Your Guide to Critical Role and Dark Horse’s Comic and Art Books
Written by Christina on June 15, 2020
Last updated February 7th, 2024
Welcome to our guide to all things Critical Role and Dark Horse Comics! While you can always visit the Dark Horse website to view new and upcoming products (including puzzles, shot glasses, and more!), we find it handy to have an overview of all our series, news, and special limited editions you might want to know about.
FIND OUR COMICS
- Special limited edition exclusives can only be found at Critical Role shops (US, UK, CA, AU, and EU), and only while supplies last.
- Standard physical editions can be found at your local comic shops, independent bookstores, as well as book retailers such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Booksamillion, Things From Another World, and Indigo.
- Digital versions are available at digital comic and book retailers such as Dark Horse Digital, comiXology, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble.
NEW AND UPCOMING RELEASES
Vox Machina Origins Series IV
The gang is back and on a mission in Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins IV!
Jody Houser will be returning as the writer for this new series and she will be joined by new artist Noah Hayes, as well as returning colorist Diana Sousa and letterer Ariana Maher.
In this first issue, Vox Machina is tasked to investigate the whereabouts of Sir Fince. After his disappearance, and after some poking and prodding, clues lead the team to a mysterious basement. But what dark surprises await our heroes in the bowels of his homestead?
Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins lV will be a six-issue miniseries. The first issue is currently available for preorder and will hit shelves on May 29!
Critical Role: Tales of Exandria II – Artagan #1
This second series in Critical Role: Tales of Exandria is available now!
Focusing on the powerful and mischievous Archfey Artagan, also known as the Traveler, the deity will finally get his day in court which is the LAST thing he wanted. But since he’s here, he’s happy to tell the Seelie and Unseelie courts how he’s graced the material realms with his knowledge and mentorship. But there are witnesses who may have a different take, and the consequences could be dire…
This is the first installment of the 4-part mini series written by Sam Maggs, and portrayed by artist Aviv Or, colorist Cris Peter, letterer Ariana Maher, and cover artist, Toby Sharp. The series was made in creative consultation with Matthew Mercer.
Availability: The first issue of Critical Role: Tales of Exandria II – Artagan is available now at your local comic book shop or through the Dark Horse website (print and digital). The second, third, and fourth installments are available for pre-order.
The Mighty Nein Origins Graphic Novels Final Two Installments: Beauregard Lionett and Caduceus Clay
Beau and Caduceus are receiving their own hardcover graphic novel origin stories, completing the full set of our Mighty Nein team. Beau’s story will arrive bookstores on April 30th, 2024, and May 1st in comic book shops, while Caduceus’s graphic novel will release shortly after on June 4th (bookstores) and June 5th (comic book stores). Check in with your friendly local comic shop or preferred digital/print retailers to preorder your copies!
Limited Edition Exclusives: The Tales of Exandria — The Bright Queen and Vox Machina Origins Volume 3
Two stunning limited edition collections are released in Critical Role shops exclusively (US, UK, CA, AU, and EU): The Tales of Exandria — The Bright Queen collection and Vox Machina Origins Volume 3. Both volumes are bound in beautiful burnished faux-leather stamped with foil designs, and come in a gorgeous slipcase that also holds a litho print kept safe in a cloth portfolio. These make great gifts!
Read more in our announcement.
SERIES OVERVIEWS
THE TALES OF EXANDRIA
The Tales of Exandria is our comic book series that expands our stories beyond Vox Machina and the Mighty Nein to encompass the complex NPCs and locations of Exandria, incredibly imagined by Matthew Mercer.
Critical Role: The Tales of Exandria — The Bright Queen
The first series focuses on Leylas Kryn, who those familiar with the Mighty Nein campaign may recognize as the Bright Queen. Leylas Kryn, the Bright Queen, has spent multiple lives in pursuit of assembling the otherworldly Luxon. So when another piece appears nearby, Leylas sends her eternal lover Quana to collect it… with consequences that may threaten the entire Dynasty! The 4-part mini-series is written by Eisner Award winner Darcy Van Poelgeest, illustrated by CoupleofKooks, and features covers by Helen Mask. The series was made in creative consultation with Matthew Mercer.
Availability: All four issues of The Tales of Exandria — The Bright Queen available now, as well as a trade paperback in comic shops with bookstores on the way, and this gorgeous limited edition hardcover slipcase set in purple faux leather, burnished and stamped with a foil design of the Luxon beacon. The limited edition also comes with a commemorative litho print by Helen Mask of the Bright Queen herself, kept safe in a cloth portfolio that slides neatly into the slipcase. The limited edition is available EXCLUSIVELY in Critical Role shops:
VOX MACHINA ORIGINS
Vox Machina Origins is our comic book series that tells the story of how our favorite heroes in Tal’Dorei, Vox Machina, met. It shares their adventures from before Critical Role became a streamed web series. So far, Vox Machina Origins consists of three series of six issues each.
Vox Machina Origins Series I
The band of adventurers known as Vox Machina will save the world. Eventually. But even they have to start somewhere. Six would-be heroes on seemingly different jobs find their paths intertwined as they investigate shady business in the swamp town of Stilben. They’ll need to put their heads—and weapons—together to figure out what’s going on…and keep from being killed in the process.
Vox Machina Origins Series I was written by Matthew Mercer and Matthew Colville, and features interior art by Olivia Samson and coloring and lettering by Chris Northrop.
Availability: All issues are available now and collected in Vox Machina Origins Volume 1, which contains bonus content including annotated cover process pieces, preliminary character sketches, and character descriptions and stats. A standard hardcover and limited edition slipcase set were offered exclusively at Critical Role shops, but are no longer available. You can pick up Vox Machina Origins Volume 1 now as a trade paperback (print and digital).
Vox Machina Origins Series II
Vox Machina Origins Series II continues the adventures of Vox Machina. When Grog goes missing in the night, tracking him down will see the party lose one member, gain two more, and reveal parts of Grog’s secret past. But first, his friends have to actually find him. Series II was written by Matthew Mercer and Jody Houser, and features interior art by Olivia Samson, coloring by MSASSYK, lettering by Ariana Maher, and design by Cindy Cacerez-Sprague.
Availability: All issues are available now and collected in Vox Machina Origins Volume 2, available in trade paperback (print and digital). A standard hardcover and limited edition slipcase set were offered exclusively at Critical Role shops, but they are primarily out of stock except for a few remaining copies of the gorgeous limited edition hardcover in our Australia store!
Vox Machina Origins Series I & II Library Edition Hardcover
If you’re interested in having both the first two series collected in a single volume, this is for you! This edition features a foreword written by Gail Simone as well as sweet bonuses including sketch art from Volumes 1 and 2 and full images of the Vox Machina Origins Series I cover art. Find it digitally for Amazon Kindle and NOOK Book, or in physical format at your local comic shops, indie bookstores, other book retailers such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble, and a few copies remaining at our Canada store.
Vox Machina Origins Series III
This series picks up with Vox Machina enjoying some R&R in Westruun’s lap of luxury. But that costs coin, which has a bad habit of running out. So to keep themselves in the black, they agree to join an underground fighting ring. But before they can bash their way to cash, their attention is snagged by the case of a missing child. Vox Machina Origins Series III is written by Jody Houser and Matthew Mercer, with interior art by Olivia Samson, color by MSASSYK, and lettering by Ariana Maher.
Availability: All issues are available now, and the full run is collected in Vox Machina Origins Volume 3, in trade paperback format (print and digital) as well as a limited edition hardcover EXCLUSIVELY found in all Critical Role shops (US, UK, CA, AU, and EU). This edition features a blue faux leather book and case with an intricate Vox Machina monogram design, burnished and stamped with holographic foil, and including a cloth portfolio with a litho print by Alex Monik.
THE MIGHTY NEIN ORIGINS
The Mighty Nein Origins is our graphic novel series that focuses on the individual backstories of each of our Wildemount adventurers before they joined the Mighty Nein. Six volumes are currently available: Jester Lavorre, Caleb Widogast, and Yasha Nydoorin, Fjord Stone, and Nott the Brave, and Mollymauk Tealeaf!
Critical Role: The Mighty Nein Origins — Fjord Stone (Available Now)
Growing up in an orphanage on the Menagerie Coast, Fjord Stone has never been comfortable with the assumptions people draw from his half-orc heritage. His sweet, sensitive nature will do him no favors in Port Damali. Luckily, a chance meeting lands Fjord with a job, a mentor, and more adventure than he could ever dream of on the path that will eventually lead him to the rest of the Mighty Nein!
Critical Role: The Mighty Nein Origins — Fjord Stone is written by Kevin Burke and Chris “Doc” Wyatt, writers for the Amazon Original animated series from Critical Role and Titmouse, The Legend of Vox Machina. The graphic novel features line art by Selina Espiritu, color by Diana Sousa, and lettering by Ariana Maher, and was developed with direction from Matthew Mercer and Travis Willingham.
Release: Find it now in comic shops, digital formats, and bookstores.
Critical Role: The Mighty Nein Origins — Nott the Brave (Available Now)
Veth Brenatto doesn’t have an exciting life, but she likes it that way. Unlike her childhood, it’s safe. Predictable. And her husband and son love her as fiercely as she loves them. But Veth’s cozy existence is turned on its head when she and her family are captured by raiders. In order to save them, Veth will commit an atrocity that will sever her from all that she loves—maybe forever—and lead her to become Nott the Brave of the Mighty Nein. Critical Role: The Mighty Nein Origins — Nott the Brave is written by Sam Maggs, with line art by William Kirkby, color by Mildred Louis, and lettering by Ariana Maher, and developed with direction by Sam Riegel and Matthew Mercer.
Release: Find it now in comic shops, digital formats, and bookstores.
Critical Role: The Mighty Nein Origins — Mollymauk Tealeaf (Available Now)
What strange events created Mollymauk Tealeaf? Entertainer, fighter, and performer, “Molly” has a knack for hiding his true self behind the shifting color and shape of a personality he seems to wear like his singular coat. But as with every member of the Mighty Nein, his past will eventually catch up with him… and it’s a strange one indeed.
Critical Role: The Mighty Nein Origins — Mollymauk Tealeaf is written by Jody Houser, with line art by Hunter Bonyun, color by Cathy Le, and lettering by Ariana Maher, and developed with direction by Taliesin Jaffe and Matthew Mercer.
Release: Find it now in comic shops, digital formats, and bookstores.
Critical Role: The Mighty Nein Origins — Jester Lavorre (Available Now)
Jester Lavorre had an unconventional upbringing, even for one born in cosmopolitan Nicodranas. Daughter of the famed Ruby of the Sea, she had many opportunities for mischief as a small child, of which she took full advantage! Dive into the mystery of Jester’s early years, her first meeting with the Traveler, and the fateful events that set her on a path to eventually join the Mighty Nein. Critical Role The Mighty Nein Origins — Jester Lavorre is written by Sam Maggs with line art by Hunter Severn Bonyun, colors by Cathy Le, lettering by Ariana Maher, and developed with direction by Laura Bailey and Matthew Mercer.
Critical Role: The Mighty Nein Origins — Caleb Widogast (Available Now)
Bren Aldric Ermendrud is chosen to attend the exclusive Soltryce Academy, preparing for an important future in service to the Empire. But nobody—least of all Bren himself—can foresee the cruelty he will endure, and the ways in which it will break and remake him. Witness the events that transform Bren into the Mighty Nein’s Caleb Widogast, and how they inform the path he’ll take in the future.
Critical Role: The Mighty Nein Origins — Caleb Widogast is written by Jody Houser with line art by Selina Espiritu, colors by Diana Sousa, lettering by Ariana Maher, and developed with direction by Liam O’Brien and Matthew Mercer.
Critical Role: The Mighty Nein Origins — Yasha Nydoorin (Available Now)
For Yasha, there has always been a storm on the horizon. Maybe it formed with her adoption by the Dolorov people in the harsh lands of Xhorhas. Or perhaps when she fell for her first love, Zuala. Or still later, when grief and madness drove her from her village and out into—somewhere else. Maybe, on the other hand, Yasha IS the storm.
Critical Role: The Mighty Nein Origins — Yasha Nydoorin is written by Cecil Casellucci, with line art by William Kirkby, color by Diana Sousa (Critical Role: The Mighty Nein Origins — Caleb Widogast), and lettering by Ariana Maher, and developed with direction by Ashley Johnson and Matthew Mercer.
ART BOOKS
CRITICAL ROLE: VOX MACHINA COLORING BOOK
Our first in an upcoming line of coloring books with Dark Horse, Critical Role: Vox Machina Coloring Book features 45 illustrations from wonderful artists that many Critters will recognize, all ready to be colored to your heart’s content! Artists include CoupleofKooks, Olivia Samson, Noah Hayes, Amanda Lien, Aviv Or, Cait May, Kendra Wells, and Toby Sharp.
Release: This softcover book released in bookstores on March 28, 2023, and comic shops on March 29, 2023.
CRITICAL ROLE: THE MIGHTY NEIN COLORING BOOK
Up next in our coloring book line with Dark Horse, Critical Role: The Mighty Nein Coloring Book features 45 illustrations of all-new art by artists CoupleofKooks, Olivia Samson, Aviv Or, Cait May, and Selina Espiritu. Featuring moments chosen specifically by the Critical Role cast members, these black and white coloring pages will feature the Mighty Nein characters as they travel across Exandria!
Release: This softcover book will release in bookstores on June 27, 2023, and comic shops on June 28, 2023.
THE CHRONICLES OF EXANDRIA—THE MIGHTY NEIN ART BOOK
Encompassing the first chapters of our second campaign, The Chronicles of Exandria — The Mighty Nein illustrates the adventures of our unlikely heroes as they meet in Trostenwald, struggle through a heartbreaking encounter with the Iron Shepherds, and more. The tome contains 264 pages of art created by the Critical Role community and text written by Liam O’Brien, Taliesin Jaffe, Dani Carr, and the cast of Critical Role, and was lovingly curated by Liam O’Brien, Taliesin Jaffe, and Lauryn Ipsum. The Chronicles of Exandria—The Mighty Nein is a beautiful way to revisit the origin of the Mighty Nein through the perspective of expositor Beauregard Lionett and the archivists of the Cobalt Soul.
Release: Available digitally through Amazon Kindle, comiXology, Dark Horse Digital, and NOOK Book. A Deluxe Edition was made with oodles of extra features and inserts, sold at Critical Role shops and some book retailers, but is widely sold-out. A standard version of the physical book is available through comic shops and bookstores, as well as some stock remaining in our European Union and Australia shops.
There you have it! We’d like to thank the good folks at Dark Horse Comics for being wonderful partners to tell our stories with, AND you, the Critter community, for allowing us the opportunity to dive into such amazing projects
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