King of RPGs
Encyclopedia
King of RPGs is an American graphic novel
about roleplaying written by Jason Thompson and drawn by Victor Hao.
's Rising Stars of Manga
contest in 2004, and was inspired by Hikaru no Go
and Knights of the Dinner Table
.
Hao's artistic influences are Dragon Ball
, Slam Dunk
, and Super Nintendo-era CRPGs
.
, enjoyed the writing and "passion" that Thompson brought to the work, and the diversity of the characters. Melinda Beasi felt the characters, while over-the-top, were "grounded in just enough reality to ring true". Joanna Draper Carlson compared the graphic novel with Penny Arcade
and found the “zany adventure” plot "didn't work for [her]". Carlson felt that there was too much tone being used in the art and that the layout was confusing. Michael Lorah felt that if he was a fan of RPGs, he would understand the book better, but enjoyed the "enthusiasm" of the work. He found the art confusing, especially when characters are reacting with extreme emotion. Nick Smith, writing for ICv2, felt the lead character exhibited signs of "multiple personality disorder" due to his roleplaying. Smith also found it "isn't always funny" when "relatively innocent individuals" are hurt as part of the story.
Graphic novel
A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...
about roleplaying written by Jason Thompson and drawn by Victor Hao.
Development
Thompson first submitted the idea to TokyopopTokyopop
Tokyopop, styled TOKYOPOP, and formerly known as Mixx, is a distributor, licensor, and publisher of anime, manga, manhwa, and Western manga-style works. The existing German publishing division produces German translations of licensed Japanese properties and original English-language manga, as well...
's Rising Stars of Manga
Rising Stars of Manga
Rising Stars of Manga was an English-language comic anthology published by TOKYOPOP from 2002 to 2008, and a contest held by the same company. It was originally semi-annual, but switched to annual beginning with the 6th volume....
contest in 2004, and was inspired by Hikaru no Go
Hikaru no Go
is a manga series, a coming of age story based on the board game Go written by Yumi Hotta and illustrated by Takeshi Obata with an anime adaptation. The production of the series' Go games was supervised by Go professional Yukari Umezawa...
and Knights of the Dinner Table
Knights of the Dinner Table
Knights of the Dinner Table is a comic book/strip created by Jolly R. Blackburn and published by Kenzer & Company. It primarily focuses on a group of role playing gamers and their actions at the gaming table, which often result in unfortunate, but humorous consequences in the game...
.
Hao's artistic influences are Dragon Ball
Dragon Ball
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Akira Toriyama. It was originally serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1984 to 1995; later the 519 individual chapters were published into 42 tankōbon volumes by Shueisha. Dragon Ball was inspired by the classical Chinese novel Journey to the...
, Slam Dunk
Slam dunk
A slam dunk is a type of basketball shot that is performed when a player jumps in the air and manually powers the ball downward through the basket with one or both hands over the rim. This is considered a normal field goal attempt; if successful it is worth two points. The term "slam dunk" was...
, and Super Nintendo-era CRPGs
Role-playing video game
Role-playing video games are a video game genre with origins in pen-and-paper role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, using much of the same terminology, settings and game mechanics. The player in RPGs controls one character, or several adventuring party members, fulfilling one or many quests...
.
Reception
Carlo Santos, writing for Anime News NetworkAnime News Network
Anime News Network is an anime industry news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, Japanese popular music and other otaku-related culture within North America, Australia and Japan. Additionally, it sometimes features similar happenings throughout the Anglosphere and elsewhere in the...
, enjoyed the writing and "passion" that Thompson brought to the work, and the diversity of the characters. Melinda Beasi felt the characters, while over-the-top, were "grounded in just enough reality to ring true". Joanna Draper Carlson compared the graphic novel with Penny Arcade
Penny Arcade (webcomic)
Penny Arcade is a webcomic focused on video games and video game culture, written by Jerry Holkins and illustrated by Mike Krahulik. The comic debuted in 1998 on the website loonygames.com. Since then, Holkins and Krahulik have established their own site, which is typically updated with a new comic...
and found the “zany adventure” plot "didn't work for [her]". Carlson felt that there was too much tone being used in the art and that the layout was confusing. Michael Lorah felt that if he was a fan of RPGs, he would understand the book better, but enjoyed the "enthusiasm" of the work. He found the art confusing, especially when characters are reacting with extreme emotion. Nick Smith, writing for ICv2, felt the lead character exhibited signs of "multiple personality disorder" due to his roleplaying. Smith also found it "isn't always funny" when "relatively innocent individuals" are hurt as part of the story.