What we have here is some real treasure, and not that much for its rarity, but mainly for the fact that it's pretty well hidden to the D&D comics collectors. And if I didn't received a message a few ago from Purgossu, who spent some time to visit this blog, I tend to think I wouldn't have been aware of its existence for ages ! Great thanks to him for the precious info ! :)
In 1996, TSR released a Planescape box named Hellbound : The Blood War. Inside, along with manuals & guides you usually find in such box, was released a short comic strip entitled :
Hellbound - The Bargain
In parallel with the release of the box, The Bargain was also published in Dragon Magazine, issues 230 to 233, running from June to September 1996. Though, this release lacks the front & back covers as well as the credits page, which is somehow sad for the comics hunters as actually the box can be found at very expensive rates on the different selling sites when Dragon Magazine issues are still easily buyable at very cheap price. At the time I am writing these lines, I am actually waiting for the four D.M. to reach my letterbox... not really wanting to spend hundred(s) of bucks in an accessory box just to get a 16 pages comic ! o_O But well, knowing me... knowing you... [oops I abbaed XD...] I may acquire the original one someday...
Time will tell........ :P
Front & back covers of the Hellbound : The Blood War box
Speaking of the comic itself, story has been written by famous novelist Jeff Grubb, with art by Robh Ruppel & Tony DiTerlizzi when Dawn Murin was in charge of C.G. & design. And the result is pretty nice, totally in adequacy with the Planescape products line visuals. (Though, the front cover seems to have been quicky done by some photoshop trainee... honestly, they could have done something far better, especially considering the nice design of the back cover... or even compared to the front cover of Visions of War, the art & maps booklet found in the box...)
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| Yeah... size matters... :P |
The plot is very Shakespearian ; a song of love & war. And somehow the moral of the story echoes the one in the other existing Planescape comic, The Unity of Rings. For sure, Planescape is a mischievous and crual universe at all levels...And this short graphic novel just do the job, putting the reader in the middle of the desperation he'll have to face as a player in such a setting. A must-to-have treasure in my opinion !
Here's some pdf of my own based on the Dragon Magazines' pages with the adding of front & back covers (missing the credits page tho...) for an insight. Enjoy !
O_oV
