Comics
Review: Dragon Age, The Silent Grove #1
Prior to a civil war brought on by the Fifth Blight that tore the nation of Ferelden in two, King Cailan sat the throne but then he took an arrow in the knee… Well something like that. But either way, he perished, and his brother Alistair Theririn took the crown, and saved his kingdom from the darkspawn, bringing peace to the land! Unfortunately, peace only lasts while someone else is planning a new war; which brings us to Dark Horses new digital exclusive title Dragon Age, The Silent Grove. Read on for the skinny…
WRITTEN BY: Alexander Freed, David Gaider
ILLUSTRATIONS BY: Chad Hardin
PUBLISHER: Dark Horse
RELEASE: Out Now!
“From the lead writer of BioWare’s Dragon Age games comes this original six-part story, available exclusively from the Dark Horse Digital Store!
It’s unusual for a king to embark on a dangerous quest himself rather than send an emissary, but King Alistair Therein has caught wind of a rumor big enough, and personal enough, that he is compelled to investigate—though not alone. With deadly, wisecracking mercenaries Isabella and Varric by his side, Alistair travels to a city of assassins to learn the truth about his kingdom and his own reign!”
King Alistair comes to Antiva, a city that is the playground for an elite assassin group known as Crows. Being a king, naturally, Alistair is not stupid enough to travel alone, and after some beautifully laid out sword play scenes we are introduced to his two faithful companions; a dwarf, Varric, and a dangerous pirate, Isabela. The trio find that someone has prepared for their arrival with deadly traps. Uh oh.
Right away I knew I would enjoy this story, being the fantasy buff that I am; swords, dwarven crossbows and conspiracy plots against a kingdom, yep, I’m sold! This story reminds me of my days reading the Dungeons and Dragons or Forgotten Realms novels, probably because The Silent Grove is based off the popular Dragon Age video game series. Alexander Freed infuses the script with sarcastic humor and it fits well within the context of the story. There’s a certain tendency in fantasy to take the subject matter a bit too seriously, however, Freed does a fantastic job of balancing action, fantasy, and comic relief.
As for Chard Hardin’s artwork, it’s a bit cartoony, but ain’t nothing wrong with that. It submerses the reader into the atmosphere fully and pops right off the page (or screen, considering it’s digital only).
All and all, anyone who is a fan of the fantasy genre should give this book a shot. It’s available exclusively at Dark Horse Digital and it’s only 99 coins! Besides, anything with “dragon” in the title is okay by me.
4/5 Skulls
The supernatural world of Korean folk horror movie Exhuma grows larger with the arrival of prequel spinoff webtoon Maengjong this weekend, Variety reports today.
Naver Webtoon debuts Maengjong on May 30.
The series hails from Haemuri (Olgami) and will trace the high school origins of how shaman duo Hwarim and Bonggil, played by Kim Go-eun and Lee Do-hyun in the 2024 film, came together to face occultish threats.
The story is set to begin when “Hwarim, who has been concealing her identity following a childhood encounter with a snake spirit called Jin, crosses paths with Bonggil at their school.”
Variety notes that Exhuma director Jang Jae-hyun participated in the project’s early concept stage.
“We are presenting ‘Maengjong,’ a new series capturing the appeal of the horror-occult genre, ahead of the full summer season,” said Lee Jeong-geun, Naver Webtoon’s Korea webtoon content leader. “With the high school story of Hwarim and Bonggil, who left a strong impression in the film ‘Exhuma,’ enhanced by Haemuri’s characteristic tense direction, we expect it will be a welcome work for genre fans.”
“It is meaningful that the spin-off story of ‘Exhuma,’ loved by many audiences, expands by meeting the new grammar of webtoon,” said Lee Hyeon-jeong, managing director of the film business division at Showbox, which distributed the film. “We hope it will be a fresh experience for both film fans and webtoon readers.”
Exhuma was a breakout hit in 2024, becoming the first Korean occult film to surpass 10 million ticket buyers and the country’s highest-grossing film of the year. I wrote in my review that “the intricately woven Exhuma delivers one of the year’s biggest surprises in horror so far.”
The bond between Hwarim and Bonggil was one of the film’s highlights, making this prequel webtoon a must for fans.
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