Spelljammer is a licensed comic book series published by DC Comics starting in 1990 that is based on the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons, specifically the steampunk campaign world Spelljammer created by TSR.
Publication history
From 1988 to 1991, DC Comics published several licensed D&D comics, including Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, Dragonlance, and Forgotten Realms. In July 1990, DC produced TSR Worlds Annual #1, which featured chapters devoted to various TSR campaign worlds. The Spelljammer chapter featured a story that would be picked up in the first issue of the Spelljammer comic, published a month later.[1]
A variety of writers worked on the series:
The creative team for the first seven issues featured penciller Mike Collins, inker Dan Panosian, letterer Steve Haynie, and colorist Eric Kachelhofer.
Joe Quesada illustrated issues #8–13, and #15, and Don Heck's final DC work was penciling and inking over Quesada's layouts for Spelljammer #11. Dave Simons also provided artwork for the title.
Elliot S! Maggin served as an editor for DC from 1989 to 1991 and oversaw the licensed TSR titles, including Spelljammer.
Plotline
In addition to the swords & sorcery usually found in D&D, the Spelljammer campaign world also includes sentient spaceships crewed by various races of adventurers that travel from world to world.
The storyline of the series mainly revolves around the captain of a spelljamming ship, Meredith — formerly a wizard named Nimone — although several issues focus on her son Bors, and some leave the Meredith/Bors storylines altogether.
Issue #1
Captain Meredith lands her spelljamming vessel Rogue Ship on a desert planet and meets the local leader, Father Pax. A rebellion breaks out. Meredith makes it back to her ship but falls unconscious in the cockpit. Father Pax, the good priestess Jasmine, and Tember try to open the cockpit unsuccessfully. When Meredith awakes, she has just enough energy to launch the ship into space, unwittingly taking the three desert natives with her into space.
- Title: Journey's Song: Kirstig's Tale
- Writer: Barbara Kesel[1]
Issue #2
Reception
Writing for Tome of Treasures, Ralf Toth gave the first issue 4 out of 5 stars, calling it "a promising start". Likewise Toth thought that issues #2-4 were above average, using phrases like "fine Spelljammer comic" and "great story and pure Spelljammer", but Toth felt the series devolved into ordinary fantasy in the next three issues, pointing out that the storylines had "nothing to do with the Spelljammer world". Toth rated many of the last 8 issues as only average.[3]
References
- Shannon Appelcline. Designers & Dragons Mongoose Publishing, 2011^
- Ben Riggs. Slaying the Dragon: A Secret History of TSR St. Martin's Press, 2022^
- Ralf Toth. Spelljammer Comic Tome of Treasures, retrieved 2023-04-26^