If there’s one constant at this year’s Emerald City Comic Con, it’s Dungeons and Dragons. The cast of Baldur’s Gate 3 is in attendance; the stands feature highly detailed miniatures and dice, and there are whole rooms carved out for RPG sessions. But the “Dungeons and Dragons and Comics, Oh My!” panel tackled the main subject of any comic con: the comics! Specifically, it was a panel dedicated to the intersection between fantasy and comics.
The panel was staffed with creators who all had experience in fantasy. Moderator Zack Davisson translates multiple fantasy-based comics, including the anime Record of Lodoss War. G. Willow Wilson might be known for her work on Ms. Marvel and Poison Ivy, but The Hunger and the Dusk is just as great. Jim Zub is currently scripting the adventures of Conan the Barbarian. Lukas Ketner illustrated Batman/Santa Claus: Silent Knight, which puts Batman in one of the greatest fantasy realms of all: the North Pole!
In true D&D fashion, there was some improv at the panel. Davisson had planned to show off a PowerPoint detailing the history of fantasy and comics, but there were some tech issues. This didn’t deter him in the slightest, as he proved to be one of the wittiest moderators I’ve ever seen. Whether it was discussing why fantasy fans are attracted to monsters or gentle ribbing of Zub and Wilson, there wasn’t a moment where the audience wasn’t laughing.
But what is fantasy? Each panelist had a different depiction of the genre. “It’s something that goes beyond what we deem reasonable, rational or tips into the magical or mystical,” Wilson said, adding that any attempt to bring logic into the mix tips into science fiction. “You imbue the mundane with the powerful,” Zub said. Ketner had a simple answer: “Sci-fi could happen. Fantasy couldn’t, but it’s fun.” Davisson then talked about how he considered the first Star Wars a fantasy, and how he doesn’t like it when fantasy stories try to explain every bit of minutae. “Put down the instruction manual! It’s fantasy! You can do whatever you want to.”
Talk turned to the ever-evolving world of fantasy. Davisson had kicked off the panel by discussing how fantasy comics started when Roy Thomas floated the idea of a Conan comic at Marvel, which led to an explosion of titles, including DC Comics’ Warlord. Wilson brought up how fantasy tends to shift its approach to certain tropes, citing how orcs evolved from evil to nuanced over the years. Dungeons and Dragons was also a major part of how fantasy came back to comics; Davisson pointed out that Record of Lodoss War originally started as a D&D campaign from creator Ryo Mizuno, and Zub said he treats his comics as a D&D session while also talking about watching his brother play and falling in love with the game as a kid.
I loved this panel as a Dungeons & Dragons fan and a comic book fan. It’s nice to find creators who love roleplaying as much as you do, and it’s a reminder that comics can hold space for a variety of genres, including fantasy.
