Written By: Eric Grissom
Illustrated By: Will Perkins
Published by: Dark Horse Books
This book tells the story of Rikt, a young headstrong Goblin who is on a quest for revenge against the blood-thirsty human that struck down his family. Now alone in the World, he travels far in search of a weapon that can bring down the wicked human. He encounters many individuals along the way that both shape his character and reveal the true nature of Goblins to all those he meets. His quest is a perilous one, full of danger and heartache. However, through this journey, Rikt begins to understand his fathers teachings and how to rely on his Goblin instincts.
Goblins – are a sub humanoid race in Dungeons & Dragons. Where they are described as being “small, black-hearted, selfish humanoids that lair in caves, abandoned mines, despoiled dungeons, and other dismal settings. Individually weak, goblins gather in large — sometimes overwhelming — numbers. They crave power and regularly abuse whatever authority they obtain.” If you are a follower of Critical Role, you would know that one of the main members of the Mighty Nein is Nott the Brave – a goblin. Who has similar characteristics to our Rikt, in that neither of them really resemble much of what we have learned about the goblin race to date. In this story, Rikt lives with his parents. Supposedly secluded away from other Goblins. They also have a unique religion, similar to that of the Wild Mother in D&D. Rikt’s father tries to teach his son that he should not believe the evil things that others expect to be true of Goblins. That they are in fact a peaceful race, close to nature and do not wish to be harmed/disturbed. In just the first few pages, this book has already dispelled the majority of the opinions I already held against Goblins. So now it has my full attention.
Rikt appears to be a youngish teenager, rash, full of opinions and always up for a fight against his parents. Through some devastating events he finds himself all alone, tasked with the job of laying his folks to rest before setting off on his path for revenge. So very early on he is taken advantage of by ‘fairies’, he learns some life lessons and happens to still show some kindness along the way to those in need. Over such a short space of time, he matures and learns the consequences of his actions. The ending is a true test of character and strength for Rikt – one I didn’t believe he would be capable of from the beginning of the book.
So this book tells the story of Rikt, an underdog in every meaning of the word. Who in turn achieves great things after suffering many trials and hardships along the way. His tale is one full of tragedy, but he still manages to have plenty of adventure and touching moments. The ‘villain’ of the story was a blood thirsty, tattooed human who also sought his own revenge. Although our villain took a more evil route to achieve his goal, it ultimately left him alone in a castle full of bones. His story struck Rikt, ultimately changing his life’s path for good.
“Goblin” was created by author Eric Grissom, whose comic works include Deadhorse, Tom & Violence, Animals, and the space adventure comic – Planet Gigantic. Of which you can check out his social media links here through Twitter: @egrissom and over on Instagram: @egrissom. As well as his works over on ComiXology: https://www.comixology.eu/Eric-Grissom/comics-creator/8446.
Then we have Will Perkins, the illustrator for “Goblin”, who is also an amateur paleontologist – which is a pretty neat hobby actually. His works have included Gregory Suicide, Beware…, Fubar American History Z, Sealand Forever and Planet Gigantic. All of which you can find over on his official website: https://www.willperkinscomics.com/
Not only has this pair of talented individuals created a really memorable graphic novel, but they have also designed a D&D one shot that is set in the same universe as Rikt. Which all you DM’s can download now for free in the link below.
Website (plus D&D game): https://www.realmofgoblin.com/
This story has certainly taught us one thing and that is you truely, can never judge a book by its cover – as Rikt stands against the many stereotypes that we have all come to learn about Goblins overtime.
Overall: 9/10
