Dungeon Fun by Neil Slorance and Colin Bell
HIGH-FANTASY hijinx or sword and sorcery shenanigans, it doesn't matter what tagline you apply to Neil Slorance and Colin Bell's epic misadventure Dungeon Fun, because in the end, it is a comic that does exactly ‘what it says on the tin’.
The highly-touted series, is one of the most talked about books on the UK's mini comics scene in recent years, and for a genre that often falters by taking itself too seriously, the titular ‘fun’, is the perfect mission statement.
As part of the generation that spent Saturday mornings locked in a never-ending 2D overhead battle with Ganon and his minions, seeking Triforce pieces, and hacking my way through dungeon after dungeon, it's impossible not to find kindred spirits in Bell and Slorance and reading their beautiful book gave me the feeling, that for once, I was ‘in on the joke'.
When monsters are introduced in splash panels with decidedly Nintendo-esque names highlighted in bold letters across the bottom, it took me straight back to those carefree hours spent happily bashing buttons in my living room, overloaded on sugar and screaming at the screen for my online avatar to "RUNNNNN!!!", usually eliciting an angry response from my mother who tried her best to ignore the incessant strains of video game music assaulting her ears from across the hall.
I had the same sensation when characters acquired some new mystical object or weapon and held them aloft only for that object to float just outside their grasp, exactly as though they had just 'powered up'.
In fact, as I read through both volumes of Dungeon Fun, which I was lucky enough to acquire myself at this year's Lakes International Comic Art Festival, I often found myself tunelessly humming the theme to The Legend of Zelda.
Dungeon Fun serves notice of its intentions in the very first panel, telling us with absolute clarity that "This is the story of a girl and her sword", before neatly sidestepping to introduce us to the sword first prior to our first sight of spirited heroine Fun Mudlifter.
Shortly after this all hell breaks loose and Dungeon Fun really starts to find its feet.
It is abundantly clear that both Bell and Solance are masters of chaos and their creation really comes into its own when it is at full tilt during the ensuing battle with The Wurstest.
It's here that Fun meets former owner of her sword, Sir Barnabus Games, a fairy knight and another loving nod to the Zelda series - for the record, I loved Navi - and presumably her companion for the adventures to come.
But if Dungeon Fun comes to life during its action sequences - of which there are many, delightfully rendered scenes to enjoy - it's in its quieter moments that it's heart can be heard beating.
When the smoke clears and our characters find the time to talk, their personality pours out and it's clear that both writer and artists feel a real sense of warmth for their cast.
Fun is impetuous and quick to anger, but she's vulnerable too, and we're reminded that there's an element of sadness to her story.
The look of delight on Sir Barnabus' face when he finally gets the opportunity to deliver his speech - an introduction he's been trying to make since the beginning of the book - is palpable and gives you reason enough to root for him well into the future.
Mostly though, Dungeon Fun is fun and funny on a number of levels.
Bell is as comfortable and adept at the easy jokes - a towering warrior called Bronan in Fun's village - as he is writing more esoteric Python-esque sequences - I particularly like Jeff, the grumpy bridge troll who objects to being called 'bridge troll', not least because he's on his break.
Bell’s writing is brilliantly matched by Neil Slorance's energetic artwork, which hops effortlessly from simple character panels playing off the dialogue, to dynamic action shots, to perfectly paced visual gags, all in a unique and beautiful cartoon style that reminds me why I always like Wind Waker more than Ocarina of Time anyway.
Book Two ratchets up the story significantly, adding new friends and foes, and stretching the loving parody of the first book to include classic D&D role playing games too.
It's clear there is an epic brewing here, with the twists and turns of Dungeon Fun's first two volumes hinting at much more to come.
Our heroine’s inventory is growing, and dangling plot threads hang ominously in the background lurking alongside a host of mysterious new characters, some whose motives remain unclear, some whose motives appear more nefarious - warning us that for Fun and Sir Barnabus, this journey has only just begun.
Dungeon Fun is published by Do Gooder comics, written and lettered by Colin Bell (@colinbell and about.me/colin.bell) and drawn by Neil Slorance (@osmart and neilslorance.com).
Volume III is scheduled for release in November 2014 and will be available at Thought Bubbles. Volumes I & II of Dungeon Fun are on sale at
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