The Journal of the Lincoln Heights Literary Society
Miscellanea and Ephemeron
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03/27/2005 Archived Entry: "Manga review: Warcraft"
Warcraft: The Sunwell Trilogy Vol 1. Dragon Hunt
by Richard A. Knaak & Jae-Hwan Kim
Published by TOKYOPOP
Review by Tom Good
If you play World of Warcraft online, congratulations on logging out long enough to read this review. If you have not played this amazing game, it is a multiplayer online RPG set in a detailed fantasy world, and I highly recommend it. Though it contains many standard fantasy elements such as Elves, Dwarves, Trolls and Orcs, it also has some interesting twists. For example, though swords and sorcery are the standard means of combat, gunpowder also exists in this world and primitive guns are fairly common. And the Orcs in Warcraft's world of Azeroth originated on another planet: the world of Draenor. There they were a noble, shamanistic people before being corrupted by a demon lord and brought to Azeroth. The eight-page introduction to this manga explains this and many other details, and provides an intriguing summary of the history and lore of Azeroth.
In the main story, though, a woman named Anveena discovers a wounded blue dragon who can also assume a rather handsome human form. She quickly becomes enamored of this dragon, Kalecgos -- even taking him home to meet her parents -- and risks her own safety to assist him. He is pursued by a band of hunters who work for a ruthless Elf named Dar'Khan. Dar'Khan wants the Sunwell, a lost source of Elven magic, and believes that Kalecgos knows its location. The story becomes more than just a series of fights and chases when Anveena and Kalecgos are joined by a female dragon who says she is Kalecgos' future mate, which creates a potential love triangle.
Warcraft fans will be delighted to see some familiar locations like the town of Tarren Mill appear in the story, and the art stays faithful to the general look of the game. My only complaint about the art is that it uses shading tones so much that after a while Azeroth starts to feel very grey and dimly lit. And though the dialogue works, it suffers from a lack of humor to balance out the serious plot. The World of Warcraft game contains numerous jokes and sly pop-culture references, but none of that is evident here. Still, for a first issue, this manga does a good job of setting the scene for what I hope will turn into a great story. If you are a World of Warcraft fan with an interest in the lore behind the game, this is a must-read.
The Wapshott Press
One of the best deals anywhere. (PromoCode HKB669)
Ontology on the go!
"Ontology on the Go!"
J LHLS mugs
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