Marvin the Mage!

Let's be honest: there were times when the only reason to read Dragon was for its comics. During the time that I regularly read the magazine, "comics" mostly meant Dave Trampier's transcendent Wormy, though I can't deny that I often enjoyed What's New with Phil & Dixie by Phil Foglio. And while it was long gone by the time I came on the scene, I knew of (and greatly enjoyed) J.D. Webster's Finieous Fingers thanks to a compilation TSR published sometime in the early '80s. What all these comics taught me was that our hobby is a funny one -- not just "funny strange" but "funny ha-ha." This was an important lesson, since then, as now, I tend toward the overly serious. Seeing a dragon playing snooker or a wizard wearing Foster Grants was a valuable reminder that it's just a game.

Which brings me to Marvin the Mage!, Jim Wampler's web comic about a Chaotic Neutral wizard who'd rather use his magic to help him cheat at cards than to explore dungeons, much to the chagrin of his comrade Tarrin the elven thief. It's a fun comic that mixes satire about the hobby with the kind of in-game antisocial behavior that longtime gamers will immediately recognize. I've certainly been enjoying it and I suspect many of my readers will, too. Give it a look when you have the chance!