Dungeons & Dragons: Shadows of the Vampire

Dungeons & Dragons #2

by Jim Zub, Nelson Dániel (Contributor)

MINSC AND BOO ARE BACK! And things have never looked more dire, as mysterious forces draw the legendary ranger and his crew of adventurers to RAVENLOFT, the Realm of Terror... where they find themselves face to face with undead horrors in the land of eternal night!

Genres: Comics, Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Dungeons and Dragons, Forgotten Realms, Comic Book, Games

120 pages, Paperback

First published November 23, 2016

About the author

Jim Zub is a writer, artist and art instructor based in Toronto, Canada. Over the past fifteen years he’s worked for a diverse array of publishing, movie and video game clients including Disney, Warner Bros., Capcom, Hasbro, Bandai-Namco and Mattel.

He juggles his time between being a freelance comic writer and Program Coordinator for Seneca College‘s award-winning Animation program.

Reviews

[Sean Gibson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I’d really enjoy playing D&D with Jim Zub. He’s humorous, creative, dorky, and earnest—all good qualities in either a DM or adventuring companion (it doesn’t hurt that those latter two adjectives, at least, can also be used to describe yours truly). You’d think that he’d be crushing these fantasy comics (in addition to D&D, Mr. Zub pens Skullkickers and Pathfinder graphic novels)…and, yet, while they’re all perfectly fine, none of them have blown me away or made me feel like they’ve lived up to the potential D&D should have in this medium (which is considerable). It’s like the reading equivalent of eating Funyons—every few years, I’ll forget what they taste like and I’ll steal one from someone who happens to be eating a bag…they look so appealing, and seem like they should be a rollicking good time to consume (I mean, “fun” is right there in the name, right?), but as soon as I take the first bite, I’m reminded that they’re salty, crunchy, and pretty much nothing else. In other words, they’re fine. They don’t make me want to wretch or vomit. But, if something looks like it should be delicious and purports to convey enjoyment from its very consumption, it had better be magically delicious (like, I don’t know, Cinnamon Toast Crunch (see what I did there?)).

And so Zub keeps Funyoning me. Every time I pick up a new book, I expect it to finally live up to the potential of the apparent delightfulness of tis author and the vast storytelling potential of the world in which it’s set. And I walk away feeling less-than-satisfied (not unlike a string of former lovers).

Still…there’s something to be said for salty and crunchy. That’s a solid combo. So, I guess I’ll keep eating what Mr. Zub serves up.

And, one of these days, maybe it’ll turn out to Cinnamon Toast Crunch (which isn’t salty, but it sure is tasty).

[Gianfranco Mancini · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, reading this comic was a real guilty pleasure for me.



It was just great finding here Minsc, the deranged barbarian ranger from the awesome 1998 Baldur's Gate videogame series, and his "space hamster" Boo, a low resolution pixeled fantasy duo that left an indelible mark on PC and D&D gamers everywhere in the world.







Good storyline and artworks, action scenes were well done and I liked the interactions between the party characters, essence of every role-playing game like the one this comic book is based on, but some of them really need a few background more.



It was funny seeing humour and jokes in the dread plane of Ravenloft for a time, never thought it could be possible, and when at last Count Sthrad Von Zarovich enters to kick the heroes'butt for good in the long final fight, nostalgia factor totally overwhelmed this old former Dungeon Master.



The bonus story "Tyranny of Dragons" was not remarkable at all, but art was far better and seeing Tiamat unleashed on Neverwinter was just a dream made true.





A must read if you ever been a D&D player or DM.

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not quite as good as the later D&D books by Zub, but it could just be the setting. I always found Ravenloft out of place in a D&D setting and Zub doesn't do anything to change my mind. Minsc is by far the best and most fleshed out of the characters in the book. Zub was smart to pull him and Boo out of the Balder's Gate video game from the late 90's. He's a great catalyst for the book. Nelson Daniel's art looks a bit amateurish. It could definitely use some refinement.

[RG · Rating 3 out of 5]

A standard fantasy affair. Minsc is what keeps this story afloat. Daniels art was a bit too simple for my liking.

[Caitlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wasn’t a fan of this artwork. I liked the first one so much more. The storyline was just okay.

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have never played Dungeons and Dragons but I always liked the franchise. (The cartoon was a favorite when I was a kid.) I have also read almost all of the Ravenloft novel series. I'm a big horror fan, so the Ravenloft universe was right up my alley.

This comic series fit very well into the Ravenloft series. Heroes from Baldur's Gate are transported to Ravenloft to confront its evil denizens and their master, the vampire Baron Von Strahd. I pretty much read this on a whim, but it turned out to be a very good read. The art is a little cartoony for a Ravenloft story, but still wasn't bad.

Overall if you like D&D comics, you'll probably enjoy this one, especially if you like Ravenloft.

[Shannon Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun if brief self contained tale set in a classic realm from D&D lore Ravenloft. Brings back some memories of my youth playing with friends. A quick read and nicely illustrated with lots of beautiful bonus art and the original cover art. Captures the spirit of a game table very well.

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shadows of the Vampire. It's 2016 now, and Curse of Strahd is due out from Wizards of the Coast, so Jim Zub's D&D comic jumps over to Ravenloft, to support the product line.

To start with, I'm amazed how much of the classic '90s Ravenloft has survived into the '10s. This is very much the Ravenloft campaign world (plane?), even if we only get to see Barovia. And it's wonderfully depicted, feeling very true to the horror and misery of the original.

Our characters come off somewhat the worse for this, both literally, and because we lose something of their characterization because so much attention is given to the setting. And the last issue is both wonderful (for its fight) and annoying (for its non-ending). But overall, this is a fun read and a nice adaptation of Ravenloft [4/5]

[C.T. Phipps · Rating 5 out of 5]

SHADOWS OF THE VAMPIRE is a short adaptation of the CURSE OF STRAHD and I really wish they'd actually done the whole adventure module because seeing Strahd slain by Minsc would have been absolutely gorgeous. Unfortunately, we only get a short time in Barovia before they're gone. Still, I'm really starting to like the party of Baldur's Gate adventurers that are gathered here.

Unfortunately, they're still pretty underdeveloped as there's just not enough time to get into backstory here between all the fight scenes. I cared more about the werewolves and their attempt to escape the Demiplane of Dread than I did our heroes motivations (which they don't have much of). Still, lovely art and Strahd is menacing for his short appearance. I hope we get a round too, unlikely as that may be.

[Doc · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I loved the initial Dungeons & Dragons: Legends of Baldur's Gate Volume 1 with the return of classic Minsc and Boo to modern D&D lore I did not get the same excitement in this volume. Being hired to protect a chapel of Kalemvor from evil forces the crew finds themselves brought to one of the most unnatural of realms in Ravenloft where vampire mastermind Strahd von Zarovich is master of all sorts of monstrosities and undead. This dark and fairly hopeless realm for those that live within it is a stark reminder to our heroes that not all evil can be soundly beaten with guts, justice, and optimistic bravado.

With that said not every adventure ends on a happy note and although our group is not wiped out completely by the dark forces that would literally suck the life from them it is also just a step toward the next chapter as our group eventually makes their way to volume 3 in Dungeons & Dragons: Frost Giant's Fury so although there is good stuff in Shadows of the Vampire it is basically just a step toward to the next volume (since Strahd is definitely too challenging for our cheerful group at the moment.) It also felt a little rushed but considering almost anything could potentially kill our heroes if given a chance perhaps only a few comics dedicated to Ravenloft for the time being might have been a good idea. Maybe someday they will return and show Strahd what a little experience and some magical tools can do to really get his attention.

There is also a separate comic called Tyranny if Dragons that is set in Icewind Dale where Cultists of Tiamat are gathering magical dragon masks for their ritual and the heroes of the story (not the same as the original story) must do their best to prevent the cultists from succeeding.

My fave moment of the book would have to be when a tribe of werewolves is given a chance to sacrifice one of their own due to the failure and betrayal of some of their own against the count not because it was cool or fun but because it shows the brutal nature of Ravenloft and the danger of its master.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

I gave this four stars simply because it is set in Ravenloft, my favorite D&D campaign setting. It also features Minsc the ranger (and Boo) from the Baldur's Gate series of video games, so that is another plus. I really do wish the writer (s) would go into more depth with regards to the characters, who all feel like cookie-cutter archetypes to me. The one standout here is a priestess of Kelemvor, god of death. She is a rather unique take on the traditional "healing cleric" archetype. Still, I want more. Good light reading and a fun adventure story.

[Tony Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Minsc, Boo and friends against Count Strahd Von Zarovich! Dungeons and Dragons at it's best!!

[Johnny · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up randomly during a library visit while looking for some new material to read. I wasn't really sure what to expect, and I certainly had no idea that this was not the first book of the series, especially since it had no actual volume number specified on it.

Lacking the context of the preceding (first) volume, this volume itself does specify at the beginning that it is fine to read as a standalone arc, which was a bit reassuring. It also helped that not long into the actual story itself, it grew increasingly similar to the recent TV show, "The Legend of Vox Machina" (which I have been actively keeping up with), although this series far predates it.

Sadly, I would say that having some context to start with would've made it far more enjoyable of a read. I struggled a bit to grasp what was going on in the beginning and to get an idea of what some of the characters were like, and by the time things started to round off, the arc also began to reach its conclusion, which turned out to be short and anticlimactic.

Overall, I'd give this a 3.5 star rating if I could, as there were some nice moments. The writing is a bit rough and unpolished, and the plot just assumes you can follow along with all of the lore and fantasy D&D references. I would say that I am curious enough to read some of the other volumes in the series, if I ever encountered them in a library. But I wouldn't go out of my way to seek them out. Maybe this series could be more enjoyable to someone who is an avid D&D fan as opposed to an ordinary guy like me.

Side note, the added short story at the end was also incredibly random and not that great of a read itself with its poor narration.

[Brandon · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Whenever Strahd's not on screen, all the other characters should be asking, "Where's Strahd?""

The greatest weakness of this book is that Strahd only really comes in at the end, and at that point you have to face that he's either too strong to provide a meaningful fight for the heroes or he'll get ROFLstomped so hard it won't matter. So I'm reading this, sort of enjoying myself with the various characters and the art of the darker setting, not feeling a lot of tension. They're supposed to escape... how, exactly? Is there a goal other than meandering around waiting for a lucky break?

I'm playing in a Curse of Strahd campaign right now and I feel there are similar problems. Strahd is a fun villain! But he's so strong, and the setting is so against the regular D&D tone where it's utterly depressing and over-the-top evil with no glint of hope or real fun to it. As a player, and as a reader seeing these characters, it's all walking around waiting for the DM to tell you what's allowed to happen. You're given a fork in the road, do you 1) go into the mist (which will kill you so you can't), or; 2) go down the other road to the town the DM wants you to go to???

Zub is definitely having fun with Strahd though, as soon as he shows up the quality of the series skyrockets. That's my favourite part.

[Darcy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jim Zub does it again (And again, and again, and...) with this fun filled romp into the land of Castle Ravenloft. Yes, they run face to face with the epitome of evil, Count Strahd! Unwarily transported to his domain our group of heroes attempt to free the land from this apex vampire's grasp while also trying to return home through the power of a magic amulet. There are werewolves, undead, a god who we are uncertain about and lots more. Oh, and who can forget our favorite miniature giant space hamster?

IDW is doing a great job with this series of Dungeon and Dragons titles. The writing is first rate, the art by Nelson Daniel is good, and the production values are all there. There is a bonus story thrown in giving some background into the Dragon Tiamat's summoning, providing some grist for a bunch of campaigns. Additional artwork is also tossed in and completes this well rounded compilation of the 5 original issues. This one is a no-brainer. If you like D&D you are going to like this title.

[Quinn · Rating 3 out of 5]

+
- Minsc and Boo are growing on me, but the "lovable idiot" trope will only get them so far
- Barovia is a fan favorite setting for a reason, and this work's visit hits a few highlights
- The work also includes a brief aside (that focuses on a different adventuring group) into "Tyranny of Dragons" (though, admittedly, I cared about them even less than the main crew).

-
- The fact that the work only "played the hits" of Barovia made it feel hollow
- Strahd appears (because of course he does), but he is not meaningfully defeated or dealt with. Honestly, disposing of him might've made things worse with how rushed everything felt
- It's hard not to feel like this is all just an ad for the various adventure modules / books WotC sells. A few of them have even shared the same name.

Just like I said before, this work was fine. I didn't blow me away, however, and it certainly wouldn't replace the experience of playing some D+D with friends.

[Roxane Llanque · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the difficult second album. I have to say the choice of setting of Ravenloft was a strange one for that. The biggest letdown was that there was little explanation after the first book how the group suddenly views themselves as such so suddenly. Still absolutely no grapeling with Minsk becoming unstoned after a hundred years and maybe some reflection on that most of his former friends are dead now? Come on, you can't use a beloved character and then ignore his history so completly. The saving grace of this installment is Nerys, I love her and see an interesting dynamic between her and Minsk coming. I liked that we finally got some more backstory for Krydle but all in all the story was lackluster and I much prefered the artwork of Legends. BUT I still want to see where this goes next and hope this band finds their footing in the third installment in Icewind Dale, which is always promising!

[Petra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Die Gruppe um Minsk wird beauftragt, einen Tempel zu schützen. Das gelingt nur unzureichend, und am Ende gelangen sie nach Ravenloft, wo sie um ihr Leben kämpfen müssen.

Ravenloft ist eine weitere Dungeons and Dragons-Spielwelt, in der ein düsterer Vampir herrscht. Sie passt wirklich sehr gut zu der Gruppe, der sich ein weiteres Mitglied zugesellt hat. Am Ende gibt es eine Überraschung, die in den nächsten Band führt.

Die Zeichnungen sind, wie beim Vorgänger, sehr gut gelungen. Die Geschichte ist spannend und unsere Held:innen haben einige Gefahren zu bestehen. Aber auch der Humor kommt nicht zu kurz, dafür sorgen schon Minsk und Boo.

Auch hier gibt es als Bonus Zeichnungen und Skizzen sowie eine Kurzgeschichte.

Die Comicreihe gefällt mir sehr gut, ich freue mich auf den nächsten Band und empfehle sie sehr gerne weiter.

[Gabriele D'Amato · Rating 4 out of 5]

Come gli altri volumi anche questo si caratterizza per la grande qualità dei disegni e la credibilità dei testi. Bellissimo poter leggere avventure a fumetti nelle ambientazioni che si è giocato o che si conoscono da sempre. Questa volta si va a Ravenloft e si incontra il Conte Strahd, vampiro per antonomasia.
Le ultime pagine dell'albo raccontano invece della Tirannia dei draghi, avventura che sto masterando per i miei giocatori. Anche in questo caso è favoloso leggere fumetti di avventure che si stanno giocando, ma speravo in qualcosa di più: non mi è piaciuta la linea "solo raccontata" degli eventi, senza dialoghi e azioni più personali e specifiche. Una sorta di racconto alla lontata di quelli che sono gli accadimenti di quell'avventura.

[Carey Healy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoy a good dungeon romp. Unfortunately, this story failed to impress. There was not enough buildup or tension to excite, especially considering the slight horror intent in Ravenloft. The characters don’t develop much and new characters are forgettable including the main antagonist himself.

The art retains its cute Saturday morning cartoon style which I have grown fond of. The layouts and coloring is good, but the coloring favors the more simple saturated colors befitting the art style. The word-to-panel ratio is excellent.

Overall, the book is a serviceable comic with a forgettable story. Nothing bad but nothing special here.

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

The companions are teleported to the Barovia region of Ravenloft, ruled by Strahd von Zarovich the vampire. The story feels rushed. Considering the popularity of the setting, it would make sense for the writer to remain in this area more. I guess the story was commissioned to supplement the D&D adventure books and not to weave intricate narratives in this medium.

[bbouquineur · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nach dem ersten Teil kommt die Gruppe nach Ravenloft und muss sich dort mit dem Vampir Strahd und seinen Kreaturen auseinandersetzen. Das Abenteuer ist sehr geradlinig, wenig Handlung, wenig interessante Momente, selbst das Finale mit Strahd bleibt irgendwie fade… Die Zeichnungen sind schön, aber reißen es nicht heraus. Der schwächste Teil der Serie – 2/5

[O'Rety · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's better than the previous installment. More focused and - thanks to the setting - more serious. The art is still cartoonish (or even more so), but I liked Nelson Daniel's dynamic, confident strokes. It creates a fluid flow and enhances clarity.

All in all it was rather close to 4/5 (the story was still too weak for that).

[Damian Herde · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoy a good horror and horror setting. I love the concept of Ravenloft and a good slow burn gothic story.
Maybe that’s why it didn’t quite mix with this semi-comedic group? The story is quite short and very linear, with a Hail Mary ending. The art is excellent though, and the covers and bonus art are even better.
The little filler story at the end was just that.

[Malcolm · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, it's a fanservice comic. Doubly so in that it references the other domains of Ravenloft circa 2nd/3rd edition. It's nice to see Minsc back but there is an over-reliance on him for catch-phrase-y stuff. Strahd is well depicted, though.

[Gareth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice read this one, as the heroes get entangled with Ravenloft and Strahd. Did finish quite quickly though, I feel it could have been a longer series and still maintained a strong storyline. Always fun reading about Minsc and Boo :)

[Luke Costin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun fantasy romp through Barovia, not exactly dark but it has some nice horror elements to it. Bit of a Deus Ex Machina ending but it was expected as there is no way they are killing off such a big character in the universe

[Phantom_Redux · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this one. Usually I am not a fan of werewolves and vampires, but this was quite enjoyable. Glad to see another addition to the team. Did not like the new art style, I prefer the one from first volume more.

[Jack Vinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good ole Minsk

Minsk and Boo, and friends, travel to Barovia and run afoul of Strahd. Always fun to see his antics in the world of D&D.

[Mark L · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adventures in Ravenloft, good fun.