This story will be part of the Tyranny of Dragons event that occured during this period. Along with the comic, WOTC will release adventures, modules, the Legends of Baldur's Gate comic by IDW and figurines based on this storyline.
Here is the introduction of the event by WOTC :
"For years, the evil Cult of the Dragon has devoted itself to creating
undead dragons in a vain attempt to fulfill an ancient prophecy.
However, the cultists were misguided. They misunderstood. But now, under
new leadership, the cult believes that the prophecy does not speak of
undead dragons, but of a dragon empire that’s been extinct for 25,000
years. Tiamat, the queen of evil dragons, has languished in the Nine
Hells for millennia. The cult believes that the time of her return is at
hand.
The cult has a new face and a new mission. It seeks to free Tiamat
from the Nine Hells and bring her into the Forgotten Realms. To
accomplish its goal, the cult needs five ancient dragon masks and the
support of evil dragons everywhere. The cult leaders -each one a "dragon
whisperer"- have reached out to the evil dragons of the Sword Coast and
earned their allegiance.
Meanwhile, evil dragons in partnership with the cult seek to amass a
treasure hoard worthy of their dark queen, not by plundering their own
hoards (of course) but by stealing money from cities, caravans,
good-aligned dragons, merchant ships, and other sources. Their ravenous
hunt for treasure throws the Sword Coast into upheaval. Neverwinter,
Waterdeep, Baldur’s Gate - no city is safe from their depredations.
The situation is dire. However, the Sword Coast is far from
defenseless. Powerful factions are ready to rise up and put an end to
the tyranny of dragons. Adventurers throughout the Realms must join
forces to face Tiamat, destroy the Cult of the Dragon, and prevent the
rise of a new dragon empire. The Harpers have since shared their
intelligence with the remaining factions. To combat the Cult of the
Dragon, Lord Dagult Neverember of Neverwinter proposes that adventurers
representing each of the five factions be sent north to investigate - and
to report back with haste.
In their hands, the future lies."
Tyranny of Dragons is not the only event provided by WOTC. As I am writing these lines, we're under Waterdeep : Dragon Heist one that is following a bunch of past stories as Tomb of Annihilation, Curse of Strahd, Rage of Demons, Elemental Evil or even Storm King's Thunder. When most of them will include a dedicated comic storyline by IDW (cf the ongoing adventures of Minsc and Boo saga), Tyranny of Dragons will be the only one so far to have its own dedicated online comic.
The story has been written by Chris Perkins, script by Bart Carroll, art by David Baldeon, coloring by Joana Lafuente and lettering by Neil Uyetake.
Mainly, this comic strip is a tour of the main places of the Forgotten Realms where the event takes place. Set as an introduction, we're following a bunch of different factions' heroes joining (at least for some time...) in a trip from Icewind Dale to Neverwinter, Tuern and Waterdeep where the cultists, under the command of a certain Rath Modar, are looking after the Dragon Masks, powerful artifacts that, when assembled into a crown, would allow Tiamat, the chromatic five-headed Queen of the Evil Dragons, to be summoned from the Well of Dragons. You can find more info about the masks in the free online Rise of Tiamat supplement (page 4).
Each page is a condensed part of this story that could have had its own dedicated chapter issued if it were been developped. In a few pages, WOTC gave its readers/players a strong and heavy background of its event, something between a teaser and a summary. The art is pretty decent and, while plots and actions stand in a very few frames, the whole is still very understandable and coherent.
Mainly, this comic strip is a tour of the main places of the Forgotten Realms where the event takes place. Set as an introduction, we're following a bunch of different factions' heroes joining (at least for some time...) in a trip from Icewind Dale to Neverwinter, Tuern and Waterdeep where the cultists, under the command of a certain Rath Modar, are looking after the Dragon Masks, powerful artifacts that, when assembled into a crown, would allow Tiamat, the chromatic five-headed Queen of the Evil Dragons, to be summoned from the Well of Dragons. You can find more info about the masks in the free online Rise of Tiamat supplement (page 4).
ToD First page
Each page is a condensed part of this story that could have had its own dedicated chapter issued if it were been developped. In a few pages, WOTC gave its readers/players a strong and heavy background of its event, something between a teaser and a summary. The art is pretty decent and, while plots and actions stand in a very few frames, the whole is still very understandable and coherent.
For a better insight here is a pdf of my own of the whole story in a reduced size. (tho, the WotC links being still active, I'd gladly recommend you to get the pages there in their full resolution...)
Note that this comic strip has finally been printed at the end of the first issue and the TPB version of Shadows of the Vampire in 2016.
O_oV
