Quests Aside #2 – Brian Schirmer, Elena Gogou, Rebecca Naulty, Tim Daniel and Andworld Design
We’re back in the pub this week for more D&D-infused goodness, as Quests Aside #2 is due out on Wednesday and we’ve managed to get behind the bar for a sneak peek! Following on from the dramatic revelations at the end of issue #1, Barrow is trying to keep hold of his sanity – or what is left of it – as well as his bar.
Fast!
We jump straight back into the action, as bar patrons are once again being recruited for quests; Barrow is doing his best to keep the place on track despite the strong-arming of his suppliers, and the rest of the staff are… causing their usual havoc! I still adore Ray and his cleaver, and this issue only serves to remind me of my time working in hospitality. First rule – don’t upset the chef! At least I never had to deal with an anthropomorphic meat cleaver. Although I did get slapped with an entire cod once, which is almost as bad. Honest.
We get some back story on Ray in this issue, as well as a bit of an insight into his relationship with Zuzanna, and Brian Schirmer is clearly having a ball writing these characters. He keeps up the jokes from issue one, and flexes his creatives muscles brilliantly with the “secret meeting” that takes place mid-issue.
Furious!
Have you ever seen a real bar fight? How about a bar fight where half the patrons are adventurers – or want to be – and some of them know magic?! As with the best brawls, we don’t see how it starts, but we certainly get to see how Vail and Zuzanna stop it, with no nonsense moves and top quality banter as they do so. Turns out that it is also rather helpful having a healer double up as bar staff.
Elena Gogou’s art seems to be levelling up from issue to issue, and the range of characters (and races) that she gets to draw in this issue just shows that – who knew that flirty orcs could be kinda hot? This issue also gives her a chance to draw some epic level monsters, and she does not disappoint. It brings me joy to see a creative team so obviously having fun, and Vault have obviously given the team plenty of free rein to enjoy themselves.
Once again Rebecca Naulty does sterling work colouring the pages, keeping up the palette used in issue 1, but making some fun background colour choices to heighten the emotion of the characters. The final piece of the creative puzzle comes in the form of the lettering, and I will forever be in love with the way that cussing is represented in Quests Aside, with small red weapons in the place of actual letters – you can have great fun deciding which word fits best!
It’s about family…
There is plenty going on in this issue, even though the majority of it takes place inside the bar. Barrow is clearly a good man, who may have made some dubious choices, but he is trying his best. Whether that is by counselling his staff, or his patrons, he’s just trying to make the best of the rest of his life. For an ex-adventurer, that life must seem pretty precious.
Barrow comes to a realisation in this issue, and without giving anything away it is going to have repercussions for the rest of the series, as are some of the conversations had between some of his staff. Plus of course, the creative team drop in a cracking cliff-hanger again…
Quests Aside #2 is in comic book shops from Wednesday 8th June 2022
Follow the creators on Twitter for more comics goodness:
Brian Schirmer – writer
Elena Gogou – artist
Rebecca Naulty – colourist
Tim Daniel – designer
Andworld Design – letters
Vault Comics – publisher
