World of Warcraft: Ashbringer: Blizzard Legends

by Micky Neilson

As the 9 million players of World of Warcraft (the most popular multiplayer online game) eagerly await the games new expansion, WRATH OF THE LICH KING, WildStorm and Blizzard have created this hardcover graphic novel that takes readers inside this new realm. Written by Blizzard Creative Director Micky Neilson and featuring art by Ludo Lullabi and Tony Washington, this rollicking adventure follows as the Lich King's plague of undeath ravages the human kingdom of Lordaeron. Hidden away, a mighty blade is forged from a dark orb! In the hands of Highlord Alexandros Mograine, the blade will become legend. In time, both blade and man will become . . . Ashbringer.

Genres: Warcraft, Fantasy, Comics, World Of Warcraft, Graphic Novels, Fiction, Video Games

136 pages, Hardcover

First published June 9, 2009

About the author

Micky Neilson is a two-time New York Times best-selling author whose graphic novels, Ashbringer (#2 on the list) and Pearl of Pandaria (#3) have both been published in six languages. As one of the first writers at Blizzard Entertainment, he has more than two decades of experience in the cutting edge of the gaming industry. He has self-published three horror novels in his original series The Turning, on Amazon. In 2017 Micky was tapped to write The Howling: Revenge Of The Werewolf Queen, a comic book continuation of the beloved 1981 Joe Dante horror film The Howling. In 2018 Micky completed his first original sci-fi novel, Ridgerunners, and co-wrote the graphic novel The Invisible Empire: Madge Oberholtzer And The Unmasking Of The KKK, as well as the illustrated novel Strange Highways. Most recently Micky wrote the bestselling book The Art Of Spyro: Reignited Trilogy and completed his sci-fi trilogy Skiptracer. Micky lives in beautiful Washington State with his wife and daughter where he enjoys life's essentials: movies, comic books, chocolate and sushi.

Reviews

[Jana Kilianová · Rating 2 out of 5]

Vizuálně poutavý, ale scénáristicky zpackaný přírůstek do rodiny Warcraft komiksů.

Lullabiho kresebný styl mě hodně baví, přestože to někdy přehání s expresivností a deformací anatomie, ale je to specifická kresba a dynamika nenudí. Někdy se v ní sice člověk trochu ztratí, ale je to asi oběť, kterou zvládnu podstoupit.

Co nezvládnu omluvit, je scénáristická fušeřina, která dělá z Ashbringeru fanservicem napráskanou nepřehlednou novelu, která neznalé loru Warcraftu může dost odpudit. Všechno se děje příliš rychle, příběh se pateticky pronáší, dramatický oblouk si dal nohy na stůl a přehlednost pro nováčka neexistuje.

Navíc mě do ruda vytáčel i zpackaný český překlad, který snad pod rukama snad neprošel ani korekturou libovolného gramotného fanouška WoWka. Záměna pohlaví u orčice je WTF, které rozpaky prohlubuje v podivných dialozích. Jinak jsem zastáncem zachováním původních jmen z her/seriálů, ale přinejmenším české skloňování by asi nikoho nezabilo. Dreadlords jako množné číslo v češtině trhá uši.

[Samuel Hoke · Rating 3 out of 5]

WOW(World Of Warcraft) is actually an online game that i always play, the game is a really awesome game but i don't think the book is that good. The book is about a ancient sword named ashbringer and about it's past

[Denis Nikolov · Rating 5 out of 5]

If that type of a story, with the same meaning this one is caring in it, was written 100 years ago, and wasn't connected to a computer game, today it would have been considered a world classic.... alas, now it is just a world of Warcraft classic :D

[Marian · Rating 5 out of 5]

От якби Блізи комікси кліпали як Марвел, то може й не треба було випускати більше нових ігор. Лор Варкрафту дуже широкий і насичений. Сам Спопелитель гарно намальований і написаний. Епічний епік в фентезійному сеттінгу. Особливо серце тьохає коли впізнаєш локації та персонажів гри.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice adaptation that adds to the scourge saga, perhaps the best of them all in WoW. Interesting story about the tragic tale of the Mograine family and their connection to the Lich King's armies with decent illustrations (if you skip the crappy manga-styled haircuts of Darion and Alexandros).

[Adrian Nieto · Rating 2 out of 5]

La legendaria espada Ashbringer.

Contrario a lo que dice el sumario en la pagina, esta novela grafica trata de la historia de Alexandros Mograine, el portador original de la espada, sus hijos Renault y Darion, ademas de el pasado de mi idolo Tirion Fordring *fanboys*.

En lo personal, la historia es muy interesante e importante para la expansion Wrath of the Lich King, los Death Knights, y Tirion mismo, pero el dibujo realmente hace dificil entender que sucede en ocasiones. Entiendo que es el estilo de dibujo de los dibujantes, pero caray, realmente fue un turn-off D:
Otro problema es que es demasiada informacion en una corta novela grafica. Son 3 historias sucediendo al mismo tiempo, cada personaje importante, y todo esto sucede mientras la tumultuosa tercera guerra esta en el fondo. Muchos eventos importantes son tocados en el comic, y en ocasiones realmente me senti confundido =/

La historia en el comic es importante, muy importante. Es una lastima que el dibujo haga la lectura tan dificil =/

[Sierra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a full circle book, it literally pulled everything from the first war, with the Knights of the Silver Hands, to the third war with both the Scarlet Crusade and the Argent Dawn. It explains the creation of these groups and the differences.
This also answered questions from the novel Blood and Honor. Which makes me very happy.
This is the parallel story to Death Knights. And not only answers so much, but it's done so well. The light at the end is the light that sets the death knights free from the Lich King. Seriously love how everything is intertwined.

[Vämpiriüs · Rating 3 out of 5]

V podání komixu je to místy chaotické a nepřehledné. Pro neznalé příběhu to bude zmatené množstvím postav. Ovšem pokud jste fanda, tak to pro Vás bude jednohubka.

[Fluffyroundabout · Rating 3 out of 5]

## Notes
- The artwork can be rough at times but this can add to the charm of a comic serial. The splashes of colour and depictions of fantastical denizens, light-infused paladins, and decaying scourge are a joy.

## Key takeaways
- This 4-part story is primarily purposed to inform on the background of various characters as a promotional build-up for the release of the WoW Lich King expansion. Thus, if you wish to continue the story and to tie up loose ends, got to play the game.

- Alexandros Morgraine and his son Darion steal the show for me with their valiant knightliness and incredible suits of armour.

- This is a comfortable read for lovers of fantasy, dabbling in convention while not being so predictable as to have it practically read after chapter one.

- While it is mainly just for fun as you enjoy the battles and the quest for good, there is true heart here and you do grow attached to some characters.

- Real grief and familial strife is tackled when a mother is lost in childbearing, resulting in the father favouring his youngest as “losing him would be like losing her all over again”, spawning jealousy and bitterness within the older brother.

- Furthermore, it is acts of love which can triumph over acts of evil. For example, when the generational hatred between man and orc is shattered as Eitrigg the orc saves Tirion the man from death with commonalities shared in the aftermath.

- Learning about the likes of the Scarlet Crusade and the Argent Dawn alongside the creation of Ashbringer was very interesting as well. Always great to see another part of the rich and expansive WoW lore explored.

## Quotes
“This blade, Fairbanks…It feels as much a part of me as the blood that runs through my veins. It is purely, truly an instrument of destruction; A beautifully lethal creation that leaves nothing but charred bone in its wake. I will call it…The Ashbringer!”

“Know that I am Balnazzar. Know, as I drink your life, that I will take up residence in this weak shell your soul once called home. Know that I will corrupt and destroy everything and everyone you have ever loved.”

“The youngest son displays the same conviction as his father. The oldest, however, possesses a darker turn of soul.”

[Abby · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Highlord Alexandros Mograine finds an orb on the battlefield, he knows he's found something powerful to aid the Knights of the Silver Hand. Kept in a box until the time is right, he takes the orb to the dwarven King, Magni Bronzebeard, to be sculpted into a mighty weapon: Ashbringer. The sword becomes a tool of destruction against the rising scourge and Forsaken, turning enemies to ash.

When Alexandros' two sons grow from quarreling boys into strong young men, they find themselves on opposing sides of the growing factions within the Silver Hand, rising in ranks between the Scarlet Crusade and Argent Dawn. In time, family ties strain against each other, ending in disaster for the Mograine family. With the scourge upon them, how can family wrongs be set right?

Beautifully illustrated, though the number of characters involved was sometimes confusing to wrap my head around. Overall a great story in World of Warcraft, entering the Wrath of the Lich King expansion.

[Kyle T · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall a very enjoyable comic book. If you're a fan of the franchise and don't mind something that's fairly PG-13 rated (it tip toes into darker territory but mostly stays PG-13) than you'll enjoy this a lot! Honestly, I think the best parts of this comic book are the line-art and coloring. It's simply gorgeous to look at each page, and since I'm reading it digitally, it's nice to then flip it to two page view when there's those impressive two page spread panels. Another compliment has to go to the panel layouts. In other publications, some of my biggest gripes are uninspired layouts and rigid grid systems that never change. In Ashbringer, the layout designer really has fun presenting the story in an exciting and fluid way. There was only once or twice in this book that I felt the composition/line-art made it hard to figure out what was happening. So one spread in about 130ish pages? That's pretty good to me!

[Ikayuro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Somehow in my plight to collect more of the Warcraft literature I consistently forget that there's a bunch of comics and Manga as well that help to supplement the lore. It wasn't until I did a deep dive on the Scarlet Crusade recently that I found that finally there was an all-in-one trade version of the Ashbringer comics that were released and sought out a copy for my collection immediately!

Overall, this was exactly what I was hoping for! It does require a substantial amount of knowledge about these factions and characters before hand to really enjoy it, but as I mentioned, this is a great supplement to pre-existing books like "Of Blood and Honor".

Absolutely love the art, too. It's nostalgic and fun, and the linework is some of the best!

[Timothy Pitkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is great to actually see the birth of the Argent Dawn and the Scarlet Crusade and to see how the Scarlet Crusade became such a hostile force that would attack both the undead and the races of Azeroth after all that was one of the things that never made much sense about the Scarlet Crusade about why they were hostile to dwarves and elves and actually revealing more about the Church of the Light which is still one of the more mysterious forces in Warcraft. Also love how we also do get to see take on the Naxxramas raid. Which makes me wish we do see more novelized versions of Warcraft raids and instances.

[Lucy Aronis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve never read this type of graphic novel before. I have to say, I found the art absolutely incredible.
I’m familiar with WoW, but the only thing deducing the five stars is that there is an influx of characters at the start and given it’s such a short book, it’s hard to become acquainted.
Even so, the story was epic and heart wrenching and the more lore about the Lich king, the merrier!
An easily given four stars.

[NEVEN · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved every pixel of this. I wanted to create a human paladin named Darion with a mission to wipe out the undead from the face of this planet. I'd go kill Alexandros in Naxxramas, loot the Corrupted Ashbringer and travel to Scarlet monastery and walk in there like a boss.

An amazing comic.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really quick but epic comic that gives some background on the Mograine's and Ashbringer. A lot of this was relevant back during WotLK, but the story is still pretty moving. Sometimes I got confused as to who was who and time seemed to move ultra-quick, but overall and enjoyable story.

[Gustav · Rating 5 out of 5]

A compelling comic, a story that started an interest

Just Love this story, Read it a few Times over the years. The story pulled me in and My interest for the ashbringer/lich King lore never stopped

[Xin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolute masterpiece of a Warcraft story, I just love everything about this comic. The art is very reminiscent of manga mixed with that edgy mid 00s comic look. This is a must read for those interested in Warcraft as a setting, and looking to learn more Scourge and Paladin lore.

[Victor Hugo · Rating 3 out of 5]

An awesome story indeed. Despite playing World of Warcraft as a Night Elf for so long, the human history in Azeroth is amazing, especially after the second war against the Horde. The ending of Ashbringer disapointed me somehow...

[Ben Wong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brings back a lot of good memories, good story and art

[Ruan Pleisch · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's awesome

[Sebastián Posada · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing story, helps clear some points in WoW's story and tells more about very interesting characters such as Tirion Fordring, and Darion and Alexandros Mograine.

[Kluin · Rating 5 out of 5]

El mejor cómic basado en Warcraft. Buena construcción de personajes, guión magnífico y me tiraría 10 líneas para describir lo bueno que es el trazo.

[اینتاریوش · Rating 4 out of 5]

یه داستان پرفراز نشیب از خاندان موگرین و تیغه اشبرینگر رو روایت میکنه. تیغه ای که در آخر هماورد فراستمورن میشه... جذاب بود.

[Bill Rand · Rating 3 out of 5]

Found this one a little harder to follow than the other WoW graphic novels.

[Paige · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been playing WoW on and off for a long time & I always love going back to old lore.

[Tobias · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ashbringer

[Hattas Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Snažil som sa, naozaj som sa snažil čítať aj pozerať, ale toto jednoducho nie je pre mňa.

[Andre · Rating 3 out of 5]

There isn't really much to say about this book/series. It's likeable, the artwork is nice, the story well paced and the characters are at the very least ok.
Now while the story itself is good I think the start is a bit to convenient. Also this is only for people that a) know Warcraft and b) do not know what happened after the release of the Extension "Wrath of the Lich King". Otherwise you might be confused by some story elements and would already know what happens here and there.
But apart from that this was an enjoyable series to read. It never goes too dark or too sunny, even when it's short you know why characters act like this and that and the story is never too complicated.
So, all in all I would say this is a series that is best read when you want to relax.

[Filip · Rating 3 out of 5]

First WoW comic book series after Lo'gosh series delivers dark, yet colorful story of Ashbringer. And it could have been executed better. Story is rushed, too many characters have been jammed inside and their motives are rarely examined. Also, drawing is confusing and too colorful for such dark tale. I know it is more of a timed-product than serious comic series, but it could have been done better nontheless.