PATHFINDER: WAKE THE DEAD #2, from Dynamite Comics on 7/26/23, grows the newly-formed band of adventurers by one when a Necromancer reveals the defector’s secrets.
The Details
- Written by: Fred Van Lente
- Art by: Eman Casallos
- Colors by: Jorge Sutil
- Letters by: Tom Napolitano
- Cover art by: Steve Ellis (cover A)
- Comic Rating: Teen+
- Cover price: $4.99
- Release date: July 26, 2023
Is It Good?
PATHFINDER: WAKE THE DEAD #2 kicks the role-playing action into high gear, giving Pathfinder fans a fun homage to their favorite game while giving new readers a high-paced adventure. Fred Van Lente strikes a firm balance between thorough game adaptation and a solid fantasy that stands on its own.
When last we left the newly formed fellowship, the collective of adventurers was discovered by the security forces of Geb before the defector, Gabsalia Venris, arrived at the rendezvous point. Now, the adventurers follow the siren song of the crying blade to its master in the hope of finding a way out of the city with the defector, if they can find her.
Van Lente’s script gives you everything you’re looking for in an RPG adaptation. You get plenty of references to exotic clans, dangerous skill masters, mystical powers, side quests on top of main quests, and dangerous traps that require guile and strategy to survive. The best possible compliment you could give this comic is that it reads like the game come to life.
That said, Van Lente leans into the Pathfinder lore heavier than the first issue, so new readers who aren’t familiar with the game may find the dense litany of references overwhelming. Van Lente works the lore into the conversations and happenings with an even hand, but it’s impossible to avoid taking notes in one or two spots where the game references take up half the conversation.
How’s the art? Eman Casallos’s art is great. Casallos’s line work is clean, possibly too clean, and Jorge Sutil’s color palette and application are excellent. The minor down point is the lack of grit in a story where everyone should be dusty and bedraggled while running for their lives.
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What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
Check out our PATHFINDER: WAKE THE DEAD #1 review to find out how the fellowship came together.
We begin with an explanation that the citizens of Geb are no different than the police of Geb since everyone is trained to acct as a security officer. When the alarm sounds to find the adventurers as intruders, the entire city rises to meet the call.
Quinn realizes the crying lade wails when the group is heading toward danger, so he uses it as a type of warning beacon to guide the group on a safe path. Eventually, the blade leads the group to a necromancer named Nyctessa. She silences the blade and informs the group she intends to join them to find the defector who she discovered with her divination powers.
Nyctessa also divined the truth of the defector’s knowledge. Gleb has sleeper spies in every guild, and only the defector knows the names. We conclude the issue with an unlikely escape route, nervous systems, and concealment spells.
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Final Thoughts
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PATHFINDER: WAKE THE DEAD #2 delivers fast-paced RPG-styled action, plenty of lore to reference the source material, and excellent world- and character-building. That said, the lore references may be overwhelming for new readers, so be prepared to take a few notes.
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