The Guild by Felicia Day, Jim Rugg and Dan Jackson – graphic novel review

If you’ve not heard of the hit webseries The Guild, then I’ll wait patiently for you to struggle out from under that rock and join the rest of us at the cool kids table.

Okay, for the one or two of you out there who don’t know what I’m talking about, The Guild is a webseries written by geek icon Felicia Day that tells the story of a group of gamers playing an MMORPG that bears a striking and deliberate resemblance to the much loved World of Warcraft. Specifically focused on the members of the guild,  “The Knights of Good,” and particularly on the wonderfully neurotic fortunes of Cyd Sherman, aka Codex (Day), it has entertained and delighted in equal measure and, in the process, gathered a huge following. At last, an insider’s view of the Geek in his/her natural environment.

Having recently completed the fourth series of the show, the creators decided it was time to reveal to us fans the origins of The Knights of Good and how they came to be gaming together and then spending time together in the three-dimensional world. The Guild is sponsored by XBox Live; however, the show is still produced on a very tight budget. How then to show us the humble beginnings of the legend that is The Knights of Good with limited funds? It seems that Day decided that a comic, or three in this case, would be the ideal canvas upon which to paint this most epic of tales. These comics have since been collated into the graphic novel that I’m reviewing here for your convenience.

By now you’ve followed the link above and caught up on the series. Brilliant, isn’t it? So, without any more ado, let’s get down to the review.

The story in the graphic novel, like the series itself, focuses primarily upon Cyd Sherman’s journey from troubled young musician to max-levelled healer and gamer extraordinaire, and, of course, the coming together of The Knights of Good. The scene and her character are set very early on and paint a great and surprisingly holistic picture of someone struggling to define herself and her world. Her scenes with her therapist are both funny and cringe-worthy, as her therapist attempts to mold Cyd in her own image.

From here we go to Cyd’s other relationships, each one of which comes across as emotionally abusive or neglectful, particularly her “boyfriend” whose sheer awfulness drips off the page and left me feeling like I needed a shower. It doesn’t take long for our intrepid Cyd to look to the fantasy world to escape the pain and disappointment of the real world, which is where the real story begins!

The artwork of Cyd’s “real” world is fairly stark, particularly in comparison to the softer tones and comfortably blurred lines of the in-game world. A very striking way of conveying the temptations of escaping into another world where adventure and achievement await. It’s here that Cyd and her new character Codex start to meet the members of her future guild.

Though the artwork generally doesn’t capture the likenesses of the exceptional actors that play the parts in the series, the writing leaves you in no doubt as to who you’re dealing with. As Cyd/Codex comes across each character in turn–Vork, Bladezz, Tinkerballa,  Zaboo and Clara–their intensely quirky personalities are rapidly established and then further embellished, with, as they say, hilarious results.

The graphic novel is, I think, first and foremost a comedy, with many laugh out loud lines and a good sprinkling of chuckle-knowingly-to-myself moments; and yet the story has many surprisingly poignant scenes that were genuinely moving and that, I suspect, have already made more than a few readers nod or smile in sympathy with Cyd’s experiences. Interestingly, these scenes are often followed with some really funny reflections that are all the funnier for the tragic context in which they’re told.

The absurdities of the world of mmorpg’s are nicely conveyed, leaving the impression that the writer is poking a little harmless fun at herself as much as anyone else. The story flows well, and by the end it’s easy to make the imaginative transition from the graphic novel to the screen as Codex sits before you telling her tale via her webcam before diving into the gaming world.

This is a really great story told with surprising insight and a refreshing sharpness brought all the more to life by some wonderful artwork. I would recommend it to anyone with an interest in gaming or looking for a light-hearted window onto gaming culture.

And for those of you new to The Guild, welcome to the fold. Where have you been?