Dragonlance Classics Volume 2 by Dan Mishkin

Dragonlance Classics Volume 2 Reviews

• 
  Shannon Appelcline

  The Arena of Istar (9-12). This story moves us past the end of the War of the Lance, and unsurprisingly switches up the characters again. We see Riva in cameo, but the real focus of the story is one of the Companions, Tanis (with support from new cleric Loralan and new minotaur Horak).
  
  I love the continual shift of characters and time periods, which gave Mishkin's Dragonlance a real epic feel. However I was less thrilled by this story itself. It returns to sunken Istar in a story that feels very repetitive of the trip to Istar during the Chronicles and then it focuses on dull gladiatorial fighting. On the flip side you have terrifying dragon turtles and a look at the Cataclysm itself, which was eye-opening back in 1989. But then the dragon turtles are dealt with too easily and everything dissolves into a literal deus ex machina.
  
  So there are highs and lows in this story, but it's still a fascinating read that feels quite true to Dragonlance [6/10].
  
  High Sorcery (13-16). This is a nice story from the viewpoint of quite a few different elements of continuity. Like "The Arena of Istar", it moves past the War of the Lance, but this time around we even get references to Dragonlance Legends. And we get Goldmoon and Riverwind continuing to carry the banner of the Companions. "High Sorcery" is also a great bookend to the second arc, featuring pretty momentous (event conclusive) storylines for both Myrella and Kalthanan from that story. Finally, it's a nice expansion of Dragonlance continuity to that date through its extrapolation of a "Lost Tower of High Sorcery", hidden away on a demi-plane. I'm not convinced it still fits into Dragonlance continuity, mind you, but it was a nice idea for the time.
  
  The only real flaw with the story is that it's a little muddled. Between shape changers, sudden attacks, demi-planes, and a Test of High Sorcery, it's never clear what's real and what's not, and that's ultimately detrimental to the story. (It's just too much.) Still, it's an interesting read drenched in Dragonlance lore [7/10].
• 
  Daniel

  Volume 2 still lacks the Dragonlance feel. I give it a tick up in stars due to the continuance of the characters from the first volume. I am glad I can follow their stories. The actual characters from Dragonlance (Tanis and company) feel as if they are added to the story to help sell the story. It doesn't let the new characters shine because I keep expecting the "Heroes of the Lance" to save the day. When the Heroes don't, it tarnishes them. For fantasy readers, the stories are solid. There may be a little dues ex machina involved. Then again, what stories don't have some in some form or another?
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  Robert

  So much fun! Even if Tanis Half-Elven is still insufferable.
  
  +1 Repulsion Gas!
  
  
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  Rachel

  Dragon turtles are dragging people under the Blood Sea to Istar and forcing them to have gladiator battles for their entertainment... There's also a green Minotaur with fins for some reason? Because he's close to winning his freedom. Weird but was entertaining to read.
• 
  John Smith

  So glad I am finally getting to read these. Combining two of my favorites fantasy and comics.
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  I.D.

  This is a fun side story to the books. Nothing earth shattering but well written and drawn that would be worth checking out for fans.
• 
  Baal Of

  This one is just barely squeaking out a 3 star rating from me. Perhaps my expectation for something more than a fairly standard RPG session is misguided, since it is a fucking D&D comic. The revolving artistic staff doesn't help matters, with some of the drawing containing awkwardly proportioned faces, and occasionally odd poses, but overall it's pretty to look at, especially the coloring. Fortunately there is a lot less of that stupid fucker Gnatch, or whatever his dumb-ass name is. The story line, if there is one, is pretty much shotgunned all the fucking place, which contributes more to it seeming like anyone's D&D campaign, and by that I mean one of my own, where story lines wander all over the place, occasionally crossing back to something I might have intended from the start. I guess anything can be called classic.