There are shonen manga about board games (Hikaru no Go), trading card games (Yu-Gi-Oh) and of course lots of manga about online role-playing games (.hack// and Warcraft) and video games (Legend of Zelda, Pokemon, Street Fighter) - but surprisingly, not much about tabletop roleplaying games (RPGs). Until now.
This is where King of RPGs comes into play. King of RPGs is the shonen manga-inspired creation of Jason Thompson and Victor Hao about two very obsessed gamers, Shesh and Theo. Shesh is addicted to World of Warfare, an online game he played so obsessively, he had to get court-ordered therapy for his addiction. Theo is a tabletop RPG fanatic who wants to be an ultimate Dungeon Master so badly, he take his DM duties to outrageous extremes. When these two get together, only mayhem can ensue.
Meanwhile, Thompson's and Hao's first meeting wasn't quite as chaotic, but probably just as synergistic. As the former editor of Shonen Jump magazine, and editor of popular shonen manga titles like Shaman King and Dragon Ball Z as well as the author of Manga: The Complete Guide, Thompson was already well-versed in the shonen manga storytelling style, but he needed an artist who could translate his story into graphic novel form. That's when Hao, a San Francisco-based animator, illustrator, and gamer came into the picture.
Check out my interview with Jason Thompson and Victor Hao, and find out more about the manga origins and in-jokes of King of RPGs, their graphic novel alter-egos and how this story went from being "kind of like Genshiken or Dramacon" to being the manic geek thrill-ride it is today.
Also, check out Melinda Beasi's review of King of RPGs Volume 1, and visit KingofRPGs.com to see preview pages from this new release from Del Rey Manga, due out on Tuesday, January 19, 2010.
Image credit: © Jason Thompson, Victor Hao
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