Back in 2007, Felicia Day, actress and geek goddess, began a small web show based on the lives of gamers, both in the game world and IRL (that’s “In Real Life” for you non-internet savvy readers). Titled The Guild, show’s popularity exploded and was praised by critics, winning numerous awards including the 2007 YouTube Video Award for Best Series and the Yahoo! Video Award for Best Series in 2008 to name a few. Given the series’ quick rise in popularity, it would only be natural that The Guild would be translated into comic book form. Enter Dark Horse Comics to fulfill this need.
Dark Horse first published a comic book based on The Guild back in 2010, which acted as a prequel to the web series. This year, their aim was to release five one-shots, each spotlighting a main character of the series.
The Guild: Clara , written by Felicia Day and The Guild castmate Kim Evey, focuses on the life of Clara, the guild’s resident mage. Clara is obsessed with her MMORPG game and, despite numerous pleas from her husband, neglects her duties as a mother and wife, opting instead to immerse herself in the online world of raiding. The character’s personality in the comic is based on that of the series, and I liked the fact that they chose a woman as the flighty, video-game obsessed geek, a stereotype that has usually been applied to men. The writers go deep into the character’s life, delving into her life as an ex-cheerleader and her time growing up in France, revealing Clara’s humorous, and dysfunctional, past. The dialogue in the book is equally funny, revealing both a dim-witted intelligence alongside a smart-alecky cleverness.
Like the writing, the art is also playful. Ron Chan’s stylized art works well with the humor of the book. His character’s expressions are so goofy and off the wall that they, alone, would bring a smile to the reader’s faces. His figures become more caricatures than anything else. But, given the nature of the comic book and the source material, this meshes well.
While I’ve never watched the web series, I found myself giggling at the over-the-top ridiculousness of The Guild: Clara. Though I had no expectations when I received the book, I was no where near prepared for what I got. Probably the best part about the book is that anyone can pick it up and enjoy it, even without being familiar with the show at all. The characters are easily relatable, in their own ways, and the story doesn’t get bogged down in necessary back story. With something that could have gone completely off-base, Day and Evey manage to keep the story on-track and deliver a highly entertaining issue. Though I can’t say whether The Guild: Clara has turned me into a fan of the series, I will say that it’s gotten me interested enough to check out a couple of episodes. Or at the very least, check out the other one-shots.
Tags: Clara, Comic Books, Comics, Dark Horse, Felicia Day, Kim Evey, Michael Wirth, MMORPG, Ron Chan, The Guild, Video Games
About the Author
Written by Michael Wirth
Hailing from the armpit of America, New Jersey, Michael has been collecting comic books since the age of 10. Now, he deigns to keep his finger on the pulse of pop-culture, keeping up with every passing fad or iconic innovation, never losing sight of his comic book roots.
So glad you chose to feature the Greg Aronowitz cover. Captures the characters and is a classic style.