The Guild: Volume 1 (2010)

Author: Felicia Day | Page Count: 93

I have all the tools to live life to the fullest. 
As soon as I get happy, I'm raring to go!
Am I there yet?

I loved The Guild and yet had no idea it existed in comic form. I snatched it right up. This is a collection of comics 1 through 3 that detail the origins of the guild as we follow Cyd Sherman; a meek and timid girl who uses gaming to escape the pressures of her real life that include underemployment, a douchebag boyfriend and general lack of control. That sounds kind of heavy, but it is first and foremost a comedy like it's web video counterpart. The underlying emotion though helps with a connection to the character since it feels real. Since the whole concept of the Guild is partly autobiographical to author Felicia Day's own experience with gaming compulsion it is not hard to see how she could be so well versed in how it is to be able to translate it onto paper.

The artwork is crisp and vibrant and is also scattered with various artists work from the original comic covers and bonus art in the bonus section of the back. The series characters come out very well onto paper with their special mix of comedy and antisocial sociopathic tendencies. As Cyd delves further into her growing addiction she comes across all her guildmates forming something akin to human interaction that seems to solve some of her social faults, even if her therapist disagrees. Overall, a quality book in story, art and even the physical paper itself. So glossy, mmm, I can see my fingerprints when the light shines on them.

4 accidental acts of arson out of 5