Swordquest: Realworld - Softcover

Bowers, Chad; Sims, Chris

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1524104884 ISBN 13: 9781524104887

Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment, 2018

Synopsis

In 1984, Peter Case was on his way to being crowned champion of SwordQuest, set to win the last of four contests and lay claim to a golden sword worth over $50,000! But when the game was discontinued, Peter found himself without a game to finish.

Now, over thirty years later, Peter's stuck in a different kind of game entirely -- the game of life, and he's losing fast. But when he learns that all the prizes meant for the SwordQuest contest of his youth are on display in the World Arcade Museum, he finds an unknown determination that sees him put together a team of like-minded losers for the ultimate heist job -- a real-life sword quest!

The red-hot team of Chris Sims, Chad Bowers, and Ghostwriter X (Down Set Fight) have a new game -- and the stakes have never been higher!

About this title

Review

LIBRARY JOURNAL -- Sims and Bowers (X-Men'92) embrace 1980s nostalgia in this metafantasy centered on Atari's SwordQuest video game series. The actual games included a contest featuring a jeweled sword as a prize. Unfortunately, the collapse of the home console market meant that contest was never completed. Here, terminally ill Peter Case wants to track down the sword before he dies. Enlisting the aid of his childhood friends, Peter plans a heist at the Retro Gaming Expo. This gets complicated when it's revealed that the backstory of the game series is true and an evil wizard and his minions will do everything they can to thwart Peter and his pals. Artist Ghostwriter X (Down Set Fight) does a good job of balancing real-world and fantasy segments, using classic video game imagery and hiding clues in panels like the comics packaged with the original games. There is more talk than action, though, with the emphasis on rekindling friendships.
Verdict While smaller in scope, SwordQuest hits similar points as Ernest Cline's Ready Player One, making it a good read-alike option. Overall, this is more serious than readers seeking an Atari game-based comic might expect.-Terry Bosky, Madison, WI


LIBRARY JOURNAL -- Sims and Bowers (X-Men'92) embrace 1980s nostalgia in this metafantasy centered on Atari's SwordQuest video game series. The actual games included a contest featuring a jeweled sword as a prize. Unfortunately, the collapse of the home console market meant that contest was never completed. Here, terminally ill Peter Case wants to track down the sword before he dies. Enlisting the aid of his childhood friends, Peter plans a heist at the Retro Gaming Expo. This gets complicated when it's revealed that the backstory of the game series is true and an evil wizard and his minions will do everything they can to thwart Peter and his pals. Artist Ghostwriter X (Down Set Fight) does a good job of balancing real-world and fantasy segments, using classic video game imagery and hiding clues in panels like the comics packaged with the original games. There is more talk than action, though, with the emphasis on rekindling friendships.
Verdict While smaller in scope, SwordQuest hits similar points as Ernest Cline's Ready Player One, making it a good read-alike option. Overall, this is more serious than readers seeking an Atari game-based comic might expect.-Terry Bosky, Madison, WI

About this edition

• Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 1524104884
• ISBN 13: 9781524104887
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 160
• Editor: Ketner Kevin