What in the World (of Warcraft?)
Ok. I’m not really a huge fan of fantasy stories, though I do enjoy sci-fi and horror. Maybe that changed my interpretation of this book. I had a mini preview of this book previously when I wrote about my views of turning a massive mulitplayer online roleplaying game into a comic at http://www.comicbookjournal.net/better-than-a-superfriend-on-your-chest/.
Now that the book has been released I’d thought I’d give World of Warcraft #1 a shot. The story opens with a human fighting a giant alligator amidst a crowd of orcs. The orcs take the human captive, then enslave him with a group of wolves, beasts, and elves. He must fight under captivity to ensure his life. What’s the catch? The human, who remains nameless throughout the entire issue, has amnesia and claims the ragtag group of warriors under his protection. That’s how the first book ends. For me, the books falls far short of “interactive.” Walter Simonson, who I know has a great command of the comic book medium, does the best with the material he has been given. Granted this is a premier issue, but it did seem to lack characterization, and honestly, I didn’t care whether the human made it out of the arena alive or not. The art is *sigh* manga influenced. Perhaps I would have liked the issue better if it were traditional artwork instead, who’s to say. Lullabi’s lack of backgrounds, thick cartoonish renderings, and overdone character expressions do nothing more than distract from the story and situation at hand. There is no sense of atmosphere or urgency for me (the reader) to identify with. While the colors are lush and it does have sense of motion throughout the panels, there’s not more underneath the flair to sink my teeth into. On a scale of one to ten, I’d have to give this book a four. It might have potential for some audiences, but at a price tag of right at three dollars, I don’t think I’ll pick up the next issue, not even it there is another Jim Lee cover.
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