Comic Review: Dragon Age: Blue Wraith #1

Dragon Age: Blue Wraith #1

Dark Horse Comics

Writers: Nunzio DeFilippis, Christina Weir

Artists: Fernando Heinz Furukawa & Michael Atiyeh

Video Game tie-ins in comic books rarely do exceptionally well. While there are a few exceptions, most of the worlds of video games rely on a certain amount of interaction to get the full experience. Most mediums don’t translate well to others, and that’s okay. With all of that in mind, I had low expectations for Dragon Age: Blue Wraith despite being a decent fan of the Dragon Age franchise.

Dragon Age: Blue Wraith ties in with Dragon Age II, giving the spotlight to a fan-favorite character in a not-so-popular entry. Blue Wraith takes a look at some of Fenris’ actions following the events at Kirkwall, though this first issue doesn’t dedicate too many panels to the elf. Instead, readers are introduced to a new character in this issue. A young, powerful mage takes center stage in Nunzio DeFilippis and Christina Weir’s script.

The new character is interesting and is a welcome addition to the Dragon Age’s eclectic cast. She is relatable, powerful, and easy to cheer for. Outside of her though, there isn’t much in Dragon Age: Blue Wraith to write home about. The dialogue is somewhat stiff and the rest of the cast is weak and uninteresting. For those who aren’t too interested in the franchise, there isn’t actually anything here worth checking out. The only positive here for those who don’t know anything about Dragon Age is the presence of a strong woman as a protagonist. Fans of the series will enjoy having the world fleshed out a bit more, but this is far from being an essential read.

Fernando Heinz Furukawa’s art goes well with the theme, creating a vivid and bright fantasy world for the characters to live. There are some inconsistencies in a few of the faces, but this is overall a good-looking comic book. Furukawa’s art is brought to life by Atiyeh’s colors, which add depth to the work. Nothing in Blue Wraith looks bland as Atiyeh avoids muddy shades, making sure nothing in this issue looks generic.

Dragon Age: Blue Wraith #1 isn’t an essential read by any means, but might scratch an itch for Dragon Age fans. Just don’t go into this expecting any major moments that will shape the future of the series, at least not yet.