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Dragon Age Graphic Novels #1-5
Dragon Age: The First Five Graphic Novels
In Bioware's dark fantasy world of Thedas there are those who are willing to sacrifice their humanity for wealth and power, and those who will die to protect innocent people from them.
The heroes of Thedas are often from unlikely places, some are pulled in to save the day by an odd string of fate, others seek adventure out on their own. These are their stories. The lonely king Alistair seeks out his father who was lost at sea fifteen years prior, but now he has a reason to think the old king is still alive. With the help of his friends, Varric the silver tongued Dwarven rogue and Isabella the legendary pirate, Alistair just may find out what happened to his father. The small party will face down assassins, dragons, Qunari elites, corrupted mages and more in their epic quest.
As a great cataclysm causes a rift in the sky to tear open, two mercenaries find themselves pulled into fighting alongside the Inquisition against eldritch horrors from the Fade and monstrous soldiers corrupted by red lyrium. Meanwhile, across the sea, in Kirkwall, a drunken knight and his deft squire stumble upon a nefarious plot to steal a priceless relic. Their best solution: steal it first.
This will be a must have collection for Dragon Age fans everywhere.
Collects Dragon Age: The Silent Grove #1-6, Dragon Age: Those Who Speak #1-3, Dragon Age: Until We Sleep #1-3, Dragon Age: Magekiller #1-5, and Dragon Age: Knight Errant #1-5.
The heroes of Thedas are often from unlikely places, some are pulled in to save the day by an odd string of fate, others seek adventure out on their own. These are their stories. The lonely king Alistair seeks out his father who was lost at sea fifteen years prior, but now he has a reason to think the old king is still alive. With the help of his friends, Varric the silver tongued Dwarven rogue and Isabella the legendary pirate, Alistair just may find out what happened to his father. The small party will face down assassins, dragons, Qunari elites, corrupted mages and more in their epic quest.
As a great cataclysm causes a rift in the sky to tear open, two mercenaries find themselves pulled into fighting alongside the Inquisition against eldritch horrors from the Fade and monstrous soldiers corrupted by red lyrium. Meanwhile, across the sea, in Kirkwall, a drunken knight and his deft squire stumble upon a nefarious plot to steal a priceless relic. Their best solution: steal it first.
This will be a must have collection for Dragon Age fans everywhere.
Collects Dragon Age: The Silent Grove #1-6, Dragon Age: Those Who Speak #1-3, Dragon Age: Until We Sleep #1-3, Dragon Age: Magekiller #1-5, and Dragon Age: Knight Errant #1-5.
432 pages, Paperback
First published March 2, 2021
89 people are currently reading
538 people want to read
About the author
David Gaider
38 books648 followersDavid Gaider lives in Edmonton, Alberta, and has worked for video game developer BioWare since 1999. He is the lead writer on the upcoming Dragon Age: Origins role-playing game and has previously worked on such titles as Baldur’s Gate 2: Shadows of Amn, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, and Neverwinter Nights.
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June 28, 2024
Dragon Age: The First Five Graphic Novels is a short anthology collection of graphic novels based on the Dragon Age fantasy, video games. Dragon Age itself is a multi-media franchise that was developed by BioWare on multiple gaming platforms. Although the property began as a gaming platform, it has adapted and grown into books, novels, comics, animated TV, and Web series. There are also action figures, statues, and other licensed collectibles.
Here, David Gaider, BioWare, and the Dark Horse creative teams have edited five of the first graphic novels and compiled this lovely anthology. The high gloss paper makes the artwork pop. Chad Hardin, Carmen Carnero, Terry Pallot, Fernando Heinz Furukawa did the interior artwork, with some incredible paintings on the cover and interior plates by Sachin Teng and Anthony Palumbo.
The actual writing is a little more difficult to judge. The Dragon Age videogames incorporate a more complicated narrative than other roleplaying games and although complex, the videogame is very user friendly and didactic in its instructions. Therefore, if one is familiar with the gameplay, it is easier to follow, whereas if one is not. . .
The five separate stories told therein are all fantasy tropes familiar to lovers of the genre. The first novel is called, "The Silent Grove," and it's about the current king on a quest to find his father that never returned from his own quest. The second and third novels are called "Those Who Speak" and "Until we Sleep" respectively, and they continue the quest from the first novel. "Magekiller," is a search and destroy mission and "Knight Errant," book five is about a cutpurse tasked with swiping a special artifact.
Although the missions may appear a tad mundane in the grand scope of things, the Dragon Age milieu complicates the narrative in a fascinating way.
Here, David Gaider, BioWare, and the Dark Horse creative teams have edited five of the first graphic novels and compiled this lovely anthology. The high gloss paper makes the artwork pop. Chad Hardin, Carmen Carnero, Terry Pallot, Fernando Heinz Furukawa did the interior artwork, with some incredible paintings on the cover and interior plates by Sachin Teng and Anthony Palumbo.
The actual writing is a little more difficult to judge. The Dragon Age videogames incorporate a more complicated narrative than other roleplaying games and although complex, the videogame is very user friendly and didactic in its instructions. Therefore, if one is familiar with the gameplay, it is easier to follow, whereas if one is not. . .
The five separate stories told therein are all fantasy tropes familiar to lovers of the genre. The first novel is called, "The Silent Grove," and it's about the current king on a quest to find his father that never returned from his own quest. The second and third novels are called "Those Who Speak" and "Until we Sleep" respectively, and they continue the quest from the first novel. "Magekiller," is a search and destroy mission and "Knight Errant," book five is about a cutpurse tasked with swiping a special artifact.
Although the missions may appear a tad mundane in the grand scope of things, the Dragon Age milieu complicates the narrative in a fascinating way.
March 8, 2021
Collects the original Dragon Age trilogy plus the next two miniseries. They are all solid stories. I like how they mix and match characters from the video game and characters brought into the comics continue to pop up in later miniseries too. For the most part the art is good. Chad Hardin and Carmen Carnero drew the first 4 miniseries. They have both moved onto working for DC and Marvel.
Received a review copy from Dark Horse and Edelweiss. All thoughts are my own and in no way influenced by the aforementioned.
Received a review copy from Dark Horse and Edelweiss. All thoughts are my own and in no way influenced by the aforementioned.
March 2, 2021
More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/
This collects the following series:
Dragon Age: The Silent Grove
Dragon Age: Those Who Speak
Dragon Age: Until We Sleep
Dragon Age: Magekiller
Dragon Age: Knight Errant
This collection of Dragon Age's first five graphic novels series (note: the eponymous Dragon Age comic by IDW, which takes place before Origins, is not included in the set) gives a good survey for events starting after Dragon Age II. Some were authored by Dragon Age lead writer David Gaider (The Silent Grove, Those who Speak) while another is a Gaider/Alexander Freed collaboration (Until We Sleep). Greg Rucka helms Magekiller and Nunzio DeFilippis and Christina Weir head Knight Errant. These are not all the Dragon Age comics out there: note that e.g., newer titles like Deception and Blue Wraith are not part of the collection.
At a whopping 800 pages, this is very nicely value priced and a great way to delve more into the great lore of Dragon Age. Nearly all the stories take place right before Inquisition (3 of them) or around Inquisition time. The last series takes place just after the Trespasser DLC. Characters from the games spring up often but are rarely the main protagonists of the stories. Instead, we can get new perspectives on the lore and story of Dragon Age through these fresh faces.
The artwork can vary a bit but for the most part the characters look as they did in the game. I liked some stories much more than others and the pacing can be very very slow. As we wait for Dragon Age IV, this is a good survey on the lore and a great way to get ready for the new game, Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.
December 26, 2021
The Silent Grove: 3.5 stars
Those Who Speak: 4 stars
Until We Sleep: 4 stars
Magekiller: 4.5 stars
Knight Errant: 4 stars
Those Who Speak: 4 stars
Until We Sleep: 4 stars
Magekiller: 4.5 stars
Knight Errant: 4 stars
March 17, 2025
Need to go back to 9:41 Dragon when Dorian Pavus didn't have that evil little goatee. Patrick Weekes when I catch you...
May 27, 2021
Contrary to the prosaic books, the graphic novels in this book, and particularly the first three, are set in a “BioWare Canon” world, in which many things, such as are predetermined. Which is understandable- very difficult to keep a visual world as vague as a written one, but nevertheless, I found that it… broke some of the immersion for me.
I kinda tried breaking down my thoughts by story chunk.
Silent Grove/Those Who Speak/Until We Sleep
I think these three can pretty much only be reviewed as a unit, and as a unit… I’ve got to say, I wasn’t entirely crazy about any of them. As they were written by David Gaider, former lead writer of the franchise, the style of these graphic novels is very… very much Gaider-ian. (Gaider-ish? Gaideresque? Gaideresque.) Of which I unfortunately happen to not be a huge fan- it sounds mean, but there is something simplistic, yet highly dramatic about it that makes for a story that doesn’t appeal to me personally quite as much as other styles. They were okay, kind of more “big picture, big event, fast-paced” stories that kept the interest, and I enjoyed getting a better look at the Qunari- but they WERE kind of just what I’d call “okay”. I could definitely feel the person who wrote The Calling and The Stolen Throne behind it.
BIG shoutout for Maevaris Tilani- The first canonically transgender character in BioWare canon (as far as I’m aware), and I really appreciated that she was never used as a “teaching moment!
As for the art, there were some inconsistencies (I think there were about as many faces for Mae as there were panels she was in, as if the artist had been unable to decide on a jaw- or hairline for her…), but nothing too distracting... or too remarkable, for that matter.
Overall, I think I’d give it three stars.
Magekiller
I hate to sound like a downer, but for me, this was probably the weakest of the five stories. While I liked seeing the minor characters of Inquisition in action , I found both Marius and Tessa to be rather weak as main characters.
They do their job, and having them as a look into what might happen while the Inquisitor is off inquisiting was nice, but they’re both… I don’t know how to put this without sounding mean, kind of uninteresting? Marius is a quintessential Stoic Swordsman (I think not enough about him is learned for him to develop beyond that), and Tessa, while quippy… unfortunately has very little going for her. Sure, her being explicitly queer is nice, and Nevarra is an interesting enough setting, but with the “noble girl who ran away from her Nevarran family” backstory, it’s very difficult to avoid drawing parallels with Cassandra... and in that regard, Tessa falls short, just as the story itself kind of falls short.
The highlight of this story is definitely the brief, but very welcome appearance of Dorian Pavus and the Bull’s Chargers- who are all perfectly characterized, and as delightful as ever, providing some much-needed levity and brightness to an otherwise kind of bleak story.
For the art, I think I also liked that the least in this one. The style was very much like a classic Western comic book style, very reminiscent of the style of superhero comics... which is definitely not my personal favorite. I often find it to be static, often inconsistent, and the characters a little less expressive outside of big closeup panels than I'd hope them to be. (You know a character is broody in a story like that when their eyes disappear into a line that looks vaguely like another set of eyebrows. That happened a few times in this one.)
Overall, I’d rate it three stars.
Knight Errant
This one is strange for me. While it’s one of the stronger stories of the five (dare I say, probably the one I liked the most!), it’s also one that… supposes a lot. Such as assuming that Sebastian and is therefore not just on speaking, but on friendly terms with Varric- that’s, for one, news to me. Other than that, a fairly straightforward story that read to me sort of like some of the novellas in Tevinter Nights did- self-contained, entertaining little stories of not much consequence.
Vaea and Ser Hawthorne, I found more compelling than Marius and Tessa- they have a dynamic I enjoyed, and as likely as it is for all four of them to show up as at least minor characters later on, I think I’d be much happier to see those two.
I also want to mention, I liked the art the most in this story. It was kind of… cuter, in a way, a little more unique, and I detected a little bit of a manga-esque influence in the way the dynamic poses and character builds were rendered (early on there was a frame that to me looked straight out of One Piece which made me smile)- it all looked really pretty, and was very nice to look at in general. Also love how Vaea and the other elves were drawn a little bit “elfier”- her horizontal, almost goatlike pupils and hooked nose made for quite a nice character design, and I hope in the next installment of the series, we’ll see more of these interesting features for the elves!
Overall, I’d give this four stars.
As a whole, I’ll round my rating up to four because of it as well.
I kinda tried breaking down my thoughts by story chunk.
Silent Grove/Those Who Speak/Until We Sleep
I think these three can pretty much only be reviewed as a unit, and as a unit… I’ve got to say, I wasn’t entirely crazy about any of them. As they were written by David Gaider, former lead writer of the franchise, the style of these graphic novels is very… very much Gaider-ian. (Gaider-ish? Gaideresque? Gaideresque.) Of which I unfortunately happen to not be a huge fan- it sounds mean, but there is something simplistic, yet highly dramatic about it that makes for a story that doesn’t appeal to me personally quite as much as other styles. They were okay, kind of more “big picture, big event, fast-paced” stories that kept the interest, and I enjoyed getting a better look at the Qunari- but they WERE kind of just what I’d call “okay”. I could definitely feel the person who wrote The Calling and The Stolen Throne behind it.
BIG shoutout for Maevaris Tilani- The first canonically transgender character in BioWare canon (as far as I’m aware), and I really appreciated that she was never used as a “teaching moment!
As for the art, there were some inconsistencies (I think there were about as many faces for Mae as there were panels she was in, as if the artist had been unable to decide on a jaw- or hairline for her…), but nothing too distracting... or too remarkable, for that matter.
Overall, I think I’d give it three stars.
Magekiller
I hate to sound like a downer, but for me, this was probably the weakest of the five stories. While I liked seeing the minor characters of Inquisition in action , I found both Marius and Tessa to be rather weak as main characters.
They do their job, and having them as a look into what might happen while the Inquisitor is off inquisiting was nice, but they’re both… I don’t know how to put this without sounding mean, kind of uninteresting? Marius is a quintessential Stoic Swordsman (I think not enough about him is learned for him to develop beyond that), and Tessa, while quippy… unfortunately has very little going for her. Sure, her being explicitly queer is nice, and Nevarra is an interesting enough setting, but with the “noble girl who ran away from her Nevarran family” backstory, it’s very difficult to avoid drawing parallels with Cassandra... and in that regard, Tessa falls short, just as the story itself kind of falls short.
The highlight of this story is definitely the brief, but very welcome appearance of Dorian Pavus and the Bull’s Chargers- who are all perfectly characterized, and as delightful as ever, providing some much-needed levity and brightness to an otherwise kind of bleak story.
For the art, I think I also liked that the least in this one. The style was very much like a classic Western comic book style, very reminiscent of the style of superhero comics... which is definitely not my personal favorite. I often find it to be static, often inconsistent, and the characters a little less expressive outside of big closeup panels than I'd hope them to be. (You know a character is broody in a story like that when their eyes disappear into a line that looks vaguely like another set of eyebrows. That happened a few times in this one.)
Overall, I’d rate it three stars.
Knight Errant
This one is strange for me. While it’s one of the stronger stories of the five (dare I say, probably the one I liked the most!), it’s also one that… supposes a lot. Such as assuming that Sebastian and is therefore not just on speaking, but on friendly terms with Varric- that’s, for one, news to me. Other than that, a fairly straightforward story that read to me sort of like some of the novellas in Tevinter Nights did- self-contained, entertaining little stories of not much consequence.
Vaea and Ser Hawthorne, I found more compelling than Marius and Tessa- they have a dynamic I enjoyed, and as likely as it is for all four of them to show up as at least minor characters later on, I think I’d be much happier to see those two.
I also want to mention, I liked the art the most in this story. It was kind of… cuter, in a way, a little more unique, and I detected a little bit of a manga-esque influence in the way the dynamic poses and character builds were rendered (early on there was a frame that to me looked straight out of One Piece which made me smile)- it all looked really pretty, and was very nice to look at in general. Also love how Vaea and the other elves were drawn a little bit “elfier”- her horizontal, almost goatlike pupils and hooked nose made for quite a nice character design, and I hope in the next installment of the series, we’ll see more of these interesting features for the elves!
Overall, I’d give this four stars.
As a whole, I’ll round my rating up to four because of it as well.
January 11, 2025
These were all very enjoyable comics with many beloved characters from the games as well as some new ones who are just as likely to become new favorites. I was surprised by how much I came to enjoy these graphic novels in this collection. The art was usually fairly good across all the stories; I especially loved the art for Knight Errant. (The covers for Magekiller and Knight Errant are incredible and super beautiful too, btw!) Magekiller and Knight Errant were the ones that I ended up really, really enjoying the most. I thoroughly enjoyed their storylines as well as the characters themselves. However, the first 3 I did enjoy more than I expected I would. I especially loved learning more about Isabella, and it is always a joy getting to see Maevaris Tilani! It's also important to note that the pacing is surprisingly super well done in these novels, which most publications tend to really struggle with. All in all, I'd suggest these comics to any Dragon Age fan!!!
August 4, 2022
3.5 stars. As great as it was to see old favorites again, I preferred the latter stories in the book which focused on interesting new characters and kept the canon game characters to a side character role.
Individual story ratings:
The Silent Grove - 3 stars
Those Who Speak - 3 stars
Until We Sleep - 3.5 stars
Magekiller - 4 stars
Knight Errant - 4.5 stars
Individual story ratings:
The Silent Grove - 3 stars
Those Who Speak - 3 stars
Until We Sleep - 3.5 stars
Magekiller - 4 stars
Knight Errant - 4.5 stars
August 13, 2022
Oh, this book is amazing for Dragon Age fans! I really liked the pace and the stories from this volume, it is always lovely to see your favorite characters in action and new potential Dragon Age 4 members too (Am I dreaming too big here? :P), but overall great styles and intriguing stories, a must have if you are a dragon age fanatic!
December 12, 2023
The first couple of graphic novels in this collection were alright and enjoyable. The middle ones were a bit slow for me. Then the last one, Knight Errant, saved the book for me! Single-handedly bumped it up to a 4 for me. Though you can get that one on its own if you like.
August 21, 2021
I played the game a bit but it's been a while ago but I'm not overly familiar with story. I found this collection plodding and without charisma.
April 26, 2023
Kinda felt like they just wanted to clean up some of the characters stories and give more lore in the first three comics, the storytelling wasn’t on top.
But the last two comics were better!
But the last two comics were better!
August 30, 2023
I enjoyed the art! I also loved how the last three graphic novels were connected and all the cameos and such. Can’t wait to read more Dragon Age comics!
February 20, 2024
Loved it! Awesome value for money. Lots of character appearances from the games. Perfect dip into the DA lore during the long wait of Dreadwolf!
September 8, 2024
Pretty average. Nothing bad but they didn't add anything additional to the Dragon Age world. The 5th story was definitely the strongest, but overall the writing was pretty weak and the imagery was again average. I'm a Dragon Age Girlie so I will probably read more, but I hope they pick up
November 30, 2024
I loved the story design, interweaving and characters. The drawings from the Knight Errant by Kurukawa were light hearted and charming.
July 1, 2024
Superb story-telling! I hope to meet Vaea and Ser Aaron in the new game! They're by far my favorite side-characters at the moment. Really good comics! Also loved all the background on Alistair.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 25, 2022
Five stories, beginning in the wake of 'Dragon Age: Origins' and continuing through the events of 'Inquisition'.
King Alistair of Ferelden enlists the aid of the pirate Isabela and the Dwarf rogue Varric in a mission to find the long-lost King Maric, his father. Later, the professional magekillers Marius and Tessa, as well as the Elven squire-thief Vaea, are all recruited by the Inquisition to help protect the world from Corypheus and his followers.
First off, I very much liked the fact that the first three stories on offer here, 'The Silent Grove', 'Those Who Speak' and 'Until We Sleep' are all part of a larger contiguous narrative. It means you can really settle into the world of Thedas without being thrown from one random character or setting to next, as so often happens with anthologies of this kind. It similarly helps that the three main characters are ones who will be very familiar to people who, like me, have ploughed many an enjoyable hour into the games, but who have enough mystery surrounding them that there's still plenty of tales worth telling.
The latter two stories, 'Magekiller' and 'Knight Errant' aren't quite as good but do introduce some genuinely engaging new characters to the DA mythos, as well as exploring a bit more of Tevinter and the Free Marches.
It would've been all too easy for these stories to fall into the tried and tested narrative ruts of corrupted mages or ruthless assassins but what we get instead is much subtler and more nuanced. If you want to explore more of the world between and around the Dragon Age games, then you wouldn't go far wrong with this book.
* More reviews here: https://fsfh-book-review2.webnode.page *
King Alistair of Ferelden enlists the aid of the pirate Isabela and the Dwarf rogue Varric in a mission to find the long-lost King Maric, his father. Later, the professional magekillers Marius and Tessa, as well as the Elven squire-thief Vaea, are all recruited by the Inquisition to help protect the world from Corypheus and his followers.
First off, I very much liked the fact that the first three stories on offer here, 'The Silent Grove', 'Those Who Speak' and 'Until We Sleep' are all part of a larger contiguous narrative. It means you can really settle into the world of Thedas without being thrown from one random character or setting to next, as so often happens with anthologies of this kind. It similarly helps that the three main characters are ones who will be very familiar to people who, like me, have ploughed many an enjoyable hour into the games, but who have enough mystery surrounding them that there's still plenty of tales worth telling.
The latter two stories, 'Magekiller' and 'Knight Errant' aren't quite as good but do introduce some genuinely engaging new characters to the DA mythos, as well as exploring a bit more of Tevinter and the Free Marches.
It would've been all too easy for these stories to fall into the tried and tested narrative ruts of corrupted mages or ruthless assassins but what we get instead is much subtler and more nuanced. If you want to explore more of the world between and around the Dragon Age games, then you wouldn't go far wrong with this book.
* More reviews here: https://fsfh-book-review2.webnode.page *
June 7, 2024
3.5 stars rounded up. The stories were good, entertaining and might’ve had hints of new characters we can hope to see in Dreadwolf. The art was…ok. Not great but mostly not terrible. The layouts for “Magekillers” had some unique designs. However, the artwork for the last comic, “Knight Errant” was, in places, so distracting that it completely pulled me out of the story. I’m aware that it’s a common art-trope in many manga to show characters with these big, goofy grins, the kind my dad used to call “a shit-eating grin”, where all of their teeth are showing but the artist used it so often and in so many places where it seemed out of place that it was incredibly distracting and became obnoxious. Having an entire cast of characters with these enormous underbites, constantly baring their teeth at everyone just ruined the story. Varric Tethras is included in nearly every story in this collection and only in this one does he have this massive underbite and grins like a fool at everything said. Whether that’s a manga’s affectation or this artist’s particular idiom, I don’t know, but it seemed extremely out of place and extremely jarring. I don’t think I’ll read anymore if that artist is illustrating.
April 17, 2021
With several different authors and artists involved in this collection, I was quite impressed with the cohesive branch of the Dragon Age Universe that these creators have produced. A step removed from the games, each of these stories enhanced my understanding of pre-existing characters, but it was the final two stories, Magekiller and Knight Errant, that really stood far above the others. The introduction of new characters, the mage hunters Tessa and Marius, and the landless knight and his elven squire, Ser Aaron and Vaea, brought an exciting new direction for the story as they find themselves caught up in the actions of the Inquisition.
The first three of the stories, The Silent Grove, Those Who Speak, and Until We Sleep were all enjoyable as well, but despite being written by one of the brains behind the original franchise, David Gaider, the story contained within was not as powerful as the latter two. Telling the story of King Alistair's quest to find out the truth behind his father, Maric, these stories play directly with characters who fought alongside the player in the games and, honestly, wasn't as engaging for that reason. The stories felt constrained by the roles that Alistair and Varric would have in the game Dragon Age: Inquisition, and it shows with how tame the adventures are. Where the latter two can add high stakes, this narrative relies on visual spectacle. And what a stunning spectacle it is.
All five of the graphic novels contained within are a delight to look at. I'm most partial to Knight Errant because of its slight manga-esque leanings. However, all these works are striking and their use of both bright, and dark, colours to populate the page deserve a lot of the credit. Everyone involved in these stories deserves a lot of credit as they are fun, and pulpy, fantasy adventures that are enjoyable whether you've been exposed to Dragon Age before or not. I highly recommend them.
The first three of the stories, The Silent Grove, Those Who Speak, and Until We Sleep were all enjoyable as well, but despite being written by one of the brains behind the original franchise, David Gaider, the story contained within was not as powerful as the latter two. Telling the story of King Alistair's quest to find out the truth behind his father, Maric, these stories play directly with characters who fought alongside the player in the games and, honestly, wasn't as engaging for that reason. The stories felt constrained by the roles that Alistair and Varric would have in the game Dragon Age: Inquisition, and it shows with how tame the adventures are. Where the latter two can add high stakes, this narrative relies on visual spectacle. And what a stunning spectacle it is.
All five of the graphic novels contained within are a delight to look at. I'm most partial to Knight Errant because of its slight manga-esque leanings. However, all these works are striking and their use of both bright, and dark, colours to populate the page deserve a lot of the credit. Everyone involved in these stories deserves a lot of credit as they are fun, and pulpy, fantasy adventures that are enjoyable whether you've been exposed to Dragon Age before or not. I highly recommend them.
September 24, 2024
DRAGON AGE [9781506719177]
This is a new story arc for me. It is not as deep as Tolkien or GRR Martin but it is a relatable fantasy world. ****
Dragon Age: The Silent Grove, David Gaider, Alexander Freed, Chad Hardin
Great characters. ***
#1 - "I'm planning to break in, TONIGHT. With or without your help."
#2 - "No way to buy you off with cookies, then."
#3 - "It gets easy to forget that some monsters are REAL."
#4 - "You freed my father from a crow prison. Tell me why - tell me what happened."
#5 - "We all have our patrons "
#6 - :... while everything MEMORABLE happens someplace else?"
"Blood is power - it CONNECTS us.
.
Dragon Age: Those Who Speak.
Memorable characters. ***
#1 - "Things I instantly hate: the magisters, the slave tenders, the dress code, the over seasoned meat."
"It's funny how many parties I go to end up like this."
#2 - "It was a JOB .. running a ship is expensive."
#3 - "They're my crew, and my body responsibility. Whatever else I am, I'm a DAMN good captain."
.
Until We Sleep
Another good story to the Dragon Age series ***
"We all go through our entire lives not knowing wondering. Trying. Until we sleep."
#1 - "On the whole, I've made better decisions."
#2 - "Blood of dragons."
#3 - "It smelled like incense and ash."
.
Dragon Age: Magekiller
Very good story ***
#1 - "The problem with magic is that it CHEATS."
#2 - "But then the SKY opened.. and the WORLD began to END.."
#3 - "When you fear losing EVERYTHING... well, you'll believe even the thinnest rope can hold your weight."
#4 - "Say 'Boom' boys and girls."
#5 - "I hate going into battle CONFUSED. I don't need my HEART and my HEAD getting into a knife fight."
.
Dragon Age: Knight Errant.
Continues a good series ***
#1 - "But you're missing a hell of a party."
#2 - "Every knight needs a SQUIRE."
#3 - "... who will offer the next toast?"
#4 - "This group is well armed. More of a fair fight."
#5 - "I see a bright future for you."
This is a new story arc for me. It is not as deep as Tolkien or GRR Martin but it is a relatable fantasy world. ****
Dragon Age: The Silent Grove, David Gaider, Alexander Freed, Chad Hardin
Great characters. ***
#1 - "I'm planning to break in, TONIGHT. With or without your help."
#2 - "No way to buy you off with cookies, then."
#3 - "It gets easy to forget that some monsters are REAL."
#4 - "You freed my father from a crow prison. Tell me why - tell me what happened."
#5 - "We all have our patrons "
#6 - :... while everything MEMORABLE happens someplace else?"
"Blood is power - it CONNECTS us.
.
Dragon Age: Those Who Speak.
Memorable characters. ***
#1 - "Things I instantly hate: the magisters, the slave tenders, the dress code, the over seasoned meat."
"It's funny how many parties I go to end up like this."
#2 - "It was a JOB .. running a ship is expensive."
#3 - "They're my crew, and my body responsibility. Whatever else I am, I'm a DAMN good captain."
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Until We Sleep
Another good story to the Dragon Age series ***
"We all go through our entire lives not knowing wondering. Trying. Until we sleep."
#1 - "On the whole, I've made better decisions."
#2 - "Blood of dragons."
#3 - "It smelled like incense and ash."
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Dragon Age: Magekiller
Very good story ***
#1 - "The problem with magic is that it CHEATS."
#2 - "But then the SKY opened.. and the WORLD began to END.."
#3 - "When you fear losing EVERYTHING... well, you'll believe even the thinnest rope can hold your weight."
#4 - "Say 'Boom' boys and girls."
#5 - "I hate going into battle CONFUSED. I don't need my HEART and my HEAD getting into a knife fight."
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Dragon Age: Knight Errant.
Continues a good series ***
#1 - "But you're missing a hell of a party."
#2 - "Every knight needs a SQUIRE."
#3 - "... who will offer the next toast?"
#4 - "This group is well armed. More of a fair fight."
#5 - "I see a bright future for you."
August 13, 2021
Overall rating: 3.53
Honestly, I didn't care for the first three and was pretty annoyed. The 4th and 5th one make this one for me. The books were 100% better than the graphic novels which I find so upsetting. I felt like Varric( I love him) but he's overused he wasn't too out of place with Knight Errant. If this wasn't dragon age I'd probably sell this collection.
Knight Errant
Art 4| Plot 3.5| Character 5| Setting 5| Enjoyability 5
overall: 4.5
I loved this one! I felt heartened by Vaea and her knight Ser Arron! I loved both of these main characters and was glad to see the two characters from Magekiller! I also loved the art in this one a lot more! I would love to hear more about Vaea's adventures!
Mage Killer
Art 4| Setting 5| Character 3.5| Plot 4| Enjoyability 4
Overall: 4.10
This is my favorite out of the collection its a 100 % better. I think it's the fact it doesn't follow any known characters too much so they can't fuck up the characterization too bad.
Until We Sleep
Character 3| Setting 5| Plot 3| Art 3| Enjoyability 3
Overall rating: 3.4
This comic was better than the last two. I was actually having a chill time. I enjoy when it doesn't try to kill the characterizations.
Those Who Speak
Art 3| Character 2.5| Plot 3| Setting 4| Enjoyability 2
Overall: 2.9
I really didn't like what they did to Isabela in this comic. I feel like they kind of destroyed her character by having what she did to the slaves and contradicts what happened in 2. It pissed me off and killed any enjoyability I had
The Silent Grove
Art 3| Plot 3| Character 2| Enjoyability 3
Overall: 2.75
The comic was pretty boring. I didn't really like the art too much and I felt like Alistair was pretty OOC. I didn't like his characterization.
Honestly, I didn't care for the first three and was pretty annoyed. The 4th and 5th one make this one for me. The books were 100% better than the graphic novels which I find so upsetting. I felt like Varric( I love him) but he's overused he wasn't too out of place with Knight Errant. If this wasn't dragon age I'd probably sell this collection.
Knight Errant
Art 4| Plot 3.5| Character 5| Setting 5| Enjoyability 5
overall: 4.5
I loved this one! I felt heartened by Vaea and her knight Ser Arron! I loved both of these main characters and was glad to see the two characters from Magekiller! I also loved the art in this one a lot more! I would love to hear more about Vaea's adventures!
Mage Killer
Art 4| Setting 5| Character 3.5| Plot 4| Enjoyability 4
Overall: 4.10
This is my favorite out of the collection its a 100 % better. I think it's the fact it doesn't follow any known characters too much so they can't fuck up the characterization too bad.
Until We Sleep
Character 3| Setting 5| Plot 3| Art 3| Enjoyability 3
Overall rating: 3.4
This comic was better than the last two. I was actually having a chill time. I enjoy when it doesn't try to kill the characterizations.
Those Who Speak
Art 3| Character 2.5| Plot 3| Setting 4| Enjoyability 2
Overall: 2.9
I really didn't like what they did to Isabela in this comic. I feel like they kind of destroyed her character by having what she did to the slaves and contradicts what happened in 2. It pissed me off and killed any enjoyability I had
The Silent Grove
Art 3| Plot 3| Character 2| Enjoyability 3
Overall: 2.75
The comic was pretty boring. I didn't really like the art too much and I felt like Alistair was pretty OOC. I didn't like his characterization.
September 22, 2024
Probably more of a 4.5, but I'm a good mood.
This collects The Silent Grove, Those Who , Until We Sleep, Mage Killer, and Knight Errant in their entirety, all of which are canon Dragon Age tales.
The first three form one long story featuring Alistair, Isabela, and Varric as they attempt to discover what happened to Alistair's father, King Maric. These three are based on stories by David Gaider himself, so that's nice, and it's fun to spend some quality time with Isabela - I feel like I learned a lot more about her here than I ever did in Dragon Age II. Chad Hardin draws all of these issues - I miss his interiors, I feel like he's disappeared from comics recently.
Mage Killer introduces Marius and Tessa (who also pop up for a moment in Knight Errant, and in the next three mini-series not collected here). These two are interesting, though the five issues here jump around a LOT as the characters get embroiled in Tevinter madness and the Inquisition itself. This is written by Greg Rucka (yeah, him) and drawn by Carmen Carnero in one of her earliest comics forays I believe.
And then lastly Knight Errant features some more returning faces plus new characters Ser Aaron Hawthorne and Vaea, who robs from the rich to feed the poor and avenge her fallen elven siblings. This is by Nunzio DeFillipis and Christina Weir, who've teamed up on so many books at this point - Academy X is the one I always remember. The art's from an artist I've never seen before, Fernando Heinz Furukawa, who does a great job also, even with a little more of a cartoony edge.
I devoured all of this in two days. I know I'm probably just excited for Veilguard, but I really did enjoy all the stories here a lot.
This collects The Silent Grove, Those Who , Until We Sleep, Mage Killer, and Knight Errant in their entirety, all of which are canon Dragon Age tales.
The first three form one long story featuring Alistair, Isabela, and Varric as they attempt to discover what happened to Alistair's father, King Maric. These three are based on stories by David Gaider himself, so that's nice, and it's fun to spend some quality time with Isabela - I feel like I learned a lot more about her here than I ever did in Dragon Age II. Chad Hardin draws all of these issues - I miss his interiors, I feel like he's disappeared from comics recently.
Mage Killer introduces Marius and Tessa (who also pop up for a moment in Knight Errant, and in the next three mini-series not collected here). These two are interesting, though the five issues here jump around a LOT as the characters get embroiled in Tevinter madness and the Inquisition itself. This is written by Greg Rucka (yeah, him) and drawn by Carmen Carnero in one of her earliest comics forays I believe.
And then lastly Knight Errant features some more returning faces plus new characters Ser Aaron Hawthorne and Vaea, who robs from the rich to feed the poor and avenge her fallen elven siblings. This is by Nunzio DeFillipis and Christina Weir, who've teamed up on so many books at this point - Academy X is the one I always remember. The art's from an artist I've never seen before, Fernando Heinz Furukawa, who does a great job also, even with a little more of a cartoony edge.
I devoured all of this in two days. I know I'm probably just excited for Veilguard, but I really did enjoy all the stories here a lot.
November 5, 2023
Ironically, I purchased this to complete the tale of King Maric, see him and Alistair meet and perhaps just a juicy little tidbit about his mother but shhhh (still really annoyed he's never found out) - BUT I really found that 3-part series to be really boring and just unfulfilling. Though I will say the middle section "Those Who Speak" was fairly interesting because of the inclusion of Isabela's backstory and some decent Qunari involvement.
Magekiller was a marketed improvement for me - I share common sentiment that the initial storyline that begins was amazing, but then is completely wasted by an unnecessary time skip, reboot of storyline and shoehorning of The Inquisition. But other than that, I liked Tessa and Marius and it was REALLY cool for me personally to get to see Minrathous for the first time ever AND to see THE Archon of Tevinter, I popped for that (hurry up Dreadwolf!).
Knight Errant was by far my favourite of the 5 graphic novels - I loved the setting being in Kirkwall (my favourite location in Thedas) and Starkhaven (shoutouts to my Scottish brethren Sebastian), again, something I've been wanting to see and got to for the first time. It was actually really cool to see some post-Inquisition content as well. Vaea and Aaron Hawthorne have quickly become 2 of my favourite characters, they're both really well written, have really great backstories, have really great expressions, are both funny and I kind of have a thing for the darker skinned Elves (sorry not sorry). Would absolute kill to see more of their adventures (KE ends with them travelling to Tevinter so again, DREADWOLF).
Magekiller was a marketed improvement for me - I share common sentiment that the initial storyline that begins was amazing, but then is completely wasted by an unnecessary time skip, reboot of storyline and shoehorning of The Inquisition. But other than that, I liked Tessa and Marius and it was REALLY cool for me personally to get to see Minrathous for the first time ever AND to see THE Archon of Tevinter, I popped for that (hurry up Dreadwolf!).
Knight Errant was by far my favourite of the 5 graphic novels - I loved the setting being in Kirkwall (my favourite location in Thedas) and Starkhaven (shoutouts to my Scottish brethren Sebastian), again, something I've been wanting to see and got to for the first time. It was actually really cool to see some post-Inquisition content as well. Vaea and Aaron Hawthorne have quickly become 2 of my favourite characters, they're both really well written, have really great backstories, have really great expressions, are both funny and I kind of have a thing for the darker skinned Elves (sorry not sorry). Would absolute kill to see more of their adventures (KE ends with them travelling to Tevinter so again, DREADWOLF).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 13, 2022
Little known fact about me: I adore Dragon Age! I’ve played all three games and was excited to delve into the wider stories of Thedas.
The art in this collection of the first five graphic novels is stunning and the story telling is fast-paced and humorous, while also hitting the emotional beats inherent in each instalment of the franchise.
Thedas may seem bleak in its bloodthirsty politics and history of war and slavery, but each of these stories bring a small ray of light to the darkness. Swashbuckling heroes. Kings worthy of love and respect. Friendships spanning decades. And most importantly, lots and lots of Varric.
Our favourite dwarven rogue features heavily throughout this series, and his enduring wit and charm offer a brighter lens to some very dark themes. I hope his presence continues as I eventually make my way through the rest of the Dragon Age saga.
Highly recommended for fans of the games, but would also be a pleasant introduction for anyone into comics/graphic novels or anyone looking to get involved in the incredible world and lore of Thedas.
The art in this collection of the first five graphic novels is stunning and the story telling is fast-paced and humorous, while also hitting the emotional beats inherent in each instalment of the franchise.
Thedas may seem bleak in its bloodthirsty politics and history of war and slavery, but each of these stories bring a small ray of light to the darkness. Swashbuckling heroes. Kings worthy of love and respect. Friendships spanning decades. And most importantly, lots and lots of Varric.
Our favourite dwarven rogue features heavily throughout this series, and his enduring wit and charm offer a brighter lens to some very dark themes. I hope his presence continues as I eventually make my way through the rest of the Dragon Age saga.
Highly recommended for fans of the games, but would also be a pleasant introduction for anyone into comics/graphic novels or anyone looking to get involved in the incredible world and lore of Thedas.
August 1, 2024
The Silent Grove: 2 stars
Those Who Speak: 2 stars
Until We Sleep: 3 stars
Magekiller: 4 stars
Knight Errant: 5 stars
The first 3 volumes in this were not very good... the characters didn't really feel like the same in the games, and their interactions felt iffy. I think it's worse for someone who has played the games and has a particular "world state" or playthrough in mind, so an expectation to how these characters developed.
The last two volumes, the most recent ones, were my favourite. I think because they followed characters we had not previously encountered in the games, and so they were free of any expectations. I hope we encounter them in the next game though! It seemed to be the goal of these volumes - to set things up for the 4th game that should be coming out this year. Are they milking it? Sure, but as long as it's somewhat good!
The art style was a bit all over the place, but I preferred the one for Magekiller out of all of them I think. Knight Errant felt a bit too cartoony... Ironic because that's what they seem to be going for with the 4th game now! blah
Those Who Speak: 2 stars
Until We Sleep: 3 stars
Magekiller: 4 stars
Knight Errant: 5 stars
The first 3 volumes in this were not very good... the characters didn't really feel like the same in the games, and their interactions felt iffy. I think it's worse for someone who has played the games and has a particular "world state" or playthrough in mind, so an expectation to how these characters developed.
The last two volumes, the most recent ones, were my favourite. I think because they followed characters we had not previously encountered in the games, and so they were free of any expectations. I hope we encounter them in the next game though! It seemed to be the goal of these volumes - to set things up for the 4th game that should be coming out this year. Are they milking it? Sure, but as long as it's somewhat good!
The art style was a bit all over the place, but I preferred the one for Magekiller out of all of them I think. Knight Errant felt a bit too cartoony... Ironic because that's what they seem to be going for with the 4th game now! blah
August 29, 2021
2,5/5. I find this comic book to be quite disappointing! I saw a review saying it lakes charisma, and I couldn't have phrase it better! The art is awesome, there is no denying that and I like how the universe was put into comic and how we bring characters from the video game and the feeling of seeing them again, all that was good! But it felt empty, like the book has no soul, nothing seem to work together, the magic just don't work. It's unfortunate because I think it had all the elements needed to be a great comic in the lines of The Last God, from DC, which I truly loved, but here it didn't work. Maybe it try to over expand its universe whiteout taking the time to build on its fundamental, KI don't know I'm just trying to find a reason why I didn't like. Maybe I just didn't like it...
September 13, 2025
El Caballero Herrante y El Asesino de Magos respiran lo mejor de Dragon Age, son novelas gráficas que merecen mucho la pena si eres fan de la saga de videojuegos.
Los comics de Alistar con el grupito de Isabella y Varric, en cambio, son tremendo coñazo. Amo a esos tres personajes, pero no tiene sentido que estén juntos y me parece algo más fanservicero que entretenido.
No pongo más puntuación porque alguien ajeno a la saga va a entender muy poco sobre el maravilloso mundo de Dragon Age sin que juegue las tres entregas, así que siento que esto va a dirigido a su público nicho y poco más.
Los comics de Alistar con el grupito de Isabella y Varric, en cambio, son tremendo coñazo. Amo a esos tres personajes, pero no tiene sentido que estén juntos y me parece algo más fanservicero que entretenido.
No pongo más puntuación porque alguien ajeno a la saga va a entender muy poco sobre el maravilloso mundo de Dragon Age sin que juegue las tres entregas, así que siento que esto va a dirigido a su público nicho y poco más.
March 30, 2021
The art differs considerably in style volume to volume, to varying effect, but the writing makes for highly enjoyable, canonized stories that feature more than a few appearances by the cast of the video games. The last of the stories, Knight Errant, ended up being both the most lighthearted and my favorite of the bunch -- it felt most like a story you might see in the game in either its computer or tabletop formats -- but there isn't really a dud in the set. I'm into these enough to continue on with the graphic novels, but having all of these in one book is definitely a plus.
April 19, 2021
When it comes to graphic novel collections - especially ones such as this, where there are several different artists and authors- it can be really easy for the collection to feel all over the place. Luckily, this is a surprisingly cohesive collection that does a good job of blending in aspects from the each games plotline.
Each graphic novel is solid; none of them struck me as lacking, though I was also not blown away by any of them. Just good, solid writing. Still, it’s definitely deserving of 5 stars IMO, despite not necessarily breaking any story telling boundaries or what have you.
Each graphic novel is solid; none of them struck me as lacking, though I was also not blown away by any of them. Just good, solid writing. Still, it’s definitely deserving of 5 stars IMO, despite not necessarily breaking any story telling boundaries or what have you.
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