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Comic series revives ’80s DnD cartoon, hits peak nostalgia

IDW announces Dungeons & Dragons: Saturday Morning Adventures, a comic book miniseries based on the D&D children’s cartoon from the 1980s

DnD cartoon comic miniseries art of Diana the Acrobat

Hank, Presto, Uni, and the gang are back – as the 1983 Dungeons and Dragons cartoon gets a fresh comic book adaptation. Published by IDW and set for release in March 2023, the four-part miniseries will be the first comic book adaptation of the show since 1996.

Dungeons & Dragons: Saturday Morning Adventures was first announced on December 12 (thanks, CBR). Described by IDW as a “lost episode” of the original cartoon, the miniseries seems to feature the D&D show’s main cast of schoolkids-turned-heroes. Tiamat and the Dungeon Master also make an appearance in one of the cover reveals (see below), and it’s been confirmed the party of heroes will face off against their old nemesis Venger.

The Dungeons and Dragons cartoon originally aired between 1983 and 1985. It focused on a group of children who, by means of a magical rollercoaster, were transported to the world of D&D. Each kid is transformed into one of the various DnD classes, and they’re armed with powerful DnD weapons that could save or doom the realm. Ultimately, the goal of the gang is to find their way home again.

IDW has published plenty of licensed comics in the past, with its catalogue including Star Trek, My Little Pony, and Sonic the Hedgehog. The publisher has also released a wide range of DnD comics in the past, which feature DnD settings like Eberron and Ravenloft, as well as iconic characters like Drizzt, Minsc and Boo.

DnD cartoon comic miniseries covers from IDW

The cartoon spawned several board games, novels, and comic books at its height, but plenty of nostalgia-fuelled products have popped up in recent years too. A Magic: The Gathering Secret Lair called ‘Saturday Morning D&D’ was released in 2021, and you can even spot the show’s cast in the art for the new D&D starter set, Dragons of Stormwreck Isle. Additionally, Hasbro (parent company of MTG and D&D’s publisher, Wizards of the Coast) is set to release a new Cartoon Classic action figure set based on the show in early 2023.

Learn more about the new comic miniseries in the CBR exclusive reveal.

If you’re hankering to play some D&D, we can tell you all you need to know about DnD races and DnD backgrounds. Heck, we can even help you find the perfect DnD character sheets.