While WOTC gave D&D licensed to Kenzer & Co from 2000 to 2004, Iron Hammer Graphics too was allowed to publish in 2002 :
Vecna - Hand of the Revenant.
This comic is a real masterpiece. As for the topic chosen, the writing or the graphic style used.
Plus, as any collection masterpiece, it s rarity adds to the myth.
It took me 2 years to acquire it, having dedicated automatic search in ebay, Mile High Comics and other sites for this, and regulary checking google... (also, living on the old continent was not helping of course...)
I will not say how much it cost me when I finally found a copy on amazon for a reasonable - ergh - price... but just to say, when I started collecting D&D comics almost 3 years ago, the only one copy up for sale on the web was around 100 bucks. (shipping costs not included heh...)
Now, if i get some comment of some guy bragging about the fact he just got it for 1$ on ebay, i ll track his IP down, get his address and his family's, and hunt him and all his clan for a significant punishment !
This being said, let s go back to the comic... :P
It s a 64 pages trade paperback issue without any ISBN or other barcode on it.
This issue is entitled Book one - Blood & Fire. And indeed, the story is to be continued, sadly, as none will follow. Apparenlty it was planned to be a 6 books graphic novel.
Iron Hammer Graphics have released only a very few graphic novels. I tried to get more infos on this publisher but found almost nothing. (Tho, I did not spend a lot of time on this :P)
Anyway, Vecna - Hand of the Revenant is rare and good.
The story has been written by Modi Thorsson and art done by Kevin McCann.
It depicts the moment when Vecna, the High Magus Lich (one the most famous D&D villains ever) lost his (much more famous) left eye and hand (that will become poweful evil artifacts) being hit by the power of Pholtus (god of light) during the siege of the city of Fleeth.
Along the story, we have flashbacks of Vecna's human youth when he was being taught arcane arts by his mother, Mazzel.
I find the plot construction very smart as it immerse the reader in the two moments that will forge Vecna's fate.
If the author took some freedom with Vecna's story, they re not making big mistakes regarding what you can find about the guy in D&D modules and adventures.
There was, on the WOTC community forum a few years ago, some specialists' (and fanatics' imo :P) discussion about the correctness of the elements depicted in Hand of the Revenant. Sadly page is down since... [If any of you know/find a link to some record of this, I'll gladly add it here as it was really something ! :D]
Now about the art, the style is somehow uncommon but not unpleasant. Very dark as the story is in the end...
The only remark i could make is about the fonts used... some are really hell to read... ok, it s stylish but imo, the readability comes first... (especially when you re not born english-speaker :P)
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| ...SAVE THE HEADS ! |
Notice that, as well as in Kenzer & Co's publications, the authors made a graphic novel based on Greyhawk world. Coincidence ? o_O
Congrats on finding another piece to your collection. If I find one for 2 dollars I will buy it. Not taking my chances for less :P
ReplyDeleteI want to read this badly but there is no PDF copy of it online that Google can find. Am I out of luck?
ReplyDeleteHey Mannimark, thanks for passing by.
DeleteNo wonder considering 2 things, its rarity and the fact it is a fragile tpb. As you can see, I carefully managed to scan one page (which is at the beginning of the comic) but the "rigidity" and glue used is making the scanning complicated as one would probably not take the risk to damage an owned nice issue by folding it past a certain point.
Anyone know what the true value of this comic is worth? I have been trying to find out. I actually own a copy of it luckily and was just curious as to its value.
ReplyDeleteHeya BRad,
DeleteThanks for passing by. Well, that s a good question as it is really really rare to see one on sale. I would say 100$ at the very least. Now I believe it could very possibly sell for a higher price. (twice that ? more ??). The price would also depend on its condition of course.
Thanks for this page. I see one of these at an auction right now for $30 and was unsure how rare it was and whether I should get it. Great shape so now maybe I stay on it longer knowing the value in case I want to move it later
DeleteActually, I ended up buying it for $65 plus shipping. I hope that is a high enough price you don't come find and kill me
DeleteHeya Jeffrey,
DeleteGlad you could get it for a fair price. And yeah it s high enough ! :P
I think I got mine a decade ago for 50 bucks or so if I recall well without shipping costs so I think you got a good deal there especially considering the difficulty to get one.
Thanks for passing by btw ! :)
O_oV
I appreciate your writing this up. As a D&D fan, I didn't know about it so I am glad you had this here. I didn't want to pay too much so this helped. Now to sit and see how good it is. Thanks for the help.
ReplyDeleteI think this might have been me from last year but not sure. Maybe not but maybe so. I think it might have been.
ReplyDelete"BRad27 February, 2021 05:33
Anyone know what the true value of this comic is worth? I have been trying to find out. I actually own a copy of it luckily and was just curious as to its value."
My copy I got when they were released so I didn't pay much for it so I got it fairly cheap and have kept it in really good shape. I sure wish they would have finished this series up instead of cancelling it. I know this is pretty much Greyhawk but I also own all the other Forgotten Realms and Dungeons and Dragons comics along with the novels so my collection is pretty extensive with about 700+ novels and about 500 comics which also include the Warhammer fantasy series and some other fantasy series as well. But as to finding out a true value for this one book I have not found out for sure yet. I also have the two The Forbidden Sands of Anauroch which they also stopped at 2 which was also supposed to be a 6 book series as well but shows it was cancelled by 21st Century?? lol. Now that sounds weird to me.