SnarfQuest
Encyclopedia
SnarfQuest, drawn and written by Larry Elmore
, is a fantasy comic strip
with sci-fi and modern elements. Its epic fantasy-adventure context, along with its black-and-white art style, quirky humor, twinge of satire, and anachronistic elements, have earned it comparisons to Jeff Smith's acclaimed Bone series. It is the only comic series by Elmore, who is more widely known for his fantasy art paintings. The strip was originally serialized from 1985–1989 in the role-playing magazine Dragon
, and, due to its popularity, subsequently spawned several collected volumes, tabletop game
s, and full-color followups by Elmore in 2000 and 2011.
from 1983-1989, debuting in issue #75 and running until #145. The first story arc, detailing Snarf's quest to become king, was collected into a single 144-page book, entitled SnarfQuest: The Book, published by TSR in 1987; this edition also featured several never-before-published pages in full color including a story set five years after the previous story arc ends, in which Snarf and his friends confront a werewolf.
Due to popular demand, Elmore created a special one-shot episode, in color, which appeared in Dragon #200 (December 1993). In it, Snarf and Telerie help remove the curse a wizard has placed on a forest.
A 224-page collection, SnarfQuest: The Graphic Novel, was released in 2000, published by Dynasty Presentations; it reprinted the material from the 1987 edition as well as the remainder of the Dragon Magazine Snarf story arc (minus the 1993 one-shot). The material which was full-color in the 1987 version is greyscale in this newer compilation. A second edition was released 2002, this one by Larry Elmore Productions. The cover was changed, but this is the only difference between the two versions.
The SnarfQuest RPG Worldbook appeared in 2003. It featured stats, episode guides, character backgrounds and histories, and suggestions and mechanics for role-playing in the world of SnarfQuest. The book also included comments and analysis by Elmore as well as generalizable advice for adding humor to role-playing games.
An all-new, full color SnarfQuest story appeared as a bimonthly feature in the now-defunct magazine Games Unplugged
beginning in 2000. The strip was gradually given fewer pages per issue until the magazine went out of business.
In 2011, Elmore began republishing the strips from Games Unplugged on the newly updated official SnarfQuest website. Once he reaches the end of the Games Unplugged content, Elmore plans to create new strips for the forseeable future. The classic strips from the original Dragon magazine run are also being gradually posted on the site, updated twice weekly.
snout. Like all zeetvahs, Snarf comes from the village of Zeetville, located in the Vallys [sic] of Exotic Beings. Snarf is an adventurer of the comic-hero
variety. More clever and opportunistic than brave or heroic, Snarf displays a certain "courage under pressure" and is usually able to talk or bluff his way through danger. His basic goals are to become rich and famous; however, he would rather steal treasure than directly fight for it. His full name -- known only to family and close friends -- is Snarfenja de Gottago.
Aveeare - Aveeare is a robot from space. Aveeare's ship crashed while surveying Snarf's homeworld. Snarf managed to convince the gullible Aveeare that he (Snarf) was a being of great importance: while Snarf was rummaging through a magical bag of holding (a magical sack that can hold as much as a large chest), Aveeare was astonished at Snarf's apparent ability to change the natural laws of physics. Aveeare became Snarf's faithful sidekick. The name "Aveeare" is a shortened version of his identity code: he introduces himself to Snarf as "a VR-X9-4-M2 Galactic Probe, Government Issue Robot." Snarf thinks Aveeare is actually an armored wizard.
Telerie Windyarm - Telerie is a beautiful human woman and professional warrior. She is Snarf's faithful companion and romantic interest. Telerie is far more courageous (in some respects) than Snarf; she also lacks a certain sense of modesty, which tends to embarrass Snarf. Her surname is derived from her magical sword that can "split the wind." It can also deflect spells
, such as lightning bolts.
Prince Raffendorf - Snarf's first traveling companion, Prince Raffendorf is human. However, some time ago he was turned into humanoid rat by the evil wizard Suthaze. Raffendorf wears an eye patch over his right eye, and is missing his tail -- apparently by injury -- He is more polite and has better manners than Snarf. The curse on Prince Raffendorf can only be reversed by Suthaze -- not likely to occur, since Raffendorf helped Snarf destroy Suthaze's tower.
Suthaze - Suthaze is a bald, bearded, evil wizard. He used to have a "magic time jumping glass" - an hourglass that could transport the user into the future for 72 hours - with which he would plunder the future for fantastic treasures. According to his apprentice, Geezel, Suthaze was able to transport into the years 1967, 1978, and 1983, which apparently coincide with the "real world". On his visit to 1983, Suthaze acquired a motorcycle
, a six-shot revolver
, and stereotypical biker
attire. Suthaze was a clever and powerful wizard; his tower was guarded by a variety of evil humanoids
and the dragon Willie (see below). His tower was ultimately destroyed, accidentally, by Snarf and Prince Raffendorf.
Geezel - Geezel is almeer, a humanoid being with a lizard-like face and over-sized ears. Although he was an apprentice for Suthaze, he is not evil: he merely wants to become a powerful wizard, and is willing to make any sacrifice to do so. He is not currently a very powerful wizard. For his role in recovering her stolen wand, he was granted a wish
by Etheah of the Woodland (see below); he wished that she would fall in love with him and teach him magic, which she did.
Willie / Kizarvexius - Kizarvexius is an evil dragon; he has a split personality named "Willie" who believes that he is a duck. According to Geezel, the dragon was struck in the head by lightning during a powerful storm, and forgot who or what he was. Suthaze cursed
the dragon into believing that he was a duck. Thus, Suthaze gained a powerful servant that could be easily controlled. In his "Willie" personality, the dragon spoke with a pronounced lisp, was afraid of snakes, played in an oversize water bowl, was quite gullible, and was friendly -- even good-natured. He quickly became friends with the charming Snarf, and allowed Snarf to loot Suthaze's treasure room. Unfortunately, the word "Dragon" broke the spell that Suthaze had placed on him; upon hearing it, he reverted back to his true personality as Kizarvexius, an evil, fire-breathing dragon. After being caught in the explosion of Suthaze's tower, he once again considered himself to be a duck. So far, this has been permanent; hearing the word Dragon has not caused him to revert back.
Etheah of the Woodland - Etheah is a good sorceress who lives in her own forested domain. Her wand of wishes was stolen from her by Suthaze, and she was not powerful enough to fight him in his own lair to win it back. She hired Snarf and Prince Raffendorf to rescue it, in return for one wish each on delivery of the wand. Because of the wish that Geezel made, Etheah is in love with Geezel and is teaching him magic.
Leech - The leech is a small, octopus-like creature with a single clawed arm. Originally called a "Gaggaleech", it came into Snarf's possession when he bought a Gagglezoomer -- a large, unintelligent lizard that would run at high speed whenever anything touched its back. (Hitched to a cart or wagon, Gagglezoomers could be used as fast, if unpredictable, beasts of burden.) It was later revealed that the "Gaggaleech" was, in fact, a darkshade death leech -- an extremely venomous type of bloodsucking creature. Because of its heroic service in one instance, the leech was grudgingly given a diamond ring which turned out to grant its wearer a wish. The leech wished for the ability to communicate with every living thing, giving it a kind of telepathic ability. While trying unsuccessfully to communicate with Aveeare, it accidentally slipped one of its tentacles into one of Aveeare's dataports and seemed to absorb Aveeare's knowledge of science and technology; the leech fell into a coma, and was last seen tied to the back of a wuzzat lizard.
Larry Elmore
Larry Elmore is an American fantasy artist whose work includes creating illustrations for video games, comics, magazines and fantasy books. His list of work includes illustrations for Dungeons & Dragons, Dragonlance, and the comic strip series SnarfQuest...
, is a fantasy comic strip
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
with sci-fi and modern elements. Its epic fantasy-adventure context, along with its black-and-white art style, quirky humor, twinge of satire, and anachronistic elements, have earned it comparisons to Jeff Smith's acclaimed Bone series. It is the only comic series by Elmore, who is more widely known for his fantasy art paintings. The strip was originally serialized from 1985–1989 in the role-playing magazine Dragon
Dragon (magazine)
Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
, and, due to its popularity, subsequently spawned several collected volumes, tabletop game
Tabletop game
Tabletop game is a general term used to refer to board games, card games, dice games, miniatures wargames, tile-based games and other games that are normally played on a table or other flat surface...
s, and full-color followups by Elmore in 2000 and 2011.
Publication history
SnarfQuest originally ran in Dragon MagazineDragon (magazine)
Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
from 1983-1989, debuting in issue #75 and running until #145. The first story arc, detailing Snarf's quest to become king, was collected into a single 144-page book, entitled SnarfQuest: The Book, published by TSR in 1987; this edition also featured several never-before-published pages in full color including a story set five years after the previous story arc ends, in which Snarf and his friends confront a werewolf.
Due to popular demand, Elmore created a special one-shot episode, in color, which appeared in Dragon #200 (December 1993). In it, Snarf and Telerie help remove the curse a wizard has placed on a forest.
A 224-page collection, SnarfQuest: The Graphic Novel, was released in 2000, published by Dynasty Presentations; it reprinted the material from the 1987 edition as well as the remainder of the Dragon Magazine Snarf story arc (minus the 1993 one-shot). The material which was full-color in the 1987 version is greyscale in this newer compilation. A second edition was released 2002, this one by Larry Elmore Productions. The cover was changed, but this is the only difference between the two versions.
The SnarfQuest RPG Worldbook appeared in 2003. It featured stats, episode guides, character backgrounds and histories, and suggestions and mechanics for role-playing in the world of SnarfQuest. The book also included comments and analysis by Elmore as well as generalizable advice for adding humor to role-playing games.
An all-new, full color SnarfQuest story appeared as a bimonthly feature in the now-defunct magazine Games Unplugged
Games Unplugged
Games Unplugged was an American magazine dedicated to the adventure tabletop gaming industry. It featured news, products, designers and their companies, and upcoming releases of non-electronic role-playing games, card games, board games, and miniature wargames. The bimonthly magazine, headquartered...
beginning in 2000. The strip was gradually given fewer pages per issue until the magazine went out of business.
In 2011, Elmore began republishing the strips from Games Unplugged on the newly updated official SnarfQuest website. Once he reaches the end of the Games Unplugged content, Elmore plans to create new strips for the forseeable future. The classic strips from the original Dragon magazine run are also being gradually posted on the site, updated twice weekly.
Other media
The SnarfQuest Card Game, published in the late 90's and rereleased in 2001, is a boardless card game based on the comic which featured an unpainted Snarf miniature and a 100-card deck. Also available were four expansion packs (featuring Suthaze, Telerie, Aveeare, and Raffendorf miniatures and storylines respectively), five additional Snarf miniatures in different poses, and a bonus pack that included all nine additional miniatures and ten bonus cards.Cast of characters
Snarf - The eponymous Snarf is a male zeetvah -- a humanoid being with long, batwing-like ears, and a dragonlikeDragon
A dragon is a legendary creature, typically with serpentine or reptilian traits, that feature in the myths of many cultures. There are two distinct cultural traditions of dragons: the European dragon, derived from European folk traditions and ultimately related to Greek and Middle Eastern...
snout. Like all zeetvahs, Snarf comes from the village of Zeetville, located in the Vallys [sic] of Exotic Beings. Snarf is an adventurer of the comic-hero
Picaresque novel
The picaresque novel is a popular sub-genre of prose fiction which is usually satirical and depicts, in realistic and often humorous detail, the adventures of a roguish hero of low social class who lives by his wits in a corrupt society...
variety. More clever and opportunistic than brave or heroic, Snarf displays a certain "courage under pressure" and is usually able to talk or bluff his way through danger. His basic goals are to become rich and famous; however, he would rather steal treasure than directly fight for it. His full name -- known only to family and close friends -- is Snarfenja de Gottago.
Aveeare - Aveeare is a robot from space. Aveeare's ship crashed while surveying Snarf's homeworld. Snarf managed to convince the gullible Aveeare that he (Snarf) was a being of great importance: while Snarf was rummaging through a magical bag of holding (a magical sack that can hold as much as a large chest), Aveeare was astonished at Snarf's apparent ability to change the natural laws of physics. Aveeare became Snarf's faithful sidekick. The name "Aveeare" is a shortened version of his identity code: he introduces himself to Snarf as "a VR-X9-4-M2 Galactic Probe, Government Issue Robot." Snarf thinks Aveeare is actually an armored wizard.
Telerie Windyarm - Telerie is a beautiful human woman and professional warrior. She is Snarf's faithful companion and romantic interest. Telerie is far more courageous (in some respects) than Snarf; she also lacks a certain sense of modesty, which tends to embarrass Snarf. Her surname is derived from her magical sword that can "split the wind." It can also deflect spells
Magic (fantasy)
Magic in fiction is the endowing of fictional characters or objects with magical powers.Such magic often serves as a plot device, the source of magical artifacts and their quests...
, such as lightning bolts.
Prince Raffendorf - Snarf's first traveling companion, Prince Raffendorf is human. However, some time ago he was turned into humanoid rat by the evil wizard Suthaze. Raffendorf wears an eye patch over his right eye, and is missing his tail -- apparently by injury -- He is more polite and has better manners than Snarf. The curse on Prince Raffendorf can only be reversed by Suthaze -- not likely to occur, since Raffendorf helped Snarf destroy Suthaze's tower.
Suthaze - Suthaze is a bald, bearded, evil wizard. He used to have a "magic time jumping glass" - an hourglass that could transport the user into the future for 72 hours - with which he would plunder the future for fantastic treasures. According to his apprentice, Geezel, Suthaze was able to transport into the years 1967, 1978, and 1983, which apparently coincide with the "real world". On his visit to 1983, Suthaze acquired a motorcycle
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
, a six-shot revolver
Revolver
A revolver is a repeating firearm that has a cylinder containing multiple chambers and at least one barrel for firing. The first revolver ever made was built by Elisha Collier in 1818. The percussion cap revolver was invented by Samuel Colt in 1836. This weapon became known as the Colt Paterson...
, and stereotypical biker
Hells Angels
The Hells Angels Motorcycle Club is a worldwide one-percenter motorcycle gang and organized crime syndicate whose members typically ride Harley-Davidson motorcycles. In the United States and Canada, the Hells Angels are incorporated as the Hells Angels Motorcycle Corporation. Their primary motto...
attire. Suthaze was a clever and powerful wizard; his tower was guarded by a variety of evil humanoids
Monster
A monster is any fictional creature, usually found in legends or horror fiction, that is somewhat hideous and may produce physical harm or mental fear by either its appearance or its actions...
and the dragon Willie (see below). His tower was ultimately destroyed, accidentally, by Snarf and Prince Raffendorf.
Geezel - Geezel is almeer, a humanoid being with a lizard-like face and over-sized ears. Although he was an apprentice for Suthaze, he is not evil: he merely wants to become a powerful wizard, and is willing to make any sacrifice to do so. He is not currently a very powerful wizard. For his role in recovering her stolen wand, he was granted a wish
Wish
A wish is a hope or desire for something. Fictionally, wishes can be used as plot devices. In folklore, opportunities for "making a wish" or for wishes to "come true" or "be granted" are themes that are sometimes used.-In literature:...
by Etheah of the Woodland (see below); he wished that she would fall in love with him and teach him magic, which she did.
Willie / Kizarvexius - Kizarvexius is an evil dragon; he has a split personality named "Willie" who believes that he is a duck. According to Geezel, the dragon was struck in the head by lightning during a powerful storm, and forgot who or what he was. Suthaze cursed
Curse
A curse is any expressed wish that some form of adversity or misfortune will befall or attach to some other entity—one or more persons, a place, or an object...
the dragon into believing that he was a duck. Thus, Suthaze gained a powerful servant that could be easily controlled. In his "Willie" personality, the dragon spoke with a pronounced lisp, was afraid of snakes, played in an oversize water bowl, was quite gullible, and was friendly -- even good-natured. He quickly became friends with the charming Snarf, and allowed Snarf to loot Suthaze's treasure room. Unfortunately, the word "Dragon" broke the spell that Suthaze had placed on him; upon hearing it, he reverted back to his true personality as Kizarvexius, an evil, fire-breathing dragon. After being caught in the explosion of Suthaze's tower, he once again considered himself to be a duck. So far, this has been permanent; hearing the word Dragon has not caused him to revert back.
Etheah of the Woodland - Etheah is a good sorceress who lives in her own forested domain. Her wand of wishes was stolen from her by Suthaze, and she was not powerful enough to fight him in his own lair to win it back. She hired Snarf and Prince Raffendorf to rescue it, in return for one wish each on delivery of the wand. Because of the wish that Geezel made, Etheah is in love with Geezel and is teaching him magic.
Leech - The leech is a small, octopus-like creature with a single clawed arm. Originally called a "Gaggaleech", it came into Snarf's possession when he bought a Gagglezoomer -- a large, unintelligent lizard that would run at high speed whenever anything touched its back. (Hitched to a cart or wagon, Gagglezoomers could be used as fast, if unpredictable, beasts of burden.) It was later revealed that the "Gaggaleech" was, in fact, a darkshade death leech -- an extremely venomous type of bloodsucking creature. Because of its heroic service in one instance, the leech was grudgingly given a diamond ring which turned out to grant its wearer a wish. The leech wished for the ability to communicate with every living thing, giving it a kind of telepathic ability. While trying unsuccessfully to communicate with Aveeare, it accidentally slipped one of its tentacles into one of Aveeare's dataports and seemed to absorb Aveeare's knowledge of science and technology; the leech fell into a coma, and was last seen tied to the back of a wuzzat lizard.