Varric and Lace Harding are still on the trail of Solas. Can they find the Crucious Stone before Solas and the Venatori? Find out in Dragon Age: The Missing #3 by Dark Horse Comics.

DRAGON AGE: THE MISSING #3 (OF 4)

Writer: George Mann
Artist: Tomas Aira
Colorist: Michael Atiyeh
Lettererer: Nate Piekos
Editor: Dave Marshall
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: March 29th, 2023

Previously in Dragon Age: The Missing: Following the Dragon Age: Inquisition game, Varic, and Harding are searching for the Dread Wolf. After searching the Deep Roads and Vyrantium, they realized a scheme with the Venatori. Now the duo hopes to make it to the Arlathan Forest in search of the Crucious Stone before it gets into the hands of the Venatori or Solas!

DEEP-ROOTED ADVENTURE

Dragon Age: The Missing #3 starts with Varric and Harding on the edge of a reality-warping forest, where they meet the Veil Jumpers. The Veil Jumpers are three Daelish Elves and one human who try to contain the threat of Arlathan and some of the weirdness that happens there. Varric reveals his objective, and the Veil Jumpers agree to help him. They encounter a series of obstacles, including a zone where Spirits Trade places with the living, a place where time is out of order, and an area where up is down and vice versa.

During those trials, Varric is attacked by a leopard but is saved by a mysterious armored figure. The group defeats the guardian and finds the location of the Crucious Stone. However, they have a letter from Solas himself instead of the item. Varric then realizes that the thing that saved him was Solas, who promises that the artifact will not fall into Venatori’s hands!

FEELS LIKE AN ADVENTURE

Dragon Age: The Missing #3 feels like an exciting video game experience, and they quickly catch the essence of the adventure. This isn’t quite a montage but several pages for each trial that tells you exactly what is going on without overwhelming the reading. The pacing felt well, and the art was exciting and well done. Usually, for comics based on other mediums, I find the story a little lackluster because they don’t want to step on the toes of the leading adventure of the game. But here, I am impressed with the creative team’s ability to keep up the pacing. As a note, reading the upsidedown section confused my brain in every single readthrough I did.

However, I am concerned if they can keep up the pacing in the final issue. Solas is the antagonist of the upcoming game, so we cannot beat him in the last comic of the series. What is the climax for Varic and Lace Harding? Will it simply be knowing where the Dread Wolf is to connect us to the main game? Probably, but I think that will be a disappointing conclusion to an otherwise excellent miniseries.

BOTTOM LINE: FANTASTIC READ

I am impressed with Dragon Age: The Missing #3. This comic is an excellent fantasy comic that fills all the genre tropes and expectations. I can’t wait to read the next issue, and it hits that nostalgia factor when Varric turns on the charisma of the people he meets. With that in mind, Dragon Age: The Missing #3 is a solid 4.5 out of 5 stars!

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