Dungeon is a series of satirical

Satire

Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...

 fantasy

Fantasy

Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...

 comic book

Comic book

A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...

s created by Joann Sfar

Joann Sfar

Joann Sfar is a French comics artist, comic book creator and film director.-Life and career:Sfar was born in Nice. He is considered one of the most important artists of the new wave of Franco-Belgian comics. Many of his comics were published by L'Association which was founded in 1990 by...

 and Lewis Trondheim

Lewis Trondheim

Lewis Trondheim , born 11 December 1964, is an extremely prolific French cartoonist and one of the founders of the independent publisher L'Association. Both his silent comic La Mouche and Kaput and Zösky have been made into animated cartoons...

, with contributions from numerous other artists and writers. It was originally published in France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 by Delcourt

Delcourt (publisher)

Delcourt is a French publishing house that specializes in comics and manga.It was founded in 1986 through the fusion of the magazines Charlie Mensuel and Pilote...

 as a series of graphic albums; English translations of the first several stories have been released by NBM Publishing

NBM Publishing

NBM Publishing is an American publisher of graphic novels. The company specializes in non-superhero comic genres and has translated and published over 150 graphic novels from Europe and Canada, as well as several works by Americans...

, first in a black-and-white periodical version and now as several color graphic novel

Graphic novel

A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...

s.

The series is a parody of sword and sorcery

Sword and sorcery

Sword and sorcery is a sub-genre of fantasy and historical fantasy, generally characterized by sword-wielding heroes engaged in exciting and violent conflicts. An element of romance is often present, as is an element of magic and the supernatural...

 conventions in general, and specifically of the role-playing game

Role-playing game

A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...

 Dungeons and Dragons. All of the characters are either anthropomorphic

Anthropomorphism

Anthropomorphism is any attribution of human characteristics to animals, non-living things, phenomena, material states, objects or abstract concepts, such as organizations, governments, spirits or deities. The term was coined in the mid 1700s...

 animals or other strange creatures. The "dungeon" of the title is, in the original series, a business establishment run by a mild-mannered chicken, where heroes come in search of adventure and treasure and invariably die. The timeline in the main continuity is described as the stages of day; the series that lead up to the dungeon's creation are described in the Potron-Minet (Dawn) segment, the castle's glory days are described as its Zénith

Zenith

The zenith is an imaginary point directly "above" a particular location, on the imaginary celestial sphere. "Above" means in the vertical direction opposite to the apparent gravitational force at that location. The opposite direction, i.e...

, and its inevitable decay is described in the Crépuscule (Twilight) stories.

Though only a small part is available in English, the French Donjon is an extremely ambitious work consisting of three sub-series and various side projects.

Dungeon The Early Years (Donjon Potron-Minet)

With art by Christophe Blain, this side takes place in an earlier era, describing events leading up to the creation of the titular dungeon. In English translation, the Dawn series is called Early Years.

Dungeon Zenith (Donjon Zénith)

DZ portrays the "golden age" of the world of Terra Amata . Albums 1 to 4 are drawn by Trondheim.

Dungeon Twilight (Donjon Crépuscule)

In this darker series, Herbert the Duck has become the dark overlord of the Dungeon, known as The Great Khan. Marvin the dragon, old and blind, teams with Marvin the Red, a brash rabbit warrior.

Dungeon Parade (Donjon Parade)

Dungeon Parade takes place between volumes 1 and 2 of Dungeon Zenith, starring its protagonists Marvin and Herbert.

Dungeon Monstres (Donjon Monsters)

Donjon Monstres features secondary characters from throughout the story. "Monstres" stories can be set anywhere in the timeline, and feature occasional appearances by the major characters.

Others

The Zenith books begin at number 1, while Potron-Minet begins at -99 and Crepuscule at 101, implying that the authors intend to produce an unprecedented number of books, though as of March 2008 there are only 15 books in this main continuity, with two more to appear in 2008, and an additional 17 books in Parade and Monsters.

Trondheim originally stated in interviews that the authors "weren't crazy" and wouldn't release 300 books, trusting the reader to fill in the blanks of the missing numbers. However, in later interviews, he hinted that he had changed his mind and was seduced by the idea of creating a long-running and complex series of 300 books, which seemed possible with the collaboration of several different authors.

A third sub-series called Donjon Bonus exists of different editions (black and white or smaller format omnibuses) and work outside the comics, like the role-playing game

Role-playing game

A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...

 Clefs en Mains.

Main characters

• Herbert the Duck is the "hero" of the story, and appears in at least Donjon Zenith and Crepuscule series. As his name suggests, he is a duck, although he has a humanoid body, and is covered in feathers. He is the possessor of the Sword of Destiny (a parody of other mystical weapons in adventure books). This sword is unique in that it can talk, and that has many mystical powers, such as being able to glow in the dark, being able to summon former bearers when someone other than its legitimate user tries to hold it, and not allowing the use of any other weapon by its owner. Also, one side of its blade has the enigmatic property of being able to cut -and even behead- living beings without killing them.
• Marvin the Dragon serves as the reluctant instructor and protector of Herbert the Duck. Marvin is a fierce warrior who loves a good fight, but at the same time he is bound by the principles of his religion. He is a strict vegetarian, refuses to eat "human" or animal flesh and will not attack anyone who has insulted him. Like other dragons, he can breathe fire, but will do so only when strictly necessary. Initially caused by indigestion due to eating little blue mushrooms, Marvin is capable of producing a "Tong Deum", a large blast of fire-breath. He looks vaguely humanoid, with huge muscles and scarlet skin. Marvin is loyal to his boss, the Keeper - though not entirely averse to keeping him in the dark about certain matters.
• Hyacinthe de Cavallere (aka the Dungeon Master or "the Keeper") is a greedy, yet lovable, capitalist who only cares about enriching himself by attracting adventurers and treasure-seekers to his Dungeon, where they will leave their corpses and possessions. In his youth, Hyacinthe was actually quite idealistic, and disguised himself as the nocturnal crime fighter "the Night Shirt". The Dungeon's core is the ancestral keep of the de Cavellere family, though greatly enlarged during Hyacinthe's lifetime.
• Marvin the Red, the hero of the Crepuscule/Twilight series. He is a tall, thin rabbit, colored bright red. He is a young warrior and very impetuous.

Main Series

Series	Volume	Title	Available in English as:	Writer/s	Art
Potron-Minet	-99	La chemise de la nuit	Early Years vol. 1: The Night Shirt	Sfar, Trondheim	Christophe Blain
Potron-Minet	-98	Un justicier dans l'ennui	Early Years vol. 1: The Night Shirt	Sfar, Trondheim	Christophe Blain
Potron-Minet	-97	Une jeunesse qui s'enfuit	Early Years vol. 2: Innocence lost	Sfar, Trondheim	Christophe Blain
Potron-Minet	-84	Après la pluie	Early Years vol. 2: Innocence lost	Sfar, Trondheim	Christophe Blain
Potron-Minet	-83	Sans un bruit	N/A	Sfar, Trondheim	Christophe Gaultier
Zénith	1	Coeur de canard	Zenith vol. 1: Duck Heart	Sfar, Trondheim	Trondheim
Zénith	2	Le Roi de la bagarre	Zenith vol. 1: Duck Heart	Sfar, Trondheim	Trondheim
Zénith	3	La Princesse des barbares	Zenith vol. 2: The Barbarian Princess	Sfar, Trondheim	Trondheim
Zénith	4	Sortilèges et avatars	Zenith vol. 2: The Barbarian Princess	Sfar, Trondheim	Trondheim
Zénith	5	Un mariage à part	Zenith vol. 3: Back in Style	Sfar, Trondheim	Boulet Boulet (comics) Gilles Roussel, also known as Boulet, is a French comic book creator and cartoonist born February 1, 1975 in Meaux, France. He was among the first French cartoonist to become famous by publishing a comic strip weblog, starting in July 2004.-Biography:...
Zénith	6	Retour en fanfare	Zenith vol. 3: Back in Style	Sfar, Trondheim	Boulet
Crépuscule	101	Le Cimetière des dragons	Twilight, vol. 1: Dragon Cemetery	Sfar, Trondheim	Sfar
Crépuscule	102	Le Volcan des Vaucanson	Twilight, vol. 1: Dragon Cemetery	Sfar, Trondheim	Sfar
Crépuscule	103	Armaggedon	Twilight, vol. 2: Armageddon	Sfar, Trondheim	Sfar
Crépuscule	104	Le Dojo du lagon	Twilight, vol. 2: Armageddon	Sfar, Trondheim	Kerascoët
Crépuscule	105	Les Nouveaux Centurions	Twilight, vol. 3: The New Centurions	Sfar, Trondheim	Kerascoët
Crépuscule	106	Révolutions	Twilight, vol. 3: The New Centurions	Sfar, Trondheim	Obion

Secondary Series

Series	Volume	Level	Title	Available in English as:	Writer/s	Art
Bonus	N/A		Clefs en main - Jeu de rôles	N/A	Arnaud Moragues	Sfar, Trondheim, Moragues
Parade	1	1.5	Un donjon de trop	Parade vol. 1: A dungeon too many	Sfar, Trondheim	Manu Larcenet
Parade	2	1.5	Le Sage du ghetto	Parade vol. 1: A dungeon too many	Sfar, Trondheim	Manu Larcenet
Parade	3	1.5	Le Jour des crapauds	Parade vol. 2: Day of the Toads	Sfar, Trondheim	Manu Larcenet
Parade	4	1.5	Des fleurs et des marmots	Parade vol. 2: Day of the Toads	Sfar, Trondheim	Manu Larcenet
Parade	5	1.5	Technique Grogro	N/A	Sfar, Trondheim	Manu Larcenet
Monsters	1	-4	Jean-Jean la Terreur	Monsters Vol. 1: The Crying Giant	Sfar, Trondheim	Mazan
Monsters	2	3.5	Le Géant qui pleure	Monsters Vol. 1: The Crying Giant	Sfar, Trondheim	Jean-Christophe Menu Jean-Christophe Menu Jean-Christophe Menu is a French underground cartoonist, graphic designer, writer and publisher best known for being one of the founders of L'Association, an influential comic book and art book publishing company from France often regarded as one of the key figures in the independent comic...
Monsters	3	103	La Carte majeure	Monsters Vol. 2: The Dark Lord	Sfar, Trondheim	Andreas Andreas (comics) Andreas, pen name for Andreas Martens, born January 3, 1951 in Weißenfels , studied at the St. Luc comics school in Belgium, assisting Eddy Paape on Udolfo, before relocating to France...
Monsters	4	103	Le Noir Seigneur	Monsters Vol. 2: The Dark Lord	Sfar, Trondheim	Stéphane Blanquet
Monsters	5	-97	La Nuit du tombeur	Monsters Vol. 4: Night of the Ladykiller	Sfar, Trondheim	Jean-Emmanuel Vermont-Desroches
Monsters	6	40	Du ramdam chez les brasseurs	Monsters Vol. 4: Night of the Ladykiller	Sfar, Trondheim	Yoann Yoann Yoann Chivard , better known under the artist name Yoann is a French comics artist.In January 2009, it was announced that Yoann and the comics writer Fabien Vehlmann would take over the responsibility for the Spirou et Fantasio comic strip...
Monsters	7	-90	Mon fils le tueur	N/A	Sfar, Trondheim	Blutch
Monsters	8	-85	Crève-coeur	Monsters Vol. 3: Heartbreaker	Sfar, Trondheim	Sfar, Trondheim, Blutch, Carlos Nine
Monsters	9	75	Les Habitants des profondeurs	Monsters Vol. 3: Heartbreaker	Sfar, Trondheim	Sfar, Trondheim, Blutch, Patrice Killoffer Patrice Killoffer Patrice Killoffer, better known simply as Killoffer, is an writer and artist of comics. He was co-founder of the independent comics publisher L'Association in 1990, and has been a part of Oubapo since its creation in 1992.-Career:Patrice Killoffer studied at the School for Applied Arts Duperré in...
Monsters	10	95	Des soldats d'honneur	N/A	Sfar, Trondheim	Bézian
Monsters	11	-400	Le Grand Animateur	N/A	Sfar, Trondheim	Stanislas
Monsters	12	5	Le Grimoire de l'inventeur	N/A	Sfar, Trondheim	Nicolas Keramidas

Chronology

Since the series start, it has grown into quite a large of collection of volumes. The place of each book in an orderly timeline is worked out using levels (French: Niveau). The volume number of books in the main series (Dawn, Zenith and Twilight) is also their level. The Monsters and Parade level numbers are written down in the original books on the first page below the page number.

External links

• NBM Publishing - Trondheim/Dungeon page
• DonjonLand - official French-language website