‘Critical Role, Vox Machina: Origins Volume 2’ – Matthew Mercer, Jody Houser, Olivia Samson, Msassyk’ (Dark Horse)

This has been a really awkward week for getting anything read... If I haven't been working or with the girls, I've come back to my flat and done that thing where you're faced with a veritable mountain of books and absolutely none of them appeal to you. Do you get that feeling?

Well, this wasn't going to be another week where I read nothing so I thought I'd go a little easier on myself and read something from the comic book pile, just to keep myself ticking over until I was back in the mood for something heavier. And once I'd made that decision? There was only one comic book that I wanted to read next.

The first 'Vox Machina Origins' book wasn't at all what I expected but I enjoyed the plot and I'm in love with the characters. That was all I needed to order the next volume and I finally got round to reading it last night. And... 

(You won't be surprised to hear that this is another quickish post, I'm running on empty and just want to get to the weekend now!)

Join familiar faces from Critical Role's smash-hit first campaign as their escapades in Stilben lead them toward new adventure--and a dire threat to Grog when he goes missing in the night. Tracking him down will see the party lose one member, gain another, and reveal parts of Grog's secret past. But first, his friends have to actually find him.

For me, the first 'Origins' volume was all about easing the band into an adventure that was appropriate for their lowly stature (well, they came across level one players...) Well... 'Origins Volume 2' is more of the same., albeit with the stakes raised ever so slightly as our 'heroes' are able to take on a little more now. So... level three or four now? Maybe, I don't know...

I'll be honest, this 'slow and steady' approach is a little too slow and steady for my liking but then I never followed the story from the start so this is clearly something that I've got to get used to if I'm going to continue reading the series. And I will be picking up the rest of the series so no worries there. Basically, so long as the group dynamic stays more or less the same then I'm (kind of) happy to let Vox Machina plod their way into more high-stakes situations. It certainly does here with a happy mix of action and snark that was ultimately what kept me reading. It was fun to see the Vox Machina that I know slowly start to take shape as well. I mean, I know what happens with Percival so all the little nods, to an intriguing future story, are wasted on me but it's still good to go back to the beginning and close the circle, as it were.

And yeah... I would have liked to seen something a little more urgent but I can get why it's the way it is at the moment, the group just aren't there in terms of taking on the big threats. It also means that we get scenes like 'Grog and the Water Nymph', which was just lovely, and that's a trade I'm happy with at the moment. Mercer and Houser are on song with the plot/script and and this is complemented very nicely by Samson's art. I know that's more or less what I said for the last book but it's still the case here and it works ;o)

Another slow-burner then but you can see a family starting to form and grow and that's really what we're all about here. Maybe big adventures can wait a little longer, not too much longer though...