Tokyopop released today the second part in the manga series, Warcraft: Shadow Wing Volume 2: Nexus Point
Ragnok Bloodreaver leads his fel orc and nether dragon army to the Outland Gates. Tyri reveals to Zzeraku the true origins of the nether dragons, in that they were the offspring of Deathwing, the monstrous dragon aspect. Jorad and Valwar see Ragnok approaching and go warn the alliance of the pending attack. A great battle ensues, with Tyri, Valoku and Zaeraku joining the fight. Jorad killes Ragnok, and nether dragons travel through the portal to Northrend. But after bathing in the energies of the Nexus, Zzeraku gives the order for the nether dragons to attack the blue dragons. Malygos awakens and absorbs the nether dragons. Tyri and Jorad return to Outland; Tyri finds another clutch of nether eggs and decides to stay in Outland to protect them.
Haven’t read this second part yet, but from everything I’ve gathered around, I must say I’m disappointed, both at Blizzard and Richard.
The amount of awesome plotlines they have wasted makes me cry. Mor’ghor and the Dragonmaw and their moving to Twilight Highlands, Zuluhed and his background, Sintharia and his whereabouts in Outland, the Nexus War and how it started, the original death knights and their goals, Netherspite and how he reached Karazhan, the ethereals at Northrend, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.
Seriously, what the hell. This series was one of the most promising ever, and you wasted too much pages on visual, leaving a weak story, using new and already developed characters, without developing any of the existing ones, like you should be doing.
Do I sound “rage”? maybe yes. I expected this trilogy to be some sort of TBC>WotLK>Cataclysm trilogy, and I find it’s just some “action scenes” by the same characters of before, with lot of faces we never heard off, without any mention at all about all the guys that populate the place in-game. Instead of making new characters, expand the existing ones, please. Or even if you make new ones, (some of them are pretty cool), try to expand existing ones too.
Finally, seems the “trilogy” isn’t a trilogy, and that it ends with this second part. The story felt rushed, guess that’s the reason.
If you want to make any “cool” manga after this, make one about the whereabouts of the Fel Dragonmaw and Sintharia, with the ethereals and the start of the Nexus War in parallel, linking its ending with what is happening in Cataclysm.
And please, don’t waste huge opportunities like these again. I don’t care what you have to do, kidnap some fans and torture them to know what needs to be fleshed out, or just ask them indirectly so they don’t know it’s for a book, but do something, and soon.
Between other things, because the books, without the Warcraft trademark in their cover, would seem like they all happening in an entire different galaxy we’ve never heard of before.