Warlands was a fantasy comic book series originally published by Dreamwave Comics in 2001. Following their collapse, Image Comics released this “prologue” collection titled WarLands: Three Stories. It was written by Adrian Tsang with artwork by Pat Lee.

Zeph and his mortally wounded friend G’Dar are two survivors of the attack from the Dataran Horde of Vampires who have plagued their lands. Zeph reads aloud a diary from a few who were around when the attack began, showing how infighting among the humans and the elves led to the collapse of their world. Now survivors scramble to figure out how to defeat their enemies before it is too late.

It is a shame that DreamWave Comics folded the way it did. While it is true they were producing such titles as Transformers, Street Fighter, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, they also produced original content like WarLands. Who knows where this entry would have gone if the company had not collapsed.

On the story itself, it reads like an anthology, with Zeph describing the events leading up to the main story arc. While I usually prefer the old rule “show don’t tell,” it does serve as giving some back story. I did not read WarLands as often as Transformers, so I did feel a bit lost with some of the characters.

Where the true coolness of this title comes from is the artwork. Dreamwave always knew where to find excellent illustrators and WarLands was no exception. Every attention is given to the finest detail and it is brilliant how it all comes together in that manner. This publication, first appearing in Wizard Magazine, is incredibly rare so I was glad to find it.

What do you think? Let me know in the comments below. Tell me if there is a comic book, movie, or novel you would like me to review. While you are at it, check out my reviews of Goshawk and Falconet and Cyberfrog 2: Rekt Planet. Don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe for more posts like this one.

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