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] Dungeon The Early Years (Donjon Potron-Minet)

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] Dungeon Zenith (Donjon Zénith)

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

[edit] Dungeon Twilight (Donjon Crépuscule)

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] Dungeon Parade (Donjon Parade)

Dungeon Parade takes place between volumes 1 and 2 of Dungeon Zenith, starring its protagonists Marvin and Herbert.

[edit] Dungeon Monstres (Donjon Monsters)

Donjon Monstres features secondary characters from throughout the story. "Monstres" stories can be set anywhere in the timeline, and feature occasional appearances by the major characters.

[edit] Others

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 March 2008 there are only 15 books in this main continuity, with two more to appear in 2008,[1] and an additional 17 books in Parade and Monsters.

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.

A third sub-series called Donjon Bonus exists of different editions (black and white or smaller format omnibuses) and work outside the comics, like the role-playing game Clefs en Mains.

[edit] Main 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 Keeper.
  • Hyacinthe de Cavallere (aka the Dungeon Master or "the Keeper") 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 tables show all French paperback collections released so far, with information about English releases.

[edit] Main Series

Series Volume Title Available in English as: Writer/s Art
Potron-Minet -99 La chemise de la nuit Early Years vol.1: The Night Shirt Sfar, Trondheim Christophe Blain
Potron-Minet -98 Un justicier dans l'ennui Early Years vol.1: The Night Shirt Sfar, Trondheim Christophe Blain
Potron-Minet -97 Une jeunesse qui s'enfuit N/A Sfar, Trondheim Christophe Blain
Potron-Minet -84 Après la pluie N/A Sfar, Trondheim Christophe Blain
Zénith 1 Coeur de canard Zenith vol.1: Duck Heart Sfar, Trondheim Trondheim
Zénith 2 Le Roi de la bagarre Zenith vol.1: Duck Heart Sfar, Trondheim Trondheim
Zénith 3 La Princesse des barbares Zenith vol.2: The Barbarian Princess Sfar, Trondheim Trondheim
Zénith 4 Sortilèges et avatars Zenith vol.2: The Barbarian Princess Sfar, Trondheim Trondheim
Zénith 5 Un mariage à part N/A Sfar, Trondheim Boulet
Zénith 6 Retour en fanfare N/A Sfar, Trondheim Boulet
Crépuscule 101 Le Cimetière des dragons Twilight, vol. 1: Dragon Cemetery Sfar, Trondheim Sfar
Crépuscule 102 Le Volcan des Vaucanson Twilight, vol. 1: Dragon Cemetery Sfar, Trondheim Sfar
Crépuscule 103 Armaggedon Twilight, vol. 2: Armageddon Sfar, Trondheim Sfar
Crépuscule 104 Le Dojo du lagon Twilight, vol. 2: Armageddon Sfar, Trondheim Kerascoét
Crépuscule 105 Les Nouveaux Centurions N/A Sfar, Trondheim Kerascoét

[edit] Secondary Series

Series Volume Title Available in English as: Writer/s Art
Bonus N/A Clefs en main - Jeu de rôles N/A Arnaud Moragues Sfar, Trondheim, Moragues
Parade 1 Un donjon de trop Parade vol.1: A dungeon too many Sfar, Trondheim Manu Larcenet
Parade 2 Le Sage du ghetto Parade vol.1: A dungeon too many Sfar, Trondheim Manu Larcenet
Parade 3 Le Jour des crapauds Parade vol.2: Day of the Toads Sfar, Trondheim Manu Larcenet
Parade 4 Des fleurs et des marmots Parade vol.2: Day of the Toads Sfar, Trondheim Manu Larcenet
Parade 5 Technique Grogro N/A Sfar, Trondheim Manu Larcenet
Monsters 1 Jean-Jean la Terreur Monsters Vol.1: The Crying Giant Sfar, Trondheim Mazan
Monsters 2 Le Géant qui pleure Monsters Vol.1: The Crying Giant Sfar, Trondheim Jean-Christophe Menu
Monsters 3 La Carte majeure N/A Sfar, Trondheim Andreas
Monsters 4 Le Noir Seigneur N/A Sfar, Trondheim Stéphane Blanquet
Monsters 5 La Nuit du tombeur N/A Sfar, Trondheim Jean-Emmanuel Vermont-Desroches
Monsters 6 Du ramdam chez les brasseurs N/A Sfar, Trondheim Yoann
Monsters 7 Mon fils le tueur N/A Sfar, Trondheim Blutch
Monsters 8 Crève-coeur N/A Sfar, Trondheim Sfar, Trondheim, Blutch, Carlos Nine
Monsters 9 Les Habitants des profondeurs N/A Sfar, Trondheim Sfar, Trondheim, Blutch, Patrice Killoffer
Monsters 10 Des soldats d'honneur N/A Sfar, Trondheim Bézian
Monsters 11 Le Grand Animateur N/A Sfar, Trondheim Stanislas
Monsters 12 Le Grimoire de l'inventeur N/A Sfar, Trondheim Nicolas Keramidas

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Trondheim homepage lists projects he's working on

[edit] External links