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THE NODWICK CHRONICLES II: OF GODS AND HENCHMEN TP
Highly Recommended (9/10)
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Dork Storm Press
Writer/Artist: Aaron Williams
Price: $15.95 US |
I've always liked this book. In fact, one of the quotes on the back is mine, testifying to how much I liked the issues collected in the previous Nodwick collection. This second collection, however, includes a multi-part story, some new characters and growth for some of the major characters, as well as the usual assortment of gags, and so manages to actually be better than the issues that have gone before. Though Nodwick is set in a fantasy genre, Williams stretches the boundaries of the genre in these stories, tackling super-heroes, the ever-popular "evil parallel dimension" and even a pass at "It's A Wonderful Life." Of course, there's plenty of room for a good old fashioned dungeon crawl as well, although Williams pokes fun at the genre conventions there as well.
I'm a fan of comics that can make me laugh, and those that tend to run with skits or self-contained issues. However, it's tough to maintain that type of book indefinitely, and most of the really good books eventually begin incorporating some degree of continuity, character development and continuing stories. Williams makes a smooth transition from single-issue gag stories to a multi-part arc in this issue, and even the stories which are self-contained have elements that will pop up later, whether it's the introduction of Franswa, Fortunato and Baphuma'al or the growing affection that seems to be taking place between Piffany and Nodwick as the stories progress.
Though there are gags a-plenty, I was most pleased with the three-part "World Without Piffany" story, which did a nice job weaving stories that separated the characters from one another and yet reinforced a common theme, that this group actually does belong together. It was interesting that Williams could balance the dark world that Nodwick finds himself in with a sense of humor, such that the fate of the world without Piffany was dire enough to have dramatic weight, but not so overwhelming that the humor of the situation was lost. In addition, this arc did wonders for the characterization of the group, as we learned that even reprobates Artax and Yeagar could (and would) help Piffany out of a tight spot, and maybe Nodwick and Piffany aren't the only useful members of the group.
Williams has always had a touch of the anachronism in his approach to Nodwick, and it has always worked. That's certainly the case here, as Nodwick finds a loaded magic Newton (a palm pilot, not of the figgy variety) or the entire setting takes a turn for the super-heroic in an issue. The setting of Nodwick always holds together in light of these changes, as Williams makes it easy to believe in a world where henchmen still sign lifetime contracts, and yet there are political groups manipulating henchmen unions, there is technology uniting wizards and demons are selling real estate, not just buying souls.
Nodwick will appeal to anyone who has ever played a Dungeons & Dragons campaign, but that is not the full scope of entertainment value it offers. By speaking to the realities of drudge work, the vagaries of friendships where no one is really willing to admit how much they care about each other and dabbling in other genres as necessary, Williams has turned Nodwick into a gem of a modern humor comic. It's most definitely for gamers, but it doesn't exclude non-gamers.
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