Gerrard’s Quest Part 1: Initiation
Written by: Mike Grell
Pencils by: Pop Mhan
Inks by: Norman Lee
Letters by: Michael Taylor
Colors by: Dave Stewart
Separations by: Lisa Stamp, Stu Hiner, Brian Gregory, Harold MacKinnon
Cover by: Mark Harrison
Editors: Peet Janes and Ian Stude
Cover Date: March 1998
Cover Price: $2.95
Published by: Dark Horse Comics
I’ve been “aware of” this series for over 20 years. The original MTG comics were published by Acclaim, under their Armada imprint. Those lasted a couple years with a number of mini-series and specials. This, too, is a mini-series…but by late-1997/early-1998, the license had moved to Dark Horse. Also by this point there was a move toward a unified “whole” in the MTG continuity/story, rather than everything being a mash up of fantasy tropes and generic fantasy-style stories.
Here we begin “Gerrard’s Quest.” Despite that being the story title (even in the indicia!) it is NOWHERE on the cover of the issue. While the “issue’s chapter” IS “Initiation” that is what’s on the cover…where usually it would be interior-only, or in addition to the series’ subtitle. This is solely billed (cover-wise) as Magic the Gathering #1 of 4. Nothing to indicate anything came before…nothing to indicate (now long after the fact) that this is the first chapter of Gerrard’s Quest (as the long-outta-print collected volume is titled and the story referred to in general).
Without even looking back, I’m quite sure that even the Armada books had subtitles on the covers and/or the subtitle logos of whatever set the issue(s) contained stories for. So that’s a huge dislike of this to me from the start. Having only the MTG logo and the title “Initiation” at the bottom of the cover, it suggests to me that the issue is ABOUT some initiation. Into what, though? Is it the reader being initiated into the “I-read-Magic-the-Gathering-comics” portion of the comics audience? Is it about someone joining some group of planeswalkers banding together to save the multiverse? By the cover alone, the ONLY thing really of interest to me would be the MTG logo. The rest of the cover just looks like some generic fantasy-ish thing and even knowing the broad strokes (having read loads of the novels and re-read a bunch of the novels in the last 17 months or so) I’m not immediately sure who any of the characters/entities on the cover are supposed to be, outside of Gerrard.
The story in the issue is choppy and all over the place. It’s rather loose, and really seems little more than hitting bullet points. I’d have to practically re-write the issue to give it a proper summary here. Suffice it to say that it picks up with Gerrard lamenting others dying for him, and the burden of the artifacts that are his birthright, the “Legacy.” The ship he’s on gets to Rath, a lotta fighting happens, someone he apparently knew dies, other stuff happens and…yeah. Having read the anthology/novel Rath and Storm at least twice now (once back in 1999 or 2000, once back in late 2018 or early 2019) I have a vague idea from memories of THAT as to who THESE characters are and what’s going on.
Early in the issue I get the sense that the crew is on their way to Rath and the Stronghold to save Sisay. And then there’s some scene with people related to Crovax and then suddenly the Weatherlight and its crew are there…and after Rofellos dies, Sisay is with them.
What the heck did I miss?!?
This feels like little more than a generic visual review/overview of a prose story. And sure, it ends on a cliffhanger-like note with a to-be-continued promise…but strictly in terms of this issue, I’m not invested in any of these characters. I don’t KNOW who any of these characters ARE from this issue. (I only know the characters because I’ve read the prose novels!) Other than the clear sense that Gerrard’s upset about involvement with his “Legacy,” it’s just…pictures and dialogue.
I like the art well enough despite my clumsy attempt to describe it ahead: the layouts get sorta interesting and creative. The inks and colors work well. The overall visual experience seems a bit rough and angular and almost “gritty,” if that’s the word I’m looking for. It’s not awful, but it doesn’t have the smoother, sleeker sense of shiny wonder and just SOMETHING I can’t find the words for.
I finally tracked this mini-series down recently via a site I didn’t realize I COULD order comics from. Pulling this issue to read, I had visions of covering this whole mini-series…but assuming the subsequent 3 issues are on par with this one…I’m gonna be floundering for words and repeating myself and it’ll generally be a mess! The only REAL reason I would even suggest anyone track this issue/series down is if you’re a COMPLETIST on MTG comics.
Seriously.
In place of this, I would recommend tracking down the book or ebook of Rath and Storm, edited by Peter Archer, and read that instead. And that’s disappointing enough to say, given this is written by Mike Grell. But if you like his writing in general…find something else he’s written and read or re-read that and you’ll probably appreciate it more. I may yet read the rest of this mini, and maybe I’ll change my mind. But as of just this issue alone…it’s a disappointment and far more in the vein of “early MTG” than the far more epic, storied stuff that would come not long after in the novels and such.
Filed under: 2020 posts, 2020 Reviews, Dark Horse, The '90s Revisited | Tagged: Brian Gregory, Capashen, Dark Horse, Dark Horse Comics, Dave Stewart, Dominaria, Gerrard, Gerrard's Quest, Harold MacKinnon, Ian Stude, Lisa Stamp, Magic, magic: the gathering, Mark Harrison, Michael Taylor, Mike Grell, Norman Lee, Peet Janes, Pop Mhan, Rath, Stu Hiner, Tempest, Weatherlight, wizards of the coast | 1 Comment »
A couple months ago, give or take a week or so, I was at a semi-local comic shop that I get to every now and then, but no great regularity. I don’t recall now what I was looking for at the time, but I wound up buying two issues apiece of The Massive and Mind the Gap, figuring I’d “try” a couple new series. But the way my luck goes–spend full price on something, and got distracted by other stuff. 
Mixed in with the ongoing events–evading pirates, restocking material resources for survival, etc.–we get flashbacks to see where the characters have come from, the stuff that makes up their relationships now. 
I find myself comparing this to the likes of a new tv show. If the Buffy season 8 & 9 comics can use each small arc as an “episode,” then this 3-parter is definitely a pilot episode. Yet, because it’s a comic series, it’s also already 3 issues in. I’m interested, yes, even though not really engaged…but like most tv shows these days, I’ll wait for word of mouth and reruns or the dvd (or in this case, collected volumes). 
I missed the original Guild 3-issue mini-series, and though I keep meaning to, as fo this typing have yet to snag the collected edition. However, between when that came out and when these one-shots started coming out last year, I watched the first four seasons of The Guild. A few weeks ago, I watched the whole of Season 5 in one go and greatly enjoyed it. So it was a REALLY pleasant surprise to discover this one-shot, after I thought all the one-shots were done coming out. I’ve quite enjoyed Wheaton’s appearances in The Guild and Big Bang Theory, so as with all the other characters’ one-shots, it’s a real treat to get a lot more spotlight on the specific character. In this case, we get the backstory to Fawkes that fills in the details of how he wound up where he did in season 5. The story’s good, and I liked the art. I especially like that these one-shots are truly that: one-issue stories that you don’t HAVE TO follow one to the next (though as a Guild fan, you’ll WANT to). (8.5/10) 
Not a whole lot to say about this issue. I enjoy this series, I look forward to seeing what happens next and where things go. But individual issues tend to blur together for me, as it’s the overarching stories and developments that stick with me. Of course, the sudden, unexpected death of a major character should ultimately leave this issue sticking out a bit. It’s weird–this character’s been around quite awhile–about half the existence of the series–and yet still never quite felt as familiar to me as the original group of survivors did. But the death definitely fits with the way the series runs. Two more issues to #100, and I’m thinking that after being back in on the single issues for the last several arcs…I may be ready to bow out for awhile to “just” catch up in the collected volumes. (7.5/10) 
I particularly like the focus on Rogue in this issue. Iron Man’s shown up, and starts taking apart the Jean Grey School faculty, until Rogue is convinced to throw down the glove and wade into things, “old school.” Between the previous issue and this one, there’s been a bit of focus on Rogue dealing with her past–which has prompted me to look a bit into her past in the comics myself, and as a result I’ve really enjoyed the relevant emotion of the character here: she got her start fighting the Avengers, and now she’s thrust back into fighting them again, despite years of growth and getting away from that. I’d say that continuity stuff very much fits this series’ title. The art’s not 100% to my liking–but on the whole no great problem with it. I am definitely looking forward to the next issue, and seeing what else develops for Rogue–as well as the rest of the cast. (8/10) 
This issue bridges the gap between panels in AvX #4, following Wolverine and Hope and how they secured transport to the moon. There’s also a bit of checking in on the various plot-points, some of which seem moot by now…feel like I’ve seen ’em play out in other ways in other issues…but I suppose THAT is one of the drawbacks to having jumped in on this AvX thing whole-hog. I don’t care too much about Kid Gladiator here, though it’ll be sorta interesting to see how that stuff plays out. The Iceman/Red Hulk fight reminded me of the Age of Apocalypse Iceman here with the numerous shells or ‘avatars’ of the original…not quite sure I care for that. Definitely like the art MUCH better on this issue than the previous. (7.5/10)
Comic Reviews by Walt 