Based on the tabletop game first released thirty-odd years ago, Blood Bowl is a fantasy take on the game of football with the violence ramped up to “11”. Teams are made up of humans, orcs, elves, undead and other fantasy races, each with their own particular strengths and weaknesses. The game has a very strong following due to its fantasy league modes of play and has seen multiple releases over the years, the latest being the 5th edition of the game released last year.
Throughout the games history there have been media tie-ins thanks to the games wicked sense of humor and over-the-top violence. There were a series of computer and console games (including ones for the iPad and PS4/Xbox One), a series of novels and the occasional comic book mini-series. Although never strong sellers in the comic market, the collected issues are evergreen products for gaming stores so publishers continue to mine the franchise.
You do not have to possess any knowledge of the classic game to enjoy Blood Bowl: More Guts, More Glory #3 but it would certainly increase the readers enjoyment of the book. This mini-series follows the Hochland Harbingers team and the recently un-retired former star play Dreng Sturnblud as they navigate the Blood Bowl tournament and attempt to win the championship.
The comic moves fast, focusing on one match per issue and the surrounding attempts at sabotage, murder and the win-at-all-costs mentality which helped Blood Bowl achieve the classic game status it enjoys. If anything the story moves a little too fast, the matches blow past the readers quickly and sometimes it is a little tough to figure out exactly what is happening in a panel. The humor is much appreciated in the series and matches the frantic anything goes style of gameplay the board game is famous for but I wish that these Blood Bowl comics had a little more room to breathe, to slow down and flesh out the story a little more. Perhaps a nice 12-issue limited series would allow for such developments but until then we will have to make due with these shorter series.
I would also like to see more Blood Bowl gaming content in the issue, like IDW did with their D&D comic series a few years back. A little more content for longtime fans of the game would go quite far in giving the reader value for their buck since the story moves at such a quick pace.
- Blood Bowl: More Guts, More Glory #3
- Titan Comics
- $3.99
- Released Aug 16, 2017
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