Villordsutch reviews Dungeons & Dragons: Cutter #4…
“Tos’un Armgo and his wife, Sinnafain, search the Kingdom of Many Arrows for their daughter, Doum’wielle… but it may be too late. Doum’wielle wields the sentient sword called Khazid’hea-the Cutter-and with it, the terrible, corrupting power it entails.”
There is something odd about D&D comics. The handful I’ve read so far (including trade paper backs, or graphic novels to us normal folk) are either good or poor – there is no middle of the road “okay”. You can pick up a copy and think “brilliant!” or another copy and think “I’ll never waste my money on that again”. If the average comic wanderer had picked up Cutter #4 then I’m afraid the latter would have been top of their thoughts.
My major bugbear with this issue echoes my last review for Cutter #3, which is that bugger all actually appears to happen. Granted we get a minor boost of story, though it’s rather thinly spread throughout the pages, but this doesn’t even register as you speed through the huge panels of “nothing much happening” and “oh look more mountains”. When the eventual story does begin to get moving you don’t actually have a care nor want to see where this is going, you just arrive at the end in minutes and feel right royally let down by this comic. The only way this comic could be enjoyed would be to halve its size and then for it to be given away as a free sample e-comic. Except it isn’t half its size nor given away so it’s a hard cash purchase for the collectors of D&D comics.
If I went on a mad finger pointing rampage at who’s to blame for this, my sausage-like digit would stop at the writers. This is clearly a back of an envelope story written in a hurry before Friday afternoon is over. Perhaps Geno and R.A. Salvatore had to give a quick story as a promise to the editor and they were all storied out from previous comics. This clearly isn’t their best work and I wouldn’t place it on my C.V. for future jobs.
David Baldeon and David Garcia Cruz (artist and colourist respectively) are the only reason for me to look at this comic. The art isn’t outstanding, but it does look good. The characters have a “cool” 80’s Dungeons & Dragons cartoon flowing through them. It’s a shame that they are called upon to draw a fair few mountains in this issue.
At part four of five I can’t see this getting to a great place, however, who am I to know what this gang has lined up for us? Though I expect mountains, huge empty panels and not a lot of story. I’m sorry, I’m being cynical aren’t I?
Villordsutch is married with kids and pets. He looks like a tubby Viking and enjoys science fiction. Follow him on Twitter.
Originally published August 6, 2013. Updated April 11, 2018.
