NODWICK CHRONICLES VI: NODWICK GOES HOLLYWOOD
May 24th 2009 22:48
Category: Graphic Novels/Comics
Publisher: Do Gooder Press
Story & Art by: Aaron Williams
Cost: US $11.99
Having been an avid D and D gamer I was also an avid fan of Dragon magazine, although as time passed it dawned on me that for the $12 I was paying for this publication wasn’t really giving me much for my buck so to speak. In fact it has to be said that in a lot of issues the only thing worth really reading were the comics which were often ferreted away in the various areas of the magazine, usually not where the contents said they were amidst various ads for games stores or game makers who were located in places I’d never even heard of let alone knew existed. One such regular comic was Nodwick, the tales of the trials and tribulations of an adventuring party’s henchman. Of course granted the comic strips were often amusing they were not worth paying $12 for them.
Then along came Nodwick Chronicles, now I had heard that such works existed, in fact I was even aware that there was a Nodwick comic but had never had the time to check out where I could get my hands on copies of these works…until now. Wandering amongst the stacks, as I am often wont to do, at my local library actually brought forth this particular collection sitting there on the shelf just waiting to be borrowed, naturally I didn’t hesitate, I scooped it up and borrowed it post haste. Once I had passed the front counter and walked out the door I made my way back home through the sleet, the hail, the freezing howling winds of the month of May, oh the horror…the horror, I eventually arrived in time for morning smoko and a nice relaxing read.
Outside the wind howled like the very souls of the damned fleeing from the pits of Hades, the rain drummed on the roof like the marching boots of an invading horde and I simply sat in my room sipping away at a lovely hot coffee and began to read this collection by Aaron Williams. Oh and just to point something out I may have gotten overly poetic in regards to the weather but for anyone who has been paying attention to the Australian news, particularly in regards to the North Coast region of NSW to say its been severe I think is to understate it – fortunately though its only been heavy rains and wild winds where I am, other towns and communities have been flooded with evacuations carried out. Actually it would be the kind of weather more geared towards sitting down and watching some epic film like Lord of the Rings or a bit of Harry Potter, still Nodwick it was.
The great thing about this collection is that you don’t have to have read all the other collections in order to get up to speed with the story that is taking place in this particular collection. What you might need though is some knowledge of D and D or be a fan of things fantasy/sword & sorcery, this will probably make the story and gags a little bit more relevant. In fact this is the primary flaw of the work, that it is predominantly a gamer specific comic and thus may not appeal to those who have never played D and D or even picked up a fantasy novel, still you never know, Mr Williams does weave a good tale and that can often be enough to bypass any preconceptions and prejudices.
Our primary protagonist in this tale is Nodwick, the title character and henchman to the three adventurers Yeagar, a fighter who’d I’d classify as an Advanced Social Drinker, Piffany the female cleric and source of all things sweet and good and then Artax, the knowledgeable wizard. Employed to carry the loot, swag and other goodies that Yeagar, Artax and Piffany pick up in their adventures Nodwick’s life is one of trial, tribulation and absolute chaos, it’s obvious to see that in this world there are no Occupational Health and Safety regulations. Often poor old Nodwick ends up fried, turned into a frog, turned into goo, squashed, pulverized or pounded and this is on a slow day, all down to the actions of his employers Yeagar and Artax, Piffany is the one who often spends most of her time putting Nodwick either back together or back into his original form.
In this particular collection this trio of adventurers and their trusty henchman are joined by the beautiful female mercenary Rowen and her war dragon Orville. This group find themselves at the cusp of what could very well be the end of the world as we know it, and it’s all down to a missing henchman and the tooth of a long forgotten and thoroughly evil god…It’s interesting to see that Mr Williams in creating this comic and its cast follows some rather unique conventions in regards to certain aspects of the Nodwickverse. For example all henchmen in this reality are almost carbon copies of Nodwick in that they all wear a similar style of steel helmet, the same style of clothing and are prone to having large noses. This makes them all readily recognisable as henchmen, they also all seem to have names ending in wick.
Its also interesting to see a work done entirely in black and white, usually most American comics are often in colour although granted my only exposure to American comics is through the major publishers Dark Horse, Marvel, DC and Image comics they might be exceptions rather than the norm. Being a tale about the end of the world and the rise of some dark malevolent force there are all the obligatory conventions thrown in for good measure – the evil sorcerer, the dark warlord and an evil zombie raising fanatical priestess who seems to regard the undead she creates as her children, a thwarted mother complex perhaps? Toss in mega powerful artefacts, a source of mystical energy that moves around from time to time, the obligatory horde of monsters and other assorted nasties, dragons and a besieged town and you have all the classic ingredients for your stock standard fantasy epic – where it differs is naturally the protagonists who are meant to save the day and a few other little bits and pieces. Still I won’t spoil it for you, instead I’ll simply point out that Nodwick Chronicles VI: Nodwick Goes Hollywood was a hoot, definitely worth tracking down in your local library, comic store or on the Internet at the publisher’s website: www.dogooderpress.com
Story & Art by: Aaron Williams
Cost: US $11.99
Having been an avid D and D gamer I was also an avid fan of Dragon magazine, although as time passed it dawned on me that for the $12 I was paying for this publication wasn’t really giving me much for my buck so to speak. In fact it has to be said that in a lot of issues the only thing worth really reading were the comics which were often ferreted away in the various areas of the magazine, usually not where the contents said they were amidst various ads for games stores or game makers who were located in places I’d never even heard of let alone knew existed. One such regular comic was Nodwick, the tales of the trials and tribulations of an adventuring party’s henchman. Of course granted the comic strips were often amusing they were not worth paying $12 for them.
Outside the wind howled like the very souls of the damned fleeing from the pits of Hades, the rain drummed on the roof like the marching boots of an invading horde and I simply sat in my room sipping away at a lovely hot coffee and began to read this collection by Aaron Williams. Oh and just to point something out I may have gotten overly poetic in regards to the weather but for anyone who has been paying attention to the Australian news, particularly in regards to the North Coast region of NSW to say its been severe I think is to understate it – fortunately though its only been heavy rains and wild winds where I am, other towns and communities have been flooded with evacuations carried out. Actually it would be the kind of weather more geared towards sitting down and watching some epic film like Lord of the Rings or a bit of Harry Potter, still Nodwick it was.
Our primary protagonist in this tale is Nodwick, the title character and henchman to the three adventurers Yeagar, a fighter who’d I’d classify as an Advanced Social Drinker, Piffany the female cleric and source of all things sweet and good and then Artax, the knowledgeable wizard. Employed to carry the loot, swag and other goodies that Yeagar, Artax and Piffany pick up in their adventures Nodwick’s life is one of trial, tribulation and absolute chaos, it’s obvious to see that in this world there are no Occupational Health and Safety regulations. Often poor old Nodwick ends up fried, turned into a frog, turned into goo, squashed, pulverized or pounded and this is on a slow day, all down to the actions of his employers Yeagar and Artax, Piffany is the one who often spends most of her time putting Nodwick either back together or back into his original form.
In this particular collection this trio of adventurers and their trusty henchman are joined by the beautiful female mercenary Rowen and her war dragon Orville. This group find themselves at the cusp of what could very well be the end of the world as we know it, and it’s all down to a missing henchman and the tooth of a long forgotten and thoroughly evil god…It’s interesting to see that Mr Williams in creating this comic and its cast follows some rather unique conventions in regards to certain aspects of the Nodwickverse. For example all henchmen in this reality are almost carbon copies of Nodwick in that they all wear a similar style of steel helmet, the same style of clothing and are prone to having large noses. This makes them all readily recognisable as henchmen, they also all seem to have names ending in wick.
Its also interesting to see a work done entirely in black and white, usually most American comics are often in colour although granted my only exposure to American comics is through the major publishers Dark Horse, Marvel, DC and Image comics they might be exceptions rather than the norm. Being a tale about the end of the world and the rise of some dark malevolent force there are all the obligatory conventions thrown in for good measure – the evil sorcerer, the dark warlord and an evil zombie raising fanatical priestess who seems to regard the undead she creates as her children, a thwarted mother complex perhaps? Toss in mega powerful artefacts, a source of mystical energy that moves around from time to time, the obligatory horde of monsters and other assorted nasties, dragons and a besieged town and you have all the classic ingredients for your stock standard fantasy epic – where it differs is naturally the protagonists who are meant to save the day and a few other little bits and pieces. Still I won’t spoil it for you, instead I’ll simply point out that Nodwick Chronicles VI: Nodwick Goes Hollywood was a hoot, definitely worth tracking down in your local library, comic store or on the Internet at the publisher’s website: www.dogooderpress.com
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