Review: Dungeons & Dragons Saturday Morning Adventures II Trade Paperback
This series finds the party of adventurers (Hank the Ranger, Presto the Magician, Sheila
the Thief, Bobby the Barbarian, Diana the Acrobat, Eric the Cavalier and Uni the
Unicorn) exploring the Spine of the World (pretty much the coldest part of Faerun) as
they look for a herb to heal Dungeon Master. That’s right! Seemingly immortal Dungeon
Master is dying, and the party is his only chance at being saved.

As a fan of the Dungeons & Dragons animated series from the ’80s, it’s great to see the
characters make a return in comic books. They’ve been popping up, here and there,
over the years in other media, which is a testimonial to their lasting appeal. Recently,
we’ve seen a lot more of them; from their appearance in the art for the Dragons of
Stormwreck Isle adventure for the D&D Starter Set released in 2022 to their live action
cameo in the Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves movie released in
2023—and let’s not forget the very nice Icons of the Realms miniature set released by
Wizkids in 2022, or their starring role in the very popular, live-action Renault car
commercials from Brazil that made fans clamour for a full-length feature film version.
Even though their animated nature made them a natural for a foray into comic books,
we had to wait nearly 11 years following the show’s cancellation in 1985 for their first
appearance in a comic book. In 1996, DC Comics released The Grand Tour, an
anthology of D&D short stories in comic book format. One of the stories featured older
versions of the characters. The story centered around Presto, the magician of the
group, as he tried to apprentice with Elminster, the great wizard of Shadowdale in the
Forgotten Realms.


We had to wait even longer before the next comic book appearance of the group. In
2023, IDW published the Dungeons & Dragons Saturday Morning Adventures limited
series. It was the first full-length story featuring the characters since the publication of
The Grand Tour, and it was well received by the fans. This series was followed up by
the Endless Summer one-shot comic book in 2023, which brings us to the latest limited
series.
This new limited series, simply titled Dungeons & Dragons Saturday Morning
Adventures II, included four issues and was published between January 2024 and April
The trade paperback was released on June 4, 2024.
One of the things I like about trade paperbacks is that they (often) include all the
alternate covers for the series. If your comic book budget is limited, it is often difficult to
decide which cover to purchase at a time when alternate covers have become the norm.
It may be a gimmick to sell more comics, but I often find myself wanting to buy several
different covers because the art is simply too good. Trade paperbacks make this choice
much simpler (and less expensive), even though you have to wait a few months before
they are published.
This trade paperback was worth the wait, and it’s a great option for catching up with the
party’s latest adventure. This series finds the party of adventurers (Hank the Ranger,
Presto the Magician, Sheila the Thief, Bobby the Barbarian, Diana the Acrobat, Eric the
Cavalier and Uni the Unicorn) exploring the Spine of the World (pretty much the coldest
part of Faerun) as they look for a herb to heal Dungeon Master. That’s right! Seemingly
immortal Dungeon Master is dying, and the party is his only chance at being saved.
The adventure quickly turns into immediate action when the party is beset by an ice
troll. One of the things I like about these D&D comic books is their faithfulness to the
source material. If you are a long-time D&D player whose characters have been
adventuring across the various lands of Faerun for years, that world has by now
become as well known to you as your real-life world. The Forgotten Realms (Faerun is
but a continent of that expensive world) are so rich in lore, staple D& D monsters and
memorable characters that you can spend years discovering new things about them at
the gaming table. It is great when a comic book brings those staple elements to life in its
pages.
(BIG SPOILER AHEAD!) The party is saved from the ice troll by one of the greatest
heroes of the Forgotten Realms: Drizzt Do’Urden himself. The Drow Ranger and
outcast who left the Underdark to escape the evil ways of his home city of
Menzoberranzan. Drizzt is the hero of over 30 (I lost track) novels by author R. A.
Salvatore. His popularity has been going strong since the publication of his first
adventure, The Crystal Shard, in 1988. Since then, he’s appeared in everything from
comic books to video games. He’s a legendary figure of the Forgotten Realms and a
staple D&D character. It was awesome to see him sprint into action in the pages of this
book and share an adventure with the animated characters. I quite enjoyed how he was
depicted in to blend in with the animated style of the other characters.
I don’t want to spoil the book any further, but let me just add that Drizzt is not the only
D&D luminary to make an appearance. Each special appearance brings a thrill all of its
own. I really enjoy such “crossovers” featuring different beloved characters teaming up
to fight the good fight, and this book certainly does not disappoint in that regard.
In the same vein as the original animated TV show, this book also sends a strong
message about the value of family. While the adventurers still have loved ones back
home (on Earth), they have survived in the Forgotten Realms and learned to rely on
each other for so long now that they’ve become a new family–one that includes
Dungeon Master, which is the big reveal of this story. It’s as emotional as a cartoon can
get.
The art by George Kambadais manages to cast the essence of the characters and their
animated origins. Writer David M. Booher did a great job making the characters sound
like they always did in the original TV series. Booher’s writing reflects that it’s been
years, and that the characters have grown and evolved, which is very refreshing in a
media where characters can often feel static and unchanging.
The book is a bit light on additional content. There is the cover gallery I mentioned
earlier. There are also a couple pages of character sketches. I would have loved to see
more. Given the popularity of the characters, I’m hoping we’ll get to read more of their
adventures in the near future.
Title: Dungeons & Dragons Saturday Morning Adventures II (Trade Paperback)
Publisher: IDW
Writer: David M. Booher
Artists: George Kambadais
Format: Trade paperback