A review by jessicafavor
Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins Volume II by Matt Mercer, Jody Houser, Critical Role
3.0
My chief complaint with novellas is that I want them to be longer, and I think that extends to this novella-sized graphic novel. The story of Grog (goliath barbarian) going missing and then finding himself in a great deal of trouble that his friends need to help him escape from is... simple. It feels pretty cut and dried, though I did like how Percy (human gunslinger) was introduced. The introduction of Scanlan's (gnome bard) unrequited love for Pike (gnome cleric) was cute, too.
I want to stress that I truly did enjoy the story, but it didn't keep me guessing. This might be because of a switch in writers, since Jody Houser has replaced Matthew Colville (who co-wrote Volume One alongside Matthew Mercer). With Volume One, there was a bit of a mystery going on and I was significantly more engaged, but here in Volume Two the different subplots felt much more disparate. I think I would have been more frustrated with my uneven amount of engagement if I wasn't already hooked on the webshow and invested in these characters (Vax, the half-elf rogue, is my favorite).
The art style remains consistent, since Olivia Samson continues her excellent work here in this second volume. Panel layout was also pretty consistent with the first volume, but the standard layout was sometimes usurped by a more dramatic style (to great and wondrous effect) for dramatic moments.
Overall, though my response specific to this graphic novel series is pretty lukewarm, I can't deny that I hugely enjoy the webshow itself and the voice actors who've created it. I have hope that future installments of this series will be more complex and satisfying.
I want to stress that I truly did enjoy the story, but it didn't keep me guessing. This might be because of a switch in writers, since Jody Houser has replaced Matthew Colville (who co-wrote Volume One alongside Matthew Mercer). With Volume One, there was a bit of a mystery going on and I was significantly more engaged, but here in Volume Two the different subplots felt much more disparate. I think I would have been more frustrated with my uneven amount of engagement if I wasn't already hooked on the webshow and invested in these characters (Vax, the half-elf rogue, is my favorite).
The art style remains consistent, since Olivia Samson continues her excellent work here in this second volume. Panel layout was also pretty consistent with the first volume, but the standard layout was sometimes usurped by a more dramatic style (to great and wondrous effect) for dramatic moments.
Overall, though my response specific to this graphic novel series is pretty lukewarm, I can't deny that I hugely enjoy the webshow itself and the voice actors who've created it. I have hope that future installments of this series will be more complex and satisfying.