Dungeon (comics)

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Dungeon (French title: Donjon) is a series of satirical fantasy comic books created by Joann Sfar and Lewis Trondheim, with contributions from numerous other artists and writers. It was originally published in France by Delcourt as a series of graphic albums; English translations of the first several stories have been released by NBM Publishing, first in a black-and-white periodical version and now as several color graphic novels.

The series is a parody of sword and sorcery conventions in general, and specifically of the role-playing game Dungeons and Dragons. All of the characters are either anthropomorphic animals or other strange creatures. The "dungeon" of the title is, in the original series, a business establishment run by a mild-mannered chicken, where heroes come in search of adventure and treasure and invariably die. The timeline in the main continuity is described as the stages of day; the series that lead up to the dungeon's creation are described in the Potron-Minet (Dawn) segment, the castle's glory days are described as its Zénith, and its inevitable decay is described in the Crépuscule (Twilight) stories.

Though only a small part is available in English, the French Donjon is an extremely ambitious work consisting of three sub-series and various side projects.

Contents

[edit] Sub-series

[edit] Donjon Zenith

DZ portrays the "golden age" of the world of Terra Amata . Albums 1 to 4 are drawn by Trondheim.

[edit] Donjon Potron-Minet (Dawn)

With art by Christophe Blain, this side takes place in an earlier era, describing events leading up to the creation of the titular dungeon. In English translation, the Dawn series is called Early Years.

[edit] Donjon Crepuscule (Twilight)

This one shows a much darker future world in which one of the protagonists has become an evil overlord. Albums 101, 102 and 103 are drawn by Sfar.

[edit] Others

A roughly equal number of stories outside the main continuity appear in Donjon Parade, drawn by Manu Larcenet, and Donjon Monsters, by a variety of artists. Donjon Parade takes place between volumes 1 and 2 of Zenith, starring its protagonists Marvin and Herbert, while Donjon Monsters features secondary characters from throughout the story.

A third sub-series called Donjon Bonus is mentioned in the books but no titles have appeared yet for this sub-series, except for the role-playing game Clefs en Mains.

The Zenith books begin at number 1, while Potron-Minet begins at -99 and Crepuscule at 101, implying that the authors intend to produce an unprecedented number of books, though as of 2005 there are only a dozen books in this main continuity.

Trondheim originally stated in interviews that the authors "weren't crazy" and wouldn't release 300 books, trusting the reader to fill in the blanks of the missing numbers. However, in later interviews, he hinted that he had changed his mind and was seduced by the idea of creating a long-running and complex series of 300 books, which seemed possible with the collaboration of several different authors.

[edit] Characters

  • Herbert the Duck is the "hero" of the story, and appears in at least Donjon Zenith and Crepuscule series. As his name suggests, he is a duck, although he has a humanoid body, and is covered in feathers. He is the possessor of the Sword of Destiny (a parody of other mystical weapons in adventure books). This sword is unique in that it can talk, and that has many mystical powers, such as being able to glow in the dark, being able to summon former bearers when someone other than its legitimate user tries to hold it, and not allowing the use of any other weapon by its owner.
  • Marvin the Dragon serves as the reluctant instructor and protector of Herbert the Duck. Marvin is a fierce warrior who loves a good fight, but at the same time he is bound by the principles of his religion. He is a strict vegetarian, refuses to eat "human" or animal flesh and will not attack anyone who has insulted him. Like other dragons, he can breathe fire, but will do so only when strictly necessary. He needs to eat little blue mushrooms to produce a "Tong Deum", a large blast of fire-breath. He looks vaguely humanoid, with huge muscles and scarlet skin. Marvin is loyal to his boss, the Dungeon Master.
  • Hyacinthe de Cavallere (aka the Dungeon Master) is a greedy, yet lovable, capitalist who only cares about enriching himself by attracting adventurers and treasure-seekers to his Dungeon, where they will leave their corpses and possessions. In his youth, Hyacinthe was actually quite idealistic, and disguised himself as the nocturnal crime fighter "the Night Shirt". The Dungeon's core is the ancestral keep of the de Cavellere family, though greatly enlarged during Hyacinthe's lifetime.
  • Marvin the Red, the hero of the Crepuscule/Twilight series. He is a tall, thin rabbit, colored bright red. He is a young warrior and very impetuous.

[edit] Bibliography

The following paperback collections have been released in English:

[edit] Main Series

[edit] Secondary Series

[edit] External links

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