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Pathfinder Comic Anthologies
Pathfinder Volume 3: City of Secrets
The Pathfinder heroes head to the city of Magnimar, and danger isn't far behind. As the wizard Ezren seeks an audience with the Pathfinder Society, his adventuring allies explore the city's ancient magic, well-hidden secrets, and deep political divides. The dangers and opportunities of the big city could bring the adventurers closer together—or tear them apart! Ezren ambushed, Kyra targeted, Merisiel tempted by her past... will the group endure?
With a captivating story written by Jim Zub (Samurai Jack/i>, Skullkickers) and explosive artwork by Leandro Oliveira, this third volume in the Pathfinder graphic novel series expands upon the mythos of Paizo's award-winning fantasy world, fiction line, and tabletop RPG.
Collection Features:
- Pathfinder: City of Secrets issues 1-6 by Jim Zub
- All 31 beautiful covers by Genzoman, Carlos Gomez, Sean Izaakse, Steven Cummings, and Steve Ellis
- 39 pages of encounters, characters, and world detail for the Pathfinder RPG
- An all-new, removable poster-map of the region explored in the comic
And more!
With a captivating story written by Jim Zub (Samurai Jack/i>, Skullkickers) and explosive artwork by Leandro Oliveira, this third volume in the Pathfinder graphic novel series expands upon the mythos of Paizo's award-winning fantasy world, fiction line, and tabletop RPG.
Collection Features:
- Pathfinder: City of Secrets issues 1-6 by Jim Zub
- All 31 beautiful covers by Genzoman, Carlos Gomez, Sean Izaakse, Steven Cummings, and Steve Ellis
- 39 pages of encounters, characters, and world detail for the Pathfinder RPG
- An all-new, removable poster-map of the region explored in the comic
And more!
214 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 1, 2015
About the author
Jim Zub
864 books279 followersJim Zub is a writer, artist and art instructor based in Toronto, Canada. Over the past fifteen years he’s worked for a diverse array of publishing, movie and video game clients including Disney, Warner Bros., Capcom, Hasbro, Bandai-Namco and Mattel.
He juggles his time between being a freelance comic writer and Program Coordinator for Seneca College‘s award-winning Animation program.
He juggles his time between being a freelance comic writer and Program Coordinator for Seneca College‘s award-winning Animation program.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
June 13, 2020
These aren't great art, or even great fantasy, but they're entertaining.
April 29, 2022
I'm probably overrating this, but as an entertaining way to present RPG materials for GMs, this is incredibly successful. The art has once again improved, and the story is similarly engaging. The new location is well fleshed-out with characters and locations; it could easily be used for a mini arc or two.
The comic story has two primary branches, but a party could follow both in parallel or in series with just a little adjustment. The RPG-specific content diverges more from the comic story than in the previous installments of the series, but this only serves to increase the total content that a potential GM could pull from.
The comic story has two primary branches, but a party could follow both in parallel or in series with just a little adjustment. The RPG-specific content diverges more from the comic story than in the previous installments of the series, but this only serves to increase the total content that a potential GM could pull from.
January 2, 2018
Loved the new art.
October 24, 2017
Very spectacular album again!
July 14, 2015
With thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Pathfinder is an RPG some of my friends play but I have yet to try it out. In fact, I've only just dipped my toes into tabletop gaming, starting with DnD so that I can check this off my geek cred check list. But I have read Pathfinder comics before and loved the characters, which is why I jumped at the chance to read more about them here. Our intrepid heroes are, in many ways, the typical fantasy characters, but the comic does its best to break some of the races and classes out of the tropes they have been pinned to. This book once again pays particular attention to Merisiel, the elf rogue with the questionable past. Her loyalties always seem to be in question--though it's usually Merisiel herself asking those questions. Meanwhile, Kyra has found herself in a city that hunts down clerics like her and murders them as heretics. She has no fear of them, but perhaps she should. And finally, the other notable plot line follows Ezren, the sorcerer who has only just come into adventuring in the later years of his life.
This was a fun read, even if it only gave a cursory eye to the plot lines mentioned above. It apparently is connected to another issue of the comic book series which delves more into the adventures of and relationship between Merisiel and Kyra and likely gives the (slightly predictable) twist ending in this book more of an impact.
I am quite fond of the art and colours in this book. It's very focused on bright and lively primary colours, with sharp, well defined lines that really help the characters as well as their vibrant personalities stand out.
Pathfinder is an RPG some of my friends play but I have yet to try it out. In fact, I've only just dipped my toes into tabletop gaming, starting with DnD so that I can check this off my geek cred check list. But I have read Pathfinder comics before and loved the characters, which is why I jumped at the chance to read more about them here. Our intrepid heroes are, in many ways, the typical fantasy characters, but the comic does its best to break some of the races and classes out of the tropes they have been pinned to. This book once again pays particular attention to Merisiel, the elf rogue with the questionable past. Her loyalties always seem to be in question--though it's usually Merisiel herself asking those questions. Meanwhile, Kyra has found herself in a city that hunts down clerics like her and murders them as heretics. She has no fear of them, but perhaps she should. And finally, the other notable plot line follows Ezren, the sorcerer who has only just come into adventuring in the later years of his life.
This was a fun read, even if it only gave a cursory eye to the plot lines mentioned above. It apparently is connected to another issue of the comic book series which delves more into the adventures of and relationship between Merisiel and Kyra and likely gives the (slightly predictable) twist ending in this book more of an impact.
I am quite fond of the art and colours in this book. It's very focused on bright and lively primary colours, with sharp, well defined lines that really help the characters as well as their vibrant personalities stand out.
June 15, 2015
'Pathfinder Volume 3: City of Secrets' continues to be a nice surprise. It's a comic book series based on an rpg system, and even though I'm not familiar with the rpg system, I like what they've done.
Our group of adventurers, led by Sorceror Seoni, finds themselves in the city of Magnimar. Wizard Ezren wants to seek out the Pathfinder Lodge to see if he can gain a seat there. Cleric Kyra wants to visit the temple of her god, in a rundown part of the city. Elf Merisiel wants to seek adventure, possibly on the other side of the law. Fighter Valeros just wants to have a good time, but before they can rest and relax, they find themselves wrapped up in a sinister mystery in the city. There are dark forces that want to take over the town. Can our party of heroes save the town of Magnimar?
Along the way, you get a flavor for places in the game with entries showing up telling you about the city or a part of town or the Pathfinder Lodge. I think it fleshes the story out as well. There are six characters in the story, but I think they keep the story mainly balanced. The book ends with a Variant Cover Gallery, which I did get to see, and the Pathfinder Chronicles RPG Appendix, which was not included in the review copy I had. Like I said, I don't play the game, but the fantasy adventure is a decent read for a fantasy fan. I like the characters and the situations they find themselves in.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Diamond Book Distributors, Dynamite Entertainment, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
Our group of adventurers, led by Sorceror Seoni, finds themselves in the city of Magnimar. Wizard Ezren wants to seek out the Pathfinder Lodge to see if he can gain a seat there. Cleric Kyra wants to visit the temple of her god, in a rundown part of the city. Elf Merisiel wants to seek adventure, possibly on the other side of the law. Fighter Valeros just wants to have a good time, but before they can rest and relax, they find themselves wrapped up in a sinister mystery in the city. There are dark forces that want to take over the town. Can our party of heroes save the town of Magnimar?
Along the way, you get a flavor for places in the game with entries showing up telling you about the city or a part of town or the Pathfinder Lodge. I think it fleshes the story out as well. There are six characters in the story, but I think they keep the story mainly balanced. The book ends with a Variant Cover Gallery, which I did get to see, and the Pathfinder Chronicles RPG Appendix, which was not included in the review copy I had. Like I said, I don't play the game, but the fantasy adventure is a decent read for a fantasy fan. I like the characters and the situations they find themselves in.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Diamond Book Distributors, Dynamite Entertainment, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
October 10, 2015
Vastly improved artwork again. The iconics have moved on to Magnimar and get to investigate attacks on followers of Sarenrae. Sounds pretty much like the adventure Dawn of the Scarlet Sun in comic form. It's fairly generic again, though I like Kyra and Merisiel and Ezren. I am hoping that the Origin series will be better as far as characters go.
The included RPG material is fantastic again. A bounty of cool encounters to run in various parts of Magnimar. Will use at least one of those encounters in my game!
The included RPG material is fantastic again. A bounty of cool encounters to run in various parts of Magnimar. Will use at least one of those encounters in my game!
October 2, 2022
The art has certainly improved, and I think there were a few points where I was genuinely enjoying the writing- not just as a Pathfinder fan but as a comics fan. If the first two volumes had a lot more going on with Seoni and Valeros arguing over leadership and the general vibe of having everyone come together as a team, we really get a spotlight on Merisiel and Ezren in this arc. Kyra, too, is a big focus here but it's really Merisiel and Ezren that do most of the growing. Merisiel having to pick between her more villainish rogue roots and her newfound position on this heroic team of adventurers... while Ezren does his thing as an old man in his twilight years trying to get some respect of his own to the Pathfinder Society organization. It's some great stuff. The build-up faltered towards the end as the plot was one part "a twist" (that was completely expected so not a twist) and another part... kind of random changes that didn't matter. It's still a marked improvement over the first two volumes and I'm excited to see what happens with the rest of the series!
June 20, 2020
Good, rollicking urban intrigue in Magnimar, your typical big fantasy RPG city that kinda strikes me as Pathfinder's version of D&D's Waterdeep. I'd say this volume is superior to the first two Pathfinder trades, since the art by Leandro Oliveira is much more consistent. We also get to know Paizo's iconics a little better and it isn't as filled with the typical tropes of beating up goblins and confronting a dragon as the final boss!
April 15, 2021
OK. I've had enough. This volume has actually a pretty good art, but I'm fed up enough with Jim Zub's poor writing to give up.
And maybe it's not even entirely his fault. Maybe, I've just reached the limits of this, necessarily more formulaic, RPG comics format.
There are so many better comic books competing for my time.
And maybe it's not even entirely his fault. Maybe, I've just reached the limits of this, necessarily more formulaic, RPG comics format.
There are so many better comic books competing for my time.
January 25, 2018
The third compilation following the adventuring crew as they blunder their way through a conspiracy and gain the notice of a potential patron group. These books also have lots of extras for RPGs as well including plot seeds, maps and character templates. Check it out.
February 26, 2018
En la línea de los anteriores, una trama más urbana y con algo más de intriga. El dibujo mantiene una línea limpia que está bastante bien, y es un cómic entretenido y con bastante acción.
October 4, 2021
3.5 stars.
February 15, 2023
Great find
Magical discovery, the whole series is a great read and I just love the story line. The art work is great too.
Magical discovery, the whole series is a great read and I just love the story line. The art work is great too.
May 24, 2015
Three stars for a standard fantasy fare. Coming new to this franchise I didn't know quite what was what to begin with – it seemed like a few too many characters were intent on levelling up as if they weren't really in a comic but just from the source RPG. (Oh and the dwarf just witters on about wanting to spend time in a park, which is so NOT the way to go in comix.) But the world is fairly easily drawn, and a plot as such does finally form which isn't too bad at all – machinations cleave then recombine the six heroes and battles are fought aplenty. They're well-drawn battles, considering the amount of characters the action has to encompass – at least you can fully see what's what. So while this will never be a groundbreaking title it is an easy-on-the-eye escapist episode, and there are a heck of a lot of inferior franchises around.
May 6, 2015
I've been impressed with the Paizo Pathfinder comics. They take the iconic characters from the Pathfinder source books and flesh them out, not only individually but as a group. It's been nice to have personality behind the people who appear most commonly in the source books and this story arc certainly does not disappoint. The artwork is fantastic, the story compelling and interesting and the characters as fascinating as ever. I'm looking forward to reading more of these.
(Review copy courtesy of NetGalley.)
(Review copy courtesy of NetGalley.)
January 10, 2016
This collects more issues of Dynamite's Pathfinder series. In this one our crew heads to a new city which brings with it some interesting new challenges. I found some parts of the plot for this one a little bit of a stretch, but on the whole, I still liked it. The character development was good. I thought that the action scenes felt dynamic but were still easy to follow. And there were some bits which were meant to be funny which really were funny. It was nice to see more of the team splitting up and then interacting in smaller groups. On the whole, I found it enjoyable and satisfying.
May 18, 2015
If you like role-playing comics and/or Pathfinder, you are likely to enjoy the continuing adventures of a merry band of assorted adventurers as they venture into the city of Magnimar. There they will have to overcome more obstacles then they thought to obtain at least some of what they desire. It would be helpful (but not necessary) to have read earlier volumes, but the plot here is left twisting that future adventures are assured.
August 25, 2015
Zub does it again in this one. I am mildly surprised at his ability to stay well with the rules of the RPG and still tell the stories as well as he does in these GNs. It's only mild surprise because I'm coming to expect that from him. This is not a standalone, you'll need to have read the first two volumes to really understand what's going on here but that's not a bad thing, this is a good ongoing story.
March 6, 2016
City of Secrets as a whole: The Iconic party of PFRPG, made of the six core classes (fighter, rogue, cleric, sorcerer, ranger, and wizard) make their way to the City of Secrets where they find their bonds tested, nearly split ways, only to come back together firmly committed to the bonds between them, and facing the future together.
May 28, 2015
My husband plays Pathfinder and I've watched a game. I thought this might enlighten me as to what the game is all about , but I think you have to be knowledgeable already. The story was fine, but I'm not into battle scenes, so it wasn't for me.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews