King of Rpgs 1

by Jason Thompson

Book Overview

"Jason Thompson, Level 14 Shaman/Oozemaster and author of Manga- The Complete Guide, joins forces with Victor Hao to deliver a wickedly funny send-up of manga and gamer culture. Roll up your character... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0345513592
• ISBN13: 9780345513595
• Release Date: January 2010
• Publisher: Del Rey Books
• Length: 233 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.6" x 7.6"
• Age Range: 16 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 11 and higher

Customer Reviews

Genshiken for gamers

I stumbled upon this purely by accident. I was looking for the latest Fables book when I saw this tucked discreetly into the bookshelf. Curious, I read a few pages... and then promptly purchased it. The book follows Shesh, a young college student who has been banned from computer games. Why, you might ask? It all stems from two things: that Shesh slips into a semi-violent (depending on what game he's playing) personality when he *really* gets into a game & because he stayed at an internet cafe for a week under this personality. (He royally trashed the place.) Enter avid gamer Theodore, who has the goal of making the ultimate RPG experience. Unfortunately it's rumored that his eagerness put some gamers in the hospital due to his "interactive experience". (Seriously, he pulled out a snake on Shesh & his friends.) I have to admit, I really liked this manga. If you've ever gamed or know someone who has, then you will be able to get the comedy in this book. Even if you don't game, most of the humor is visual enough to where you'll enjoy the story. (Although it really is better if you have some gaming knowledge.) I loved the artwork & I was incredibly impressed by the amount of detail that went into this book- there's tons of it. The artwork also manages to be one of those rare mangas that are "Amerimanga" but don't fall prey to some of the artwork pitfalls that tend to abound when someone in the US draws a manga. (Overly chibi-fying everything, tons of cliched art, etc) I'm incredibly curious to see where this manga will go. It's got a decent enough storyline & let's face it- there's tons of RPG material out there to parody & poke fun at. I would like for the "villain" of the piece (a student police officer) to be a little more fleshed out, though. She seemed a little one-note, but maybe that's on purpose? In the end, many people will note several similarities between this & Genshiken & why not? Both series deal with an obsessive fandom & the quirks of their chosen item(s) of affection. Fans of Genshiken will like this series a great deal & unless the next volume is just incredibly lame, I'll be collecting this series until it's conclusion.

Super Nerd Power Go!

I found out about this book on Io9, and once I read the sample pages, I was instantly hooked. You can read their article here: [...] There is nothing I could say that properly does this work justice. Whether you're a casual or hardcore gamer, if you enjoy video games, tabletop games, or any other form of nerdery, then you really have no excuse NOT to buy this book.

A book I could really enjoy

Shesh Maccabee is the hard-core gamer of the University of California in Escondido. Aided by Theodore Dudek, Shesh makes his name as the ultimate gamer. But with a dark twist. Every time he plays a game his split personality takes over and turns him into his character. In Dudek's eyes, this is the number one gaming skill, but it lands Shesh in a deadly dilemma with Gavin Slane. How will Shesh ever manage college? Poor Shesh! All this because of a game. The King of RPG's was a book I could really enjoy. All the artwork was really cool along with the story board. Anyone who loves the wonderful world of gaming will love this book. Reviewed by a young adult student reviewer Flamingnet Book Reviews [...]

A Gaming Comedy that Burns with Fiery Passion!

A disclaimer, I'm friends with the writer, but even if I wasn't, I'd give high marks to this debut graphic novel from Jason Thompson and Victor Hao. The tabletop Mages and Monsters game early on set a high bar for loving RPG parody, but I was blown away by how Jason so deftly summed up the history of Collectible Card games with humor and heart in a later flashback. While there have been dozens of "manga inspired" graphic novels created for western audiences, King of RPGs is the first one I've read that so perfectly captures the blend of manic energy and heart found in the best shonen manga. Fans of either shonen manga or RPG culture will find much to love. Fans of both will be in heaven.