D&D comics history part 26 - Dragonlance Legends (DDP)

In 2008, DDP started to publish their final series based on D&D universe :

Dragonlance Legends 

Following the books by Weis & Hickman, the plot takes place after the Dragonlance Chronicles. DDP was only able to produced the first 3 issues due to their financial problems. These have been compiled in a TPB version (november 2008) under the same name of the first novel : Time of the Twins.

As for the Chronicles, the apdatation is done by Andrew Dabb.

Pencils by David Cole, colors by Adam Chong & Et Cetera and lettering by Crank! & Charles Pritchett.

When the novel was kinda dark, depicting the events that will lead the Majere brothers to fight eachother to decide the future of their world, I have to say that I was somehow disappointed in the art treatment reserved to such a story. Some pages seem to be colored draft, considering the corpses & faces' proportions or their "flatness" and what to say about the facial expressions... erf... well... it's not a really good graphic novel adaptation according to my tastes...

But on other hand, it's not the worst D&D-licenced graphic novel I read... we could have just hoped that another team would have taken in charge the graphics of the following issues... anyway, that was the last TPB of the D&D adventure that DDP ever published and we can imagine the quality is as good as the time & money they were willing to give to the artists... 

-_-;

D&D comics history part 23 - Dragonlance Chronicles (DDP)

In parallel of the publication of The Legend of Drizzt, DPP started to release in late 2005 the Dragonlance Chronicles. The story, based on the trilogy of the same name by famous writers Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman is adapted here by Andrew Dabb.

An adaptation of the story in comics has been already done in late 80's under the title "The Dragonlance Saga". But when the DC graphic novels covered the 2 first volumes of the trilogy, DDP fully released the whole story in a total of 24 issues. (that went out with 2 different covers according to DDP policy)

DDP will later release 4 TPB for the whole serie :

Dragons of Autumn Twilight (combining 8 issues), Dragons of Winter Night (4 issues), Dragons of Spring Dawning part 1 (6 issues) and part 2 (6 issues also). 

Note that this serie also will be translated into french and published under TPB by Milady.

First volume is mainly done by Steve Kurth (except the 6th issue by Stefano Raffaele), as well as second one. The visual changes in art from a chapter to another come mainly from the inkers' styles imo. 

 by S.Kurth                                             by S.Raffaele

Then S.Kurth abandoned DDP for Marvel and a bunch of artists were recruited to draw the 2 parts-3rd volume of the serie.

Julius M.Gopez will work on issues 1, 2, 5 & 9, Mariano de la Torre on 3rd one, Pere Perez on issues 4, 6, 8, 10, 11 & 12 and Oscar Jimenez on 7th one.

The styles are very different from an issue to another in the last 2 volumes and

the reader could easily get disappointed jumping from a chapter to the next...

This is obviously the result of DDP's catastrophic money management... Kurth was doing a really great job but noone can t bear a grudge against him to have migrated to better horizons...

by M.De La Torre                       by J.M Gopez                       by P.Perez     

But even, imo, the serie in its whole is still a must-to-have.

I personaly just regret that artists Pere Perez and Mariano De La Torre worked on the serie as their styles, bit too simplistic and far too "clean" compared to other ones do not fit the rest of the work... but well... what has been done s been done heh...

At least DDP managed to finish this trilogy and started the following one : Dragonlance Legends.

O_o

D&D comics history part 22 - The Legend of Drizzt (DDP)

In 2005, DDP (Devil's Due Publishing), who just acquired the D&D license, started publishing comics based on Forgotten Realms settings : The legend of Drizzt.

Book I - VII (TPB) + Book VIII first issue covers

Based on the famous novels written by the even more famous R.A.Salvatore, the comics cover entirely the 2 first trilogies (Homeland, Exile, Sojourn / The Crystal Shard, Streams of Silver, The Halfling's Gem) and partially the third one (Legacy, Starless Night) depicting the adventures of the drow hero Drizzt Do'Urden.

Due to some extremely bad financial management, DDP has been known for not paying (in time or even at all...) the authors, accumulating a debt of thousands of bucks to the creators. The publisher being unable to fix the situation, WOTC (Hasbro) decided to cancel the agreement they had with DDP in 2008.

As a result, the story ended in the mainstream, after the first issue of book VIII (issue n°22) has been released.

This is a very sad money story (pleonasm ? :P) as DDP's D&D licensed comics are just amazing. Instead of creating new stories based on D&D universe, the authors decided to adapt the most famous D&D novels ever published. As well, they will start in 2006 the adaptation of the excellent Dragonlance Chronicles.
In addition, the artists chosen are more than great.

Andrew Dabb will be in charge of the whole serie's script.
Major artist is Tim Seeley who will work on books 1,2,3,6 and 7 (in collaboration with Rob Atkins on this last volume). Books 4 and 5 will be drawn by Val Semeiks and first issue of book 8 by Juanfran Moyano.

Book II Chapter III             Book IV Chapter I             Book VI Chapter II

The whole serie is really inspired by Tim Seeley's style, which is just excellent and perfectly fitting the settings. The drows and other creatures are beautiful imo - we re far from the 90's novels covers art - the inking too is just perfect.

Plus, a bunch of artists worked on the comics covers. And DDP were releasing 2 different covers for the same issue. (I didn t get all the single comics, unwilling to give away piles of bucks... prefering to buy the TPB versions - the A & B covers arts of each issue being included in the end pages)

Each book (or TPB tho) is a compilation of 3 issues (then called chapters).
Hardcover omnibus (assembling 3 books in 1 - so 9 issues) also exist.

Notice also that this D&D comics serie is the first one ever translated into french ! (that had to be said :P). The french publisher is Milady, which is also in charge of re-editing the Forgotten Realms and Dragonlance novels (with new translations and integral text, which was not the case with the previous releases)

This serie is a must-to-have for any Drizzt or Forgotten Realms addict...
And even for those who would have no idea about who is Drizzt or even what is D&D... if you like fantasy & comics, you ll like it.