DRAGON AGE: THE MISSING #1/ Story by GEORGE MANN/ Art by KIERAN MCKEOWN/ Colors by MICHAEL ATIYEH/ Letters by NATE PIEKOS OF BLAMBOT/ Cover by MATT TAYLOR/ Published by DARK HORSE COMICS

The elven mage Solas has disappeared into the abandoned Deep Roads beneath Marnas Pell. His former companions, Viscount Varric Tethras and the scout Lace Harding, have been dispatched by the Inqusition to find him. Joining forces with the Grey Wardens Antoine and Evka Ivo, the two have also agreed to help investigate the disappearance of many citizens and the rumors of Darkspawn being sighted under the city…

Despite a love of fantasy RPGs, I’ve yet to play any of the Dragon Age games. (They’re on the long list of games I bought during a Steam sale that I will get to someday. Really!) As such, I can’t vouch for how well Dragon Age: The Missing captures the spirit of the setting or the characters portrayed in this issue, all of whom appeared in previous games or in short stories inspired by the games. I can say, however, that this comic did make me think I should give the games a shot sooner rather than later.

George Mann (Doctor Who: The Twelfth Doctor) writes a ripping yarn and establishes the story well enough, though there’s little to distinguish the characters from the usual fantasy hero tropes. I suspect this is because it is presumed anyone reading this comic will already be familiar them. The artwork by Kieran McKeown is wonderful, and well served by the fantastic colors of Michael Atiyeh. The lighting effects used in the dungeon scenes are of particular note, with a glow that looks like real fire-light effusing every panel with a torch in it. Fantasy fans who have yet to explore the Dragon Age setting would do well to check this book out.

Dragon Age: The Missing #1 releases on January 25, 2023.