Last time on Critical Role (…Vox Machina Origins III): Our band of heroes, fresh out of coin, entered an underground fighting tournament. Through a combination of luck, teamwork, and a lot of Grog, Vox Machina came out on top. Now equipped with a fresh purse, Vox Machina looks to celebrate the holiday of Winter’s Crest.
Jason Large: We have just finished watching the end of Exandria Unlimited, there’s a prose book about Vex and Vax coming out soon, and the animated series right around the corner… We are as close as we’ve ever been to peak Critical Role
Liz Large: Yeah, with all of that plus the game company and impending third campaign, the Critters are living their best lives right now. I gotta say though, it’s more than a little overwhelming for someone who didn’t start watching with the first episode. I’m really excited about content that I’m not 450 hours behind on.
Jason: The origins series does a decent job providing a bit more context to early Vox Machina to Critters who have watched the first campaign, while also providing a lower barrier of entry to those who haven’t, as 115 3-5 hour long episodes can be pretty daunting.
Liz: It’s been pretty successful, in my opinion. It was neat getting to see the heroes as less fully formed versions of themselves.
Jason: It’s been a few months since the last issue, so let’s get back to Exandria and Vox Machina. We’re just in time for Winter’s Crest.
Winter’s Crest
Jason: For those uninitiated with the holidays of a fictional world, Winter’s Crest is basically the winter solstice holiday that is celebrated generally as a kind of winter carnival. We also get a bit of lore about the holiday.
Liz: Most relevant to my interests, we also get to see Trinket eating some fair food. I love scenes like this—a lot of panels with little background details showing how the characters are spending their day. Grog wins a pie eating contest and gets a little crown that he wears for most of the issue. It’s great!
Jason: I had a bit of a problem with the art of issue 2 not being detailed enough. I think getting out of the fighting pit and into the streets has given artist Olivia Samson a bit more to do.
There’s a bit of confusion with the unveiling of a giant.. piece of ice(?) apparently linked to Realmseeker Eskil, who appeared previously in Vox Machina Origins II.
Eskil himself appears, attempting to get to the large artifact before, in a flash, the majority of the town is frozen solid.
Liz: I’ll be honest, this sequence of events is a little unclear to me. We see VM and the town gathered for a speech, and a handsome bearded man in purple speaks with Vax. I would assume this is Gilmore of the Glorious Goods, but it’s not clearly stated. We also see Realmseer Eskil, shoving through the crowd. Then, the freeze. While the handsome friend was able to protect the group with a spell, Vax was somehow left out of the protection even though he was close enough to touch Vex. In fairness, some D&D spells do have a limited number of people, so let’s go with that.
Jason: It could be Gilmore but I feel like there would have been more to his interaction with Vax… it feels like some panels were cut out. Regardless, the remaining unfrozen members of Vox Machina are greeted by a white humanoid creature with blue eyes, ice-like spikes or scales, and a large blue detachable gem on their forehead.
While they initially appear to have Vox Machina trapped with magic, they appear to realize they are not yet at full power and attempt to flee via a portal. Vex commands Trinket to stay and guard Vax, then the group take off after the fleeing being.
Winter’s Chase
Liz: They just jump through a portal, following a stranger who’s clearly very powerful, not a plan in sight. Our heroes! Vex is so angry she’s not even waiting for the team, storming off while the rest of them do their usual banter. Her twin is in danger and it’s clear that she will do anything to save him.
Jason: Vex is definitely leading the charge with the rest of Vox Machina trying to keep up. Catching up to their target, Vox Machina learns that she is connected to Errevon, the Rimelord, whose defeat long ago led to the creation of Winter’s Crest.
A well-placed intimidation arrow from Vex backfires when the ice cave they were travelling in begins to crack apart. The pursued temporarily escapes as Vox Machina rushes to an exit with falling blocks of ice crashing down around them.
Liz: There’s a two-page spread of their escape that really gives a sense of how hectic and quick they’re moving. Grog loses his crown, Percy shoots a falling icicle with his gun, and Pike is nearly left behind before Grog scoops up both halflings and they reach safety. Vex uses her skills to track the enemy, but something is off— it’s almost as if the creature they’re tracking doesn’t know how to run.
Jason: Just when they think there’s nowhere left to run, we get… exposition! It turns out this creature serves Lord Errevon, the same Lord Errevon whose defeat led to the creation of Winter’s Crest! Talk about timing. After an attempt to recruit our heroes to serve the Ice Lord fails, she simply jumps off the cliff.
But that’s not falling, that’s flying with style because surprise, she’s a dragon! And she also has the ability to summon cliffhanger endings!
Liz: I liked this reveal! It ties in with Vex mentioning that the movement of the dragon in person form wasn’t natural, but I was expecting a weird injury or a mermaid situation. I should have expected a dragon!
Jason: Considering we’re 3 issues into this story arc I don’t really see Lord Errevon resurrecting here, but it does very much seem like there’s more to the appearance of that ice block showing up at the Winter’s Crest festival than meets the eye. Vox Machina will need to find out a way to thaw out Vax, Realmseer Eskil, and the other citizens first.
Overall I enjoyed this more story-based issue more than the previous tournament. As much as I love all the great character moments throughout, when the comic is sold in these separate sets of arcs like Origins is, issues that are dedicated to downtime feel like a waste valuable panel space. This directly contradicts how I feel about watching the actual Critical Role show.
Liz: That’s true. I do love the character moments, but I think the comic format allows room to cover those via art (which was done well in this issue!) rather than needing to do quite so much of it in text. Plus, part of the fun of watching the show is seeing how people react to each other—watching the slowly dawning horror on Travis’s face as he realizes a joke that’s being set up, or seeing Talesin go red from laughter. Regardless, I want to see where this goes!
Is It Wednesday Yet?
- An ice dungeon and now a dragon, what more do you want?
- I want more Trinket, always.
- Do you think Trinket is licking Vax like an icicle while the second half of the issue is taking place?
He/Him
Jason is born, raised, and currently resides in New Jersey with his wife, two cats, and one dog. He enjoys comics, games, art, and helped put together the logo and website for ComicsXF. He'd rather be in the woods.
Liz Large is a copywriter with a lot of opinions on mutants.
