Don and Randy get medieval with Tony Digerolamo's Travelers.
Randy:
Don and I have taken a look at Tony Digerolamo's stuff before, way back in our Psycomic days, but this is the first time we've come across Travelers that I remember. Digerolamo and his new publisher, Wingnut Games, sent us the last few of the Kenzer & Company issues of the comic to let us see what the book has been up to before moving to its new publisher with issue #21.
Don:
Man, you have a much better memory than I do, because I have no idea what Psycomic review you're talking about. Maybe that gives me a leg up, though, as I can approach this unusual series and the writer's work with a fresh perspective.
Tony Digerolamo's Travelers #17-19
written by Tony Digerolamo
illustrated by Chris Moreno, Jay Moreno, Tommy Castillo & James Dunn
Randy:
I play role-playing games, and I work in a comics and games store, so I hear plenty of gaming stories in my time. Listening to gaming stories is what Travelers. reminds me of, as it is a fantasy comic but it has a decidedly less serious bent than most of the epic fantasy you'll find in comics. From the promo stuff included with the comic, including a fun little mock menu from a tavern in the Travelers' world, I thought the book would be more of a comedy, but it's actually a relatively straightforward fantasy if you ignore the anachronistic elements.
Don:
I think the problem here is that the writer really doesn't seem to know what this book is about. There are moments when it's a comedy, others when it's an epic fantasy saga. In #19, it's a pop-culture satire of sorts, and before that, it's a typical hero-saves-damsel-in-distress thing. Ultimately, after reading three issues, I have no idea what the title is about, or even who the characters really are.
Randy:
Digerolamo is playing around with the archetypes found in role-playing games, which means that the characterization here isn't terribly deep. The wizard is bumbling and powerful, the bard is smooth and slimy, the halfling likes to eat, the barbarian speaks in a humorous third-person, etc. However, while it's certainly not deep characterization, I did find the characters enjoyable, particularly the charismatic Sir Dan, who seems like the smartest member of the party.
Don:
I don't think it's the fact that the players are archetypes is what's making for limited, one-dimensional characterization. I think it's the broad scope of Digerolamo's plotlines that's getting in the way. The characters aren't that well developed because there's just no room for it. In #17, the scenes are constantly shifting, with a multitude of characters each getting his or her moment in the spotlight. The writer doesn't focus on any one character or plotline, and the result is a dilluted and convoluted mess. If anything, Digerolamo is just too ambitious here, and it makes for an inaccessible and confusing read.
Randy:
The promotional materials promise, in an almost overly smug way, that Travelers is a "one-issue, one-story" book, which doesn't seem to be the case with these issues, which land us smack dab in the middle of a big war with multiple players. To be certain, each issue has a standalone story, whether it's the Great Escape riff of #17, the epic final battle of #18 or the James Bond riff of #19, but with the exception of the last, there's a strong feel of past continuity and characters that might leave new readers out in the cold a little. Digerolamo's editorial notes remind me of the continuity-laden stories of Marvel and DC in the 1980s and 90s, and while the book remains mostly accessible to those looking for this kind of material, it did take a couple issues before I got into the swing of things and figured out mostly who everyone was.
Don:
You're a step ahead of me, then. Issue #17 was dizzying as it was, but the complete shift in focus in #18 threw me for a loop. By the time I hit the James Bond spoof in #19, I was completely lost. Part of the problem, aside from the constant changes in setting and characters, is the script. Digerolamo is overwhelmingly verbose. There's a lot of superfluous dialogue cluttering up these books.
Randy:
In terms of artwork, Travelers is actually pretty solid. Moreno and company have the unenviable task of working with a cast of about a dozen, and they do an excellent job in keeping everyone distinctive, although the various inkers do give a little bit of inconsistency to some of the characters in terms of fine detail. There's plenty of detailed work on the backgrounds and sometimes expansive settings and characters as well, and I was particularly impressed with Moreno's work on the action sequences, both the fantasy-inspired in #18 and the spy-genre-inspired in #19.
Don:
A dozen characters? You're low-balling that estimate, Randy. But you're right, the artists handle the expansive cast fairly well, though there are a few characters that look a little too much alike (it seems that every female character has long blonde hair, for example). What hinders the art is the lettering. There are inconsistencies in the lettering that I found distracting, but, as noted above, the sheer volume of captions and size of the filled-to-the-brim word balloons overwhelms the artwork.
Randy:
What Travelers reminds me of the most is Aaron Williams' Nodwick, although played a little bit less for laughs. It's not quite my cup of tea, and I'd be astounded if it were Don's, but for those who enjoy Knights of the Dinner Table, Dork Tower and other "gaming comics" it would make a worthy addition to your reading pile, and is backed by solid craft on the parts of everyone involved.
Don:
Randy's point is well taken... this is far from the sort of comic I normally enjoy. Gaming-inspired comics just don't hold my interest. Digerolamo and company are aiming for a specific niche audience, and I'm just not a part of it.
For more information about Travelers, visit
