Danny Valentini (Razorfox)- Interview

"It is the beginning of dark times..."

Greetings one and all! Welcome to another installment of Geek Speak! Where I sit down with fellow nerd alumni to discuss some of the finer points of geek culture.

My guest to the site is the ever energetic and positive Danny Valentini a.k.a. Razorfox; creator of the webcomic and illustrated calender series The Draconia Chronicles. For the over the past decade The Draconia Chronicles, in both calender and comic, has told the high-fantasy tale of a centuries-long war between the Tiger and Dragon races.

Led by Princess Kiriad of the Tiger Territories and Queen Oscura of the Dragonlands, neither side has gained ground in the seemingly endless battles. Only the females of both races have participated in the war, where it seems both sides may very well fight to the point of mutual destruction. With numerous factions vying for power and dominance (both in the war as well as outside of it) only a few stand to change the disastrous course their world has taken.

Mr. Valentini has certainly earned his fandom over the years. The dedication to his comic and his craft have garnered him recognition both nationally and internationally.  He has been a regular attendee to the east-coast anime convention circuit, appearing as a guest of honor at several, with a notable perfect attendance record to the anime convention Katsucon.

I've had the pleasure of knowing Danny now for the last several years professionally and personally as a friend. Recently at Katsucon 19, located at the Gaylord Hotel in the Maryland National Harbor, I was able to sit down and conduct a quick interview with him. For new fans of The Draconia Chronicles there are spoilers in this interview so read at your own discretion.

Razorfox

N8Dogg5k: Care to start us off with an introduction Razorfox?

Razorfox: Yeah. Razorfox, my nom de plume as the case may be, but otherwise my real name is Danny Valentini. I do The Draconia Chronicles created as an illustrated calender back in 1999, and running as a webcomic continuously since January of 2005. With that said, hello all you people out there on the information super highway of love!

N8Dogg5k: I'm sure the fans out there love and adore you... Now Danny I understand that you've said the creator of the comic Gold Digger -Fred Perry- was very influential in your early illustrative career. Are there any other creators out there that you would say have been just as impacting on your development as an artist?

Razorfox: Fred Perry is a bit of a special case in that I actually met him in person at Katsucon 1 eighteen years ago, back in 1995. So that personal one on one relationship was actually a very big thing for me. No one has ever been quite as influential in that regard. However in terms of other artistic influences, Rumiko Takahashi -particularly in her work on Ranma 1/2- was a very big influence. To other varying degrees I would say Ben Dunn of Ninja Highschool, Robert DeJesus, and Adam Warren of Dirty Pair have also been very influential on me as well. So all of them kind of conflate together into creating me as their bastard love-child.

N8Dogg5k: That is an interesting perspective to have of yourself... In the last eight years that you've worked on The Draconia Chronicles as a webcomic, what would you say have been some of the most challenging aspects of the process?

Razorfox: There have been different challenges along the way. Some of which have been overcome, while others are slightly ongoing. The hardest part was just getting started really. There have been various personnel changes over time, some of which needed immediate addressing... I guess you could say there really have just been many various challenges that have come at me, and there really hasn't been one in particular that's been lingering the entire time.

One of my biggest challenges I guess would just be finding the time to work on the comic. I do work a full-time real world job during the day. So any time I have outside of that is spent working on the comic. I took over the writing duties of Draconia a little over two years ago and that is not as big a challenge as I thought it would be. I'm actually having a lot of fun with it. The challenge there I guess is remembering to push yourself. It's easy to fall back on cliches', it's always fun to challenge yourself and find some way to push beyond that to try something that you're not comfortable with... expand into areas that you haven't been in before... So just trying to keep it fresh for yourself prevents it from becoming too stale for the audience.

This can only end in tears.

N8Dogg5k: It's certainly refreshing to hear someone willingly challenging themselves like that. What would say is the one thing about Draconia that you're the most proud of?

Razorfox: I think the single most thing that I'm most proudest of is the events that lead to the comic's current state of development. Back in the beginning of 2011, three big changes happened. One of which was of course where the former writer departed, and I ended up inheriting the comic's writing duties. It kind of gave the comic a fresh new flavor. At the same time the comic also went to color instead of black and white. We reached the limits of what we could in black and white to convincingly convey a story, so the move to color just blew up the world that the comic inhabited. 

The last really big thing was when we moved to our current home of Katbox.net, home of various other popular webcomics like Caribbean Blue and Las Lindas! We gained this enormous new audience there, and the comic has been very well received there so far. It's fit right in with the other comics. The audience has been very responsive, especially to the artwork and the writing. 

All of these things sort of come together and form this big feed-back loop of so much positive energy from the audience. Which in turn motivates me to try even harder, which in turn motivates even bigger responses from the audience, and it just keeps going back and forth like that. It is immensely gratifying to work on the comic nowadays. I've never been more satisfied with it, and I hope that comes through in the comic... If anything else the audience seems to really appreciate that. All these factors come together to form a point where I have never been happier with the comic than I am now, and I hope that keeps going.

Gaia: Cut down in her prime.

N8Dogg5k: If there was one aspect of The Draconia Chronicles that you ever thought about changing, what would it be, and would you even do it?

Razorfox: First of all I don't think I would change anything we've done at this point. Not that I don't think we've made mistakes. There have been plenty of missteps along the way, but I've always been a fan of letting the historical record stand. That this was what was done. History in real life is something where you can't just go back and change what you don't like. For better or for worse you have to play to that hand that you are continuously being dealt. 

Therefore have there been mistakes in either the artwork, or the storytelling, or any other aspect of the comic? Absolutely. Would I go back and change them? No.

If I were however somebody that would go back and change it -and this will probably come as a very satisfying shock to a lot of people- looking back I think we could have gotten a lot more out of Gaia before we took her head off. I think there was an opportunity there for redemption of some kind beyond what was presented in the comic. I think she maybe went a little too soon. The plan was always set to have her die, and quite frankly it was to be in a rather grisly manner at the hands of Scyde; the character who decapitated her. I think it came a little too soon, I think we could have just done a tiny bit more with her before taking her out of the picture.

N8Dogg5k: Any words of wisdom you feel you can impart to any up and coming artists in terms of webcomics or illustration?

Razorfox: My favorite proverb is "The journey of 1000 miles begins with a single step." Taking that first step is often the hardest thing that you'll have to do. So if you can just get off your ass and get started, that is the single biggest hurdle that you'll ever have to overcome! Because once you've actually crossed that threshold, the rest of it just starts to fall into place like dominoes. You've got to take that first step. So if you're thinking of doing a webcomic, or you want to expand your illustrative/writing capabilities, do it! Don't let your own hesitance hold you back, or your lack of self confidence. Because you're not gonna grow unless you actually take that step into the great unknown. In many cases you'll probably pleasantly surprise yourself with what you can do. You'll probably exceed your own expectations, and that will in turn keep on motivating you to keep on going.

The venerable Razorfox looking like a boss!

N8Dogg5k: Those are some very inspirational words. I want to thank you for coming out and doing this interview with me. I know you're a busy guy these days. I look forward to many more very colorful, fun, and in-depth pages to Draconia in the future! Care to leave us with where new fans can find The Draconia Chronicles?

Razorfox: Yes! You can find and read -entirely for free by the way- The Draconia Chronicles online at www.draconia.katbox.net. While you're there check out the other cool comics that Katbox has to offer also! Everyone there works really hard to keep providing the fans with great content! 

Thank you very much for the interview! I'm glad to have come out and be one of your very first interviews! Congratulations on the new blog! I hope that also takes you to new places! I'm glad to be one of your first to pop your blog's cherry as it were! So thanks again very much, and ask me anytime! I'll be more than happy to come on again and divulge even more words of sagely wisdom!

Ronzo Murhpy (Shonuff44)- Interview

Ronzo Murphy a.k.a. Shonuff44

Greetings one and all! Welcome to the first installment of Geek Speak! Where I sit down with fellow nerd alumni to discuss some of the finer points of geek culture.

My first guest to the site is none other than freelance illustrator, and internet sensation, Ronzo Murphy a.k.a. Shonuff44. With multiple creative projects under his belt, both personal and professional alike (such as the comics: Coco Gun Bun, Katmandu, and Chisuji) he has experienced much popularity on the art sharing website Deviantart. Going so far as to have well over 3 million views on his Deviantart page alone, it can certainly be said that Mr. Murphy is a rising star in the art community. His company credits include, but are not limited to: Shanda Fantasy Arts, Antarctic Press, and recently Angry Viking Press.

Almost always opening himself up for an art commission, either online or at a local convention, Ronzo works around the clock constantly trying to improve his techniques. Some have compared him to the likes of long time comic book industry veterans Fred Perry and Adam Warren, with good reason. His penchant for sly, slightly adult humor lends his work a reminiscent flavor akin to those mentioned, while still maintaining his own unique image and voice.

I've had the privilege of knowing Ronzo as not only a professional illustrator for over the last 10 years, but also as a close friend, and an artistic inspiration to myself. I can honestly say that Ronzo always brings a sense of fun and passion to his work that simply becomes infectious whenever he is present.

At the anime convention Katsucon 19, located at the excellent Gaylord Hotel in the Maryland National Harbor, I was able to sit down with Shonuff44 and conduct a quick interview.

N8Dogg5k: Ronzo, you've been involved in the art industry and specifically the webcomic community for some time now. Exactly how many years has it been since you started working?

Shonuff44: I would say I've been in since I got out of college in the summer of '97. So it's been a while now.

Shonuff44's cast of characters.

N8Dogg5k: What were some of your biggest influences going into your art career?

Shonuff44: Oh! By far it was Fred Perry's work on Gold Digger and Robert Dejesus that got me the inspiration to even go forward with drawing. Other than that who else could I say... Rumiko Takahashi was influential, and especially Masami Obari! I loved all of the Fatal Fury movies to death.

Though I would say my biggest inspiration was probably Akira Toriyama. Back in the day I used to record his shows like Dragonball and pause certain action scenes and try to trace them out as best as I could. The idea was so that I could do things in my own little image with characters kind of based on Toriyama's. It's quite funny that now my work looks nothing like Akira Toriyama's and I just sort of do my own thing now. 

N8Dogg5k: Akira Toriyama has been considered to be highly influential within the industry by many for several years. In fact he's even been said to be one of the God-fathers of modern manga. In terms of the personal projects that you're currently undertaking who would say has been influential on how you form ideas? Akira Toriyama as well, or are there others?

Shonuff44: As far as writing... I want to give it to Eirik Blackwolf of Chisuji. Even though he isn't exactly an illustrator himself, he is a very good writer and he helped get me into the idea of writing stories for myself. I'm more of an illustrator than I'll ever be a writer though. Writing stories has always been one of my weaker points. When it comes to writing I'm that guy who sort of needs help for ideas...

N8Dogg5k: Beyond writing- what would you say are some of the biggest challenges you've faced throughout your career so far?

Shonuff44: Challenges, challenges, challenges... Hmmm... I would honestly say some of the challenges early on would be when I looked at other people's artwork and I would be like "Oh... can I really compare with this?" It would kind of bring me down sometimes, but then I'd look at some of the stuff I've done in the past and I'm like "I can kind of compare with some these professionals out there. I can do it."

Chisuji Issue #3

N8Dogg5k: Out of your artistic career so far, what is the one project that if you had the chance to go back and do better you would?

Shonuff44: I would honestly like to go back and redo Chisuji, because I feel like I rushed through Chisuji... When Eirik wanted me to do it I was really only just a substitute for the main artist Leo Saunders. I only recently found out that Eirik had considered my style to be way too "cartoony" for his more serious storyline. My art was just too "up-beat" for his not really "dreary" storyline, but it just wasn't serious enough for what he was looking for. It turns out the only real reason he hired me onto the project was because I was consistent with bringing out the pages he needed for the comic on time.

N8Dogg5k: Well consistency is considered a very important quality for those in an illustrative career. Now what would you consider to be the project you're most proud of?

Shonuff44: Hmmm... That is a good question. No one has really asked me that before... Personal project or something I did for someone?

N8Dogg5k: Whichever one you feel works best for you.

Shonuff44: I would say one of the biggest achievements that I did for myself was when I created the book that was supposed to be the best of my artwork from the past 10 years. I had come to realize that I did sooo much artwork that I was like "Oh my goodness! I did all this stuff, let me put this in a book!" and got to working on it.

After 2 months of hard work I finally decided I was finished with this book. I was very happy with it, I even created a personal cover for it. It took like 3 days to color and finish, but the cover came out great. It took like over a month to assemble the book, but when it was all done I was very happy with it. It all came out great in the end! I don't think I could be much happier with it.

N8Dogg5k: The book you're speaking of is "The Art of Sho-44." Is that book still available for purchase?

Shonuff44: Currently there are none left, but there are reprints being made. They will probably be available come mid-summer 2013.

Dang! All gone for now...

N8Dogg5k: Are there professional projects that you've worked on that you're just as proud of?

Shonuff44: Yes. I was hired to do a "furry-comic" that was called Katmandu. That one I'm pretty proud of because I got to show the people that hired me to do it my own particular style. It was completely different from what they were used to. They hired me to do a "furry-book" and my style of artwork done in like a "furry-version" of it was not what they were expecting. They still loved the results though. I'll never forget that -Katmandu- my first furry comic I ever worked on...

Katmandu Issue #33

The second one that I worked on was a furry version of Ninja High-school called Furry Ninja High-school of all things. I was hired to do this one with all the Ninja High-school characters as furry versions of themselves... go figure right? I was very impressed with what I did, even though I had to follow a very strange script.The writer didn't write anything. It was all illustrated. He did the story in stick-man form, and I was supposed to do it in my style. I never got a written script. I got an illustrated script and I thought that was kind of weird. I don't know if other artists have had to deal with that or not.

N8Dogg5k: It has been known to occur from time to time. Sometimes a writer just feels that it is better to show an artist what they're looking for rather than to tell them. If anything at least he felt that you had the right art style and approach for the comic. Now I understand that you're working on some more projects. What sort of things can we expect to see out of Shonuff44 in the future?

Shonuff44: Okay! I have been in the works of making a comic called Squeek 'n Shred for the past couple of years now. I've done hundreds of illustrations of these characters and their friends, telling little stories here and there. They haven gotten majorly popular online, so now I actually have a comic that is in the works based on them. It is something that I've been wanting to do for a long long time now and I think I finally have things where I want them.

N8Dogg5k: You're probably going to be looking for a writer on that one correct?

Shonuff44: Yes. Most definitely.

N8Dogg5k: Well thank you for your time Mr. Murphy. I look forward to seeing how Squeek 'n Shred turns out for you in the future! For the last question, where can fans reach you?

Shonuff44: Thanks for having me! You can reach me at shonuff44.deviantart.com Check out my work and let me know what you think! For fans already out there look forward to more Squeek 'n Shred content!  

Squeek 'n Shred. Coming Soon...

Dark Time: Mortal Path- Review

"I have to live-and love-and risk it all every day."

There is a bit of a science and art form when it comes to combining genres. Sometimes a lot of thought and preparation has to go into mixing all the components together in order to create a convincing illusion. Differing genre elements can clash harshly with one another if they're not fleshed out or well placed in the grand scheme of the narrative. An audience will recoil at the sight of artifice or conflicting properties to a tale, and a storyteller stands to loose them quick if that happens. A good blend can invigorate viewers to classic story types through the addition of interesting perspectives or subversive tones that come from having all the unique pieces juxtaposed. Few find this balance, but when they do you really have something special.

Dark Time: Mortal Path (written by Dakota Banks) almost has this balance. Described as a "dark urban-fantasy thriller" the story feels like it passionately tries to create a distinct voice for itself, but just comes up a bit short. There are good ideas are at play here which do make this an entertaining (albeit somewhat flawed) introduction to an ongoing novel series. 

The year is 1692 and expectant mother Susannah Layhem is a herbal healer living a quiet life in Massachusetts with her loving husband Nathan. Everything changes when she is falsely accused of practicing witchcraft by a local girl and placed on trial. Corruption pervading throughout the court results in Susannah being malnourished and poorly treated for her pregnancy during her long imprisonment. She gives birth to a still born child the night before her execution and absolute contempt for humanity forms within her. Sentenced to be burned at the stake Susannah stands before her family, friends, and the townsfolk who've completely abandoned her as a broken soul. With no hope of rescue, her faith in humanity shattered, and rage consuming her heart, Susannah is ready to be taken by the flames.

Just as she is about to die an ancient Sumerian Demon calling itself Rabishu appears, claiming to have heard her cries of anguish. Making promises of immortality, power, and revenge, all Susannah need do is be his ever living assassin. With all of her hate Susannah accepts the pact and is transformed into Rabishu's ageless servant imbued with super natural abilities.

For the next 250 years Susannah relentlessly follows Rabishu's orders and becomes one of his most proficient killers. Going under the alias of Maliha Crayne she feels little remorse or compassion towards her targets and takes great pride in her abilities to kill. It isn't until she is asked to kill an innocent child that she finally realizes the depths of the deal she has made. In every way she has truly sold her soul, and now she wants it back. It turns out that she can reclaim it too. Rabishu is bound by a greater set of rules, and the pact they formed provides an out for Maliha- that she become partially mortal once again, and balance the debt of lives she has taken with new lives she has saved.

Maliha commits herself for the next 50 years to her personal redemption, and to the defeat of the demonic influences over the world at large. If she can assemble a certain set of ancient artifacts she may be able to completely destroy Rabishu and those like him forever.

Oddly enough this is just the setup for the over arching story of the series. Dark Time focuses mostly on Maliha's modern day involvement in a corporate espionage scheme to sell America's national security to the highest bidder. Knowing that many could potentially die if she doesn't do something, Maliha uses the numerous assets she has accumulated over the course of her long life to thwart the plan at every turn. All while trying to maintain her cover as a pulp novel writer to her current set of friends and lover.

It is here that Dark Time mixes Mission Impossible/007 style storytelling with metaphysical overtones, to varying degrees of success. While it is interesting on either end of these two aspects, I do feel that the plot takes too many wide leaps in its timeline and tone to make the narrative feel consistent enough with itself. The more fantastical elements begin to feel neglected by the middle act and only come back in for a fight or two at the end. Had the story taken an approach similar to that of the film Highlander I think Dark Time may have had better coalescence between its parts. In Highlander the fantasy elements are consistently interspersed throughout the more modern scenes. Allowing the viewer to get a better perspective of the world at large and the character's place in it as the story progresses. While Dark Time does delve into parts of Maliha's more fantastical past, the sequences don't seem to carry the weight that I believe is being implied, so it all feels a tad hollow.

Aspects of the demons and their control over the world seem only to be glossed over at times in the story making it feel like confronting them is not that big of a deal. At least not yet. The book does end on a cliffhanger so some may be turned off by that. I found myself though curious to read the next installment to see if the demons begin to play a larger role in the plot. As an introduction to the world and the characters Dark Time does its job well enough. It just feels a tad flawed in its execution.

The main character Maliha is an interesting case of a heroine, in that she skirts the dreaded "Mary Sue" character type ever so close, but never outright crosses into it. For those not familiar with the term, a "Mary Sue" is a character that usually serves as an idealized/flawless, wish fulfillment avenue for either the author or the audience. It has a negative connotation and is considered a sign of poor writing when a character is identified as such. Symptoms include but are not limited to: Being depicted as an exotically beautiful character, with distinct exotic features, and an exotic name. Everyone (regardless of most circumstances) appears to be romantically enraptured (or at least captivated) by the character's ever so "amazing" presence. Most importantly, they usually possess some kind of over written talents or abilities that seem implausible even by the story's own rules. This ultimately destroys any chance for conflict/challenge in the narrative, which is the fundamental root of all storytelling. Definitions of the term range and vary from person to person, but these are some of the most generally accepted features.

While somewhat symptomatic of being a "Mary Sue" Maliha never feels like she is a flawless author avatar placed into the story for simple wish fulfillment. Her exceptional abilities and beauty were granted to her through means that play to the established rules of the plot, and at no point does she seem so overpowered that nothing can present a challenge to her. Maliha's long life experiences of over 300 years actually lend credibility to her possessing numerous skills and assets. Beyond that she is not the only character to have made such a deal as she encounters others who are in league with the demonic forces. Some of which are even more lethal and skilled than she is. I also found it interesting that Maliha doesn't fall into some of the cliches that are found with most immortal characters. Instead of being stoic and emotionless, Maliha displays a good degree of humor. She isn't afraid to let herself feel love or sadness, and in fact relishes at the prospect of being able to reclaim parts of her once lost humanity.

Sadly I do feel that the supporting cast is not quite as memorable as Maliha herself. They mostly serve as a means to show Maliha's progression of trying to reclaim her soul and humanity throughout the lengthy timeline. While they are not entirely one dimensional I never found myself becoming attached to any of them at any point. Even the main antagonist of Dark Time feels somewhat forgettable as he amounts to nothing more than the average corporate sleaze you would find in most modern thriller stories. Thankfully the interactions they have with Maliha do come off as natural and most conversations in the novel do have a smooth flow/pace.

Action in the book is limited but bloody good when it occurs. In fact it may even be Dark Time's best feature because to put it bluntly, these are the page turner pieces. Maliha has spent the better part of two centuries becoming a top level assassin and it shows. Dakota Banks describes the action in a very direct but vivid fashion that allows for intense and gratifying set pieces that would feel right at home in a summer blockbuster film. Not everything is violent either as some of the moments when Maliha has to incorporate stealth are expertly handled and feel riveting as they go. If I had one complaint about the action, it would be that the cover depicts Maliha with a pair of sai that she never once uses in the story.

As an adult novel there is adult activities going on. Every now and again Banks does have the story indulge in acts of sex to off set the violence, but never to a point that it becomes pornographic. It is handled with a good degree of taste and was actually even quite scintillating at points. I will say though that at times it did feel like it was distracting from the main story a tad too much. In short, Maliha's sex life is definitely an active one. These scenes may not be for every reader as some of the acts may come off as somewhat cavalier in their depiction, but not egregiously.

The actual writing itself is spot on with competent sentence structure, and only a few marginal spelling errors. Dakota Banks' prose has a well rounded and contemporary feel, while maintaining use of colorful and effective descriptors. Dark Time is a longer story than some novels, but at no point did it feel like words became overblown or overused. If anything Dark Time is a fairly digestible read for its 300 plus page length.   

Some critics have brought up Dark Time's lack of historical accuracy as a negative. I will agree that the novel is pretty far from factual events, but I don't think it stops the story from being entertaining. I believe it either was Mark Twain or Ernest Hemingway who once said "Never let the facts get in the way of a good story." and frankly I agree with that sentiment. In order for a story to work (or even be possible) liberties have to sometimes be taken. Others though may find that their willing suspension of disbelief is compromised by the construing of history and some scientific facts to fit the narrative's purposes.

Overall I can say that Dark Time: Mortal Path is an entertaining read if you're willing to go in for the long haul. At just over 300 pages it does take a bit of a dedicated effort to get through, but at no point did I regret the time invested to reading it. With an interesting heroine that is more than capable of delivering on the action quota, as well as being an interesting mix of genres, I can say that the novel is a modestly solid first installment in a series of stories to come. It isn't exactly perfect in its chemistry, but it gives it a good go nonetheless, becoming just engaging enough to justify continuing the series. I will read book 2!

Positive Factors

• Interesting mix of genres that does feel fresh. Think 007 meets Highlander with demons. 
• Good use of cliffhanger ending to set up future overarching stories.
• Maliha makes for a pretty good action oriented heroine that doesn't fall into "Mary-Sue" stereotype.
• Dialogue flows naturally and at a great pace.
• Action is always gratifying in its depiction. Suspenseful stealth sequences only add to the flavor. 
• Sexual content is handled for the most part with tact.
• Writing is competent throughout with solid style to the prose.
• Lack of historical/scientific accuracy never keeps the story from being entertaining. 

Negative Factors

• Not all of the plot's elements mix at times. Some feel kind of neglected.
• Secondary characters lack dimension and memorability. Villain feels somewhat cliche.
• Maliha never uses the sai on the cover once.
• Sex scenes can feel a bit distracting from the plot at times and cavalier in their use.
• History buffs and the scientifically inclined my have difficulty reading.

Final Rating: Splenderiffic! 

Dragon Age: Dawn of the Seeker- Review

"For the Chantry!"

One thing I've always enjoyed seeing a franchise do is branch out into other media; particularly for videogames. I like it when a creative studio goes so far as to write books, comics, or (in some more recent cases) even a movie to help expand upon the continuity set up by the games. The growth into another format allows the creators to try other ways to tell their game's story and develop their game's universe. It also provides other ways for established fans to enjoy the franchise's canon and maybe even have some new ones discover it. When handled well it can serve to make a property seem fresh, versatile, and accessible. When done poorly it can make the property seem obtuse, convoluted, and derivative.

The prospect of an animated Dragon Age film was brought up by the creative studio BioWare (Mass Effect, Jade Empire) as far back as 2010 and I will admit that it was hard for me to hide my elation. I am a big fan of the Dragon Age mythology and a collaborative project between BioWare, Funimation, and Oxybot (Vexile, T.O.) seemed like such a great match. BioWare is renowned in the gaming community for their great stories and awesome characters. Combining that with an up and coming Japanese CGI animation studio with strong sensibilities on action, and the solid voice work that Funimation is known for just seemed right. I was eager to see what sort of film could be made when so many creative groups joined forces.

Sadly the movie I got was just kind of okay. Granted, Dragon Age: Dawn of the Seeker never truly became unwatchable to me, but it also lacked some of the key elements that I felt made Dragon Age such a compelling setting for great fantasy storytelling.

For years mages and those attuned to using magic have lived in fear of the militant church known only as the Chantry. Their constant oppression has given rise to mages who fight against the Chantry's agents known as Seekers and Templars. Dawn of the Seeker introduces us to the Chantry-Seeker-Knight Cassandra Pentaghast, one of the last in a noble dragon hunter bloodline. Through her mentor and fellow knight Byron, Cassandra learns of a blood mage conspiracy to topple the Chantry and usher in a new era of magic user domination. The wanted blood mage Frenic has kidnapped (and intends to use) the young elvish girl Avexis, who has the ability to control dragons at will. With Avexis under his spell Frenic can amass an entire army of dragons and launch an unstoppable assault on the Chantry. Unfortunately the blood mages are not the only problem lurking. Corruption within the Chantry itself seems to have taken root as Cassandra is framed for murder and hunted by the very church she once swore fealty to. With few allies, and the rising threat of the blood mages growing ever closer, the situation is dire at best. Cassandra sets forth to not only clear her name but to also save the land from a grim fate.

With a face like that I bet Frenic gets all the ladies...

As promising as that summary sounds, the narrative to Dawn of the Seeker only does what it sets out to do functionally. It has a beginning, a middle, and an end. Sadly it never really does much to separate itself from the bevy of other fantasy stories like it. I've said before that predictability isn't always a negative. That is reserved though for when a story can deliver something you know is coming in a fashion that feels very well thought out, or at least with a lot of style and flare. As long as the scenes come together in a way that feels entertaining and well done, I'm sure many are willing to forgive something for being predictable to some extent. Without going into spoilers I can pretty much say that anything you think may happen in the story from the above synopsis; you're more than likely spot on. I will concede that there are a few twists and turns, but nothing that feels unforeseen or of substantial impact.

Had Dawn of the Seeker perhaps told its tale in a more flavorful fashion akin to that of the games I might have felt differently. A lot of the more unique and charming aspects of the Dragon Age games seem to have been either diluted or dropped altogether for this film. The iconic races of the game such as dwarves/qunari are nowhere to be found, nor are there golems, and only one elf is ever really seen. Not having those different races in Dawn of the Seeker made the world sadly feel smaller and by that extent more mundane. It wasn't until the climax that Dawn of the Seeker truly began to resemble the franchise that it was supposed to be a part of, but by that time it was too little too late. For what was supposed to be an addition to the already interesting mythology of Dragon Age, this just felt... well... basic. While basic storytelling isn't exactly always bad, here it simply felt devoid of the identity the series had built up over the course of the games. I can at least say though that the movie didn't create any major plot holes or continuity gaffs as far as I could tell.

I will say the film does have its cool moments.

Characters didn't fare much better than the story did either. Cassandra  and the rest of the main cast were little more than two dimensional cutouts of archetypes we've seen plenty of times before, despite their 3-D rendering. A notable lack in character development really affected my ability to get into the story, let alone feel much for the characters when things started to happen. While the characters did get some development, it never felt substantial. Sure, we did learn of Cassandra's past as the film progressed, but her back story fell right into a lot of the cliches' that we've come to expect in stories such as this. Cassandra was the hot headed fighter with a dark past that she had to learn to come to terms with before she could face the challenges ahead of her. Frenic was no more than an ugly, cackling wizard who only talked about how he will bring forth destruction to the land. Byron was the mentor figure who suffered the inevitable fate of all mentor figures.

While none of them were ever truly bad, they were also not very memorable. These were all archetypes we've seen a million times before. The subversive complexity and nuance that BioWare has been known for with their characters was sorely lacking here, as well as the humor that was prevalent throughout the Dragon Age games. Yes, Dragon Age was labeled as a dark fantasy saga, but it did know how to have a little bit of fun from time to time. With witty dialogue exchanges between characters, or just tiny bits of comical observation, Dragon Age had characters that endeared themselves to the audience through their likable personalities. It really was the little things that helped to give Dragon Age its image in the gaming world. In Dawn of the Seeker everyone (save for one character) acted almost intolerably stoic throughout the course of the movie. Thus giving us a cast that took itself way too seriously at times, killing a good deal of the fun and personality Dragon Age had.

As a CGI film Dawn of the Seeker looked dated even though it was only released in 2012. While the characters were competently rendered, they didn't exude much natural emotion, making character interactions come off as stilted and weird. The motion-capture animations looked stiff making the movie seem like it was made back in the early 2000's when CG animation was still new and untested. There was a particular action scene featuring riders on horse back that quite frankly had me weeping for the animators. The animation for those poor horses was just sad to see. Character designs did look like that of Dragon Age, with some iconic armor sets from the game making an appearance. Sadly, they lacked in some of the subtle grit that gave the franchise its more grounded visual charm. Creature designs that cropped up in the climax all looked great and are the closest to the game's iconic look, with the dragons being the standout feature. Some of the more recognizable Darkspawn (that familiar fans will know when they see them) looked great when they came in. It was a shame to see that most of the work seemingly went into rendering the creatures more so than it did the main characters.

Elements of the iconography have been retained.

The action sequences at the opening and the finale were also note worthy as they featured the most unique camera work, choreography, and blood that the franchise has been known for. For all the other action scenes Dawn of the Seeker came off as somewhat dull. The stiff animations didn't help to sell the sword fights that occurred towards the film's middle as they lacked energy and any real impact. A limited color pallet coupled with small background environments made elements of the world just sort of blend together, not giving room for any major action set pieces that could have brought the visual scale up. Everything felt tiny and not as epic as it probably should have felt. It wasn't until I got into the giant courtyard at the third act that I actually felt like I was seeing the fantasy epic that this should have been. If anything else, Dawn of the Seeker felt like a B-grade CGI fantasy action movie that wanted to be bigger than what it really had the money for. At least the action filled climax helped to make the movie feel worth the watch.

Music was forgettable at best, with no one track ever truly sticking out. The orchestral score did its job at setting up the general mood for a scene when needed, but felt painfully small even when at its loudest. Again this was a shame considering that they probably could've just as easily lifted some of the more iconic music from the games and used them for this movie. At least then there would have been some stronger degree of authenticity and connection to the Dragon Age canon.

This is how the movie feels... Incomplete.

Voice acting was probably where Dawn of the Seeker shined the most. With industry veterans such as Colleen Clinkenbeard as Cassandra, J. Michael Tatum as Regalyan, and Chuck Huber as Frenic, the cast made the most of their parts with the blase' script. Colleen Clinkenbeard did a great job performing Cassandra as a tough as nails knight who was ready to kill any opponent at the drop of a hat, but still had a touch of humanity in everything she said. J. Michael Tatum made Regalyan probably the most entertaining character to listen to, as little cracks that he put in the character's voice lent a much needed bit of levity to the otherwise dry dialogue. Unfortunately even with the fairly good voice work, the characters had little to no chemistry.

It pains me to say, but Dragon Age: Dawn of the Seeker just wasn't that good a film. While it never fell into the pit of being an outright bad or boring watch, it certainly didn't live up to the legacy of its parent franchise. Dated animation, uninspired action scenes, and flatly developed characters coupled with a predictable/lackluster plot, and an almost completely forgettable score brought down what could have been an otherwise great addition to the Dragon Age mythology.

Thankfully the movie was competent enough to never have made me feel like I was wasting my time. As a fan I can honestly say that it didn't come off as a stain on the franchise either. In fact, if you're a Dragon Age fan this movie may serve you well as part of its canon. I can't in good conscience though recommend this as the gateway piece into the Dragon Age saga. Perhaps with future endeavors BioWare will come back to Dragon Age as a film and we will only stand to see improvement. As a first time outing on making a film based on one their franchises I can't say that they did bad, they just didn't do great.

Positive Factors

• Character and creature designs are faithful to the Dragon Age franchise.
• Climax is befitting of a Dragon Age story.
• Voice actors bring up what would be a very bland script.
• Adds to the Dragon Age canon.

Negative Factors

• Story, action, music, and characters all feel uninspired.
• Better aspects of the Dragon Age franchise feel diluted or outright dropped.
• Animation looks stiff and dated.
• Not a good gateway into the Dragon Age mythos.

Final Rating: Mediocremarkable...