Things are not looking well for Clari and her crew. When they were escorting Lord Justinius Biverius’ caravan they were attacked by an overwhelming verbolg army. Find out if they will survive in Adventure Finders #3 by Action Lab Comics!
ADVENTURE FINDERS: THE EDGE OF EMPIRE #3
Writer: Rod Espinosa
Artist: Rod Espinosa
Colorist: Rod Espinosa
Editor: Shawn Gabborin
Publisher: Action Lab Entertainment
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: October 16th, 2019
Previously on Adventure Finders: Clarinette and her party are trying to head to Good River when her caravan was ambushed by verbolg, giants, and shamans. Fighting amongst the men of Lord Justinius Bivernius, Clari and party have proven their mettle in times of war. However, they are continually harried by their adversaries and everyone is reaching their limit. Will they survive?
A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN
Clarinette, Ariarra, Jolfe, and Asogog have been able to push past the initial attack on the caravan but not at a significant cost. Many men, women, and children have been hurt or worse but the courage of our heroes are not lost. Bandaging themselves up, using healing magic, and taking a quick breather was all our heroes needed to move forward but not everyone was on the same page. Sergeant Sikin believes they should abandon the people they are escorting in favor of their own safety but Centurion Isard disagrees. The conversation is cut short when the camp is attacked, While Jolfe heroically kills a shaman despite being out of spells; Isard is shot with an arrow and dies. A clear divide happens as Sergeant Sikin takes half the armed guard and leaves the rest of the people to fend for themselves. Our heroes continue to Good River but are attacked by the verbolgs again. As Clari begins to lead everyone to a defensive retreat, she finds herself at a cliff edge and the only way to get everyone to safety is to cross a tree forming an unstable bridge from one cliff side to another.
GROWING PAINS
Adventure Finders Volume 2 does not feature a very specific main villain but rather tests the characters physical limits. We see the mage is out of magic and our healer is running out of healing ability. The fighters are barely holding back the line and the people are falling like flies. Often it is very difficult to tell a coming of age story without having a definitive villain to push against the party. However, Rod Espinosa has done a good job of showing small moments to push the characters. Sargent Sikin is a minor character but his actions allow the characters to stand up for themselves. This standing up for oneself is incredibly important moment for any story featuring a young cast of characters going on their first few adventures.
I enjoyed seeing the supporting cast being prominently featured here as well. Jolfe was the person who punched a shaman and showed immense bravery despite being a wizard without any spells slots left. Asogog revealed a little bit about his mother and the organization known as the Daughters of the United Crown. Anana proves her worth as a healer admst a crowd of injured people. I love that we are seeing characterization from the supporting cast and fleshing out their personalities. In this second volume, the story has focused on Clari and the ongoing fight and I appreciated that these characters were not forgotten.
Like usual, I was taken away with Rod Espionosa’s art. In this issue, he does a very good job at pushing the boundaries of my comfort level. This started with a scene involving the children who were hurt from the battles. There was a kid with an arrow in her arm amongst all the other distraught and injured people. I think in times of battle, writers tend to emphasis on the battle and not necessarily the noncombatants. I am glad we aren’t approaching the book by simply exploring the glory of the battle but rather receiving the bigger picture.
BOTTOM LINE: LOVE IT AND STILL ON BOARD
This issue progresses the storyline, adds depth to the character, and makes me think about the overarching themes. While it is certainly a middle issue that doesn’t resolve the bigger storylines, I have enjoyed the moments in this book. I have a hard time finding a major fault in it and therefore 5 out of 5 for Adventure Finder #3.
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Adventure Finder #3
I love that we are seeing characterization from the supporting cast and fleshing out their personalities. In this second volume, the story has focused on Clari and the ongoing fight and I appreciated that these characters were not forgotten.
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Writing10
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Art10
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Coloring10
Christopher Rondeau is a storyteller based in Tulsa, OK. Finding himself with little work, he ended up creating a job as a Game Master full time on the internet. Chris spends most of his days reading everything he can, writing bad fiction, and watching old Digimon cartoons with his daughter. Sometimes you can find him Dungeon Mastering a podcast or streaming on twitch. Recently, he has completed his Master's degree with a focus on collaborative storytelling. Find out more at https://rondeaucreator.com