwork was beautiful, I really enjoyed how vivid and detailed it was. There was a lot of attention to detail in the characters and backgrounds. And the cover, just look at it! It's amazing.
I loved that there were familiar characters: Dorian, the Bulls Chargers, Charter, and Leliana. And some clues about a potential enemy depending on what path you take in Inquisition.
The art isn't a problem at all.
My problems lie in the crappy editing and confusing, incomplete story lines.
In my edition, a few words were either missing in the middle of sentences or misspelled. Made it a little awkward to read in a few spots.
And the story lines...
I'm not sure what I expected but apparently it wasn't this. The story arcs were jumbled, confusing, and often incomplete. The story seemed to always start in the midst of a conversation or in the middle of an action scene and ending abruptly, usually before the action was completed or just as it was.
No explanations. No who, what, why, when, and where. Just there and then it ended.
The stories were still interesting and kept me hooked till the end, but I guess I was hoping for a little more substance.
But, I still enjoyed it (as I've mentioned multiple times now) and I can't wait to see what the future holds for this series, both video games and literature.
September 7, 2016
This is just Dragon Age: Inquisition told from the point of view of two pointless (and not very likeable) new characters.
Tessa is from some important Nevarran family, and Marius is an ex tevinter slave. Marius barely speaks, and when he does he's just completely misunderstanding social situations in what is supposed to be an endearing way. Tessa is the narrator and it goes on and on with pages of her inner thoughts which are often repeated from several pages earlier.
The artwork is good, but not as beautifully detailed as The Silent Grove stuff. Also this does not provide you with any new information on lore or characters. In the previous comic series we learn about Therin blood, more about the witches of the wilds, more about each character's history, and this made it a valuable contribution to the series despite being a different medium, and despite its short length.
In Magekiller, there is absolutely no new information which essentially makes it a waste of time and money.
Tessa is from some important Nevarran family, and Marius is an ex tevinter slave. Marius barely speaks, and when he does he's just completely misunderstanding social situations in what is supposed to be an endearing way. Tessa is the narrator and it goes on and on with pages of her inner thoughts which are often repeated from several pages earlier.
The artwork is good, but not as beautifully detailed as The Silent Grove stuff. Also this does not provide you with any new information on lore or characters. In the previous comic series we learn about Therin blood, more about the witches of the wilds, more about each character's history, and this made it a valuable contribution to the series despite being a different medium, and despite its short length.
In Magekiller, there is absolutely no new information which essentially makes it a waste of time and money.
May 30, 2017
As a huge dragon age fan, I was rather disappointed by this comic. It didn't really add anything to the dragon age world, choosing instead to focus on 2 brand new characters who don't seem to show up in the game canon at all (despite interacting with game-canon characters). The pacing was rather odd, and events jumped forward pretty quickly. There wasn't a sense of coherent story tying together each issue, which was extremely odd when reading them all one after the other - it was difficult to work out where all the jumps in time/ location happened.
Kinda felt like I wasted my money on this one, and would have rather read it for free with how disappointed I was in it.
Kinda felt like I wasted my money on this one, and would have rather read it for free with how disappointed I was in it.
February 2, 2023
A great story with interesting, likeable, and well developed characters. It was great to see some of the events of Dragon Age: Inquisition from a different point of view and experience what the opening of the breach was like for those not directly involved in the Inquisition itself. Loved all the cameos from different members of the Inquisition gang
My only criticism is that it wasn't long enough - I wanted more of the characters so I hope they return in other comics (or possibly DA4?).
My only criticism is that it wasn't long enough - I wanted more of the characters so I hope they return in other comics (or possibly DA4?).
August 6, 2024
An in-between story from Dragon Age: Inquisition that does not really add much. Light read at least, Rucka is better at comics than Gaider, obviously.
August 27, 2020
Two mercenaries who deal with mages specifically are enlisted by the inquisition to fight for all there is...
So this book is heavily tied to the game (duh) and while that is very cool for me, as I was a big fan of the Dragonage: Inquisition game, I wonder how this would read for someone who just picks it up for the first time without playing the game. Towards the end of the volume, there are many mentions of the inquisition and their quest, and a lot of reference to events happening in the game, but not shown in the comic. So I think this wouldn't be that new reader friendly.
The story is very straightforward, but I would've like to have seen more regular adventures of this mage killing duo. The book starts off with that premise, but once they are enlisted to help the inquisition, all focus shifts to just that, the inquisition. Rucka does a fine job with the story, even if it is a bit straightforward. And the art is perfectly good as well, without being astounding.
A good book, not great, that is helped greatly by playing the game its based on, I would recommend it only to those who have played Inquisition and loved it.
So this book is heavily tied to the game (duh) and while that is very cool for me, as I was a big fan of the Dragonage: Inquisition game, I wonder how this would read for someone who just picks it up for the first time without playing the game. Towards the end of the volume, there are many mentions of the inquisition and their quest, and a lot of reference to events happening in the game, but not shown in the comic. So I think this wouldn't be that new reader friendly.
The story is very straightforward, but I would've like to have seen more regular adventures of this mage killing duo. The book starts off with that premise, but once they are enlisted to help the inquisition, all focus shifts to just that, the inquisition. Rucka does a fine job with the story, even if it is a bit straightforward. And the art is perfectly good as well, without being astounding.
A good book, not great, that is helped greatly by playing the game its based on, I would recommend it only to those who have played Inquisition and loved it.
February 16, 2021
(4 of 5 for solid DA adventure with pretty nice main characters)
The first thing to say - you can feel Greg Rucka's touch here. He didn't go to lengths here, but the story feels more refined, more natural. Magekiller just plays with a simple premise about two mercenaries specialising in hunting down the mages of all kind. There is, of course, some thickening to the plot, creating a challenge, but the best thing is making characters little bit "alive". I wouldn't expect much from game/movie follow up comics, only to be a decent one. And the Magekiller is. The story is nice, using its space well and thus feels rich, characters and dialogues are nice and the art is pretty OK. Yes, it is that kind of art where you don't look up the artist to see, what else did, but also it isn't just colour and ink slapper, making you suffer a bit trough reading thanks to the crappy art. The art completely fits the story, world and intended product and helps to enjoy the comics. It was fun to read, especially for DA fan.
The first thing to say - you can feel Greg Rucka's touch here. He didn't go to lengths here, but the story feels more refined, more natural. Magekiller just plays with a simple premise about two mercenaries specialising in hunting down the mages of all kind. There is, of course, some thickening to the plot, creating a challenge, but the best thing is making characters little bit "alive". I wouldn't expect much from game/movie follow up comics, only to be a decent one. And the Magekiller is. The story is nice, using its space well and thus feels rich, characters and dialogues are nice and the art is pretty OK. Yes, it is that kind of art where you don't look up the artist to see, what else did, but also it isn't just colour and ink slapper, making you suffer a bit trough reading thanks to the crappy art. The art completely fits the story, world and intended product and helps to enjoy the comics. It was fun to read, especially for DA fan.
August 11, 2022
who was this book intended for?
it's meant for fans that have played dragon age 2, and dragon age inquisition who are eager to learn more about the world of the game. this book is a fine example of transmedia storytelling which is a style of storytelling that tells one narrative over different media products and lets fans engage with the lore and story at a level that suits their degree of passion.
Magekiller is a satisfying story, with interesting insights about the life of a perrepatae who earned his freedom from the yoke of the Tevinter Imperium but still struggles to find a purpose other than what he was trained for by Nenealeus.
Since Marius is not the talkative type, his handler Tessa often has monologues where she voices what Marius could have said if he was more verbose. the bond between the two partners is interesting to follow and reaches a satisfying conclusion in the climatic finale of their story arc.
it's meant for fans that have played dragon age 2, and dragon age inquisition who are eager to learn more about the world of the game. this book is a fine example of transmedia storytelling which is a style of storytelling that tells one narrative over different media products and lets fans engage with the lore and story at a level that suits their degree of passion.
Magekiller is a satisfying story, with interesting insights about the life of a perrepatae who earned his freedom from the yoke of the Tevinter Imperium but still struggles to find a purpose other than what he was trained for by Nenealeus.
Since Marius is not the talkative type, his handler Tessa often has monologues where she voices what Marius could have said if he was more verbose. the bond between the two partners is interesting to follow and reaches a satisfying conclusion in the climatic finale of their story arc.
July 10, 2018
Takes place during the events of Dragon Age: Inquisition. Follows two characters, Marius and Tessa. Marius is an ex-slave from Tevinter who was created to be a weapon against other mages, similar to Fenris. Since it's what he's good at, he kills mages for hire. Tessa is along for the ride and handles all the technical stuff. She's also a lot more likable than Marius, and I feel like I only started to like Marius because of Tessa. Anyway they have adventures with the Inquisition.
Pros:
- Great artwork
- Good characterization (I do feel that both Tessa and Marius grew over the course of the book)
- Dorian!
- TessaxCharter <3
Cons:
- Some cliches; I know Marius's character a million times over.
Pros:
- Great artwork
- Good characterization (I do feel that both Tessa and Marius grew over the course of the book)
- Dorian!
- TessaxCharter <3
Cons:
- Some cliches; I know Marius's character a million times over.
November 23, 2019
Dragon age by far is my favourite video game extended franchise. I love the lore and the extended story as the world is very well developed and allows for some exciting and fun side adventures. This comic is one such adventure. Bloody and brutal it follows a paid of mage killers as they join the Inquisition. I wish the book was a little longer as none of the stories get a proper conclusion(I wonder if that is by intent).
Still I enjoyed reading this - it was fun to be back in the world and made me want to play the game again. For that I give it three stars.
Still I enjoyed reading this - it was fun to be back in the world and made me want to play the game again. For that I give it three stars.
February 24, 2023
Vengo hace unos dias leyendo estos comics antes de mimir la verdad tan buenos even tho la historia no me vuelve loca esta bueno ver el universo de dragon age desde otro pov, pero no recomiendo para aquellos (como yo) q no se terminaron el dragon age inquisition bc tiene unos spoilers kjjj
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