Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins, Volume I

ByMatthew Mercer,Matthew Colville

2017

Ratings25

Average rating3.9

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Jamie RevellSupporter

How this comes across likely depends a lot on the reader's pre-existing familiarity with Vox Machina and its backstory. Taken on its own merits, it appears to be a straight retelling of a part of the original campaign. This works less effectively than volume 1 did, since there isn't that much of a story here - Grog gets possessed and the party goes on a quest to find the magic ingredients needed to cure him. And fight some monsters along the way and... yeah, that's pretty much it. What works in-game (and I'm sure it did) is less effective in a comic or similar format.

On the other hand, for those who are already fans, it's quite fun. There's some cheeky use of catchphrases, a name-check for a prominent NPC, and so on. The characters feel true to the originals and the artwork is good. The main pull is probably that it's here that Pike and Percy join the party (Tiberius also leaves, presumably not to return in the comic). With Percy, in particular, there are nods to his tragic backstory, although these are really easter eggs that are unlikely to be developed too much in future volumes, since the pay-off comes well after the "origins" period being covered.

And a lot of it's like that. I enjoyed it but, like any prequel, it relies a lot on what you know is coming later. One for the fans, but if you are a fan, it captures the feel of the original and it's fun seeing some of the story being established.

January 25, 2024