DRAGON SWORD COMIC: EPISODE 1

by Ricardo Sanchez Medina

In the magical land of Velaria, humans and dragons were locked in an ancient war until four champions emerged victorious by slaying Ariyon, the commander and last member of the dragon's army.

For orphans in this world, all are believed to be descended from the mother dragon and thus bore the surname "Dragonborn," a label that is believed to bring bad luck to their communities, it was rumored that all orphans were to be killed after the war.
Nevertheless, one baby survives, and it is discovered in a basket floating down a river after the final battle. One of the four champions takes her in and trains her, unaware that this orphan has a power nobody knows, and that could change the fate of Velaria forever. Her name is Alena of Dragonborn.

Join Alena on her journey as she struggles to understand and control her powers, faces prejudice and danger at every turn, and discovers the truth about her past and the future of her land. This is just the beginning of her story.

Genres: Fantasy, Graphic Novels

148 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2022

About the author

Introducing myself as an aerospace engineer by day and an avid lover of sports, literature (including books, comic books, and graphic novels), movies, TV series, traveling, and photography, I have always harbored a deep desire to create my own story. However, I have never been confident in my writing abilities with pen and paper. Fortunately, I have discovered a way to bring my creative ideas to life with the help of 3D software and Photoshop.

Drawing inspiration from my favorite literary works such as "The Lord of the Rings," "Ender's Game," various manga series, and video games such as "Dragon Quest" and "Final Fantasy," I am currently in the process of creating and self-publishing an original action-adventure comic series. My ultimate goal is to release a new episode every 2-3 months, both digitally and physically in the future.

Join me in my imaginative world of Velaria, where thrilling adventures await!

Reviews

[Ricardo Medina · Rating 5 out of 5]

But I guess I'm not impartial since I created it.

However, I truly hope that you enjoy this story as much as I enjoyed creating it. From conceptualizing the images to waiting endlessly for the renders to finish (I don't own a NASA-PC, I wish I did!) to post-processing each image and editing the panels, every aspect of bringing this story to life was a labor of love.

I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to everyone who has taken the time to read and review my book. Your support means everything to me.

[Becks! · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting and different .....

When it comes to reading comic books, this is not my typical choice. However,
I do love books with strong female heroines. But how Alena kicked demon dinosaur butt in those heels, is a total mystery to me!
But then again, if her trusty sidekick John, can fight naked from the waist down, the heels did not seem so far fetched anymore!
Overall it was a good read..

[Tyrell ⚔️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting start to the story of Velaria! The plot was simple yet charming with Skyrim/Witcher vibes. I wasn't a huge fan of the art as it tended to purposely objectify the MC (doesn't ruin the story - just know that it exists).

Some of the dialogue was a bit off point - an editor would have been beneficial.

Despite some of these cons, I recommend giving it a try! It's the start to what could be a very cool story!

[P.B. Flower · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this comic series backwards! After completing Episode 2, I had to know the preceding events in Episode 1. So here I am, reviewing it soon after devouring it. First, I never thought of reading comics again. But I am so glad I found Dragon Sword Comic. Words are not enough to tell the effort it must have taken to develop the lovely graphics.
This episode gave me the insight into Alena character. Question like why she is the Dragonborn and how she excelled in two fields making history were answered. John Narryn the Junior Mage is assigned to her along with a task by her uncle to go to Blasta village. They are to get information on Deynonichus and return back. However, on the way they are attacked by several Deynonichus. Together Alena and John (john not so much) kill them fluidly.

[T. Thornley · Rating 5 out of 5]

really good,

My first comic ever and it was really fun to read. Can’t wait to see where the story goes. I’m betting she doesn’t kill John, lol a quick easy read. If you haven’t tried this type of book/story before you should probably start right now.

[Marlene Cheng · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't imagine reading a comic. I'm glad I did. It was delightfully entertaining. The graphics are amazing. This book and its sequels will make excellent Christmas stocking stuffers for my engineer grandsons who are comic nuts. Well done, Ricardo. Marlene Cheng--author

[Remy Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Fun Adventure

I throughly enjoyed this comic! It’s very immersive, and the cgi images are amazing. The story telling is good too. You get swept into this magical land and you will find yourself swiping left quickly as the book is that good. I can’t wait to read book 2!

[Talia Zales · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dragon Sword Comic has the potential to be a great story, but a few things are holding it back from reaching its full potential. Let’s start with the good: The artwork is beautiful, and the characters / setting look very cool with the computer-generated art. I liked how the heroine of the piece is not perfect in every way. She has her strengths and weaknesses. We see her grow up in age, but her maturity is still lacking when she sets out on her first mission.

The quest-like story model has the potential to grow the narrative and characters over time, however, for a serialized piece, I feel the story needs to grip readers right away. Many of the pages depicted the protagonist dressing or undressing and, as a result, the story is halted. Graphic novels have to convey story in fewer pages and words than typical novels, which means each page, each word and each illustration must serve a purpose to drive the narrative forward. The main character is objectified by her peers, and she brushes it off almost playfully with idle threats. It is my sincere hope that in her growth over time, we see less idle threats and more punishment and girl power.

[Hanif · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story centers around Alena of Dragonborn as she trains to become a warrior and learn the secrets of her powers just as the title suggests. Overall, I felt like it was a decent ride with a standard lead character and story but some fun art to make the ride interesting and worth checking out.

This first comic is pretty brief. Short and sweet with the heroine being placed in a basket and floating on a river like Moses. We then skip ahead and follow Alena as a teenager/young adult as she trains and embarks on one of her first major missions. The artwork is mostly basic with the design of Alena being the standout. I also really enjoyed her battle with the dinosaur-raptor-like creatures in the end. So far, the story is a bit cookie cutter, and nothing truly wowed me, but I'm willing to read more issues of the series to see if that changes.

[Lucas W Mayberry · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Fun and Sexy Comic

I think I am in love with Alena! She’s an orphan found by a wise old man as a baby and as she grows up he trains her in sword combat, hand to hand combat and magic. With these skills she grows up to be a bad ass beautiful femme fatale who reminded me slightly of Buffy the Vampire Slayer but with high heels. After graduation she is sent on a quest with fellow classmate John but on the way they encounter vicious dinosaurs and Alena has to use all her skills to survive. This is a quirky little comic with some colourful illustrations especially with Alena’s character and some witty dialogue that is laced with cheeky innuendo. This is an enjoyable romp and I am definitely looking forward to reading the next episode.

[Reading Fanatic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good But Not For Kids

I purchased this series of comics, intending to read them with my twelve-year-old son. He loves fantasy, dragons, and comics, so I thought they would be right up his alley. Unfortunately, the themes and graphics make this series more appropriate for young adults 16+, I’d say.

Anyway, I read the book on my own. It’s a great mix of humor and action. In this first episode, Alena, a newly graduated squad member, is sent on a mission with her partner, John. Their assignment is to question villagers and gather information about dragons spotted in the area. Alena and John are ordered not to pursue the dragons. But, of course, things don’t turn out quite that way.

Surprisingly, I enjoyed this story very much. Yes, Alena’s appearance is akin to that of Barbie, and she runs around in sexy clothes and stilettos, but the girl is a badass. I mean, the way she weaves a sword and faces off with dragons alone is pretty amazing. I also love the graphics used in the story. Like, wow! They are big and bright, use bold, vivid colors, and are eye-catching. Happy reading!

[Iseult Murphy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not for me

I loved the sound of this comic, and the artwork intrigued me. Some of the panels are quite beautiful, plus it has dinosaurs! Unfortunately, the gratuitous objectification of the main character, Alena, ruined the entire experience for me.

The story is interesting, if simple. In the land of Velaria orphans are considered Dragonborn. After the defeat of the dragons by a group of heroes, Alena is the last orphan found in a stream as a baby and raised by one of the heroes.

Alena quickly grows up and is sent on adventures. I liked her character, some of the humor between her and her fellow adventurer, the dinosaurs, and the introduction to the world and it’s magic system. There are hints at a larger story line that I’m sure will be explored as the story progresses.

Unfortunately, all attempts to build Alena’s character are undermined by her Barbie doll proportions, her tight, revealing clothes and bright red stiletto heels, the frequent pictures of her dressing, undressing and bathing, and the more frequent up skirt shots during the action. It’s hard to take the character, or the comic, seriously when it is a sex comedy set in a fantasy land. Even her male sidekick gets gratuitous panels clutching his private parts. This kind of smutty “humor” seems terribly old fashioned to me.

I also found it disturbing that the clearly prepubescent Alena had cleavage.

The author obviously has talent, and it’s such a shame he is wasting it on this. The description is misleading and doesn’t accurately reflect the comic.

[Sal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Episode 1 of Dragon Sword – what a cool-looking tale!

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I got this, but it wasn’t a full-on e-picture book. The crystal clear images – whatever they are – are mesmerizing and make for a memorable read. I was scrolling through my phone pretty fast not because I’m all that into dungeons-and-dragons-type literature, but because I couldn’t wait to see what set of images would come next.

The story itself is fast-paced and kept me pretty glued throughout, though some of the language at times is a bit on the generic side. But in a weird way, that straightforward style fits an unabashedly action-packed story like this one.

I could see this being a popular series and am not surprised that their are six books so far. Creative creator Ricardo Sánchez Medina deserves a lot of credit for creating an e-book in such a cutting-edge fashion. Looks great on a phone and is a lot of fun to read.

[Therearenobadbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to say I'm impressed with the amount of hard work put into the composition of this comic with 3D images. Not only designing the characters, world, and items but also the poses. The detail of water splashing while the dinosaurs run across the water is awesome. I loved seeing her as a child and then as an older practicing and being part of an Academy. As an RPG gamer, this is a fun story to follow.

[Hayley Anderton · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

I think this has the basis for an interesting story line, and there was some fun interactions between the characters. I do think I'm not the intended audience here. The female MC is strong and capable, but she is also created for the male gaze, I feel. The art style juxtaposes with the genre a little, given that it is quite explicit, but with YA themes. All in all, an interesting start to the series!

[Larry Gilman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story, I enjoyed it a lot. My nit is the girl is wearing really stupid shoes. REALLY, spike heals.

My big issue is with her shoes. There is no way that she could wear spike heals and hike through the woods in those shoes, let alone attack a raptor.

[Tom Marksworth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like a good sword and sorcery adventure, but this one has a few rough edges. The plot is serviceable, but the writing is repetitive, contains grammatical errors, and is often redundant with the visuals. It’s clumsy enough to be distracting. In one of the more egregious examples, the protagonist approaches a closed door with a “Please Wait Outside,” sign. This is the verbatim text of her thought bubble: “Oh, the door to the library is closed. ‘Please Wait Outside’ says the note on the door.”

One of my favorite things about comics is all the scene-setting words just go away – the art takes care of it. Done right, the author can focus on rich dialog that brings the characters to life. That’s not happening here. From the author notes on the product page, it sounds like this edition contains an art update. I suspect the redundant words were more necessary when the art wasn’t pulling its weight.

Ignoring the prose, the core plot is adequate. A mysterious orphan is great at fighting but bad at spellcasting. She graduates fighting school and is sent out on patrol with the butcher’s son, who is good at spellcasting and bad at fighting. They take on some dinosaurs(!) and call it a night. I don’t have a problem with this, I’ve enjoyed similar stories before.

The art is rendered with computer graphics; it looks like the creator loaded models into a game engine and posed them to animate their story. It works okay, but at times it feels like someone put speech bubbles on top of video-game screenshots.

The combination of high-res graphics and superficial dialog makes the characters read a little flat. Alena’s backstory says she’s kind of an outcast. Does that mean she feels like she has something to prove? Or has she turned inward, afraid of making human connections? After reading the story, I couldn’t tell you. Hopefully more dimension comes out in the later installments.

My biggest challenges was getting past the depiction of the heroine and the other women in the comic. All the women have unlikely anatomical proportions. The protagonist inexplicably sleeps in suggestive lingerie. There are multiple scenes of gratuitous undressing/bathing/high kicks lifting up skirts. I don’t know any women who bathe spread-eagled while holding their breasts, but that’s how Alena does it.

I think the writer is possibly drawing inspiration from Manga here. But it’s been translated to a different culture, and a different medium (computer graphics), and as a result I think it hits some kind of uncanny valley/feels pretty creepy. There’s nothing in the product description that lead me to expect a lot of suggestive content – the author could do a better job signposting it so readers like me would know to stay away.

Overall, it’s an alright story with acceptable art, encumbered by clumsy writing and a schoolboy understanding of women. I’d love to see more of Alena’s personality and less of her body.

[S.A. Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dragon Sword is a comic designed (it looks) with computer graphic models. The story is set in a medieval high-fantasy world, with swords and sorcery. The inclusion of dinosaurs made the setting grander and more interesting, with promises of all kinds of wild creatures in the future.
STORY: 4.5/5 - The story was solid. A young female protagonist goes through a magic school in which she excels in certain subjects. She is set to take her first mission along with a male colleague. They are attacked by dinosaurs and Alena is given her first chance to kick butt. The action panels work, and the story overall is well thought out and cool.
I actually think there is nothing wrong with having an over-sexualized female protagonist. Some of the situations in the story were obviously over the top. I was smiling at the sheer goofiness of it. Red stiletto heels...Hell Yeah - why not! I feel like some people might not get this, however. Here lies the problem, this story is stuck between two worlds. Either go full R-rated comedy, and market the comic as such, or tone down the immature sexy stuff and go more serious action-fantasy. As it stands, the two themes are clashing with each other.
Also, I found the dialogue too stilted and bland. I would like to see more personality in the characters and what they say.
ART 4/5: The facial models and expressions were great. The detail in the faces and eyes was gorgeous. Alena is beautifully done (even though she looks like a sex doll). It was my first comic with this style of art and I was surprised by how I enjoyed looking at it. I want to see how Alena progresses and if the author can manage to give the characters more depth, I would continue to read future installments.

[Michael J.P. J.P. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ricardo Sánchez Medina does a good job on the action scenes. The setting has a D&D feel. The images remind me of something out of the Elder Scrolls or Baldur's Gate video games.
A familiar concept of the special/chosen one orphaned as a baby and found in a picnic basket. Alena is adopted by the headmaster of a hero school, Hogwarts kind of crossed with video game Fabel. She grows up as the top of her class, I get Zina Warrior Princess vibes out of the main character Alena at that point. Though, Alena's red heels threw me off as they didn't really match her warrior image.
She is paired with John the Butcher's son, who is the comic relief, to go on their first patrol where they encounter and must do battle with raptor like dinosaurs to survive.
After the first installment I could see this shaping up to be a comedic Game of Thrones if the dragons were dinosaurs.

[Laura Lukasavage · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice Twist Comic

I really enjoyed the story and how the author took the normal dragons, dinosaurs and magical creatures and used them in his own way to create this comic. This one jumps around in the beginning, only giving you so much insight into the characters until halfway through when they are given their first mission. I can't wait to see what happens next!

Also, the graphics were fun. Any male will be happy with some of them lol.

[Jennifer Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this on Kindle Unlimited. I don’t normally read this genre, but this adult comic was really enjoyable! I loved the characters and wish my Kindle was in color so I could fully appreciate the artwork. I can only imagine how fabulous the physical copy is! The world building was great and this was just so much fun!

[S.P. Dawes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cheeky

This is a cheeky little graphic novel. I think the author had a field day making Alena and probably got alot out of it. She Fierce, clever and beautiful and also wears heels most couldn't walk in let alone slay a dinosaur and a mini dress that barely covers her. Not only are 4 plus pages dedicated to her getting dressed, but then there's a pond scene with what would be very compromising pictures if they were real. But I can see a teenage lad absolutely loving it, lol.

[Fantasylover87 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a pretty good first book in the series. The artwork is beautiful, and I was curious about dragonborns right away. The story is pretty easy to follow, and it gets right into the action fast. There were some minor typos in the dialogue, like letal instead of lethal, looser instead of loser, etc. Other than that though, I enjoyed this and will be checking out the next comic.

[Colleen Hlavac · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore this author. He is gifted and has a way of pulling the reader in from page 1. This book is part of a comic series. It is highly entertaining and skillfully written. I am looking forward to reading the entire series!

[Nadia Marsoli · Rating 5 out of 5]

First comic I ever read

I never thought I would like comic reading so much. The illustrations are amazing, such a great job, ready for part 2.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing

I loved it. The story kept me intrigued throughout! I really enjoyed the humour too! I can't wait to read the next episode :)

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

As interesting as the premise of this story is, I have to pass on reading future volumes.

This would have greatly benefitted from an editor. The dialogue was often repetitive, which made reading things a slog. Some pages didn't feel necessary, like the uncle scolding the MC for being late when there was literally a sign outside the library telling people not to come in. Are we supposed to think he's scatterbrained or just an idiot?

The character models were fine. Some of the assets in the background look a lot like objects from Skyrim. So much so that I had to Google them to make sure they weren't.

I find it hard to believe that the only school in the area only teaches 4 things and that no one in its entire history has mastered 2 of those 4 subjects, all of which are combat oriented.

Now the MC. Her outfit as a child and her grown up one are super similar. I would never dress a child like that, especially not one trying to learn combat. It's a choice, though, and one I was fine with until the time skip aged her up. Her outfit not only shows a lack of style on her part, but a lack of practicality. Who the hell goes into combat in high heels? I didn't appreciate the panty shots, either.

The extra artwork at the back was nice.

[Greg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ricardo Sanchez Medina’s Dragon Sword Comic Episode 1 has a lot going for it. With its sleek, computer-generated illustrations, it brought me back to my childhood and made me think of shows like Reboot and games like Jet Force Gemini. This volume effectively launches what promises to be a rewarding fantasy series. The main character’s mysterious origin leaves a lot of room for compelling backstory, and it will be fun to see if a romance develops between Alena and her sidekick. While there were some minor translation issues in the dialogue, the overall presentation was fun and polished. Medina did a nice job integrating conventional fantasy tropes (schools of magic and combat, patrol apprenticeships, side quests) with some new and experimental ideas (dinosaurs in the realm, hints of corruption from the ‘uncle’ mentor character, etc.) I have a feeling that Alena’s rivalry with her classmate Eric Mane will fit into a coming story arc…
Definitely check out this fun and engaging read.

[CJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

A new adventure begins

Like everyone else, I glance at the last page of this book* and wondered what was so terrible that someone exclaimed, “I’m dead!”. I would never have guessed the reason until I had devoured Dragon Sword Episode 1 (Definitive Edition).

With potential spoilers: orphan baby is cast adrift in a Moses basket after an epic battle, which the natives believe is inextricably linked with ‘Big Dragons’. The orphan girl is raised as a warrior and taught hand-to-hand combat, sword combat, combat spells and healing spells, all of which are achieved in a corset and heels, and revealing underwear. Then, after pages of our heroine dressing for work (monster-kicking combat, of course), she embarks on a quest, picks up an introverted boy (John), fights a dinosaur, has an alfresco soak and kills the dinosaur. All in a day’s work.

My flatmate thought side-kick John being caught covering all but his modesty, declaring, “This is not what it looks like!! I can explain!!” was a perfect segue to “To be Continued” and ten full-size renders of Alena in a number of poses, including high-kicking combat training (plus John with his trousers back on). Ricardo Sanchez Medina’s graphic comic is a curious mix of titillation, Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park and possibly Shrek. Roll all of these things together, and it’s hard to identify the intended audience. Mid-teen boy with a lack of self-confidence? Mid-forties man with a penchant for Action Barbie? Middle-Earth man of Esgaroth wants to slay the dragon?

Medina’s artwork is impressive, particularly over-exaggerated Alena and dumb-twink John. Page 105 sums up this comedic romp through Alena’s world (not just the way Alena relaxes, but John’s inner monologue): it’s ridiculously good and utterly forgivable. This graphic novel is definitely aimed at the mid-teen boy who grew into the mid-forties man, and I’m sure, like John, he will enjoy. For the rest of us, the story’s okay, the dialogue is a little repetitive, but red killer heels and matching undergarments will always win the day.

* “When I buy a new book, I always read the last page first, that way in case I die before I finish, I know how it ends.” — When Harry Met Sally

[DOUGLAS J BERRY · Rating 5 out of 5]

Better in Espanol?

Ok computer generated images. Suitable for teens and adults due to nudity, the heroine spends a huge amount of time dressing and undressing. This is like a parody of the genre? The high heels were a real comedic touch.