Reviewer: “Starman†Matt Morrison
Story Title: Monkeys On Mopeds!
Written by: Jolly Blackburn, Don Thomas, Noah Chinn, The Brothers Grinn & Fred Dailey
Penciled by: Jolly Blackburn, Don Thomas, The Brothers Grinn & Fred Dailey
Inked by: N/A
Colored by: N/A
Lettered by: N/A
Editor: Jolly Blackburn
Publisher: Kenzer And Company
There’s an old belief among comics retailers that nothing will sell a comic quite so well as an ape on the cover. Perhaps that is why this month’s cover is graced with such a silly image as games shop owner Weird Pete chasing after his pet/employee “Squire Lee the Chimp†as he rides out of the store on what appears to be a bicycle?
Regardless, we see precious little of Squire Lee inside the book except for a brief cameo. Squire Lee hoots wildly at fellow Games Pit employee Bob, after Bob winds up unintentionally getting himself a date with psycho gamer girl Shelia.
This is all a bit obtuse for those who don’t know of Shelia’s past with Bob, her reputation as a ruthless gamer who would kill her own mother for the experience points or of Bob’s complete inability to focus inward to the point that it takes a trained chimp to point out that he agreed to a date. Regardless, this issue shows why, out of all the numerous comics that try to tackle the subject of gamer humor, Knights of the Dinner Table is the longest running gamer comic in the world and easily one of the best. (Personally, I have it in a 3-way tie with Dork Tower and Something Positive.)
Despite the above example, this issue does show a return to the more comedy-based stories that had been removed in favor of more on-going plots. Thankfully, we get the best of both worlds as the ongoing saga involving hack-and-slash gamer Dave’s efforts to win over a temperamental magic sword is continued even as we get a whole new “self-contained†story centering around the “Knights†as they play a post-apocalyptic future game. This story makes the issue, as we see the fruits of Bob’s efforts to catch gamemaster B.A. in a lie by filming everything he says as the game goes on.
All this along with some back-up strips running the gamut from Superhero adventures (Heroes of Hack League), Sci-Fi (Last Resorts), Fuzzy Knights ( a comic made with photographed stuffed animals roleplaying) and Champions of the Copper Mug (another fantasy strip) made Knights of the Dinner Table Magazine one of the best bargains on the market. Numerous comics, along with game and comic reviews all for just under 4 bucks!
