Writer: Jim Zub
Artist: Jose Jaro
Colorist: Adam Guzowski
Letterer: Amauri Osorio
Cover Artists: Max Dunbar & Sebastian Cheng; Jose Jaro & Adam Guzowski; Carlos López
Publisher: IDW
Price: $3.99
Release Date: 11/15/23
An elf wakes up by a shelf. The cook in the Hooded Lantern Tavern doesn't take kindly to people emerging from her closet, so her patrons decide a little questioning is in order. Who is the elf, and what kind of trouble has he fallen into? Let’s roll the dice, open Dungeons & Dragons: Fortune Finder #1, and find out!
Story
Jim Zub’s story follows an amnesiac lost in Sigil. It’s a fun city to visit--filled with magical beings and portals to other realms--as our amnesiac elf will discover. If he can evade the drinkers menacing him with their weapons, that is! Jim’s elf may have lost his memory, but he remembers his ironic name. Finder may have a slow mind, but the elf has fast reflexes and nimble feet. Jim mines the inherent humor in Finder's situation as the elf makes a friend, discovers the wonders of Sigil, and stumbles into danger. Is Finder a musician, an adventurer, or a fool? If only the elf could remember!
Jim’s story draws inspiration from the new sourcebook Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse. But even if you’ve never played Dungeons & Dragons, you’ll enjoy Dungeons & Dragons: Fortune Finder #1. It’s an easygoing story that explains the city in simple terms and introduces a colorful cast. Two memorable characters include Notitia Never-Lost--who agrees to help Finder for a price--and Protitch, who claims to be his partner. As Jim's tale begins with danger, it ends with a threat to Finder's life. But in those final panels, Jim plants the seed of an intriguing mystery while uprooting a potential clue to Finder’s identity and how he arrived in Sigil.
Art
Tavern patrons come in all shapes and sizes, including one who looks like a lizard or a dinosaur. Once Finder leaves the Hooded Lantern, he encounters a medieval town. Buildings showcase different architectural styles, and streets suggest Sigil perches on a hillside. Jose Jaro populates this interdimensional city with warriors, demons, gods, dwarves, and an angelic deva who sips coffee from a china cup.
Adam Guzowski loads his palette with a spectrum of soft and appealing colors in Dungeons & Dragons: Fortune Finder #1. Foreground characters are colored lavender, buildings in beiges and tans, while pink tinges the air and birds-eye views. Characters stand out with vivid clarity in this magical realm, and nothing that happens in the dusty streets gets lost in gray.
Amauri Osorio places uppercase black letters in white dialogue balloons. Although the letters are thin, they’re large and rarely shrink. They frequently get italicized and grow bold for inflection. Amauri occasionally throws in a sound effect or gives a character white dialogue in a black balloon in Dungeons & Dragons: Fortune Finder #1. Amauri also reveals the elf's thoughts on strips of tan parchment.
Final Thoughts
Not for the faint of funny bone, Dungeons & Dragons: Fortune Finder #1 follows a mindwiped elf and a short girl with a big staff (and even bigger personality) through Sigil, a transit hub bursting with beings from any world readers might care to visit, and perhaps a few they wouldn’t!
Rating 9.2/10
To preview interior art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.
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