This article is about the comic series. For other meanings, see Dragon's Lair.
Dragon's Lair is a comic book mini-series initially produced by MVCreations and CrossGen Entertainment in 2003 that also celebrated the 20th anniversary of the original Dragon's Lair. The comics are an adaptation of the original video game and also use elements from the animated series of the same name, as well as some additions from Dragon's Lair 3D: Return to the Lair. This series also adds its own original elements and characters to the story of Dirk the Daring's rescue of Princess Daphne from the dragon Singe, and goes in-depth on elements found in the game.
Andy Mangels was the series’ story plotter and credited as writer of the first four issues with Ryan Foley scripting the final two chapters. Fabio Laguna illustrated all issues with digital coloring by provided by Tony Washington. The series remained unfinished for years until Canadian publisher Arcana Studio completed the series in 2006, reprinting the first three issues together in single issue with new cover by Don Bluth and the final three chapters as single issues.[1] Arcana later released a hardcover graphic novel collecting all six issues with bonus content, also available digitally through Amazon Kindle but lacking most of the bonus pages.[2] In 2013, Zuuka Inc. released a digital collection of the first three issues on Apple Books.
Narrative[]
Chapter 1[]
Dirk and Princess Daphne take a recreational horse ride near Taerwan's Lake when Singe attacked them together with his Fire Drakes. Singe captures Daphne and flies away with her to his Castle deep within the Dark Kingdom. Dirk takes the body of a deceased Drake and returns to the King’s castle with the horses, and explains the situation to Leraene. They bring the Drake’s body to Halvern, who is able to use the Drake's body to conjure a vision of the dangers that await inside the Dark Kingdom, where Singe's castle is located. The crystal ball shows a vision of Daphne floating inside a crystal ball and dressed in a harem outfit. Using the wizard's ancient tomes, Halvern explains the threat Daphne faces as a prisoner of an elder dragon inside the Bubble of Helotry; if Daphne is not freed by the dawn of the next full moon, her mind will become permanently enslaved by Singe. Leraene draws Dirk a map of the Dark Kingdom, based upon their limited knowledge of it. Halvern also warns Dirk that Singe cannot be killed with conventional weapons but only the enchanted sword Dragonfang. Dirk sets out upon Bertram for a solo rescue mission, with only two days remaining before the full moon.
Chapter 2[]
Dirk and Bertram are attacked by a Hydra Snake in the Grim, Dingy Swamps of the Dark Kingdom. Meanwhile, Daphne awakens in Singe’s lair, welcomed by the subservient women of Singe’s Harem. After defying Singe, Daphne is knocked unconscious by Princess Thelma Anna Louisa and placed inside the enchanted bubble. Having survived the Hydra Snake and quicksand traps, Dirk and Bertram follow the map to the Lair of the Lizard King, who attempted to impersonate Daphne’s voice to lure Dirk into an ambush of alligators from his moat. Dirk is victorious over attacks from a Tentacled monster and knocks the Lizard King out of his lair to become food for the alligators.
Chapter 3[]
Thinking he heard the cries of a damsel in distress, Dirk rides into the Graveyard of Gloom, enters a mausoleum, and is surrounded by Chattering Skulls and reanimated skeletons. The supposed damsel is revealed to be a trick by the spectral Crypt Creeps who threaten to steal the knight's soul. Meanwhile, after failing to reason with the Harem girls, the imprisoned Daphne learns from Singe that the key around his neck is the only thing that can open her bubble prison. Daphne tries to free herself from the Bubble by rocking it loose and sending it rolling down the treasure horde, but it fails to break and proves Singe's words that only the key can open it. Back at the graveyard, Dirk is almost overwhelmed by reanimated zombies of deceased warriors. The skeletons combined to form a large monster, but Dirk is able to outmaneuver the top-heavy giant on Bertram. With the dawn of the second day of his quest, Dirk presses on toward the castle.
Chapter 4[]
Back at the king's castle, Halvern and Leraene continue using the wizard's scrying ball to monitor Dirk's quest and Daphne's location in Singe's lair. With less than half a day remaining to rescue Daphne, Dirk attempts to cross the Sands of Fire on foot, as Bertram tries to find to a way around the fires to meet up at the castle. While evading the boiling lava, gouts of fire, and geysers of goo, Dirk is ambushed by the Mudmen. Dirk escapes the ambush by falling into the underground Dark Water River, riding a barrel through the rapids and whirlpools. The barrel ride crashes upon the shoreline of Singe's castle. Inside the castle, Daphne attempts to trick Singe into letting her out of the Bubble but her faulty reasoning evidences the effects of her prison's enchantment on her mind. As Dirk crosses the castle's drawbridge, he is attacked by the Cyclops Worms, then successfully navigates through several of the castle's trap rooms. Dirk defeats the Giddy Goons but finds himself trapped inside the room of the Fire Pit.
Chapter 5[]
Halvern explains to a frustrated Leraene that the farther Dirk does into the Dark Kingdom, the harder it becomes for him to track his movements, discovering that the knight reached the castle then losing contact. Dirk climbs out of the Fire Pit and progress through the castle's trap rooms, battling a swarm of Bats to find himself inside a candlelit bedroom with a checkerboard floor where he is greeted by a beautiful woman with a scepter who claims to have been a prison of Singe. The woman begins to seduce Dirk but the knight sees her true reflection as an old hag in a mirror. Now revealed as The Goon Witch, the scorned temptress summons the Black Knight, who uses his sword to electrify the checkboard floor. Dirk defeats the Black Knight and uses a mirror to reflect the Goon Witch's magic back at her, turning her to stone. In Singe's treasure room, a despondent Daphne desperately asks Singe why must he be so evil, to which the dragon responds is a revenge plot on Dirk for killing dozens of his family; he explains Daphne is a fringe benefit to further spite Dirk by enslaving his true love to a lifetime of cleaning his scales. With the bubble's effects continue to wear down Daphne's mind, she calls out "Save me! Dirk! Save me!" As Dirk follows Daphne's cries for help down a long corridor, he falls through a trap door into a deep pit.
Chapter 6[]
Halvern and Leraene lose their scrying ability on Dirk’s progress when the crystal ball shatters due to obstruction from dark magic as the knight descends into the heart of the dragon’s castle. After regaining his footing, Dirk follows loose gold coins into Singe’s treasure horde, making contact with Daphne. Now heavily under the enchanting influence of the Bubble, she informs Dirk of the importance of the key around the dragon’s neck and the Dragonfang kept in the glass rock. Dirk is swarmed by adoration from the harem girls, causing Singe to awaken and engage the knight in battle and banter. Dirk tricks Singe into tail swiping him near Dragonfang, then dodges his fire which melts the sword’s glass rock. With Dragonfang, Dirk slays Singe, frees Daphne with the key, and shatters the unsealed Bubble of Helotry to restore the princess’ mind to normal. Dirk and Daphne lead the liberated harem girls out of the castle to enjoy the dawning of a new day. Promising to send a carriage for the rest of the women, Dirk and Daphne ride away on Bertram into the horizon, thinking on how to spend all the gold claimed in the dragon's hordes together.
Bonus Story: “Miss Independent”[]
A prequel to the chapters that comprise the main story, Singe plots with his harem girls to abduct Princess Daphne from her castle by sending Princess Vanessa, her childhood friend, to retrieve her either willingly or by force. Once Daphne recognizes the trap, she resists capture and succeeds by forcibly ejecting Vanessa and two Giddy Goons from her bedroom.
Differences from other Dragon's Lair media[]
- Dirk the Daring is a more vocal, witty, cunning and determined character (as opposed to his largely silent and somewhat cowardly but curious demeanor from the original game), often muttering one-liners and strategies as he advances further into the Castle.
- Princess Daphne has a far more developed personality and is already the lover of Dirk. She is also shown to be a fierce warrior and a bit of a tomboy, willing to intervene in battle much like in the television show.
- Singe has clearly defined wings which allow him to fly great distances, which he has never appeared with in the games.
- The smaller dragon (Drakes) from Dragon's Lair 3D: Return to the Lair appear but are said to be Singe's children.
- The steed Bertram first named in the Ruby-Spears TV show appears, helping Dirk travel to and from the castle.
- The Lizard King and Crypt Creeps do not reside inside Singe’s castle but in a fortress and mausoleum located across the Dark Kingdom.
- Dirk first reaches the castle traveling through the lava pits and underground river after escaping the Mudmen.
- When sailing in the barrel, Dirk stands on top and steers it around with his sword instead of sitting inside and using a paddle.
- The Black Knight uses an attack strategy more similar to the Phantom Knight.
- Singe's treasure room holds a harem of many other women besides Princess Daphne captive, which had presumably fallen under the spell of the Bubble of Helotry.
- When battling the Giddy Goons, they chase Dirk into the fire pit.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- An original title for the series was “Dragon’s Lair: Singe’s Revenge.” According to early solicitations, the comic aspired to tease a theatrical feature film:
"We're absolutely thrilled to be working with animation legend Don Bluth on the comic book series,” said MVCreations president Val Staples. "Don's been fantastic and has been involved in every aspect of the book, from the story's conception all the way to the art production. This is a book that stays true to the Dragon's Lair mythos while also setting the stage for some big screen adventures.[3]
- Similar to the Space Ace comics, the series is plagued with inconsistencies in plot points and coloring with occasional typos in lettering, likely results of the long hiatus between publication of chapters 1-3 and 4-6 and a change in lead writers. Leraene is a redhead in earlier issues but a blonde for the final chapters. The first three issues display more detailed colors and detail on Daphne’s sheer which include sparkles and transparency layers, but the last three issues simplified the sheer to a plain blue-green shade. Furthermore, some panels omit the sheer in panels where she should be wearing it or just apply it to the lower half of her body. In the first chapter, the heroes see Daphne’s enslaved outfit via Halvern’s crystal ball, but each of them apparently forget about it in chapters 4 and 6; Leraene pines for Daphne to dress more revealing around her while Dirk questions Daphne about what she is wearing upon reaching Singe’s lair. The second chapter implies that Daphne would never freely dress like a harem girl and chides the enslaved girls for debasing themselves, but the bonus story normalizes the revealing leotards worn by Daphne and Vanessa as unremarkable attire for the princesses.
- A multi-episode Dragon's Lair comic known as "Dragon's Lair: Reign of Terror" was also produced entirely by Don Bluth for exclusive publication in Toon Talk magazine, which he self-published between 2000-2001. The multi-episode comic featured Dirk (a possible heir to the throne and aspiring hero but not yet a knight) and Daphne (an exiled royal heir and member of a travelling group of actors), as well as original characters such as Vraxxis (a cursed dragon king), Sebastian the Thief who becomes Dirk's foster father, Serin the Alchemist, Ronan (Dirk's adopted brother), Sonya (Puppeteer Extraordinaire), the knight Sir Gilgud, and Hildy the shape-shifting Viking woman. The comic strip was likely connected to one of Bluth's script proposals for a Dragon's Lair feature film.