Ragnarok Wisdom is a mouse-drawn webcomic created by Aragan the Acolyte based on the game Ragnarok Online by Gravity Corporation of South Korea. Its profanity, instances of violence and sexual references make the comic unsuitable for young teenagers and younger. The comic began on September 21, 2002, and was originally posted on Ragnarok Online fan communities before the Ad Ultimum Network was created for the purpose of hosting the comic and other sites.
The webcomic centers on characters modeled after the author's in-game persona and friends, often examining the player culture that has developed in the International Ragnarok Online service, or quirks about the game itself. The webcomic does not have a plot, nor does it follow a storyline, though often there are several related comics that form a mini-series of sorts. Like other webcomics in this vein (such as 8-Bit Theater), Ragnarok Wisdom is essentially a parody of the topic it covers. Art
The comic is known for taking a unique approach to its art--the author draws the artwork (including addition of word balloons and text) in MS Paint using a mouse, rather than by drawing and coloring the images by hand or using a graphics tablet and image editing program such as Adobe Photoshop. However, for editing/creation of backgrounds and other related graphics, the GNU editor GIMP is often used.
The webcomic is designed in such a way that panels are in one column, and are read from top to bottom, as opposed to webcomics that typically are designed to be read from left to right. This makes the comic more accessible to readers who may come from cultures that read from right to left, rather than left to right. Characters
Ragnarok Wisdom has a large cast of characters that sporadically appear throughout the series. The comic is unique in that many of the main characters in the comic are real people, and not charicatures as in other comics. The main characters comprise of:
- Aragan the Acolyte - A slightly outlandish Acolyte, he is known for his catchphrase of "Mace you in the face!" and for his refusal to advance to a higher leveled class. Aragan is often referred to as a 'superaco' because of that. He often, but not always, plays the 'straight man' in most comedic setups. Interestingly, many people believe Aragan's name is actually a typo and was meant to be named after Aragorn from J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy universe of Middle-earth; this is in fact false.
- Tristan Aileron - A Crusader and leader of the Crusaders of Rune-Midgard, the guild that nearly all of the cast are a member of. He is reported to have a very large family, though to date only one of his relatives have been seen in the comic. It is also suspected that Tristan actually disguises himself as some of the family members--as was recently discovered when Tristan attempted to masquerade as a priestess, while still wearing his bulky armor. It is this affinity for playing as women that has earned him the nickname 'The WOMAN' (with capitals) among his fellows.
- Sniff the Raven - A Swordsman (or rather, a self-styled 'warrior of the sexy') whom like Aragan has no interest in advancing to a higher leveled class. Sniff is known for eating pecopecos, screaming "CHICKEN!" upon finding one. He is also infamous for his non-stop flexing, strutting, and posing--something he often does whenever he 'fells evil' or encounters demons.
- Lunaris - The original founder of the Crusaders of Rune-Midgard. Lunaris is a Knight, and is a rather paranoid one at that--he believes that porings are actually aliens and mean ill for all of humanity. Upon encountering them, he will either go into a bezerker-like rage or become frightened beyond belief. While it hasn't been portrayed well in the comic, Lunaris has unique ways of spelling and pronouncing some words that have caused others to dub it as 'Lunarish.'
- Nth Power - An Alchemist, he is most infamous for the many times he's caused chaos and havoc in the world of Ragnarok Wisdom, and on its other cast members. The epitome of a prankster, Nth Power rarely feels regret for tricking his friends into falling for one of his concoctions or the other--often with extremely bizarre and embarrassing results. It has been suggested that he is responsible for Gut Funk's spontaneous transformations into a pecopeco.
- Tristar Aileron - A Blacksmith and brother to Tristan Aileron, he is thought to be a communist, given that he created (or at least is a vehement supporter of) the Right Season Worker's Party, which seeks to liberate Geffen from its supposedly oppressive magician class. One of his catchphrases ('GORDITAS!') is a parody of a Taco Bell advertisement campaign from the 1990's.
- Mark Van Exel - A highly lecherous Wizard, he knows no bounds when it comes to ogling or hitting on women. He often pays for it painfully, despite being a master of the Frost Diver/Lightning Bolt combo attack.
- Gut Funk - A Bard, and aside from Nth Power, one of the most potentially dangerous to be around. Gut Funk has a habit of either uncontrollably transforming into a pecopeco, or exploding violently when upset or confused. Naturally, when he turns into a pecopeco, he becomes a target for Sniff the Raven's appetite. During the comic, he has also been unwillingly used in a Grieferette 'Dead Branch Shaver' advertisement.
- Novvy the Novice - One of the two Novice characters in the comic, Novvy the Novice was designed to parody a player stereotype of those who have no ability to effectively communicate in English and whose only desire is to be the strongest player ever--as evidenced by his constant questing for a machine gun (a weapon which does not exist in RO).
- Kawaii-chan - The other novice in the main cast, Kawaii-chan is also a parody of a player stereotype--specifically, those players who are self-styled otaku and are so enamored with Japanese culture that (despite the game's Korean origin) use what little Japanese they know, to the point they can no longer communicate effectively in their native language.
- Zelse - An Assassin, Zelse is the opposite of the typical stereotype that assassins have in the Ragnarok Online player culture (which was enforced by the Ragnarok: The Animation). Zelse, unlike most assassins, is very sensitive and emotional, and often prone to bursting into tears over anything, be it pleasant or not. This has led to him flooding the world at least once (drained soon after by Nth Power's sponge cake), and even developed his own attacks based on it. Zelse is also infamous for being handy with a toothbrush.
- Lenz - A Thief, Lenz has eccentricities that can rival Mark Van Exel's. Throughout the comic he has often been duped into buying knives that don't work or are detrimental to the user. At other times he expresses peculiar sentiments that make his comrades raise an eyebrow out of bewilderment.
- Orbonne DeArc - Also called 'Saint Bomber' (and perhaps more well known by that name), he is a Priest and is the leader of the now-defunct Prontera Parish (and therefore not a member of the Crusaders of Rune-Midgard like the other cast members). He has only been seen a few times in the comic, yet is strangely listed as a main cast member. Most often he is seen with Aragan, often sternly correcting him when he tries to circumvent the rules.
- Talien - Another priest who tends to be austere and unforgiving--this has earned him the nickname 'the Assholyte,' as he often has no tolerance for lamers and enjoys punishing them for their behavior. Except for one or two instances, he usually avoids getting caught in Nth Power's pranks.
- Saint Damien - Yet another priest, he is self-styled as 'the Lurker'--often, he will not take an active role in day to day happenings, but prefers to watch them unfold.
- Corigan - Infamous for both his affection for panties and abuse of 'alt-tabbing' (the keyboard command in Microsoft Windows that allows one to switch between active programs), which often puts whomever he is adventuring with in danger as they wind up being overwhelmed by monsters. He can often be seen in the comics standing idle in the background.
- El Blargo - Another wizard, and Mark Van Exel's opposite where skills and elemental affinity are concerned. Where Mark Van Exel favors ice and water spells, El Blargo's spells are fire based. While he doesn't have Nth Power's record of causing mass havoc, he is still dangerous, often burning anything for the sheer fun of it.
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