Dungeons & Dragons: Saturday Morning Adventures #1 falls out of the Portal of Cancellation to comic book form! The fantasy role-playing game started in 1974, three booklets in a box, created by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. On television, it appeared in the form of a cartoon series developed by Mark Evanier. It was produced by Marvel Productions, the series had the same look as Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, and animated by Toei Animation. There were three seasons from 1983 to 1985. The show was targeted to kids, there were Dungeons & Dragons action figures at the time, but just from the game. The figures from toymaker LJN included Warduke and Strongheart, but had no connection to the game or cartoon. It was only until recently that Hasbro released figures in its Dungeons & Dragons Cartoon Classics line. Also strange, there was no D&D information about the characters until the Dungeons & Dragons - The Complete Animated Series box set was released in 2006. So it was unusual to see a popular cartoon, no tie-ins to the game or animated series, the two medias were completely separate.
This is until the IDW comic book and also the Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves movie bringing interest in the show. The first issue of the D&D Saturday Morning Adventures comic book has a cover by interior artist, George Kambadais, with simple, cartoony lines, but not in the style of the cartoon. Kambadais was th artist for the limited series, I Can Sell You A Body, for IDW. It has the adventurers jumping and falling through a portal to a forest. The first part of “Prisoner of the Deep” is written by David M. Booher and Sam Maggs. Booher wrote the IDW fantasy series, Canto III: Lionhearted. Maggs wrote issues of IDW’s Star Wars Adventures. We start with Hank the Ranger (he was voiced by Willie Aames) pointing where to attack as hordes of Araneas, half-humanoid, half-spiders!, rush towards them! Then, we get a double splash page spread of the characters; Bobby (Ted Field IIII), Barbarian, with his Thunder Club, Sheila (Tonia Gayle Smith), Acrobat, wielding her Javelin Staff (her Dextrity seems right), and at the bottom, Cavalier, Eric (Don Most), carrying a Griffin Shield (Charisma? Eric?).
Then, we have Presto the Magician voiced by Adam Rich (Wisdom is his strength?, he has a confidence problem like Simon), he has the Hat of Many Spells, by his side is Uni, baby unicorn, usually next to Bobby, Sheila (Katie Leigh), Thief who has a Cloak of Invisiblity, and then Hank with his Energy Bow. The voice actors were known for their television work, Aames with Eight is Enough with co-star Rich. Plus, Most from Happy Days and Smith had a cameo role an episode of The Facts of Life. Field III was a voice actor known for Saturday Supercade. Leigh is known for a number of voice roles including Sunni Gummi in Adventures of the Gummi Bears. We flashback to “A few minutes earlier…” where the adventuring party is resting in the dark woods by a fire. Then, Dungeon Master suddenly appears, voiced by Sidney Miller. He voiced Oompe in Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland (1989). Dungeon Master is short and wise, always thought Dungeon Master was a Gnome. He likes that they are resting and then goes for snacks (?). Dungeon Master gave the heroes their magical weapons and usually their adventures.
Hank can’t believe Dungeon Master left, usually this is Eric, and Diana remarks that they had saved the Forgotten Realms. It was never identified what world the heroes were on, the world was first published with the module, Bloodstone Pass in 1985. Hank wants to tell everyone his plan, they are uninterested, and then Sheila brings up that they want to stay in the Forgotten Realms in a splash page of the duo in the forest. He can’t believe that the others have given up returning back home. They were transported by a theme park ride into the Dungeons & Dragons world. Eric was the one who would almost leave the others to get back to the real world, but here he gave up. The heroes usually mentioned what they missed from home; strangely nothing about their family and if they will be missed. Bobby likes that Uni is there. Sheila brings up what they have encountered, Presto meeting his “soul mate”, this is Qilué Veladorn, the goddess of magic?, this was in the Forgotten Realms: The Grand Tour (1996) comic book. Diana has magic with animals. We see Venger (Peter Cullen), the villain with one horn like Evil from Time Bandits (1981) with demon wings! Sheila admits she doesn’t want to go back to the ninth grade. It returns to the battle and the way out is a portal that may finally take them home - or continue exploring the Forgotten Realms! Dungeons & Dragons: Saturday Morning Adventures #1 returns favorite heroes who have changed with their time in the fantasy world, but still have fun adventures!
Four Hats of Many Spells out of Five!
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