Why I Read: Drifter: Journals of a Hero

Hi, everybody! It’s Delta-v, and I’m back with another webcomic I’m reading.  Just like all the other webcomics I enjoy, it has an interesting premise, and I like the way that premise is developed. But enough of that. The author and artist Charles Curry gave me permission, so let’s talk about Drifter: Journals of a Hero.

Synopsis:

The main character lost the memories of his childhood due to a head injury, and can’t even remember his own name. The villagers he deals with call him “The Drifter”,  since he rarely stays anywhere for very long, and he’s adopted it as his name–“Drifter” for short.

An adventurer and warrior, Drifter rights wrongs, and defends the helpless as he travels the roads and pathways of the land of Arlay. He’s currently living in a treehouse near Takota Village. As the story opens, he is awakened by a ghostly figure who, as we find out, has been directing his travels for quite a while. He is told to defend a young village woman named Lana Cathan from a vampire attack. Drifter defeats that attack and several others with the help of Lana’s boyfriend Abraham Haberdasher–“Dasher” for short, and Lana herself, since she turns out to be a beginner warrior-mage. The three of them decide to journey to the Royal City to seek some answers, and to find further training for Lana.

If all this sounds rather corny and contrived, yet strangely familiar, I probably should also tell you that when a foe is defeated, it disappears, and experience points are gained.

How I Found It:

I followed a link from Kristy Murdaugh, Robert Dawson, and Phillip George’s webcomic, TEC: The Echo Chronicles.  You can also find Drifter on Facebook or Twitter.

Why I Like It:

If you’re above a certain age, or are a junior historian and have ever played a Super Nintendo Entertainment System Role Play Game in all it’s 16-bit glory, then you’ll realize that Drifter Journals of a Hero is both a parody of and an homage to those games. The artwork is spot-on, the plotline familiar, the battle scenes as embryonic as ever–it’s the closest thing I’ve found to actually watching someone play a SNES RPG.

There are differences, fortunately, Charles has way more plot and character development than Nintendo ever used, as well as actual humor, and (fleeting) expressions on the characters faces.

All the ingredients are there: The Main Quest, sidequests that don’t advance the timeline, but give rewards, enemies that get progressively stronger as the distance from the starting point increases, mini-games, dungeons, bad guys who never think of sending enough minions to do the job, characters level up…..

All in all , the comic is very entertaining. I love the asides and the banter between characters, and the way Charles uses the familiar elements of a SNES RPG in new and interesting ways. He even added a non-Nintendo element to address a personal note–kind of a gutsy move, but effective.

The fidelity to the SNES look and feel and the sly changes add up-for me–to a very enjoyable read.

Things I Think Could Be Better:

Those of you who know about me know that I have difficulty seeing details if the colors are too similar in tone. For example, black lettering on a dark background is all but illegible to me. I haven’t had much problem reading the comic lately, but night scenes and “Exp. notification boxes” are pretty tough to see. Most people wouldn’t be bothered, but I need some help.

Closing Thoughts:

I believe that Drifter:  Journals of a Hero deserves a look (and a read), but if the artwork looks strange to you, well, that’s just The Way Things Used To Be back then.  Enjoy.