''Rogues of Clwyd-Rhan'' is a

webcomic Webcomics (also known as online comics or Internet comics) are comics published on the internet, such as on a website or a mobile app. While many webcomics are published exclusively online, others are also published in magazines, newspapers, or ...

by Reinder Dijkhuis. It was started in 1991 as a small-press comic in

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

, entitled ''De Rovers van Clwyd-Rhan''. It had an online incarnation in Dutch from November 1994 to August 1996, making it one of the first webcomics, and one of the oldest still updating. However, no further storylines were published on the web until July 2000, when the language switched to

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

, and new material began running. In September 2021 Dijkhuis began a

Danish language Danish (, ; , ) is a North Germanic languages, North Germanic language from the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family spoken by about six million people, principally in and around Denmark. Communities of Danish speakers are a ...

translation of selected storylines under the title ''Det bedste fra røverne fra Clwyd-Rhan''.

Introduction

Rogues of Clwyd-Rhan is a daily fantasy webcomic appearing in a wide range of formats over the years. Initially inspired by the classic ''

Asterix ''Asterix'' ( or , "Asterix the Gauls, Gaul"; also known as ''Asterix and Obelix'' in some adaptations or ''The Adventures of Asterix'') is a Franco-Belgian comics, French comic album book series, series about a Gaulish village which, thanks ...

'' comics and the television serial ''

Maid Marian and her Merry Men ''Maid Marian and her Merry Men'' is a British children's television series created and written by Tony Robinson and directed by David Bell. It began on 16 November 1989 on BBC1 and ran for four series, with the last episode shown on 16 Februar ...

'', it has taken on influences ranging from the work of

Marten Toonder Marten Toonder (2 May 1912 – 27 July 2005) was a Dutch comic strip creator. He was probably the most successful comic artist in the Netherlands and had a great influence on the Dutch language by introducing new words and expressions. He is most ...

to '' Cerebus'' and the novels of

Terry Pratchett Sir Terence David John Pratchett (28 April 1948 – 12 March 2015) was an English author, humorist, and Satire, satirist, best known for the ''Discworld'' series of 41 comic fantasy novels published between 1983 and 2015, and for the Apocalyp ...

or the graphic novels of François Bourgeon.

Cast of characters

The core characters at the start of the series were the rogue Tamlin, a drunken, slobby version of Robin Hood, and his gangmates: the witch Atra, fan-girl-turned-gang-member Ragnarok, and Jake the Gnome. The gang have since been joined by the half-elven witch Kel, who has become the de facto lead of the comic. Former royal jester Jodoque joined later. Tamlin left the gang in the storyline ''The Corby Tribe'' and has not been seen since. His name was mentioned in a December 2006 strip, implying that he had returned, but when this storyline resumed in July 2007 the reference was revealed to be a

red herring A red herring is something that misleads or distracts from a relevant or important question. It may be either a logical fallacy or a literary device that leads readers or audiences toward a false conclusion. A red herring may be used intentiona ...

. It appears the gang has been joined by former barmaid Hildegard, but her status is not clear. Kel and Ragnarok both have very small children. Often, the gang has made its living through farming and land ownership rather than actual rogueing.

Setting

The Kingdom of Clwyd-Rhan is a fictional location, ostensibly based on

Medieval Wales Wales in the Middle Ages covers the history of the country that is now called Wales, from the departure of the Romans in the early fifth century to the annexation of Wales into the Kingdom of England in the early sixteenth century. This period ...

and occasionally even resembling it. Travel takes place between Clwyd-Rhan and the Gnomian Republic, a new country in which

Gnome A gnome () is a mythological creature and diminutive spirit in Renaissance magic and alchemy, introduced by Paracelsus in the 16th century and widely adopted by authors, including those of modern fantasy literature. They are typically depict ...

Elves An elf (: elves) is a type of humanoid supernatural being in Germanic folklore. Elves appear especially in North Germanic mythology, being mentioned in the Icelandic ''Poetic Edda'' and the ''Prose Edda''. In medieval Germanic-speakin ...

Faeries A fairy (also called fay, fae, fae folk, fey, fair folk, or faerie) is a type of mythical being or legendary creature, generally described as anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic, found in the folklore of multiple European cultures (including Cel ...

and similar creatures live in a sometimes uneasy peace. Travel can be done through Gnomian magic, which runs on conspiracies, through portals, or, as a last resort, by ship.

References

External links

Official website (archived)

Rogues of Clwyd-Rhan
on ''Comic Fury'' (includes redrawn versions of some earlier stories)
Det bedste fra røverne fra Clwyd-Rhan
(Danish version) 1991 comics debuts 1990s comics 1994 webcomic debuts 1990s webcomics 2000s webcomics Dutch webcomics Fantasy webcomics {{webcomic-stub