Dishonored Vol. 1: The Wyrmwood Deceit

Dishonored #1-4

by Gordon Rennie, Andrea Olimpieri (Illustrator)

A brand new 4-part series based around Bethesda's highly acclaimed, award-winning stealth action-adventure video game franchise.

     Follow the continuing adventures of Corvo Attano, this collection is a prequel to the highly anticipated upcoming game Dishonored 2, as Corvo skulks the rooftops of Dunwall in search of an apprentice and quickly becomes embroiled in a supernatural plot against the crown!

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Video Games, Steampunk, Fiction, Science Fiction

128 pages, Paperback

First published November 29, 2016

About the author

Freelance writer for over 20 years – When he’s not being ungainfully employed as a BAFTA-nominated video games scriptwriter, he keeps himself busy writing comics, novels, screenplays and Doctor Who audio plays. Comics work includes Predator, Judge Dredd, Rogue Trooper, Missionary Man, Necronauts, Caballistics Inc and Absalom, and Dept. of Monsterology for Renegade.

Reviews

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn't bad but I'm unfamiliar with the video game, and therefore found myself playing catch up for most of it. Thankfully I was able to grasp enough to still enjoy it, and the steampunk type setting i pretty cool. It's a prequel to a video game so there's not much of an ending and you have to play the game to see what happens next, which I guess is sort of the point. Overall not a bad read, but I'm sure it's much better for fans of the game itself.

[Florin Pitea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fairly decent graphic novel, but does not hold a candle to Lady Mechanika.

[Shabbeer Hassan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Decent art, a chaotic plotline and not so great attempt at plugging the gap between Dishonored 1 and 2 games. Would the novels be more interesting than this?

My Rating - 2/5

[Ingrid · Rating 3 out of 5]

In my dreams this comic had Martha Cottings as the sole point-of-view protagonist, and we got to follow her investigation seeing the City Watch from the inside, Corvo from the outside, and a very different take on the Dishonored universe from what we've gotten so far.

I'm not reviewing my dream comic, though, I'm reviewing this one. And, it's okay. There's some stuff I enjoyed - Cotting's character, especially - but the overall thing is, well, okay. The plot is okay. The art is okay. The characterization is okay. A bunch of pretty weak okays. The coloring is really dark and sometimes makes it hard to properly distinguish between different characters and interiors, and for some inexplicable reason the entire mystery is revealed by the end of issue one. After that I was mostly being dragged along while the characters were trying to find out something I already knew all about. Why not let it be a proper surprise at the end? There are many things in this world I don't understand.

I would have given this two stars were it not for the ending, and the appearance of the most exciting character in the whole franchise, opening up for a whole bunch of exciting adventures with them and Cottings. That bit was more than okay.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love everything Dishonored, and I thought this was a great addition to the franchise through a really exciting and visually stunning medium. Martha Cottings, despite only featuring in this short piece of extra-source material, quickly became one of my favourite new protagonist characters from the entire IP. The ending was incredibly well done to serve dual purposes; it both perfectly sets up the whole of the Death of the Outsider narrative with (future) Billie ensuring the events of D2 happen properly by obscuring Corvo's knowledge of the incoming coup, while also leaving off on a cliffhanger with Martha - to which I really do hope Arkane will return one day.
As for Corvo, he was captured perfectly - the art style was able to represent his powers nostalgically for long-time fans while still maintaining the really bold, unique aesthetic of the comic illustrator. The writing was also really faithful to his personality and the source material, I could almost hear the voice actor reading the lines in my head as I read it! Quite impressive.
If I was to be incredibly nitpicky (which as a huge fan of this series I cannot help but be), there are only two things holding this back. Firstly, it was quite short - I would have loved a little bit more time with Martha in particular. The second negative was pacing; while the ending was great, the middle section of the whole investigation did feel slightly rushed. Answers felt like they came too easily, especially from the old Witch in Coldridge Prison.

Keen to keep working through the extended universe of the series in comic and novel form.

[Tariques · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story was rushed and chaotic and I didn't feel like it added anything to the story of the games.
The art was very nice.

[sassafrass · Rating 3 out of 5]

NEEDS MORE EMILY. OR....ANY EMILY REALLY

[Cale · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've only played the first few minutes of Dishonored 2, after completing the first game, so I think that offered a little extra grounding in the world (although the Dishonored 2 aspect wasn't really necessary). Corvo is exploring a new threat that comes in the form of the son of his missing sister. But is it really him? There's a whole subplot about Corvo's protege investigating a magical painting, as well.
Honestly, the art was really distracting. It kind of captured the feeling of Dunwall, but it was so chaotic and dark that is muddied up much of the plot - anyone not a major protagonist was unrecognizable from page to page. And the story jumped around a lot, making it hard to follow. While I think the conclusion pulled everything together well and fed into the game in an appropriate manner, I spent most of the two middle issues not entirely sure what was going on. If you're a fan of the games, you might get some pleasure out of this. But I don't think people who have played the games will get anything out of it.

[Arnela · Rating 5 out of 5]

The art was pretty interesting, not really my style, but I dug the way it was colored.

Admittedly I don't know a lot about dishonored the game or the lore, so why did I pick this up? Not really sure, was mostly a curiosity impulse grab.

The story focuses on some gangs smuggling weapons into the city, both Corvo and Martha [a very capable guard] are looking into the why and what these gangs plan to do with so much firepower. Corvo is chasing a lead that he feels might take him to his lost sister and Martha is following a path leading to witches and magic [neither of which she thinks she believes in].

The mystery of what's actually happening and who's pulling all the strings was still incredibly captivating and capable of being followed even if you don't fully understand the world these characters inhabit. I had a lot of fun reading this and I'm very curious about who the mastermind really is. I'm eager to see if the story was continued.

[Hunter MacNab · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a fan of the game series, it was a pleasure to read and pour through the details in each panel. The depiction of ideas from the first game in this medium really popped - it felt like a significant amount of effort was spent on evoking all the elements found in the actual gameplay proper. There's a pleasant sense of nostalgia seeing/recalling the intricacy of how Corvo's sword unfolds, or seeing the point of view of unaware mooks as in the background the player character performs the perfect sequence of non lethal stealth take downs (and more!).

[Leanne (Beauty & The Book Dragon) · Rating 3 out of 5]

As someone who is a fan of the games, I'm glad they had a small tie in from Dishonoured to Dishonoured 2. I enjoyed the art.
I just wish there was more..more Emily..more story from that between time period.
I do like the big tie in to the newest game. All of the hints.
Please play the games though because this will spoil you and also you will probably have no idea what's going on without that game knowledge.

[Carrie (scary.carrie.reads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This graphic novel didn't quite live up to my expectations. It was good, but I wish it would've either focused only on already established characters or developed the new characters that it introduced further. The only character I felt connected to at all was Corvo, and honestly, I prefer him in the game. That aside, I did enjoy the story, and I would read future issues of this comic if they are made.

[Kamille · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very fanservicy. There isn't much plot, and the villain is some random witch we never met. What bothered me most is how many people Corvo kills despite being a "pacifist" character. We get to see each of his powers used exactly once, and I'll give credit where credit is due, that looks cool.

I also had an issue with the art style. It's too messy for my liking. I've had trouble recognizing recurrent characters from the background NPC's.

[Petr · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this is a worthy read for the fans of the game, for someone else it might be too confusing and with too little background. However, the story is solid, interesting and keeps up the tension. The detailings at the end of the book are a great insight into the working process and I think the comics managed to capture the mood of Dishonored well.

[Sebastian Du Pont · Rating 3 out of 5]

That was pretty great until the very last page ruined it. I liked Martha Cottings but she should have bled out or burned up with the rest of the house to hide the conspiracy and keep Dishonored generally dark tone, not be saved by a time travelling Billy Lurk.
I love Billy but that Lurk Machina left a bad taste in my mouth.

[Aivija · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a big fan of Dishonored I liked it, but I feel like it would not be an enjoyable read for someone who has not played the games. I thought the story was pretty decent, but feels pretty incomplete as an independent piece of work.

[LaToya Donnellan · Rating 2 out of 5]

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[Matt Bizzell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm actually really enamored of this story. The texture of the world is fantastic, and I look forward to whatever else is in store.

[Viki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story with one hell of an ending. Fans of the video game series should enjoy this comic very much.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fleshes out the world a bit and builds up the plot of Dishonored 2, but isn't necessarily a complete satisfying story on its own

[Salamanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I now have more questions than I did before.

[Heiki Eesmaa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one's honestly a smart side story, however it does not stand too tall without the plot of the games. I give it a +1 because I like Dunwall.

[A M H · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best comics series I've read in a long time! This volume was made very well! Full of cool action, intrigue, lore and a great plot. Amazing! Would love to read more!

[Thom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some very cool story ideas and fantastic artwork throughout

[M.i. · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s entertaining. But for a person going in cold without understanding of the dishonored games, the world and certain aspects of it might be confusing.

[Kristin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe I'm being too harsh or I'm deeply confused/misunderstanding, but I just couldn't get into the story.

The art was pretty. It seems like it would be very difficult to nail down an art style that matches a game with such strange character designs but the artists adapted it well. I thought the "light" they drew for Blink was really neat.

So, absolutely nothing wrong with the art.

The issue I have with these stories? I thought Corvo was completely out of character.

***SPOILERS AHEAD***

Maybe this is where the misunderstanding or confusion comes in, I might have missed some vital clue or hint somewhere...

During the two games, it is heavily hinted by almost everyone you interact with (Child/Empress Emily, The Outsider, Megan Foster, Samuel Beechworth, etc) that Corvo (and Emily) are meant to be "Good" characters.

In the first game the Outsider, usually cryptic and aloof, takes an interest in Corvo if he takes the "Good" path with minimal deaths in the first game.

And in the second game he even goes out of his way to tell the player to be good before accepting his "gift".

To Emily he says:

"And are you clever enough to do it without spilling a river of blood?"

And to Corvo he says:

"Will you do it all again? Where is that good man now?"

Even in The Corroded Man both Emily and Corvo are never actually depicted killing anyone, both took out enemies by knocking them out or tricking them. The ending is ambiguous, up to the reader to decide what really happened.

Yet, here this comic comes, showing Corvo both knocking out and killing people, but mostly killing people. He summons a Swarm of Rats to fight a gang that has information he needs, he stabs the "boss" at the end, and the most shocking part was how indifferent he seemed towards Emily.

He spent two games and a novel dedicating himself and his life to Emily. It's stated in the novel he has spies everywhere watching her when he can't be with her. He loves his daughter, he would die for his daughter.

This Corvo was completely indifferent to her. He made it seem like it was his royal obligation to do what he was doing, not because he was trying to protect her. The entire comic seemed to consist of him lamenting his lost sister, talking about how empty his life was, and wanting to find an "heir" (after training Emily to be her own protector). Yet in Dishonored 2, he was practically glowing with pride from the moment Emily first lays eyes on him.

If you play as Emily you find notes and recordings from him stating he loves and is proud of her. And people constantly mention how proud he was of her. He didn't strike me as someone that was "empty" or depressed. Emily is basically the center of his entire universe before the end of the first game.

Did I miss something? Did Bethesda and Arkane cross some wires somewhere or is like The Legend of Zelda where there's different timelines and I missed where they mentioned it? Is this the timeline where Corvo is "Bad"?

Even Martha, his potential heir, uses violence and force to get what she wanted. She was Daud with a uterus. Why would "Good" Corvo consider her, without first training or telling her that cleverness and quickness were just as, if not more vital to a Spymaster than brute-force?

The comic also states the smuggling gangs branched off and came to be "...since the old man died" (not a direct quote). It is shown in "The Corroded Man" that Slackjaw is not dead, as a "Good" Corvo would have spared him. He played dead, changed his name, and took most of his gang to start a new slightly less illegal business. It isn't illogical to think the new gang is a sister group, but why did he say Slackjaw was "dead" (instead of disappeared or vanished) when he worked with him in the novel?

It seems like someone as all-knowing as Corvo would keep track of a former criminal like Slackjaw. He had no issues finding him in the novel and had obviously had spies keeping track of his movements.

I'm also not seeing how this is a prequel to the game, except for giving face to a character that's absent in the game but mentioned and the whole "Delilah is back, Daud can't do anything right", it didn't really add anything (unless I missed a letter in the game that mentions something about this in it?).

Maybe I'm reading into this the wrong way or maybe I expected something else entirely, but it feels like this didn't fit well with the Corvo from the two games or the novel. Even if you were "Bad" Corvo in the first game, it starts the second game off as the canon "Good" Corvo.

This Corvo is a total stranger.

[BookieWookie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Released to promote the (great) game Dishonored 2, this doesn't do much to fill in the gaps between the two games... also does a bad job setting up the sequel, with a lot of the plot looking into parts of Corvo's past (his childhood and family) that isn't ever touched on in the games and isn't relevant to 2's plot (though there are indeed some references to what/who you encounter in the game).

I guess it gave an insight into his history, but that's about it.

Art is decent enough, but the story is so fast-paced and switches between two characters so frequently that it can be disorientating. It uses some ideas from the game world, but more in a "look, it's that thing from the game" way rather than giving more insight into them.

So yeah, not terrible but also very mid and not a necessary read even if you're a huge fan of the games (and you'll be very lost if you know nothing of them)... but it's also a quick read and it's entertaining enough to grab if you happen upon it in a thrift store like I did.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Wyrmwood Deceit is a neat, if unspectacular addition to Dishonored lore. It throws some new characters into the mix, gives Corvo a new mystery to chase down, and helps to build up the world of Dunwall beyond what you'll find in the games.

It also feels very rushed, with the core story coming to a clipped and unsatisfactory conclusion that could probably have used another couple of issues to tell properly. Artwork is obviously a very subjective issue, but this doesn't look or feel like Dishonored to me either.

Overall, it's briefly fun, and highly forgettable.

[Bluebelle-the-Inquisitive (Catherine) · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Oh yes. A very tricksy little Missy, indeed."
"Call me that again and it'll be your blood all over his clothes instead, now..." — Sly Harold & Martha Cottings

I think you could read this without having played the games, well game it's based on the first one. But it makes more sense if you have some idea of what is going on, why the art is the way it is, who The Outsider is and the basics of the world. The art is clever it matches the style of the game well with the green colour schemes for stealth. There is definitely pains put in to match the game well. It is appreciated.

This feels like it was written with women in mind, which makes sense given the popularity of Dishonoured with women. One of the main characters and the only secondary good guy are female. Martha Cottings is also a badass as is only right, given she is essentially a video game protagonist. But she is not subtle, she is a chaos character (though intelligent) it suits as a counterpoint to Corvo.

The story is what it is. Corvo and family. Kanaka is lovely, seeing young Corvo with his sister. But it is all about potential manipulation and power. So you know the usual. IT is effective though. Cottings comes in as a talented member of the City Watch, a potential apprentice for Corvo, her job is to follow the leads around an influx of weapons leading to answers about who and why the strings are being pulled (is that a spoiler, it doesn't feel like a spoiler).

This is the place Osric told me about... If he's been lying to me, the next time we talk, I'll be leaving bruises.
[This is where they said Broken Tom would be... They wouldn't hold out on me. Not after the damage I did to them the first time around.]
Boldness and the assurance of authority. In truth, these are the best weapons of an officer of the watch.
[Stealth and the gifts The Outsider gave me. These are the favoured tools of Dunwall's infamous Royal Protector.] — Martha Cottings and Corvo Attano (it's not actually a conversation they are on opposite sides of Dunwall but it's effective contrast)

A representative gif:

[Rustic Red Reads · Rating 2 out of 5]

As soon as I finished reading Dishonored: The Corroded Man, which is quite good and which I could consider as canon (except for the fact that Corvo killed some people and attempted to kill Zhukov and some mistakes or disregarded ideas for Dishonored 2 like the Addermire Solution was only for mana recovery in Dishonored 2, while it is for the recovery for mana and health in the book).

In this book, Corvo is totally killing everyone (HIGH CHAOS!!!) which of course including the secondary antagonist which is Broken Tom. And he follows his a boy who he recognizes as her lost sister look-alike and nephew.

Meanwhile, the female Officer of the Watch - Martha also have her own investigation leading to the path of the main antagonist who is behind the sudden appearance of Corvo's nephew and she is quite surprised by the bewitched things in her path.

The art is ok. The plot is messy. The characters are . . . not really good. The villains were just alright. And it seems that this is a totally separate story since we have a bloodthirsty Corvo, a sudden relative of Corvo (it seems that she was mentioned once in a diary in the second game, so I hope we would meet her someday), a new gang called the Roaring Boys - and they are non mentioned in the second game. So I'll consider this non-canon, and this is even set before the novel - Corroded Man. And Emily did not appear in here (I think) and even mentioned!