Advance Review: Rolled A One

Feeling alone is one of those universal feelings pretty much anyone can relate towards. If you have ever started at a new school or a new job it can be like walking into an entire new world with its own set of rules and social hierarchy. Entering a new High School, even for the most extroverted, can be an awkward task doom for failure. If you can find the right moment through your luck may change and random encounter may lead to a lifetime friendship. It is that idea that is at the center of Rolled a One.Â

Alice is that new girl at school that lives a life of loneliness to the point that the only person she has a meaning conversation with is the lunch lady. A lost pen changes her fate as her massive stack of fantasy novels clues in a group of fellow classmates that she is, in fact, a fellow nerd. This leads them to invite her to their next Dungeons and Dragons quest where she tries to show she is worthy to be in their clan.Â

At first look, this may seem like a story with very little stakes. What is the big deal about a couple of teenagers playing D&D on a Saturday night? It is not like they are even trying to pretend the fantasy realm they are role-playing is by any means real. In a way the stakes are low and that is what works about this story as it never tries to oversell its importance. At the same time, this one game has massive importance when you look at what it can potentially mean for Alice. It can be the one thing to break her from the perpetual cycle of loneliness.Â

Chris Baldie makes you care about that fact due to a fantastic setup that tells you everything you need to know without one real word of dialog. Baldie is a natural cartoonist in every sense of the word. His storytelling is pivotal as the book opens with a multiple of panels that leads to quick early pace. Staging is key as early pages are filled with Alice isolated in her own panel. When there are other people present they are often on the side never facing her direction. Even those with limited empathy would find it how not to become invested in her plight.Â

To Baldie“s credit though she never wallows in self-pity as she seems content with her current situation. Clearly being the new kid at school is the norm for her at this point. What makes this story work so well are the tropes it avoids along with some key small things that have a big impact. Baldie has a knack for dialog and not in the Aaron Sorkin or Quentin Tarantino way where conversations are filled with forever long diatribes and elegant soliloquies. This dialog works as it informs us who these characters are as people. The majority of this story takes place in one night so for these characters to have any form a depth it is a must. Otherwise, you would get some forceful exposition that would kill the natural flow of this story.Â

Informing character through dialog is a bit of a lost art. Too often the voice of the writer seeps in and everyone sounds the same. With this story by using dialog to inform character personality, you feel like you are among friends you have known for years. This books greatest achievement is that by the end you want to keep reading not because of some unanswered plot point, but because these are characters that are enjoyable to be around.Â

As someone who never played Dungeon and Dragons (I understand those who will stop reading after hearing that) I cannot speak to how well it represents the game, however, I can say it does make me regret I never did partake in what looks like a great deal of fun. Baldie feels this fantasy world with lush greenery, fantastical characters, and a consistent sense of humor. Their quest is not the most inventive fantasy story you would read, and if it was it would not be true to the characters. You care about it because these characters care about it, and you want them to succeed not only in the context inside the game but also outside as well.Â

Final Thoughts:

Rolled A One is one of the most pleasant surprises I have read all year. Chris Baldie is a natural storyteller and a phenomenal cartoonist that is surely destined for a very bright future if given the opportunity. This proved he deserved that opportunity with his ability to design a story that captures the reader’s empathy and then uses it to bring you along to a fun night with friends. Comics need more stories like this both in style and scale. Stories that bring you in and make your part of the group even if you roll a one.Â Â Â

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(W) Chris Baldie (A/CA) Chris Baldie

In Shops: Sep 04, 2019
Diamond Code: JUN191560

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Daniel Clark

A fan of all things comics. Growing up on a healthy diet of 90's Batman and X-Men cartoon series ignited a love for the medium that remains strong today.