Review: IDW Takes Us Back With ‘Saturday Morning Adventures- Dungeons And Dragons’ #1
by Anton Kromoff
Summary
As a fan of the original Saturday Morning cartoon, I’m pumped. It captures the essence of the 80s cartoon with its vivid artwork, fun characters, and adventurous spirit. While the story may seem simple, it sets the stage for an epic journey through the fantastical world of Dungeons & Dragons, where anything can happen. So, strap in and get ready for one heck of a ride, because this comic is sure to evoke fond memories of those Saturday mornings filled with cereal that still has toys in the box and flashy and fun animated adventures!
Overall
8/10Welcome to the table,
For many of us, one of the bright spots in our childhood memories comes from Saturday morning cartoons. As a fan of Dungeons & Dragons and other tabletop role-playing games, the Dungeons & Dragons Saturday morning cartoon holds a special place in my heart. So much so that I have a Warduke tattoo on my arm. When I heard that IDW had released a new title called Saturday Morning Adventures Dungeons & Dragons, I was stoked to dive into this nostalgic journey.
The cover of the comic sets the tone for this new leg of the kid’s adventure, featuring the cast of the cartoon in a dynamic pose as they fall out of a portal. The artwork immediately transports me back to the 80s, with its bright colors and action-packed scene, setting the stage for an exciting adventure.
To catch you up to speed: The cartoon focused on a group of kids who go for a sketchy roller coaster ride and find themselves magically transported to the realm of “Dungeons & Dragons.” I put it in quotes because that is what it was called. Not Neverwinter, not Faerûn, not Thay, just “Dungeons & Dragons.”
When the kids arrive in the realm of “Dungeons & Dragons” they encounter a little wizard man named Game Master who gives them each a wondrous item and sends them on adventures to fight horrific beasts as they try to find their way back home. While children fighting monsters may not seem like the best idea, it’s a perfectly logical move in the mind of Dungeon Master.
I mean… Power Rangers… Mighty Maxx… In the world of Pokemon, Ash was, like, 10, and just kicked out the door to battle and train monsters with the only real guideline being “Be the Very Best” and “Do the research work adults don’t want to do,” so it’s probably fine… Or the reason we all turned out so delightfully weird.
Anyway… The kids in the D&D cartoon go on to right wrongs and uncover mysteries, but they never make it home. Because the original Dungeons & Dragons cartoon never got a proper ending as it was canceled in 1985, leaving our intrepid child heroes stuck in the world of “Dungeons & Dragons.”
So that brings us up to speed with IDW’s new comic. The story picks up with Hank, the group’s “leader”, and resident 15-year-old Ranger, frustrated with the mysterious Dungeon Master, who shows up only to suggest the kids take some rest while he goes to find them “spicy fried potatoes.” Diana, the group’s Acrobat, tries to reason with Hank, reminding him of their past adventures in the Forgotten Realms and the benefits of taking a break. However, Hank is determined to find a way home and pushes forward with his plan, leading to a discussion where we find out that the other kids want to stay in the land of “Dungeons & Dragons” because 9th grade sucks.
I get it. If I had the choice to fight demons and monsters with a magic hat or bow… or deal with taxes, 24-hour news, and school shootings, I would feel way safer dodging dragons than I would be watching my friends and family suffer day in and day out with one disaster or injustice after another.
Wow… got a little off-topic there.. sorry… here is a picture of The Warduke…now back to it.
The kids are attacked by a group of cool-looking creatures (fairly certain it’s a Drider, some Drow cultists, and some Dark Mantle), and in the chaos, they find themselves portal hopping through a series of vibrant and colorful pages, thanks to the artwork by George Kambadais. Their journey drops them into a SUPER WELL-KNOWN location, we are talking about a major setting location in many Dungeons & Dragons adventures with a ton of iconic NPCs. I’m not going to spoil it for you, but it bodes really well for whatever comes next. From here, with a story driven by David M. Booher and Sam Maggs, the possibilities of where this goes next are as varied as the results of a Deck of Many Things.
With the kids making appearances as Easter eggs in the new D&D movie, and IDW releasing a movie tie-in comic, the possibilities for exciting cameos and crossovers in this series are endless!
