Review – Dungeons & Dragons: Saturday Morning Adventures II #1 (IDW Publishing)

January 26, 2024

2–3 minutes

Publisher: IDW Publishing
Writer: David M. Booher
Artist: George Kambadais
Colorist: John-Paul Bove
Letterer: Ed Dukeshire
Release Date: 24th March 2024

IDW’s Saturday Morning Adventures line continues this week with the second volume of their Dungeons & Dragons series, set in the world of the cult classic 1980s cartoon. The first volume saw our beloved group of kids venturing out to new parts of the Forgotten Realms searching for a way home – all while grappling with the question of whether they even want to get home after all – in a series we said “pays homage to the classic kids cartoon while adding some fun new wrinkles to these much-loved characters.”

This time, series writer David M. Booher decides to raise the stakes in an interesting way, steering us away from the somewhat overplayed “find their way home” quest line in favour of new pressing concern; namely, the fact that Dungeon Master is sick with an unknown disease and getting weaker every day. This potentially catastrophic situation sees our young adventurers heading out on their very own Spelljammer (yeah, you heard me) in search of a cure, and brings them into contact with some exciting new faces along the way.

Okay, so while I’m undoubtedly a long-time fan of the cartoon, I’ll admit to not being too familiar with the wider D&D mythos, so while the inclusion of established Forgotten Realms legend Drizzt Do’Urden is likely to bring a smile to a lot of faces, it initially sailed right over my head. That said, I know a lot of people are going to get a real kick out of his inclusion, and from the perspective a relative outsider, he’s definitely a great addition to the team dynamic.

George Kambadais returns on art duties, proving once again that he’s a perfect fit for the tone and style of this story. All the familiar characters are recreated well (although I’m definitely not fully sold on Hank’s new hairdo), and whole thing has a dynamic-yet-cartoony aesthetic. The brief flurries of action are well delivered, everyone is suitably expressive and emotive, and while there’s definitely a lack of background detail which leads to a bit of a sparse feel in places, this is another great-looking book overall.

The final pages throw yet another Forgotten Realms stalwart into the mix, along with the promise of a lot more swashbuckling action in the issues to come. And, while there’s nothing particularly revolutionary at play here in terms of the story, if you’re a fan of either the cult classic cartoon or D&D in general, you’re definitely going to love watching these two worlds collide in such a fun, energetic way. Well worth a look.

Rating: 3.5/5.

[PREVIEW ARTWORK – CLICK TO ENLARGE]