Warcraft: Death Knight [Paperback]

I just finished reading "World of Warcraft: Death Knight" and I was very impressed by it. I haven't played WoW in a couple of years now, due to money and time restraints, but I still love the Warcraft universe so I try to keep up with the lore and what's going on in it. Even though, I have not played the newest expansion of the game, and really know nothing of the Death Knights, I picked up on the story right away. The writing was top notch and kept me interested all the way through. Dan Jolley did a great job with the narrative and I look forward to reading more from him. I'm also happy to report that not only did it have a great story and good writing, but the artwork by Rocio Zucchi was top notch as well. In manga and comics the art is very important to me, and she did an excellent job of bringing Jolley's story to life. I can't wait to see what these two do for Volume 2 and beyond. If you are a WoW fanboy/girl or just like fantasy stories in general I'd recommend this one to you. It's a good read.

I bought this because I play a Blood Elf Death Knight in WoW (yeah, yeah, one of the most overplayed Race/Class combos). It was a fun read, nice to see a story involving your own class. The story is nothing spectacular, but it involves and gives some more back story to the two Death Knights that the Tier 9 armor is named after, Thassarian and Koltira. The art is nice, is quite true to the game. It also recaps the DK starting zone story, as well as an alliance chain quest from Borean Tundra. This may or may not put someone who has already done them off.

Either way, for a DK player who is interested in the Lore, it's a fun read. I'm not sure I'd pick up the upcoming mangas for classes I don't play, though.

Firstly, a brief summary of Warcraft: Death Knight-

Death Knight follows the story of Thassarian, beginning from his days as a young man in Lordaeron's army. Through a combination of flash-backs and linear storytelling, it shows the events leading from the fall of Lordaeron, the redemption of the Death Knights, to Thassarian's journey to seek revenge upon the Lich King.

Now, let me validate myself by saying I am both a longtime manga fan, Warcraft player, and bookaholic. I've flipped through every Warcraft comic or manga in print, and so far there are very, very few I felt worth the money. This one, however, was simply incredible.

There are a few things to keep in mind, however.

Firstly, this is a manga...a concrete story trying to do the impossible: capture the essence of a constantly evolving game. Anytime a book/comic attempts to do this, with ANY series, there will be obsessed fans who are disappointed. This book, like any RPG/MMORG novel, must be read with that understanding. In that light, I don't think anyone could have done a better job than Rocio Zucchi and Dan Jolley!

The Art: I was a little skeptical at first, as I am not used to seeing sword-and-sorcery stories in manga form. However, I quickly got over that and came to really appreciate the style and representation of the characters. Rocio Zucchi does a fantastic job of portraying the characters' personalities, and especially in contrasting the details between Thassarian as a human vs. Death Knight. Her style is very emotive, which blends well with Dan Jolley's storytelling. The Blood/High Elves especially were beautifully done (unlike in a few other Warcraft manga that I shall leave unnamed...). The detail, too, is absolutely staggering. The scene in which Arthas descends upon Lordaeron with the Scourge army has so much detail that you have to really study it to see everything that is there. Nothing is skimped. I truly look forward to seeing her work on Warcraft: Shaman!

The story: The story, too, was very well done. It was fantastic to see not only Thassarian's backstory, but Koltira Deathweaver's as well (two of my favorite characters!). It is also refreshing to have Lerrysa given a bit of story, as in the game she just pops up as a damsel in distress. Here, at least, she's given a chance to show she's more than a plot device. Thankfully very little is repeated from the game, but rather the story behind events and characters is fleshed out. My only regrets are that neither Kael'thas or Illidan make an appearance, and Koltira's screen-time is limited, but considering the length limitations of manga format it is understandable.

In short, this is a MUST HAVE for any fan of the lore of Warcraft. Death Knight fans especially will enjoy this book, though any Warcraft player should definitely pick up a copy. It gives much-needed back story and character development to certain elements of the game, and truly makes an altogether much more enjoyable experience.

Thumbs up!

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