Where it all began.
Vox Machina: Origins is a High Fantasy Prequel comic book series based on the first campaign of Critical Role starring the mercenaries known as Vox Machina. It chronicles how the various members of the team met as well as loosely adapts their pre-stream adventures before the beginning of the campaign proper. It is published by Dark Horse Comics and has released three volumes so far. Series I written by Matthew Colville and Series II and III by Jody Houser, along with Matthew Mercer; drawn by Olivia Samson.
- Volume One: Vox Machina investigates the poisoning of a port town and tries to determine who is profiting from a conspiracy against the Clasp.
- Volume Two: Grog is cursed by a dark force as a Lich attempts to reincarnate inside his body. They must assemble the various items necessary to cure him before he is possessed fully.
- Volume Three: Vax is frozen along with a town during a winter celebration. Vox Machina must hunt a white dragon to save their comrade.
This comic series contains the following tropes:
- Adaptational Dumbass: While Grog was a Dumb Muscle in the show, Series I issue 6 has Scanlan being able to trick him into taking part of a fight he doesn't care about simply by saying that Grog wants to do it.
- Adaptation Dye-Job: Pike's been depicted as having white hair in the show, but in the comics, she has black hair. This is because her hair won't turn white until she's resurrected after being killed by a glabrezu.
- Adaptational Personality Change: Several members of the party are different from how they are in the actual show. Somewhat justified as this is when they first met, while the show starts off with them having been travelling together for months, in addition to the fact that at the beginning of the campaign the personalities for the characters weren't truly set in stone.
- Vex'ahlia is cold and cynical, initially caring about nobody except herself and Vax.
- Vax'ildan, meanwhile, is much kinder and more empathetic than in the early episodes of the show, where he started with little concern for people outside the party before growing to be more moral.
- Keyleth is much more willing about doing morally grey actions than she is in the show, indicated by how Issue #3 opens up with her, Tiberius, and two nameless adventurers taking a job from The Clasp as opposed to in the show where she vehemently opposed making allies with them.
- Scanlan has a tendency towards Breaking the Fourth Wall that never appeared in the show proper.note He's also much more callous, shown with how indifferent he was when seeing the death of a former party member.
- Apothecary Alligator: The first issue shows a stuffed alligator hanging in the shop of alchemist Zeth in Stilben.
- Bar Brawl: Grog starts one in Series III issue 1 by accidentally hitting someone with an empty ale mug. This person turns out to be Loren "the Bear", leader of a group of mercenaries who are regular victors in the underground Brawlers' League.
- Black Comedy: Drez Vina's illustration of how Vox Machina might be slaughtered by the Realmseer is drawn in the same cute cartoonish style as the rest of his demonstration, with the party as a pile of corpses with Xs over their eyes.
- Big Bad: Iselda, a commander within The Myriad, is the main villain of Series 1.
- Big Damn Heroes: After he gets separated from them, Grog comes in at the last moment to save the party against Iselda's true form.
- Defrosting Ice Queen: Vex slowly warms up to the others as the series progresses.
- Dope Slap: Delivered by Vex to Scanlan after "Burt Reynolds" tries to flirt with Pike.
- Dumbass Has a Point: As the party struggles to open the secret door to Greystone Tower with the secret key, Grog simply throws the stone at the door. It opens up immediately. note Lampshaded:Grog: I told you I had an idea.
Vex: I suppose it had to happen someday... - Early-Bird Cameo: In Series II, Vox Machina is directed to Lady Kima of Vord, who might have knowledge on Grog's curse. Unfortunately, she's away on pilgrimage. She doesn't return home from this mission, and Vox Machina's quest to retrieve her at the behest of Arcanist Allura Vysoren is their first on-stream adventure.
- Evil Plan: Using a magical curse, along with a special poison known as Aqua Caedes, Iselda intends to wipe out the entire population of Stilben.
- Fantastic Racism: Iselda mocks Vex, Vax, and Keyleth for being half-elves.
- Fire-Forged Friends: The first interaction that Vax and Vex have with Scanlan and Grog isn't exactly a friendly one.
- Funny Background Event: Grog is a fountain of these.
- As the party is trying to figure out how to stealthily get onto the ship that Vax is being held in, and discuss it in the foreground, Grog gets noticed by some Mooks and fights them off. All hopes of stealth were gone instantly.
- In the foreground: Vex and Vax discussing how to get the nymph's heart. In the background: Grog being noticed by said nymph and then invited through a portal with her.
- In the background of an already funny event (Vex's Dope Slap to Scanlan), Grog falls out of the tree he had been hiding in. Keyleth cringes as she notices.
- Ink-Suit Actor: Certain incidental and supporting characters like Realmseer Eskil bear a striking resemblance to Matt Mercer, since he would no doubt be the one voicing them if this was all in-game.
- Names to Run Away from Really Fast: Vox Machina ends up confronting a white dragon named Skysunder, Herald of the Rimelord.
- Our Minotaurs Are Different: Grog finds himself face to face against a minotaur in issue 6.
- Out-of-Character Moment: For the money-obsessed Vex'ahlia.Vex: You're right, Antlers. Some things are more important than gold.
Vax: Who are you and what have you done with my sister? - Put on a Bus: Tiberius parts ways with the group in Series 2 to focus on his research.
- Ship Tease: Series I, issues 1 and 6 give some to Vax and Keyleth.
- Sibling Yin-Yang: Vax and Vex. Vax is more trusting, generous, and accepting of help from others. Vex is cynical, much more anti-social, and hates getting small amounts of reward money for jobs. Vex was also initially willing to let Stilben be poisoned if it would mean she and Vax wouldn't be in danger while Vax, after finding out that The Myriad intend to wipe out all of Stilben's population, was willing to try and stop them on his own.
- Sixth Ranger: Since neither Pike nor Percy were part of the first few sessions of the pre-stream campaign, they only have cameos in series I and join the party properly in series II; Pike is introduced in issue 1 because Grog has gone missing and the others follow a lead to the gnome family he used to live with, and Percy is introduced issue 5, imprisoned in a village that's been taken over by a Nightmare-summoning cult.
- Snake People: Iselda's true form.
- Skewed Priorities: Vex says in Series III issue 4 that Skysunder started their fight by freezing Vax; Percy dryly points out that she also froze the entire city of Westruun.
- Swamps Are Evil: The swamp that surrounds Stilben is filled with crocodiles, sharks, and baby-eating Fish People.
- Thieves' Guild: Stilben is unfortunate enough to deal with two of them, The Clasp and The Myriad.
- Tournament Arc: Series III starts out with a brief one; Vox Machina spend their way through most of their reward money and enter an underground fighting tournament to earn back some coin.
- Visual Pun: As Vox Machina is asleep in volume 2, a piece of paper/parchment can be seen pinned to the wall with two daggers and an arrow, evoking Vax's "Dagger dagger" catchphrase.
