Dark Horse Comics reminded fans on November 8 that its Baldur's Gate 3 comics begin on February 24, "following fan-favorite characters after the events of the game." The ongoing series, made with Hasbro's Wizards of the Coast, opens with a six-issue arc starring Astarion Ancunín, the vampire spawn companion from Larian Studios' 2023 RPG. Dark Horse says it marks his first appearance in comics. Below is who Astarion is and what the publisher has confirmed about the book. Check out the official post down below:
Who Is Astarion?
Larian's official Baldur's Gate 3 site introduces Astarion as a vampire spawn who prowled the night for centuries under the orders of his sadistic master, Cazador. His job was to seduce every fool with a pulse, and lure them back to Cazador's lair. At the start of the game he is free for the first time, and he will do anything to keep his life in the light.
Larian's profile adds that his body is forever tainted by the patterned scarring Cazador carved into his back, and that the elder vampire keeps sending hunters to recapture his lost spawn. Astarion's answer is to become more powerful than Cazador could ever dream of being. That goal drives his personal storyline across the game.
Astarion is also one of the game's Origin characters, so players can choose to play as him instead of a custom hero, as they can with Shadowheart, Gale, Lae'zel, Wyll, Karlach and the Dark Urge. In game terms, he is a High Elf Rogue with the Charlatan background. Larian lists his skill proficiencies as Acrobatics, Sleight of Hand, Stealth, Perception, Deception, Performance and Persuasion, and he speaks Common, Elvish, Abyssal, Orcish and Thieves' Cant. Like the rest of the party, he begins the game with a mind flayer parasite planted in his brain. Larian's description of the main story says that parasite gives the party "mysterious abilities," which they can resist or embrace.
Why Astarion Became A Breakout Character
Baldur's Gate 3 entered early access on October 6, 2020, launched in full on PC on August 3, 2023, and followed on PlayStation 5 on September 6, 2023 and Xbox Series X|S on December 6, 2023. Larian Studios, led by founder Swen Vincke, now lists it on PC through Steam and GOG, PlayStation 5, Xbox, Mac and GeForce NOW. It won Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2023, and at the same show Neil Newbon won Best Performance for playing Astarion. The game took six awards that night in total, adding Best RPG, Best Multiplayer, Best Community Support and the Players' Voice award to Game of the Year and Newbon's win. Baldur's Gate 3 later won Best Game at the 2024 BAFTA Games Awards in London.
Larian has also released official cosplay guides for every Origin character and companion, and its site's fan-art gallery features Astarion prominently, including a piece pairing him with Karlach. Dark Horse's own announcement calls him beloved vampire spawn Astarion Ancunín. The Game Awards released the video of Newbon's win:
What Is Dark Horse's Baldur's Gate 3 Comic?
Dark Horse announced the series at New York Comic Con as an ongoing book with arcs built around different companions. The official solicitation for Baldur's Gate 3 #1 sets the scene: Astarion is enjoying his freedom after escaping the clutches of Cazador Szarr, but Waterdeep is rocked by a spree of gruesome ritual murders, and he has to find the killer before he becomes the next victim. Dark Horse sums it up with "The hunter becomes the hunted."
Alyssa Wong writes the Astarion arc, with art by Vincenzo Carratù and colors from Elisabetta D'Amico. Wong's credits include Star Wars: Doctor Aphra and Deadpool, and Carratù's include Hulk: Smash Everything and Dracula: Blood Hunt. Dark Horse notes that the two previously worked together on Psylocke (2025).
The setting is a change from the game, which takes place around the city of Baldur's Gate. Waterdeep is another major city of the Forgotten Realms, the Dungeons & Dragons world owned by Wizards of the Coast, and it is the same city where Larian says Gale once worked as an archmage. Dark Horse has another Dungeons & Dragons title as well: the publisher's November Horsepower column spotlights a Dungeons & Dragons series from Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly.
Release Date, Price And Covers
Baldur's Gate 3 #1 arrives in comic shops on February 24, 2027 for $4.99 and is open for preorder through local comic shops. Dark Horse lists five cover variants:
- Gerald Parel
- Scott Fischer
- Angela Wu
- Tyler Walpole
- A blank character creation cover
Who Comes After Astarion?
Dark Horse's November 8 post confirms arcs featuring Karlach, Gale and Shadowheart after Astarion, and the NYCC announcement adds Wyll and Lae'zel to the planned lineup. The second arc is already set: issues #7-18 follow Karlach into the Nine Hells, written by Becky Cloonan and illustrated by Francesco Scimonelli. Dark Horse's October announcement promised more details on that arc in 2027.
Karlach is "fresh-escaped from Hell," free of the archdevil Zariel but not of the infernal engine Zariel planted in her chest, which is "burning hotter and hotter." Her profile says she also wants revenge on the man who sold her to Zariel.
Gale was once an archmage of Waterdeep who pushed his relationship with the goddess Mystra too far and now carries an orb of Netherese magic inside his body. Shadowheart is a cleric of Shar, goddess of darkness and loss, who agreed to have her memories wiped for a holy mission. Wyll is the monster hunter known as the Blade of Frontiers, and Lae'zel is a githyanki warrior who must prove her worth to Queen Vlaakith. For our earlier coverage of the announcement, check out Baldur's Gate 3 Gets An Ongoing Comic From Dark Horse, And Astarion Is Hunting A Killer First.
How Much Of The Game Does The Comic Spoil?
Dark Horse markets the first issue as "perfect for fans of the hit videogame, Baldur's Gate 3, and newcomers alike." The comic takes place after the game, and the solicitation states that Astarion has escaped Cazador, which reveals part of how his story in the game turns out. It does not say which of the game's endings the comic follows. Larian released the game's launch trailer ahead of its 2023 release:
Are you picking up Dark Horse's Baldur's Gate 3 #1 for Astarion, or waiting for the Karlach arc?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.