Dungeon Fun by Colin Bell and Neil Slorance

Comic: Dungeon Fun, Book One
Release date: 2013
Writer: Colin Bell
Artist/Letterer: Neil Slorance
Cover: full color
Interior: 32 full color pages on heavy stock paper, saddle stitched,
Genre: Adventure comic
Synopsis: This is a story of a girl and her sword...
Raised by trolls in the moat of a castle, Fun Mudlifter lives a life of boredom, until one day when adventure finds her and a sword plummets into her village. Setting off to confront the trolls responsible for the falling items that plague her and her neighbours, Fun begins an off-beat odyssey that encompasses jobsworth trolls, three-headed beasts, soothsaying shamans and headless barbarians, as she valiantly battles her way up trough the dungeons to her final goal. With hilarious results!

The Deal

I bought this comic while on vacation in Scotland, though I have to admit this is one of the few times I'd actually read about it on-line before buying it because I was going on holiday and wanted to read beforehand what was out there.

The feel

The comic feels heavy in your hands, it's printed on thick quality stock paper and the pages are held together with two saddle stitches. The whole comic is printed in full color and the use of beautiful vibrant colors by Neil Slorance really makes the story lift off the pages sucking you into every pane. The backgrounds are clean, clear and fresh, so the figures in the foreground draw all the attention. 

The story

It's an all age adventure comic that will have you laughing on every page. Colin has great comic timing and the comic takes a flying leap with all that you know to be true about quests. The story flows perfectly never hanging in one place too long, or indeed too short. 

The look

 All the characters are well drawn and free of distracting details, with orange colored hair Fun Mudlifter stands out in a crowd of trolls, three-headed beasts and shaman. The colors are soft but very vibrant and are all complimentary of each other. The pane reading sequence is easy to follow and the lettering is well placed and never in the way. The backgrounds are never intrusive or cluttered with unnecessary details.

The conclusion

For me this comic book team is a clear winner for best comic book of 2013. I think its funny, the jokes are smart and I'd like to see much more of Fun Mudlifter. This is such high quality work I hope it reaches the main stream comic distributors. I want a Fun Mudlifter figure on my desk and can imagine playing the Dungeon Fun Adventure on my game station. So, don't even think about it, just get it. You won't regret it. The comic cleared out the 2014 SICBA (Scottish Independent Comic Book Alliance) awards winning in all four categories. Can't wait to get Book Two when I'm in the UK on holiday September 2014.

How to get a copy

If you're still unsure you can read the first six pages for free on the publishers website listed below. If you want a copy you can get yours at your local comic store all over the UK (I've seen them in several shops in Glasgow and London), it will set you back about 4,00 GBP for the paper version. Be careful though, there will be or from their website DoGooderComics where you can also get the digital version. When bought together with other issues (Book Two is out as of mid 2014) you receive a discount.