Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves—The Feast of the Moon

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

by Ellen Boener, Jeremy Lambert, Guillermo Sanna (Artist)

Before you catch Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, in theaters March 3, 2023, make sure to pick up this must-read prequel comic! When their latest heist ends in failure, Edgin and his band of thieves find themselves stranded in a town under siege! The Bandit King and his thugs have been extorting the locals for years, but nothing is what it seems, and, as the Feast of the Moon begins, a greater evil lurks. Edgin and his friends—roguish Forge, barbarian Holga, and sorcerer Simon—promise to help, but will they honor their word? Or will the unlikely heroes abandon the last of the Harper principles Edgin used to hold so dear? Then, in a special bonus story, the paladin known as Xenk swore to protect an artifact of dangerous and mysterious power. But the terrors of the Underdark will test his oath more than he could have imagined! Discover how the lovable and hilarious heroes of Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves landed themselves in an unforgettable adventure with these thrilling tales set before the events of the film!

Genres: Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Comics, Dungeons and Dragons, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics, Forgotten Realms

97 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 7, 2023

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's about what you'd expect from a movie tie-in.



It was readable, though. And it's not like that's always the case.
The art is serviceable if nothing to write home about, but at least it doesn't make your eyes bleed.
Small favors.



Basically, it's not a comic you'll want to read if you're looking for a good comic. And I'm not an expert on the tabletop game but I don't even think this would be something that hardcore fans of the RPG would be all that interested in. I could be wrong!
But if you're a massive fan of the D&D movie, this might be a fun collectible item for you.



The skinny gist is that this gives a peek at the lives of the characters before the opening scene of the movie. The main questers, and then another story with Xenk. Nothing you can't live without, just a little extra tale. And no worries, this doesn't spoil anything about the plot of the film.



Recommended -if you're a superfan of the movie.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

In spite of this being a prequel I would encourage anyone interested to watch the film first.

[Bree Hatfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. As a whole, this graphic novel was decent. Separately, “The Feast of the Moon” was 2.5 stars and “Xenk and the Helmet of Disjunction” was 5 stars. This whole graphic novel should have been about Xenk. We already have a full-length novel about Edgin and the main party as well as a novel for Doric, so the only one we don’t know very well is Xenk and we only get half a graphic novel? Anyway, there were some overlapping things that I loved; seeing the fantasy aesthetic in visual formats is always so much fun. The art direction, for both stories, really makes the simple fantasy aspects of the world (like the inside of a tavern, a medieval town square, or the underdark) come alive. Snaps to Eduardo Ferigato, Guillermo Sanna, and everyone else who worked on the art for this!

Anyway, I’ll go over “Feast of the Moon” first. Taken at face-value, this story does a decent job at introducing the characters. Edgin is a thief with a heart of gold, who cares for his daughter (who he takes on dangerous missions, still, for some reason); Holga is a gruff, but kind, barbarian who wants to do good, but wants a good fight even more; Forge is an old, semi-grumpy con-man who butts heads with Edgin; and Simon is a bumbling, well-meaning sorcerer. I wish they stayed more true to these characters, but Jeremy Lambert doesn’t do a terrible job. When you dive a little deeper, though, the characterization isn’t the best. Holga and Simon are done fantastically, but Forge not wanting to go adventuring? That’s not right, especially when Edgin’s the one trying to convince him to do it. Edgin never wants to do things for as minor a reward as free room and board — it’s not like they don’t have the coin. Furthermore, the scene where they all steal from the locals isn’t right. They don’t steal from people who can’t afford it, Edgin made that very clear in “The Road to Neverwinter”.

“Xenk and the Helmet of Disjunction,” on the other hand, was phenomenal and way too short. We don’t get much development for Xenk, but this story proves as one hell of an introduction. Xenk is noble, strong, and has a sense of humor. He fights for what’s right no matter who it is, and he has a mysterious past. All the makings of a fun, if stereotypical, paladin. Ellen Boener did the absolute with the limited space. Seeing the underdark was fantastic as well, and I just love the Svirfneblin so much. Absolutely fantastic little story, can’t wait to see him in the movie!

[Clayton Whitfield · Rating 3 out of 5]

The stories were fine, but the characterizations were inconsistent between Road to Neverwinter and The Feast of the Moon. I read the novel first, so my first impression is that Edgin openly denounces being a hero but is put in heroic situations, usually due to Forge volunteering the group if it means a reward. In the graphic novel, Edgin seems more eager to help the townsfolk out, where Forge is a bit more cutthroat (staying true to the “con-man” mentality, but clearly having no interest in helping the town). Also, Kira appears to have developed an attitude toward her father, so she must have aged about 4 years from the novel and developed some teen angst because she previously adored her father at age 10.

But then again, it’s two different author’s, so it’s just their interpretations of the characters. If the movie is considered the standard by which we judge all other materials, then we will have to wait and see which is more accurate.

[C.T. Phipps · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty okay graphic novel starring Edgin, Holga, and Forge Fitzwilliam. There's a bandit clan that is menacing a village and the former Harper attempts to make some money by stopping them. They rapidly find themselves over their heads, though, and try to figure their way out. A second story follows Xenk fighting some Illithids, which I didn't much care for. Still, a fun book, overall.

[Shel Holmes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can’t believe the ratings are low. I thought this was a way fun little prequel book. The art was beautiful and the storyline was lots of fun!

[Steven "Steve" · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun graphic novel depicting the characters from the movie.

[Raechel · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars for the titular story "The Feast of the Moon" starring Edgin and company (no Doric). It's.. fine. But nothing stands out, and the humor is sort of general D&D "we're a party of idiots." You should watch the movie before you read this, despite what the blurb says.

4 stars for the bonus story "Xenk and the Helmet of Disjunction." I loved Xenk in the movie, and this story keeps his stoic, stereotypical paladin humor. Some of the things he says are so funny and on the nose. The entire comic should have just been about him, and this story plays more into events in the movie than the previous one does.

[Maria Oglesby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overall a really enjoyable graphic companion to the movie! Some nice foreshadowing of the conflict between Forge and the rest of the group. I especially enjoyed the mini comic in the back of Xenk’s story by Ellen Boener - the author did a great job landing the same humor as the movie.

[Danyel Bookworm Gaymer · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Feast of the Moon consists of 2 tales. One finds most of our thief adventurers helping a town regain their control back from nasty tax collectors. The second adventure is a more secluded one featuring just Xenk as he runs into some thieving gnomes that have a valid reason to be stealing.

I enjoyed both stories and it’s pretty cool to start to get to know the characters before the movie rendition of them. I’ve never played dungeons and dragons but what I gather from it is adventures and found family. This pretty much validates that. They are filled with tropes from other fantasy elements, but it has fun nonetheless. You grow to love the archetypes of these thieves, whether it’s the barbarian, the mage, or even the bard. They’re fleshed out a bit and is just an overall joyful romp.

The art is strong and concise. The facial expressions well drawn and the action scenes have a cool flair to them. Also, the shading is very well balanced in dark scenes. It gives a good contrast to indoor places and different lighting in a given location. Lends to the atmosphere of the adventure very well.

[James T · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the art. The stories not as much. I like Xenk’s a bit more but I’m a sucker for Illithids.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

There were two stories within this volume. Both were good, but the second story, "Xenk and the Helmet of Disjunction", was a little better (in my opinion).
It is a prequel to the movie starring Chris Pine.

[Andy Dainty · Rating 2 out of 5]

Prequel?! The blurb on the back says to read this before watching the film. That would suggest it actually tried introducing the characters, but the only character to get anything like an origin story was Xenk in a mini-story (effectively a one-shot) at the back of the book. Presumably the true prequel can be found in The Road To Neverwinter. Maybe some of the bad guys or macguffins will turn up in the film (as advised on the back of the book, I am yet to see the film.)
The stories included are run of the mill stuff and the book does go some way to showing the team dynamic, but I'm hoping the film is better and funnier than this book.
Also of note the paper quality in my edition was very good, to the point that the book looks like it has more pages than it really does. Don't be fooled, I read both stories very quickly.

[Tyler Jenkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun prequel. I’ll find out next week if it was important to read this before the movie though. But this was a fun read and felt like a little D&D team doing a fun campaign with each member having their own personalities and flaws. I’m halfway through one of the actual novels about a character who doesn’t appear here and I’m really liking it. Hopefully I can finish it and the other in the next week. The two stories here are really only worth a read if you plan on seeing the movie I would say.

[Micah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly? The main story feels half-assed. In some instances I felt like there were missing panels because the next one seemed to be too far of a jump. I'm not sure I've ever had that feeling when reading a comic before? Really strange feeling.

I get that it's a short graphic novel but the characters aren't that well developed. I get the impression that they expect you to read the prequel novel and watch the movie and you fill in the blanks from there, instead of giving us a more complete story. A more traditional 5 or 6 comic arc compiled in a trade would feel more satisfying.

Whereas the prequel novel Journey to Neverwinter actually feels like it might be referenced from (and the novel featuring the character Doric, The Druid's Call), The Feast of the Moon feels like it will be completely separate, almost like a fan fiction. I mean, they didn't really bother making the characters look like the movie actors. Whatever other novels and movies and what have you will be linked to Chris Pine and the other actors likenesses because for all intents and purposes, the movie came first. Imagine reading a Star Trek comic with Captain Picard but he doesn't look like Patrick Stewart. It feels like a bizarre choice.

With that being said, I like the art quite a bit. Facial expressions are well done. The monsters and bandits look really cool. The scene with the dwarven family and the effigy got a little bit of a chuckle out of me. The art gets no complaints from me, I just wish the story was better.

However, the bonus story featuring the paladin Xenk was great. A complete little adventure in just 20 pages. This really bumped up my enjoyment of this book. Had this been six single issue comics with separate stories highlighting a single character each, this would have been a home run.

[Richard Winters · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves – The Feast of the Moon
Written by Ellen Boener, Jeremy Lambert, Guillermo Sanna (Artist)
97 pages
Release Date: September March 8, 2023 by IDW
3/5 Stars
This is an exciting time for any true Dungeons and Dragons fan: a new movie (that is actually good), new books, merchandise, D&D Beyond. Unfortunately, with so much coming at fans, not everything can be great. And yes, this graphic novel fell into that category.
I will start by saying this is, in no way, the fault of the actual artist. The artistry of the graphic novel is excellent, especially the second story in the book. Obviously choices were made with storyline and how some things were going to look and this normally does not fall on the artist in the story.
Knowing this was going to be a prequel and providing some information for the movie, I was excited to read about our heroes and the dynamics that existed and helped create who they were by the time we met them. Unfortunately, too much of that felt forced in this actual story that featured them. The fighting between Edgin and his daughter was not explored enough to be an actual story, just given hints at to where the reader would not understand it and, if you have a daughter at all, you will know that is not how their disagreements would have gone down. The story was too quick, with too many jumps and too little explained, leaving the reader feeling lost in a story that is suppose to help explain things for the movie.
Lastly, I will say I was disappointed to see how the characters do not resemble their movie counterparts. This was a specific choice that was made and I do not understand why, as, again, this is suppose to be a direct prequel to the film.
Overall, while the story does tie and you can see it, the writing left a lot to be desired. On the upside, the artistry is great and worth taking a look at.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was enjoyable enough, but it feels like my opinion of it is going to be largely shaped by how i end up feeling about the movie? which, y’know, everything i’ve seen so far seems to be pointing in an optimistic direction. i just want to be clear that my reactions here are largely influenced by the fact that i’m reading this tendays before seeing the movie, and the comic is in this context serving primarily to whet my appetite for what i’m hoping will be the enjoyable feast yet to come.

what i mainly got out of this comic is that, like a lot of the trailers for the movie proper, it seems to “get” d&d in a way that previous attempts at bringing it to the screen have most certainly not. the story was enjoyable enough on its own, and it fleshed out the party dynamic that we’ve already seen a bit of in the trailers. apart from that, though, it’s a bit too paint by numbers for me to have any truly strong feelings about it, positive or negative.

[Francisco · Rating 3 out of 5]

A comic tie-in Prequel to the Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves film of last year (it's a great fun movie, go watch it), this slim volume contains a couple of stories, one longer and another shorter, which help flesh out the characters from the movie and are pretty fun.

In the first and longer story, familiar characters get pit against a Bandit King that has been terrorizing the people of the local town, but in very typical D&D fashion the mundane threat of the Bandit King is only an appetizer to more eldritch evils underneath.

The second story covers Xenk, the Paladin character from the movie, as he goes on a trip through the Underdark. The stories are not particularly memorable but are still entertaining and the art is good throughout. Worth getting if you love the movie or, if like me, you are a bit of a completist.

[Juho Pohjalainen · Rating 2 out of 5]

The movie was pretty good - a surprisingly faithful adaptation with good acting and great jokes and a bunch of references to the actual game, really feeling like they were a bunch of geeks playing it out around a tabletop. Highly recommended.

This prequel comic, though... pretty much the definition of Goodreads "It was okay" two stars. Nothing remarkable, not much in terms of jokes, neither art nor story was anything to write home about - but nothing was terribly wrong with it either.

Except maybe a paladin challenging someone to a duel, only to reveal he didn't go in alone. Such dishonour! Shameful display!

[Leensey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finally got round to the main story! Haha.

I love this crew a lot, large in part thanks to the movie. Having seen that before getting into this really adds to my enjoyment of it.

That said, I will confess these aren't the best stories out there. They are quite surface level, but they are good prequel setups to some threads that the film picks up on.

I think my biggest disappointment right now is that I want more of these short form, mini fun adventures with this cast of characters, but because the movie didn't perform as well, I doubt I'll be seeing these chaotic band of misfits ever again. It's bittersweet, really.

[Vail Chester · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not that I could gather what Forge's role in the party was in the movie either, but here he's pretty much completely out of the action too so I still don't know.

Regardless, a fun lil story about how Chris Pine's character still skews towards Neutral Good as he tries to save a village from bandits that are taking all the poor townspeople have. Simple story, minor twist, and the resolution seemed a little too easy but whatever. Prequel comic can't have too high a stakes cuz the movie proper's events need to happen.

Also a side story about Xenk the Paladin that's pretty nifty as he saves underground gnomes from being mind controlled by a giant brain in a jar.

[Khunut · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves: The Feast of the Moon is an exciting adventure book that offers a thrilling and immersive experience to players. The story is well-written, with engaging characters, interesting plot twists, and a good ending. The gameplay is challenging and balanced, with plenty of opportunities for roleplaying and combat. The module is also beautifully designed, with high-quality artwork and maps that enhance the immersion of the game. I would recommend this to a friend that likes video games or adventure type.

[Chad · Rating 2 out of 5]

Even though this is a prequel, definitely watch the movie first. It's a blast. Even the wife liked it and she knows zilch about gaming. I played growing up and there's a ton of Easter Eggs in there for those of us who know what to look for.

The prequel is fine. It's about the group from the movie saving a town from bandits. There's also a backup story that introduces Xenk that's not very good. The art is serviceable. If I hadn't watched the movie first though, I wouldn't have known who was who. The likenesses don't look all that much alike.

[Joey Nardinelli · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was fine -- didn't really meaningfully set up the movie or do much to establish anything particularly interesting about the characters and their roles prior to the film. Literally as I'm typing this, I think I'm knocking this from 3 to 2 stars! The art is fine (though I'd say it's also pretty forgettable).

One of these days, I'm going to learn that reading film and video game tie-in content isn't generally worth my time, and doing so for the few gems among all the piles of...not gems...just isn't a very good use of my time.

[Lasse Carlsson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The art is really nothing to write home about but quite well written and simple entertaining stories about characters I really like. The Feast of The Moon has many twists and turns - feels a lot like good DnD session, really - and Xenk and the Helmet of Conjunction is a piece of good action with mindflayers, deep gnomes and our favourite unironic badass paladin. Not fantastic and I'd still much recommend you watch the movie beforehand, but as a big fan of Edgin & co. who is really sad that Honor Among Thieves won't be getting a sequel, I was definitely pleased.

[Ren · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is really interesting, and a great setup for the movie, but there's something somewhat off-putting about the art to me. I understand they're trying to get a good resemblance of the actors but there are points where it definitely looks a little uncanny valley. All in all, though, it's pretty fun! Almost like a little one-shot campaign, I love how they fit the lore and the feeling of D&D into these.

[Adam Barrett · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wow, this prequel is utter crap! It is very poorly written. I had no clue what any of the characters were talking about for the first 8 pages or so. It's like the writer thinks you are inside hs head and you get all of his jokes. Isn't funny nor entertaining.
The bonus paladin story is the only thing that kept this from a 1 star review, although I still don't understand the importance of the helm. Kinda lame all the way around. It's sub-par work like this that actually gives D&D a bad name.

[Christopher Herrig · Rating 3 out of 5]

These are two prequel stories set before the events of the D n D movie. The first is a tale about the movie characters' early exploits as a team. The second story fills in some background about Xenk the paladin, an adventure in the Underdark, and a key magic item. This was my favorite story of the two, as Xenk's character in the movie cracked me up. Both were fun and could even inspire plot hooks for the tabletop game!

[John Driscoll · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was fine. I haven't read the other prequel novels to the forthcoming movie so I don't know how it fits with those. I will say the story isn't particularly memorable, and I didn't realize the one character is supposed to be Chris Pine's character in the movie until I saw the art at the end. The art in the story really doesn't look like him at all.

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pair of stories that are preludes for characters in Honor Among Thieves. They're perfectly OK stories, though I feel like the vast majority of characters remain ciphers, with the exceptions of Edgin and Xenk. There's at least one fun twist in the main storyline, but otherwise these stories are pretty unsurprising. (The Xenk story is the better of the two, but also much shorter.)