''Rogues of Clwyd-Rhan'' is a

webcomic Webcomics (also known as online comics or Internet comics) are comics published on a website or mobile app. While many are published exclusively on the web, others are also published in magazines, newspapers, or comic books. Webcomics can be co ...

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

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

, 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: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

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

Danish language Danish (; , ) is a North Germanic language spoken by about six million people, principally in and around Denmark. Communities of Danish speakers are also found in Greenland, the Faroe Islands, and the northern German region of Southern Schles ...

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 ''The Adventures of Asterix'' (french: Astérix or , "Asterix the Gaul") is a ''bande dessinée'' comic book series about a village of indomitable Gaulish warriors who adventure around the world and fight the Roman Republic, wi ...

'' 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 in 1989 on BBC1 and ran for four series, with the last episode shown in 1994. The show was a pa ...

'', 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, born in Rotterdam. 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 expr ...

to ''

Cerebus ''Cerebus'' (; also ''Cerebus the Aardvark'') is a comic book series created by Canadian cartoonist Dave Sim, which ran from December 1977 until March 2004. The title character of the 300-issue series is an anthropomorphic aardvark who takes on ...

'' and the novels of

Terry Pratchett Sir Terence David John Pratchett (28 April 1948 – 12 March 2015) was an English humourist, satirist, and author of fantasy novels, especially comical works. He is best known for his ''Discworld'' series of 41 novels. Pratchett's first nov ...

or the graphic novels of

François Bourgeon François Bourgeon (born 5 July 1945, Paris) is a French comics artist. Biography Bourgeon was originally educated as a master stained glass artist, but difficulties in finding employment and a passion for drawing altered his course onto a dif ...

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 a figurative expression referring to a logical fallacy in which a clue or piece of information is or is intended to be misleading, or distracting from the actual question. Red herring may also refer to: Animals * Red herring (fis ...

. 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 {{Commons category Period Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Ce ...

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, first introduced by Paracelsus in the 16th century and later adopted by more recent authors including those of modern fantasy literature. Its characte ...

Elves An elf () is a type of humanoid supernatural being in Germanic mythology and folklore. Elves appear especially in North Germanic mythology. They are subsequently mentioned in Snorri Sturluson's Icelandic Prose Edda. He distinguishes "ligh ...

Faeries A fairy (also fay, fae, fey, fair folk, or faerie) is a type of mythical being or legendary creature found in the folklore of multiple European cultures (including Celtic, Slavic, Germanic, English, and French folklore), a form of spirit, o ...

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