NPC Tea – Comic Review
NPC Tea is one of those comics that I have seen so many folk talk about on social media but for some reason hadn’t yet picked up. Thankfully Sarah Millman was present at the OK True Believers Comic Festival on February 1st so I was finally able to remedy my mistake. I snagged all 7 of the currently available issues while I was there but then was away for a week. So this morning I made a pot of tea and settled down to read.
Synopsis
NPC Tea follows an ex-fire summon, an elf and a human as they attempt to save a failing tea shop in modern day Cardiff.
Hannah the human’s life is turned upside down when she stumbles upon Y Ddraig – a little known, failing tea shop in the heart of Cardiff, that just happens to be run by an immortal fire spirit and a stressed out elf. Soon a lack of customers, obscure teas and Hanny’s lack of magic are the least of their worries, when an ancient power rises out of obscurity to threaten the entire city. Bryn, Oz and Hanny must unite if they are to save their business – and ultimately the city itself. The story escalates from slice of life comedy into an epic fantasy, twisting typical RPG and fantasy stereotypes into a modern day setting.
Initial thoughts
I’m just going to say it. I love NPC Tea. I am kicking myself for not having cottoned on to this series sooner, but at the same time I’m delighted because I just passed the most enjoyable hour and a half savouring the story so far.
If you like D&D, fantasy gaming/stories of any kind, or if you just REALLY like tea, then I think NPC Tea might be the comic series for you. I mean come on, an ex-fire dummon, an elf and a human running a tea shop in Cardiff? A Magic Academy attended by Orcs, Elves, and humans? I absolutely loved the blending of the real world and fantasy elements. There’s a panel on page 4 of #1 that borrows heavily from images of the Suffragette movement to show the battle for Orc Equal rights that just made me smile from ear to ear.
Not to mention how hard I identified with Bryn at the start of #1 when he evicts an Orc hipster who defiled his tea shop by asking for a vanilla soy latte!
Binge-reading the entire series so far was thoroughly enjoyable. There are some cliffhanger endings that I can imagine would have been terribly frustrating if you were following the series issue by issue. That being said I am jolly glad that the final issue of this initial arc is on the way soon. The end of #7 left me gawping and frantically hoping that some more pages would magically appear. The intensity and drama in the story really builds as the issues progress. I can only imagine ithat the conclusion to this arc is going to be pretty spectacular!
Sarah has woven a magical little story, and the art is sumptuous. I could have spent a lot longer poring over them, enjoying the variations in styles between the characters, the flashbacks and the actual magic.
Wrapping up
As I mentioned before, the initial story arc for NPC Tea is 8 issues, and the final instalment is currently funding on Kickstarter. Sarah is doing something a little different for the end of this first volume. You can back for issue 8 if you’ve been collecting the single issues, you can back for the hardback collected volume, or if you are a completist, you can get both issue 8 AND the hardback volume.
Cover design for issue 8
As a bonus, if you select any of the options for issue 8, you’ll also get a lovely wrap to go around all 8 issues so they will sit nicely on the shelf. I love this idea. Ken Reynolds did something similar for his Cognition kickstarter last year. It not only looks great, but it’s also a really nice note of appreciation for single issue collectors. So often collected volume kickstarters don’t take into account those who have stuck by a series from the start.
The kickstarter has a little over 2 weeks left to run, and is currently 68% funded. I hope to see it smash that target before it ends!
All images © Sarah Millman. Used with thanks.
