If someone asked me what my favorite genres were, fantasy would probably be pretty low on my list. There's so much out there that is derivative and unoriginal, and as much as I like reading, those 900-pages tomes that are part 7 of 23 in the series have never held a lot of appeal for me. I love Lord of the Rings as much as the next girl, but give me a good anthropological dissertation on the representation of women in Japanese theater any day of the week. Or some Fruits Basket.

Then came Van Von Hunter. The best way to win over a non-fan of the genre is to make fun of the genre, and this series totally won me over. I mean, how can you go wrong with a series that has deposed, but ever-fashionable royalty (with a really unfortunate nickname), another character who doesn't seem to have a name at all (she's got plenty of charm and guts to make up for it, though), and a maid who likes to use a butcher knife to clean the floors? The series is whip-smart with a sharp sense of humor and the style to back it up. I was hooked. While having read the Van Von Hunter webcomic (which can be found, predictably, at www.vanvonhunter.com) does help to fill in some of the backstory of the characters and their world (you'll get the jokes about breakfast buffets better), the books are wholly enjoyable in their own right as well.

*According to quantum mechanics, any and all possibilities that can exist do exist. Thus, there are an infinite number of dimensions in which Van Von Hunter is the best-selling manga of all time. Wild, no?

~Lillian Diaz-Przybyl, Editor

It has been three years since the 'final battle' between a powerful Archmage and Van Von Hunter and his band of unlikely heroes decided the fate of the land of Dikay.

While they were narrowly saved from disaster, the outcome of the battle resulted in mass amnesia for the local populace. Fortunately, a neighboring land of goodness and righteousness, led by King Utmos, has annexed Dikay. Van Von Hunter, unaffected by the mass amnesia, has since been wandering the continent, looking for evil to smite. Having found virtually nothing of consequence, he has returned to his ancestral home to determine just what he should do with the rest of his life.

As luck would have it, upon arriving home, he finds out that the most terrible of ancient evils will befall Dikay, unless someone can stop it....I wonder who that someone will be?

You can get more information about the series from the Pseudome Studio website, and read the further adventures of Van and...uh...his sidekick in the Van Von Hunter webcomic.

Pseudome Studio is comprised of Mike Schwark and Ron Kaulfersch. They began their creative endeavors back in the mid '90s with their work on the indie anime project, II: Prologue. With such a large project hanging over their heads, they created the studio to help house it, and future projects. Afterwards, the studio produced a fully animated talk show entitled THE Show, which was designed as an informative yet fun take on the how-to of making animation and comics. And as far as comics go, the studio currently produces the much-beloved online comic, Van Von Hunter. That title was also featured as the First Prize winner in TOKYOPOP's inaugural Rising Stars of Manga Anthology. Currently, the studio is working on an original manga series for TOKYOPOP featuring Van Von Hunter.

Van Von Hunter
Originally named Van Von Vaughn, heir to the vast Vaughn estate, Van enlisted in the army of a prominent Archmage eleven years ago. After a freak accident involving a particularly nasty piece of magic, our hero received the uncanny power to point out the obvious. He promptly changed his name to Van Von Hunter and began his own personal quest to seek out evil throughout the world, point out its stupidity, and thus destroy it utterly. Preferred weapons: War Hammer, Stakes, Short Sword. Skills: stake driving, sword fighting, smashing things with a hammer, pointing out the obvious.

Van Von Hunter's Sidekick
A girl of mystery, Von Hunter's Sidekick apparently has no name. Four years ago she was rescued by Von Hunter from the clutches of the evil, yet agreeable, vampire Count Disdain. However, as fate would have it, after that point, there never arose a good opportunity for her to introduce herself. Her Gauntlets of Lifting and Earrings of Hurling enable her to be a quite a formidable force. Preferred Weapons: Ballista, Non-Descript Large Heavy Objects. Skills: using Ballista, hurling non-descript large heavy objects, pointing out Von Hunter's foibles.

Amanda Beaumont
Amanda comes from a mysterious clan of guardians said to be the keepers of the most terrible trinket of power to be found in the land of Dikay: the Ebon Eye. Sadly, she's a klutz and continuously breaks her weapons. After being told by the Elders that they wouldn't pay to have any more broken weapons repaired, she has become quite adept at fighting with broken things. She prefers to use a weakly reforged sword, so as to lull potential foes into a false sense of security. Once her blade has been broken, she unleashes the full fury of her unique skills. She also utilizes the Cloak of Intimidation to make up for her girly, twig-like stature. For long-distance travel, she carries with her a teleportation stone.

The Flaming Prince
The Flaming Prince is the deposed ruler of the land of Dikay. He was ousted during the mass confusion that ensued after Von Hunter and his allies defeated a powerful Archmage three years ago. The Flaming Prince received his title as an accident. At the time, he was attempting to come up with a new name that would strike terror into the hearts of his enemies. As he was rambling on about being the prince of fiery destruction, his advisor misheard him and assumed he wanted to be called the Flaming Prince, and thus made the proclamation. Preferred Weapons: His hand, The Lacy Blade often called the "Tailor's Delight"...(it severs flesh and bone, but is incapable of harming cloth). Skills: crushing things, ruling legions of evil.

Walter Goodright
Walter is the longtime butler for the Vaughn estate. He gets called many different names by Von Hunter, as he's a very forgettable character. Preferred Weapons: None. Skills: Door-opening, showing people around the house, delivering vital exposition about characters at key points in time.

Miriam Peabody
She's the maid for the Vaughn estate. Although, no one dares call her a maid...she's a born and bread Dust Hunter, with a thick Cockney accent. Whenever Von Hunter is not at the estate (which is quite frequently), she tends to utilize his evil-hunting equipment to wipe dirt and filth from the face of the Earth! Preferred Weapons: Anything sharp and pointy. Skills: stalking dust, killing dust.

From Publishers Weekly

There's a fine line between satirizing the conventions of the fantasy genre and justifying stereotypes and mediocrity by claiming comedic intent. Thankfully, the humorous adventure of Van Von Hunter falls into the former group. A breezy introduction sets the tone of this Ameri-manga parody, and a refusal to take anything seriously permeates the story. The hero doesn't know what's going on. The sidekick is an amnesiac barmaid. Everyone has to be told by convenient bystanders what to do next in order to stop the nemesis, an evil prince, from finding a magical artifact that will let him take over the kingdom. As is typical of American-influenced comic art, the panels are busier and more crowded than Japanese manga. The art doesn't always live up to the story demands, as when a "packed tavern" is rather sparsely populated, or mystical artifacts under discussion are never shown. It can be hard to follow the plot, but the figures are well-designed and likable. The creators were the winners of TOKYOPOP's first Rising Stars of Manga competition, and their creation is an amusing quick read.

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