While Dungeons & Dragons continues to be acclaimed by gamers, it took the movie A Thief's Honor to bring more than manuals and figurines to the market. So can fans of the famous RPG enjoy the Eclipsed Wish comic book ?
Journey to Moonshae
In Eclipsed Wish, we embark on a journey with a group of adventurers. They form a harmonious team, ready to jump into the fire behind them. They roam the Forgotten Realms seeking both fortune and fame. However, things don’t always go according to plan. Young Helene makes a wish that will affect the fate of her friends. Thanks to the time jumps and the telling of what was and what is, we can see how the companions grow into real heroes, gain new abilities and finally face a fight that will decide the fate of themselves, but also of the Moonshae Islands.
Time keeps chasing us…
As a fan and active Dungeons & Dragons player , I had really high expectations for Eclipsed Wish . The more that I had already dealt with comics published years ago by ISA and they were quite good. I also reached for The Legends of Baldur’s Gate , which appeared on our market at the same time as the discussed volume, and this title really delighted me. I was sure that a great adventure in Faerun awaited me this time as well. However, that did not happen. You can’t say that the story created by B. Dave Walters is bad, but I personally rate it as mediocre at best. Perhaps it’s the fault of comparing it to other D&D albums, but it’s normal that we usually juxtapose titles set in the same world. The author, above all, tried to get a more serious overtone and a heavier atmosphere here, and probably most of them reached for Eclipsed Wish , hoping for a much looser adventure. But that’s not the problem. Perhaps a less trivial topic than the usual dragon slaying, I would like it more if the creator was given a little more time and could develop everything more. Meanwhile, it had to fit on about 120 pages, which left no room to present everything he would like. This creates chaos in the story and the characters are dull. Yes, Walters is trying to show us the relationship between them, but this art definitely doesn’t work out and it’s hard to get more attached to the characters. In fact, the most memorable is the representative of the kenku breed – Solivigant. Except that he is a supporting character, so he plays the role of the group’s helper, but he should not be the leader here. Yet another problem with the title is the author’s lack of adherence to his own vision. As I mentioned, we have here an attempt to present a serious matter, and meanwhile every now and then there are jokes and gambles that would certainly appeal to younger readers. So it’s not clear who this comic is intended for. The plot twist and the ending deserve praise, but it’s not enough to keep the reader in the chair.
Something is missing here
Tess Fowler is responsible for the graphic design of the comic. The artist is certainly to be appreciated for the detailed depiction of the character. Thanks to the characteristic features, we will not get lost and easily recognize who is who. And this is important because there are many time jumps, during which we see younger and older versions of the main characters. There is also a lot of dynamism here, which is necessary during numerous fight scenes. From the frames you can even hear the clash of weapons and the sound of spells being cast. Unfortunately, the cartoonist also made mistakes. In many places, the background is simply missing. We get focus on the characters, and behind them there is even emptiness. Sure, sometimes we need such frames to better reflect the situation and emotions of the characters, but here there are too many of them. And again I have to compare the position toLegends of Baldur’s Gate , where the famous city is presented in a beautiful way, and the reader can be transported to the streets and feel the adventure even better. Here, there was no such treatment, which greatly spoiled the atmosphere and did not allow the recipient to visit the Moonshae Islands.
Something for the fans
As for the release, here Egmont made an interesting nod to the players. Anyone who has had the opportunity to play the 5th edition of Dungeons & Dragons will certainly appreciate the addition at the end of the album. There are written out Character Cards of all the main characters of the comic. Moreover, we can trace what they would look like at level 2 and 20. This is really a very nice curiosity that is worth paying attention to. In addition, we also get a few sketches and a gallery of covers that often look better than the frames posted in the album. I also personally noticed the inclusion of a short prayer to Corellon Larathien. It’s great that we have this type of flavor here, although, unfortunately, someone who does not follow the history of Faerûn or did not play the follower of the god of elves will simply overlook it.
I came, I saw, I put down
Unfortunately, the story told in Eclipsed Wish didn’t grab me. At times I found myself reading, thinking completely beyond the Forgotten Realms or turning the pages, waiting to get to the end. Yes, there are some good moments and twists and turns, but overall it’s hard to get sucked into the adventure. Maybe if the author had been given more space to develop the idea, everything would have looked better. The visuals are better than the script, but also fall short of something that deserves more praise. The edition, in turn, was adapted to people playing Dungeons & Dragons , so not everyone will appreciate it either. What I’m glad about is that it’s a one-shot that I can put on the shelf now and go back to Minsc, Boo and Baldur’s Gate!
