Here there be dragons… and demons, and one paladin who’s in way over his head.
Creative Staff
Writer/Artist: Richard A. Knaak and Jae-Hwan Kim
What They Say
In Warcraft: The Sunwell Trilogy, a good-natured but brash blue dragon, Tyrygosa, and the human Jorad Mace, a paladin struggling to reconnect with the Light, emerged victorious in the Ghostlands after ending the undead Scourge’s quest to obtain the Sunwell’s potent energies. Yet as arduous as that task was, Tyri and Jorad’s journey is far from over. Both are drawn into the Dark Portal and transported to the shattered world of Outland, where they encounter a group of enigmatic creatures unlike any they have ever seen: the incorporeal nether dragons. Observing everything is the ruthless Ragnok Bloodreaver, one of the original death knights created prior to the Second War. This undead terror has dark plans for the nether dragons, and if his agenda comes to pass, all of Outland, including Tyri and Jorad, will suffer.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Tokyopop continues with their World of Warcraft, manga-style, releases with the Shadow Wing storyline. “The Dragons of Outland” is the first in this follow-up trilogy to the Sunwell Trilogy. Jorad and Tyrygosa return to continue in their part in endless battles of Azeroth.
I might be at a disadvantage, not having read the previous trilogy, but the lengthy summary on the back cover gave me enough background to know what was going on. Checking online sources, Jorad and Tyri show up in the game as quest givers, so the events in these books serve not only to entertain on their own but elaborate on source material.
Jorad is a paladin who has lost his link to the light and is desperate to redeem himself, so he heads into the Outlands with the force’s forefront. Jorad might be a nice guy and competent warrior, but he’s a terrible soldier. He essentially deserts his post to deliver an urgent message to an outpost, which is also forgotten once he comes under attack deep in the Outlands.
His unexpected savior is Tyri. She is something of an enigma; a haughty dragoness who has her own hidden motives in coming to the shattered world of the Outlands. The two former colleagues are off again to deliver that urgent message, but then the discovery of ethereal nether dragons and the strange Broken set them on an entirely different path.
Spending much of the story being captured, freed, recaptured and freed again (repeat), the two fighters end up forging alliances with both nether dragons and the Broken, while trying to discover a violent force working against them.
Tyri is reckless in her pursuit of the strange force she feels coming from the nether dragons, which leads Jorad and their new allies into dangerous territory. Jorad goes along with her whims, not just because she is an extremely powerful blue dragon, but because he’s attracted to her despite knowing that anything more than friendship could never work. I’m surprised Jorad trusts her so much, given that she constantly flies into fits of conceited rage, not to mention the fact that her true dragon form is massive and terrifying.
Separated, once again, by the closing chapter of volume one, Tyri makes a discovery about the nether dragons which seems to confirm her worst fear, while Jorad, after surviving several battles with the forces of the mysterious Ragnok, and regaining his paladin powers, learns that Ragnok is marching his forces towards the portal and the armies of Azeroth.
In Summary
This isn’t a good place to start an education in all things Warcraft. For fans of the games and readers who enjoyed the Sunwell Trilogy, “Dragons of Outland” is a solid start to a new adventure. Everyone else might want to start with a story with less exposition, even if most of what happens here isn’t particularly complicated the ending carries far more weight for those already familiar with Warcraft lore. As a standalone fantasy, it’s average, with solid action that is adequate but not very gripping. Here’s hoping the next volume will up the stakes.
Content Grade: B
Art Grade: B+
Packaging Grade: B
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: TOKYOPOP
Release Date: June 1st, 2010
MSRP: $12.99