In the years leading up to the release of the Fifth Edition of Dungeons and Dragons (which arrived in 2014), there were several periods from 2011 onwards where upstart, D&D-derived tabletop roleplaying game (or TTRPG) Pathfinder outsold the game it was inspired by.

It’s not surprising that its success saw Pathfinder attract attention from other industries, and the franchise expanded in numerous ways, with this comic book set in the world of Golarion having first been released in 2012, at the height of the TTRPG’s popularity.

The series begins with warrior Valeros, sorcerer Seoni and rogue Merisiel under attack by goblins, but they soon discover that something very strange has befallen the little green creatures. The goblins are horrifically mutating, and whatever is happening to them is causing them to band together and strengthen in a way that could pose a real threat to the world.

Writer Jim Zub wastes no time in hitting the ground running in this first issue, with a crunchy, violent action scene that recalls the adult oriented, direct to video action movies of the 80s. Things slow down a little so we can get to know our heroes a bit better, and numerous plot threads and characters are planted for the story going forward.

The art, by Andrew Huerta, isn’t bad per se, but the action sequences can get a little busy with confusing detail. His work gets a lot stronger in the less frenetic moments of the comic.

It’s a good start though, and the issue even has material which Pathfinder players can utilise in their games of the TTRPG itself, which is a really cool touch.

It obviously did well for Dynamite, as the publishers have made good use of the Pathfinder license over the years since this came out. I’m looking forward to catching up with more comics from the game’s universe; despite being a fairly generic fantasy world by design, it seems that there’s plenty of interesting stories to be told in it, with this first issue giving readers an intriguing mystery to draw them back for more.

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