CRITICAL ROLE: VOX MACHINA ORIGINS SERIES II ISSUE 5 (COMIC REVIEW)
By: RogueSymbiote
Summary
Vox Machina splits the party in desperate hopes to save their dear friend Grog from an untimely demise. Team Nightmare consisting of Keyleth, Pike and Scanlan have made their way to a remote village seeking to complete their half of the quest. After some schmoozing by Scanlan, the party hears word of a man recently imprisoned for cult-related activity. Who is this mysterious man with the strange mechanical weapon? Will he have the answers our band of adventurers so desperately seek, or will they be led down the path of their own destruction? I guess you'll have to read issue 5 when it hits stores on February 19th!
Review
Vox Machina Origins has really hit it's stride with issue 5. The characters we all know and love from the podcast are perfectly represented in comic format. The captivating personalities, sense of dread and witty humor are all present and accounted for. It's difficult to effectively condense hours of content into 22 comic book pages, but somehow Jody Houser is able to do so. You know a writer has done well when the reader hears the coinciding actor's voice while reading their character's dialogue.
Olivia Samson's art is beautifully detailed with spot on representations of character emotion and demeanor. The only negative regarding the art, which is just personal preference on my part, is Keyleth's character design. She seems less visually dynamic than the other characters. That being said, there are some PHENOMENAL new character designs in this issue which more than make up for the minor issues I've mentioned.
With exciting new character introductions and a fast paced narrative, we're in store for some incredible issues. Whereas issue 1 felt like pure setup, we are now to the point where each issue contains well rounded, self-contained stories. It's difficult to not clamor for more when I'm so used to listening to Vox Machina's adventures for hours on end. Give me issue 6 already!
Vox Machina Origins Series II issue 5 will be available on February 19th. You can find your issue in comic shops at that time or preorder your copy by clicking the link right here!
Note: Dark Horse provided us with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.
