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Rusty_Shakalford t1_jdeh4za wrote

Reply to comment by MulciberTenebras in Michael Reaves, TV, Prose and Comics Writer, Dead at 72 by JannTosh17

> Dungeons & Dragons

Specifically he was one of the writers on “The Dragons Graveyard”.

For those who haven’t seen it, it’s an episode where the kids finally conclude that they will never get home so long as Venger (the main villain) keeps stopping them. So they decide to kill him.

The staff had to fight for the network to let them air it. The idea at the time in kids shows was that characters could react to violence, but never initiate it. Nowadays this kind of plot is pretty common, but back in the day this was breaking bold new ground.

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stimpakish t1_jdelpd7 wrote

While the animation is not always gorgeously smooth, that series holds up soooo well in every other way. Fun and full of sparks for imagination. Just enough consistent characterization and character growth balanced with the action. And lots of hilarious Frank Welker unicorn voice. Myeehh!!

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Rusty_Shakalford t1_jdfk7gk wrote

It was definitely pushing the envelope further than most 80’s cartoons. Lot of rough spots, but it’s one of the few D&D properties that feels like D&D to me. Half the show is taking the fantasy world seriously, the other half is modern teens making fun of it. All while being pointed in the right direction by a Dungeon Master*. If anyone is wondering; this show was cancelled before I was born so this isn’t just nostalgia taking.

*one element that intrigued me was the slow reveal of Dungeon Master’s backstory. The show isn’t serialized, at least not in the modern sense, but the way the breadcrumbs slowly built up makes me wonder what a modern crew could do with the idea. >!Over the course of the show it’s revealed that the kids are not the first group he brought into the realm, and that both of the two groups mentioned met a nasty end. The last episode of the show implies a group of teens brought over sometime around the turn of the 19th century, who then tried to fight the big bad of their time, but failed. All but one of them was imprisoned in a pocket universe, and Dungeon Master abandoned the surviving girl, Martha, to wander the realm until the kids meet her as an old woman!<

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RedSweaterSrsly t1_jdhigac wrote

IDW is releasing a new Dungeons & Dragons comic book based on the 80’s animated show next week! It’s under their Saturday Morning Adventures line.

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Rusty_Shakalford t1_jdhsyx0 wrote

Very neat. Thanks for the heads up.

They’ve also some tie ins with the upcoming D&D movie. The group has a brief cameo in the film, and I saw some toys and a book from the series in stores. Wasn’t a specialty nerd store either, that book was on display in a supermarket.

Weird but neat to see the property getting a bit of life to it again.

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