Review – A Darkened Wish
Review – A Darkened Wish
Publisher: IDW
Writer: B Dave Walters
Artist: Tess Fowler
Colourist: Jay Fotos
Letterer: Neil Uyetake and Tom B Long
Release Date: May 2020
IDW publishing and writer B Dave Walters bring us, A Darkened Wish, a five issue series set in the Forgotten Realms. B Dave Walters, also ran the D&D tabletop game of the same name which ran in parallel to the comic, filling in all the blanks between each issue. Definitely check that out too after reading the comics to truly see the characters become animated. The premise of Dungeons and Dragons is that the only limitation to adventure is your imagination and A Darkened Wish is no exception to this.
Writing
At the opening of the comic, the reader is transported to the middle of a battle in Alaron of the Moonshae Isles which is later revealed to be the homeland of protagonist Helene. With this opening we are then transported back to reveal the lead up to these events.
The night before her ascension, Helene leaves her family to pursue her dream of adventure with the White Sails company. She is joined by friends Aiden and Xander and meets the rest of her crew quite coincidentally on the same ship journeying to the same place.
As with most Dungeons and Dragons comics, there’s a real diversity within the party. The androgynous Karrin and Kerrin put a modern spin on the cleric class. However, where the characters excel, the narrative leaves a lot of unanswered questions. The storyline can be quite jumpy; there are a lot of flashbacks and a leap forward in time.
From a pirate ship to the streets of Moonshae, the setting for me was more engrossing than the story. The setting for the comic is the Forgotten Realms so for anyone who has read anything set there are some fun easter eggs to look out for. The story is ambitious for such a short comic and I don’t wholly think it reaches the potential it is capable of.
Review – A Darkened Wish continues below
Art
The cover art is magnificent and quirky. Tess Fowler is an incredible artist, even in black in white, as demonstrated at the back of the comic. The layering and the textures add a new dimension to characters such as Helene and Aiden.
The vivid colouring on the dragon and magic. The rest of the time the colours are muted and slightly dull. I can only assume this was done purposefully so as to not detract from Fowlers art work but if that was the case it has the adverse effect. As shown by the cover art which is coloured by Tamra Bonvillain which has richer colours.
Overall thoughts
If there is one thing I’ve learnt from reading Dungeons and Dragons comics its, ALWAYS read every page, even after the comic has finished. ADW is no exception, there are character sheets for each of our band of adventures from when they were young (level 2) to when they had grown (level 20). It’s a really clever addition and appeals to D&D fans- you can use these characters for your own campaign, pinch ideas you like, or simply just learn more about your favourite adventurers.
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