Dark Horse Books and Darrington Press, the publishing arm of Critical Role, have announced Candela Obscura, a new graphic novel series set in the world of the tabletop role-playing game of the same name. The horror drama introduces an all-new cast of investigators from the Candela Obscura secret society, and Volume 1 arrives on August 3, 2027. Check out the official post down below:
The Creative Team
The series brings together the following creative team:
- Writer Tini Howard: Excalibur, Knight Terrors: Harley Quinn
- Writer Blake Howard: Archie is Mr. Justice and Vampire: The Masquerade comics
- Artist Fernando Heinz Furukawa: Dragon Age: Knight Errant, Valiant Beyond: Bloodshot
- Colorist Charlie Kirchoff: Star Trek, Doctor Who
- Letterer Ariana Maher: Did You Hear About Mimi Green?, Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins
The cover for Volume 1 comes from Furukawa and Rocio Zucchi Yakubecki.
What Volume 1 Is About
The first book follows Amelia Ashford, the resident loose cannon and junior member of the Circle of the Riddle and Key. Amelia sets out on an unauthorized adventure to uncover the hidden past of Empress Iomene. Deep within Oldfaire, among the crumbling ruins of the House of Iomene, she finds a relic that attunes her to the Empress herself.
Iomene offers Amelia a deal, answering her questions in exchange for her unwavering devotion. Amelia has to keep the arrangement from her Circle, which is complicated by Javri, a stern member who wants Amelia ousted for her troublemaking. As Amelia proves herself to the Empress, she learns that great power and darkness hide inside the artifact, and while Amelia may be gaining the Empress's trust, the book asks whether that trust goes both ways.
Candela Obscura Volume 1 is a 56-page hardcover measuring 6.625 by 10.1875 inches. It is priced at $17.99 and is available for pre-order now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, comic shops and bookstores. Dark Horse describes the series as suitable for both existing Candela Obscura fans and newcomers.
Critical Role's Long Run At Dark Horse
Candela Obscura is the latest in a long line of Critical Role comics at Dark Horse. The partnership was announced at San Diego Comic-Con on July 22, 2017, with a Vox Machina comic covering the group's adventures before the stream began. The first issue of Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins arrived digitally in September 2017, and the series ran for 3 volumes, with the third launching in February 2021.
Dark Horse then published Critical Role: The Mighty Nein Origins, a run of hardcover graphic novels exploring the backstories of the second campaign's main characters, each with its own creative team. 8 volumes were released between 2021 and 2024, and 2 library edition omnibuses followed in October 2023 and December 2024. The publisher also released Critical Role: Tales of Exandria, an anthology focused on non-player characters, starting with a miniseries about Leylas Kryn, the Bright Queen of the Kryn Dynasty. In February 2023, Dark Horse, Critical Role and Amazon Studios announced The Legend of Vox Machina: The Whitestone Chronicles, a prequel graphic novel series for the animated show, and its first book, Ripley, was published in December 2024.
Colorist Diana Sousa was nominated for the 2023 Eisner Award for Best Coloring for her work on Vox Machina Origins and 3 of the Mighty Nein Origins books.
The Game Behind The Comic
Candela Obscura is Critical Role's first actual play series to use a game and system owned by the company. Created by Taliesin Jaffe and Chris Lockey, the show premiered on Twitch and YouTube on May 25, 2023, with Matthew Mercer running the first chapter and Jaffe appearing as the Lightkeeper. Each chapter follows a different circle of investigators in the same universe, the Fairelands. Darrington Press released the game's Quickstart Guide on the show's premiere date and the Core Rulebook on November 14, 2023. The rules are built on the Illuminated Worlds system.
Unlike Dark Horse's earlier Critical Role comics, which are set in Exandria, Candela Obscura takes place in the Fairelands. The animated side of the company is covered in THE LEGEND OF VOX MACHINA S4 Preview Arrives Just As A Fifth And Final Season Is Greenlit, and more on Dark Horse's other game-based comics is in Who Is Astarion? What To Know Before Reading Dark Horse's Baldur's Gate 3 Comic.
Will you be picking up Candela Obscura Volume 1 when it arrives next August?
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