Bruno the Bandit
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Bruno the Bandit is a Web comic drawn by Ian McDonald about an incompetent bandit in a fantasy setting. The strip began on July 20, 1998, and a new strip is posted every Monday through Friday. Up until recently(the start of the Sulk And Crossbones story arc), the strip was done in black and white, but now it is done in color. It is published online by Keenspot, and offline by Plan 9 Publishing.
Much of the humor in Bruno the Bandit revolves around anachronistic elements. For example, in Rothland (Bruno's homeland) barbarians prefer to be called Wilderness-enhanced, and books of great evil are released in paperback, for the benefit of evil wizards everywhere. There are many homages to other comics, such as Garfield (the most referenced), Peanuts, Sandman, Conan, and others.
The strip is organized in short story arcs. Some of the stories last for only 6 strips. The longest one as of late 2004 took 72 strips. There is continuity between the sagas, but gags drive the story more than long-term plot development.
Main characters
The main characters are:
- Bruno
- A strong and ambitious thief. Not very bright, but has gathered some fame as a bandit over the years. Currently is 38 years old.
- Fiona
- Bruno's sidekick. A micro-dragon, she tricked Bruno into becoming her boss. She acts as the concience/brain of Bruno, but will betray him for her own benefit on any oportunity.
- Maledict
- An evil wizard, he is one of Bruno's many foes. However, since Bruno is not exactly good, they have allied (and betrayed each other) many times on the strip. In fact, Bruno meets Fiona for the first time in a mission for Maledict.
- Eunyce
- Bruno's mother. She was a Warrior hottie in her youth. From time to time she will put back her old outfit to help her son. Think Xena warrior princess...sixty years old.
- Ambrose
- Bruno's father. He was a bandit until recently. He lost an arm somehow (it hasn't been explained in the strip until now, but we know he had both arms while Bruno was 17 years old). He is married to Eunyce. He is as bad as his son, but not as stupid. Has his wife put her old warrior outfit to relive "old times".