Jason Anarchy was kind enough to answer some questions about his comic and his game. Drinking Quest is a lot of fun and lends itself well to a comic. I was even encouraged not to keep the questions totally professional. The interview was fun and I got a lot of great questions answered. Hopefully, everyone finds this interview as informative and enjoyable as I did.
Nate Munson: What inspired you to write a comic based on your game? Have you read Skullkickers or Rat Queens. Both books have a similar feel to the DQ comic. I love all three. As a gamer and a connoisseur of alcohol these books have a special place in my heart.
Jason Anarchy: I became a fan of Skullkickers shortly after I came out with the first Drinking Quest game. A friend told me to check out Jim Zub’s booth at a comic con. We chatted and he was a super nice guy! I read the books because they looked awesome (and also because I wanted to make sure I wasn’t accidentally doing anything terribly similar). There’s actually a Skullkickers ad in the Drinking Quest comic! I’m not as familiar with Rat Queens but from what I can tell it’s definitely the raunchiest of the three. Drinking Quest is somewhere in the middle between Skullkickers and Rat Queens raunch wise. The common thread here is Sword & Sorcery comedy and what Drinking Quest offers to the genre is A) A more existential take on Sword & Sorcery comedy B) A fun interpretation of the ideas set up in the game series.
The three Drinking Quest games really set up a one of a kind fantasy world. There are rules. There are things that it does and things that it doesn’t do. The DQ games tell the story one puzzle piece at a time like Pulp Fiction or Lost so with a comic book it let’s me tell a longer form story, have more set up and payoff for jokes and work with talented artists on a book that visually brings Drinking Quest to a new level.
NM: I’m a big fan of Jim Zub’s also. This book was right up my alley. I think it worked out really well. Speaking of comics: Are you a comic fan and if so who is your favorite character?
JA: I love comics with all my heart. I’ve been a fan since childhood. As a kid my favourites were the X-Men but as an adult my favourite characters are:
Marvel: Thor
DC: Batman
Image: Alana from Saga
Dark Horse: Conan the Barbarian
KaBoom Studios: Lumpy Space Princess from Adventure Time
Dynamite entertainment: Kyra and Merisiel from Pathfinder
NM: Fantastic choices across the board. I haven’t read much Pathfinder yet, I’ll have to try it. Would that same character be the one you’d most like to drink with? Personally I’m pretty certain Thor and Iron Man would throw amazing parties.
JA: Yeah Thor, I’d definitely drink with Thor. I’d be throwing up all over the rainbow bridge the next morning.
NM: Hell yeah! Heimdall might get a little pissed about it, but I’m sure Thor does it all time. Back to the DQ comic: How many issues are planned? Could we see an ongoing title if this sells well?
JA: I’m planning out the next block of five issues. Whether that’s released through a publisher or independently through my publishing company remains to be seen. I haven’t approached any publishers yet, but I have to let the launch cool down a bit because it’s a busy time.
NM: Excellent! Will this comic be available in hard copy or download only? If a physical book is in the works, can we expect a trade paperback someday also?
JA: I should have the physical copies in about a week or so. I’m doing a run of 500 to sell at conventions. When it comes to comics being valuable, this is a legitimate small run so hopefully these show up on Ebay some day at insane prices.
I’m not shipping a lot of these out because shipping a comic book style package to prevent it from breaking is a logistics nightmare from the set up I have with my games. . . just selling at cons keeps things simple and I do 2 or 3 cons a month so I’ll get them out there!
NM: Wow! That is a limited run. I’ll have to start hitting more cons…Are there any further expansions planned for the DQ game?
JA: The Original Drinking RPG, Yeddy Vedder’s Yeti Adventure and Nectar of the Gods were always a planned trilogy and it’s going to stay that way for the foreseeable future… but after Indy Pop Con I might have a huge announcement or two 🙂
NM: Looking forward to it! What was your first Role playing game? What is your favorite (aside from Drinking Quest)?
JA: Milton Bradley’s Hero Quest will always be my first love.
The last page was a “blank quest” map and it made my imagination go into hyperdrive.
It did everything right and after 25 years it’s still my favourite tabletop game of all time.
NM: Ah, Hero Quest. I remember that game. It got me started too! If a fan were to buy you a drink what would should they buy you? I’m a Jack and Coke man myself.
JA: Whiskey on the rocks! Preferably Irish or Bourbon… even though I’m Canadian I’m just not a huge fan of our whiskey. Sorry Canada.
Also a pint of draught would be great. Pints are the ultimate social beverage.
NM: A man with excellent taste. Whiskeys and bourbons are my favorites also. Many drinking games can be played based on movies or TV shows: Could a drinking game be based on your comic?…Maybe even have rules included in the back of an issue?
JA: That did cross my mind, but the issue becomes… I don’t want to encourage drinking alone.
Absolutely, have a beer and read the comic sure, but I wouldn’t want people doing a shot of vodka every time X happens.
As far as Drinking Games go, the DQ series is pretty light and I only want to encourage responsible social drinking.
NM: For example: When a monster dies take a drink. Every time Chuglox belches take two drinks…and so on?
JA: There is belching in the comic… not by Chuglox though. I think the monster death count is between 4 and 8 on-panel deaths. There’s also smart stuff in the comic to balance out the dumb stuff 🙂
NM: Hmmm. Yeah, I shoved my foot in my mouth with that one. I agree. Drink responsibly people. Back to the comic: How bad ass would it be to have a sword with a bottle opener in the end? DQ should have replicas produced. I think they’d sell.
JA: This would be a wonderful thing to have happen!
NM: Hell yeah! I’d be in line saying “Shut up and take my money!”
NM: Final Question: What is your method for getting over hangovers? I think we’d all like advice from a trained professional.
JA: Have a huge glass of water next to you when you go to bed, drink half of it and save the other half for when you wake up and take the two Tylenols you also have lying there and then sleep for another hour.
I’ve also had great success with Drinkwel hangover vitamins… I’ve used them 3 or 4 times and I haven’t had a hangover so they seem to work.
NM: Good advice. Hydration is indeed important. I’ll try that next time.
NM: Secret Bonus Question (Last One: I promise) Did you know elephants purposely eat fermented bread fruits to get drunk?
JA: Well there you go stealing my thunder! Fermented Bread Fruit Quest was actually the big project I was going to announce!
NM: My bad! Thanks for taking time for me. I had a blast asking all these questions. Cheers!
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I had a blast with this interview. I can’t recommend the game or the comic enough. You can find more information about both the comic and the game below.
Also, for more interviews and reviews check out www.drinkingquest.com. As always, stick with us at BagoGames for all of your gaming, movie, TV, and comic book needs!