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Know Your Lore: Med'an, Cho'gall and the Prophecy
The World of Warcraft is an expansive universe. You're playing the game, you're fighting the bosses, you know the how, but do you know the why? Each week, Matthew Rossi and Anne Stickney make sure you Know Your Lore by covering the history of the story behind World of Warcraft. WARNING: The following post contains spoilers for World of Warcraft: The Comic. Players who are currently reading through the comics or simply wish to avoid spoilers from the series should avoid this post. We're taking a step back from Alliance politics this week in light of some new information from the 3.3.5 PTR. The servers have been laggy and somewhat unstable, but I've still been able to log on and play through a few things. One of those things is an interesting new quest chain available in Orgrimmar involving Doomsday Cultists who are suddenly making appearances in the Drag and talking about the end of the world as we know it. The biggest thing that sparked my interest was mention of Cho'gall. Matthew Rossi did an excellent write-up of the Twilight's Hammer and their leader Cho'gall, but what struck my interest was that Cho'gall's presence in game may lead to more interplay between story lines from the Warcraft comic series and World of Warcraft itself. However, while I made the connection readily enough, there are plenty out there who haven't read the comics and have no idea who Cho'gall, Med'an or any of the other characters I've referenced in previous posts actually are. In light of this, today we're going to be talking about the last half of the Warcraft comics series -- what happened in them, who was introduced, who died, what happened with Cho'gall, why Silithus was suddenly relevant again, and most of all, who the heck that Med'an kid is that I've been going on about. As I will be talking about these things in detail, this post is absolutely brim full of spoilers for the comics series; readers who are interested in picking up the comics and reading through them may want to veer away from this post.
Tokyopop announces 2010 schedule for Warcraft manga
If you're a fan of Tokyopop's take on the World of Warcraft -- I know I certainly am -- then you should be excited to know that the line-up for 2010 has been announced. The first series from Tokyopop was the Sunwell trilogy, written by Richard Knaak and drawn expertly by Kim Jae-Hwan. It dealt with the events of the Sunwell and featured characters prominent in the game such as Kalecgos and Anveena Teague. The second series was called World of Warcraft: Legends, a recently concluded five-volume affair that uniquely told various stories of Azeroth's lesser-known folks.For 2010, Tokyopop plans to kick off class-based stories starting with the popular Death Knight, featuring Thassarian, the first Death Knight to rejoin the Alliance. According to BlizzPlanet, this full-volume comic written by Dan Jolley and drawn by Rocio Zucchi is slated for December 2010 although they probably mean this coming December, 2009. This will be followed by World of Warcraft: Mage, written by Richard Knaak and drawn by an as-yet-unrevealed artist, which will be available on June 7, 2010. Would Knaak + Mage mean more Rhonin? I certainly hope not -- I think we've just about had enough of the super-heroic, time-traveling, ultra-powerful Mage who actually taught Illidan Stormrage how to use magic (don't ask). Rhonin is kind of like the Chuck Norris of Mages.The most curious of the three volumes is World of Warcraft: Shaman, which is due for a "late 2010" release. Blizzard works closely with Tokyopop for all its manga, and all the stories are considered canon (Trag Highmountain even made it into the game). The Shaman book is rumored to be Cataclysm-related, although it's a good bet that the game's third expansion will be out by late 2010. There is no official word yet on who will write or draw the comic, but I personally enjoyed Tokyopop Warcraft editor Troy Lewter's stories in Legends so much that I look forward to him writing a full-volume comic. How about Carlos Olivares for the art? I appreciated his unique, almost whimsical style in Legends. He also draws wonderful Goblins, whom as we all know can roll Shamans in the next expansion. As always, stay tuned to WoW.com as we bring you the latest on Tokyopop's Warcraft manga.
Breakfast Topic: What would you like to see in a WoW comic?
I've been getting back into comics lately, thanks largely to the World of Warcraft. My most recent purchases were the trade paperbacks of Wildstorm's World of Warcraft series and Ashbringer, as well as Tokyopop's Warcraft Legends manga. Since I couldn't get my fix of Hong Kong manhua without actually going to Hong Kong (which makes it kind of hard to keep up with weekly titles like Amazing Weapons 4...), it was a bit easier to head over to our local shops and get some Western comics. What better subject than my favorite game, right?While I enjoyed Ashbringer, I take a great liking to Warcraft Legends because it explores the other aspects or characters of Azeroth. The ongoing series can focus on well-known guys like Varian Wrynn, but Warcraft Legends are cool side-stories of the unknown guys. That opens up a world of potential. We could see stories about those NPCs we always see all over the place. Maybe we can get a comic about Cro Threadstrong and find out why he hates the fruit vendor so much. How about stories about the wandering "named" NPCs in Dalaran? Minigob Manabonk, maybe?On the flip side, how about when the characters in the comic stories suddenly make their way into the game? We know Broll Bearmantle and Valeera Sanguinar have their roots in toys and comics, and players can now meet them in WoW. This whole idea of comics as an extension of the game's story is really cool, and I hope Wildstorm and Tokyopop keep putting out great comics and characters. Is there anything in particular about the World of Warcraft that you'd like to see in comic form? A favorite character? A particular period or special event? Share your thoughts!
Ashbringer TPB out now
I haven't been a big fan of the whole Alliance-centric direction of the Wildstorm World of Warcraft comics, and I picked up the whole Varian Wrynn saga mostly out of a completist impulse rather than actual concern for the story or its characters. I also thought Ludo Lullabi had better samples of art on his personal site than what he showed in the comic, so when I found out the next story arc was going to be pencilled by Jon Buran, I wasn't too concerned. Buran is doing tremendous work so far. Of course, we all soon learned why Lullabi left the book -- he was tasked with illustrating the Ashbringer story.The good news is that the Ashbringer comics which follow the story of the legendary blade showcase some of Lullabi's best work yet (with assists from Tony Washington). This owes largely to the spectacular coloring, done Painter-style by either Lullabi himself or an uncredited colorist. The painted covers by Chris Robinson add a sense of awe and wonder to the series, and each issue of the four-parter is rich with lore because it was written by Blizzard's own Micky Neilson. Even better news is that DC Comics has collected the mini-series in a hardcover edition available at your friendly neighborhood comic shop for $19.99. So soon after picking up Warcraft Legends, I think I'll need to make a little more space on my shelves...
Sunday Morning Funnies: On a Monday!
or, "They possess more flying fish than I expected."Although it is Monday, this morning I am going to pretend that it is in fact, Sunday. After all, no one really likes Mondays, even if they're manic. Luckily for you, I have quite the list of comics for your enjoyment! Awkward Zombie has posted another WoW-related comic, Stinking With Portals. Cru the Dwarf is now on page 72 of his echoing through time. Dark Legacy Comics points out the No-Fly Zone. I lean towards agreeing with them that the general placement of said zone is inconvenient. It seems to be a conspiracy on the part of the Flightmasters to convince me to pay them to fly me to Coldarra or Sholazar Basin. Have you ever wondered what life would be like if your reputation gains worked the same way as in-game? Actually, have you ever considered bravely sending a special someone an in-game gift? Experience Points has. In Flintlocke vs. the Horde, there seems to be a disagreement about who should be included as an adventuring buddy. GU Comics is Looking for Clever. Actually, Woody is looking to whore hire himself out! Check out the various ways you can put him to work and get some cool, collectible, and/or custom stuff. Check out the latest from LFG. Manic Graffiti always gets me smiling! Check out, Noobcow and Lame Jokes Heard While Waiting for PuGs to Start. Massive Pwnage has an inkling of what might be better than WoW. You Should See PvP. I always knew Flapcat was better than Ally-bird! Air Superiority was determined this past week on Monkey Punchers. NoObz points out that, especially for noobs, World of Warcraft can be a source of Stress. I know that many of you last week were disappointed with Ding!'s re-return, and unfortunately, there's no new comic this week. Teh Gladiators: Ping-Pong. World of Warcraft, eh? warns, You Won't Like Me When I'm Angry. The Scout Report has posted #63 and I love it. Unfortunately, I found out that when I tried to hit "Previous" to see if I had missed any other comics since last Sunday, it took me back to #52. So I recommend either jumping back five comics, or just reading from #52 if you think you've missed a couple! From The Adventures of Disgraph T. Dwarf comes Nuts Make Me Giggle. On this musical-fruit-note, I end this week's list!
Comic contest honorable mentions
I've let several October contest honorable mentions come and go without a post, so here's a collection of them. So far we have comics from Bludlemon talking about psychic scream, Twolions painting a picture of baby Thrall, Jagoda mourning a lack of bag space, Taskal pondering the anachronisms in Azeroth, and Gondon showing us what WoW toons do in their free time. And if you've got your own ideas for a great World of Warcraft comic, this comic contest will continue until the end of the year, so get out your pens, pencils, markers, mice, or whatever method of creative expression you desire, and get working on your own submission.
Comic contest honorable mention
This comic comes to us courtesy of Iridani (if you cannot get to the official site, you may see the entire comic here), and addresses an issue that has always concerned me. (In fact, it weighs heavily on my mind whenever my Tauren druid attempts to travel by wyvern or bat.) And the art style is unique and suited to the topic at hand.And if you've got your own ideas for a great World of Warcraft comic, this comic contest will continue until the end of the year, so get out your pens, pencils, markers, mice, or whatever method of creative expression you desire, and get working on your own submission.
September comic contest winner
September's winner cracks me up -- and it does prove that you can win the contest with artistic skills of any level. Didn't think orcs and humans could get along, did you -- well, think again (and read the comic).And if you've got your own ideas for a great World of Warcraft comic, this comic contest will continue until the end of the year, so get out your pens, pencils, markers, mice, or whatever method of creative expression you desire, and get working on your own submission.
Latest Comic Contest Honorable Mention
The latest honorable mention (by Trudylor of VR Comic) addresses an aspect of player life that's always confused me - and presents a scene I seem to be involved in every time I create a new character. But I'll let you go take a look for yourself rather than spoil the punchline. And if you feel you have the talent to compete, the comic contest runs all year, and there's still time to submit your own work for consideration!
More Comic Contest Winners
See this week's honorable mention here and last week's here. I'm not sure if either of these comic authors have websites or more comics out there - so if anyone's familiar with these, drop a link to the site in the comments. If you feel you have what it takes to win the contest yourself, go there's still time to submit your work - Blizzard will be picking one winner every month.
WoW in the Comics
I'm always tickled when my favorite gaming web comics mention my favorite pastime - World of Warcraft, of course! And while I see the occasional mention of the game on Ctrl Alt Del, Foxtrot (not actually a web comic), Mac Hall, Penny Arcade, and Player vs. Player, I only know know of a few comics that devote themselves to the world of Azeroth. And in light of the upcoming comic contest, I thought I'd list the ones I know of as examples and inspiration for any thinking of entering. I know my list isn't comprehensive - so does anyone know of any other WoW comics out there? Drop a note in the comments if you do! Until then, enjoy Adventures with Play, Flintlock's Guide to Azeroth, Heros of WoW, and Messy Cow (thanks to James for pointing this one out).
Comic Contest!
Blizzard is accepting submissions of WoW related comic strips for posting on the web site. One "exceptional" comic a month will be chosen to win a prize - a Blizzard-branded iPod Nano and the first two volumes of The Sunwell Trilogy. Decent rewards, and I'm always on the lookout for new and interesting comics about my favorite pastime. (Posted above is a portion of a strip from Mac Hall - a personal favorite.)
