Nodwick Chronicles II, The :
Of Gods And Henchmen
by Aaron Williams
Comic Trade Paperback (SC, 7x10, 160 pages)
ISBN: 1-930964-81-1
Dork Storm Press, $16
Nodwick Chronicles Volume II is a collection of Nodwick issues 7-12, a comic book that following the life of a henchman and his so-called loyal group of employers.
This collection of Nodwick comic books revolves around the dangerous life of a particular henchman, Nodwick, who is employed by three adventurers. There is Yeager, an 8th level fighter, whose never ending search for wealth is always getting Nodwick into deadly trouble. Piffany, the group’s 8th level cleric, is a cute little character who is as Lawful Good as any person could hope to be. Last of the group is Artax, a 7th level mage, who is always on the lookout for new magic and riches.
The comic Nodwick has been out for some years now, and I find it to be a rather wonderful and refreshing change from other comics on the market. The characters that Aaron Williams has created seem all too real and their adventures are entertaining in a way that no other current fantasy creator has been able to equal (at least in my book). Knights of the Dinner Table pales in comparison to Nodwick. This book and its associated comics are a delight to read, and have interesting and unique story plots that just shine from Aaron’s creative genius. Those of you who read Dragon Magazine know what I’m talking about here, as the comic book is just as good and even better than what Wizards used to print in their magazine.
The stories in this particular collection range from a fight against an evil god with a lisp to the group re-exploring their first dungeon after it has been repopulated by monsters. The stories are quite funny and have a depth of imagination that just makes them come to life. My favorite part of this collection is a magical device that looks like a Newton Messagepad (Apple Computer’s first handheld) that Nodwick finds and uses to cast spells stored in it by its previous spellcasting owner. The comic is just outrageous and funny, what with the main story and all the other silly stuff, including some rather cool crossovers from Phil Foglio, John Kovalic and Scott Kurtz.
It’s really hard to go into too much detail on this book without ruining the fun of reading it yourself. All I can say is if you are a role-playing person, you’ll get a blast out of reading this book (and the first volume too, which I didn’t think was quite as good as this one). Go and buy a copy for yourself for Xmas, or put it on you list for another to buy for you!
(review (c) November 2002 / David Flemming)