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The Travelers was a highly amusing fantasy comic that I got sent to review a couple years ago, I guess. It's still an absolute riot, and remains one of the books I look dearly forward to catching up with when I hit San Diego, and can buy them from whatever booth Tony Digerolamo is at.
Issue 17: Sir Dan and company have been captured by by Duke Frederick Lancasters and are being held in a Prisoner camp surrounded by dragons. Sgt. Tariff has been put in solitary confinement under the watch of his own personal guard dragon. Barbara is being forced to wear skimpy costumes that are more than she's used to wearing. Cubby is busy digging a tunnel out of the camp. Sham is trading socks for scotch and many other sundry deals. Locust is without his not always reliable spell book and forced to pitch in by making shadow puppets to distract the guards from the digging going on, while Dan the Optimist is busy coming up with a second plan to get them out of the camp. Meanwhile in Beastlyville, Baron Plum is staving off four of the twelve kingdoms of the realm's seige of his city, and anticipating the other eleven will eventually turn on him. His daughter Chastity is being held by the evil Lancasters. The tunnel turns up a bust, but Dan the Optimist's plan works like a charm.
Issue 18 is the epic battle. The crew storms the castle, and Tariff and Richard have at it. The Richard's father has gone all Denethor and has brought in his dead oldest's tomb into the castle to become a shrine. Richard and Tariff fight throughout the castle and Tariff unarms and emotionally breaks Richard down. Richard begs Tariff to kill him to preserve his honor. When Tariff cannot kill Richard out of pity, Richard then attacks Tariff's back. Barbara stops him and then Barbara and Richard duel across the castle, while Tariff goes to save Princess Chastity from the castle which has been set on fire in the course of the battle. Barbara loses her sword and in the end Richard cannot bring himself to kill anyone else for his father. Ultimately the demons to whom Richard sold his soul to become champion claim his life and the crew sets out for Beastlyville. When they get to Beastlyville, nine of the kingdoms have ganged up on Beastlyville. Locust calls up the Sojournor.
Issue 19 is a TERRIFIC James Bond spoof. The crew is in Locust's workshop and he's fixing Archimedes' time machine. While he's doing this Barbara sets her drink on the start button. The company is transported to 1966, and Dan the Optmist is CIA operative Double-Seven-Oh. Cubby is an arms dealer. Tariff is Dan's boss BM. Princess Chastity is Chastitypenny. Locust plays a highly ineffective Dr. Cue. Barbara is Barbara Babashka KGB operative who falls for Double-Seven-Oh. Sham is a casino owner whose casino is the front for the evil empire G.L.A.D.I.U.S. Hilarity ensues and Digerolamo perfectly and warmly spoofs the Bond franchise. Down to the classic line, " I'm Bard, Dan Bard." All of the normal villains in the book are parodies of the classic Bond bad guys. For any major James Bond fans out there this is the book for you! It's joyfully irreverent, and just plain fun. Pick it up for someone you love today.
Tony Digerolamo's writing is charming and hilarious as always in all of these, and the more I read this book the more and more I love the art style. It's cute, whimsical and downright perfect for the story. Additionally if you missed earlier Travelers. Wingnut Games will be putting out the first Traveler's trade paper back in April called " The Travelers: Keg o' Fun: Volume 1: Look Out!". I highly recommend that you pick up this book. It's fun, it's witty, and it's just downright entertaining. Go get your own copy of any or all of these today.
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