Pathfinder #1 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

I try to review comics based on RPGs because a lot of the more mainstream review sites tend not to do so.  If you've read this blog for a while, you know that I loved John Rogers' "Dungeons & Dragons" series.  I've been hoping against hope that it reappears on the stands sometime soon, but it seems to have unfortunately been replaced with Ed Greenwood's infinitely inferior "Dungeons & Dragons:  Forgotten Realms."  Given my disappointment with that series, I was pretty damn excited when the woman who works at my LCS told me about the new "Pathfinder" series.  I'm in the middle of the "Rise of the Runelords" adventure with some friends, so I immediately grabbed the first and second issue.  Unlike with Greenwood's series, I am not disappointed.

Anyone who's played Pathfinder will be at home right from the start.  We soon find ourselves in the familiar town of Sandpoint, the Shadowdale/Solace of "Pathfinder," and run into familiar locales, such as the Rusty Dragon tavern, and NPCs, like Ameiko and Harsk.  Without even getting to the story, it was just fun to see places and people that so far have only existed in my imagination come alive on the page.

But, Jim Zub goes beyond just presenting us with a familiar setting.  We're pretty immediately delivered five characters with an intriguing set of interactions.  So far, they serve mostly as archetypes of their classes and races:  the impulsive human fighter, the haughty elven thief, the wise human wizard, the cranky dwarven ranger, and the talented human sorcerer.  But, it's obviously just the first issue, so we'll see how Zub goes about giving them some depth.  One of the best parts of Rogers' run on "Dungeons & Dragons" is that he frequently broke the mold when portraying the various classes and races.  For example, the human fighter was actually the brilliant strategist whereas the elven ranger was the bored follower.  I'm hoping that Zug plays with those themes as well.

Finally, Zub also doesn't forget to tell us a story.  The fighter (Valeros), the thief (Merisel), and the sorcerer (Seoni) begin the issue encountering a group of angry goblins uncharacteristically attacking during the day.  After taking out the goblins, the group realizes that they have odd patches of boils on them and bring back one of the corpses for the wizard (Ezren) to examine.  For his part, Ezren had already decided that he wanted the group to stay in Sandpoint to help with the local goblin problem (a problem that Pathfinder players will find familiar), so he's doubly intrigued by the goblin specimen.  He shows the body to the ranger (Harsk), who suggests that they stake out a local goblin gathering-site to see if they can get more information.  Of course, when they discover a full-on invasion force, things get interesting.

Other than the somewhat stereotypical characterizations, this issue already felt like a well-oiled machine.  I'm excited to see where Zub goes with the characters and the story.  But, most of all, I'm excited to have some sorcery and swords back into my monthly comics!