“Hamster justice cannot be ignored, ugly man!”

Yes, it’s time for the latest instalment of the Legends of Baldur’s Gate series, in which we get to see the upper half lives in Baldur’s Gate. Did I say “half”? I meant tenth, or less.

Of course, Minsc doesn’t need an invitation to get into a ball, although his explanation to the usher as to why he’s there doesn’t prove that enlightening for the poor man. Delina does get something of an education, though…

Once again, Max Dunbar’s artwork is superb, drawing both characters and architecture in beautiful detail. John-Paul Bove proves especially able with his colours this issue, as the picture below shows.

Story-wise, things are particularly action-centric this issue. I was disappointed to see that the much-awaited reunion between Minsc and Coran is immediately interrupted by a fight and chase that lasts the rest of the issue, although the dialogue remains amusing throughout. (We even get one of Minsc’s catchcries: “Squeaky wheel gets the kick!” which should please all old-time players of the Baldur’s Gate videogame.)

It’s a shame that we don’t have more issues (as of yet, I don’t know if it’s progressing past 5 issues). The characters are characterised well in the limited space available, but this issue has a lot of action which takes precedence over other significant interactions. This is a limitation of the form, which Jim Zub has done his best with: it’s an exciting adventure, but I want it to be more!

The end of the issue brings a revelation that promises the next issue (the penultimate one) should provide a lot of the explanations of what is actually going on, before the story must conclude.

So, I’d really like an announcement that there’ll be more issues of this comic, and hope that even if there aren’t, this series can be brought to a satisfying conclusion. Despite my preference for more space for talking, this is still a tremendously entertaining issue, and one that maintains the high standards of the first two issues.