IAmA guy called Thunt. A webcomic author (Goblins). AMA!

I have a couple of questions actually. You said recently (I think on Twitter) that you had the comic planned out right up to the end of it, and that the story was written, you just needed to draw it all. If that is the case, does that mean that the very beginnings of the comic, where it's jokey and silly and similar in theme to Order of the Stick, was an intentional blind to set up for the change in the illogical silliness of D&D into the monsters finally having enough and standing up for themselves, or was the idea to change it to a story of monsters that are clearly unfairly typed as 'evil' making a name for themselves as good people born of a dissatisfaction with how the story was appearing?

Secondly, I noticed something early on in the Maze of Many. Kin mentions that Evil is apparently winning throughout the multiverses. There also appears to be a theme of karmic retribution throughout the comic; good people have bad shit happen to them, bad people tend to get what's coming to them eventually, good guys who screw up and do stupid shit tend to get what's coming to them too. I take it this was an entirely intentional thing, and as a result is the comic forming a story of good finally overcoming evil over the multiverse?

Thirdly, do you bloody realise how much you made me cry over Minmax? When you started out Minmax was an idiot. He was a stupid, brainless, asinine fool who I wanted to punch for being a dink. the MOMENT he tossed Delynn out of that window he was suddenly my hero and has not stopped being my favourite character ever in the comic. His birthday party for Kin was one of the most beautiful scenes I've ever seen. How in the world did you learn to write so well??

The comic is 'sillier' at the beginning because that's a tone that's easier to set when working with characters that the readers don't know yet. You can't really touch emotional stuff until everyone's gotten to know the characters (at least it's harder to do so). Remember when the characters were first introduced in Aliens? Lots of comedic one liners to help you get to know the characters. Then it's all "AAAH! THERE'S ACID IN MY FACE!"

Re: karmic retribution- I think you've just explained 85% of all stories, everywhere. :)

I like Minmax too.

I am a huge fan of your comic, thanks for doing the AMA. I really do not have any questions at this time, just want to say thanks for the great comic you have done for us all.

Thank YOU!

Do you feed on our tears? Because it kinda seems like you do (cough Chief cough).

I'm sorry. I PLOMISE that no more characters will die in Goblins.

Is minamax and kin based off your relationship with your wife? I've noticed the characters physical appearance shows many similarities to the two of you.

Seriously? Minmax is totally buff! I don't see how... oh, the bald thing. Right. Naw, Minmax and Kin aren't based off of my wife and I.

(The following contains a light trigger warning...)

Kin's history is based off of my Mother. When she was 16, she was kidnapped by four guys and repeatedly uh... yeah (she was held for a couple days). Originally, I'd never planned to publicly mention this, but when I was attacked last year for "making light of rape", my Mother insisted that I tell her tale, to put the haters at ease. I chose not to and later learned that my Mom was actually pretty mad that I never explained where Kin's background came from. She kept telling me to contact the people mad at me for using rape in my story and explain all of this to them. We actually kind of argued about this for months after the whole "Thunt is making light of rape" thing blew over. This is the first time I'm mentioning this publicly now, so I guess Mom will be happy that I finally let the secret out.

More of a business-y side of things question, what are some good printing services you've used/are using?

It's not really something I see asked/answered a lot from other webcomic folks, and as a would-be (see: wannabe) cartoonist I'm wondering if there's any one service that webcomic creators prefer to use for making posters, art prints, etc.

Also, PsiMax is probably the most awesome villain you've created thus far. Merchandise that glorious madman, I need to throw more money at you!

I've had some bad experiences with printers before (as have other webcomic authors). I'd avoid Lebonfon like a flaoting "candy bar" in a public swimming pool.

Thanks. PsiMax is neato (though that's not actually his name. The fans named him that).

What is your favorite theory about Kore, or any of the other characters/items? Psimax, perhaps? Oblivious?

When will we see the return of the GAP?

I like the theories that are completely weird and crazy. I'm all like "Hey, check out what THIS guy says!". The theories that are better than what I've written piss me off because I'm a petty, jealous man.

Oh and we'll see the GAP as soon as we're done with this Maze of Many arc. And it's almost done.

What is your favorite webcomic (other than your own)?

Girl Genius is awesome. (I'm a Foglio fan boy)

Lackadaisy makes me jealous with that breathtaking artwork.

XKCD is just too hilarious.

Dork Tower is just plain awesome.

Older stuff I like (not webcomics, because they pre-date the internet)...

Elfquest

Wormy

Finieous Fingers

Ranxerox

Honestly on a side note, you have been busting your hump to try and get the comics to us, as well as the whole GAR thing, you and Danielle both, it must take some toll on you, especially during grad season (and wow does you son look like you). Anyhow long winded tangent, I just wanted to say, on behalf of the community (I think), Thank you very much for all your hard work and bringing us such emotional connection, humor, and wonderfulness (is that a word...), thanks!

Thanks James!

How long are you going to continue the comic (realistically, example: I will do this untill I'm six feet under)?

I'm still a long way off from the end of the comic. I honestly don't know how long it's going to take to finish the whole thing. I have it written, but I don't know how many drawn, completed pages that's going to translate into. Basically, we're looking at years.

First of all, I'd like to say you broke my heart when our wonderful, metal friend died, but in that beautiful, masochistic way that comes with great writing. Second, as someone who likes to call himself a writer, I'm curious about your literary inspirations. Who are your favourite authors, and whose writing inspired you the most?

Joss Whedon

R. A. Salvatore

Piers Anthony

Chris Claremont

Wendy Pini

Dave Trampier

Joel Rosenberg

Phil Foglio

How far in advance have you planned the plot? I love the multidimensional maze concept.

The whole story is written out to the end. I finished writing it about eight years ago.

Who is your favorite character to write for?

Who is your favorite character to draw?

Minmax is probably the easiest, because the guy is like a big, dumb kid. I don't really have a favourite though. It depends on my mood I suppose. And I like drawing whoever I haven't drawn in a while. Although Big Ears' armour is fun.

What is the main reason your comic has been late with updates? It seems to have happened often. I love your comic, but just was curious as to why there is such a history with update delays.

Thanks.

There are a number of reasons. I'm stubborn and I don't want to lessen the detail, nor do I want to bring in other artists. I know it's frustrating and honestly, I can't really argue with the people out there who are mad at me.

Before the Kickstarter, my current publisher required two updates per week. This was a problem for me. Now, the kickstarter has been a huge time drain, but in a couple days, I'll have neither of those excuses, so we'll see how it goes. (fingers crossed)

All I can do is keep drawing.

You've mentioned that you have everything written out already. How do you deal with the new editions as they come out? You added that soul-spiking thing from 4th Edition...will we see more stuff that didn't exist when you were writing Goblins? Will there be Warforged? Please let there be Warforged.

The game takes place in a mixture of 3rd edition and 3.5 (because that's what my group played when I started the comic). I added the Soulspike Devourer just because it's too awesome. I had to write that in. As for Warforged...

There's a Warforged LIKE character later on. It's not an official Warforged. Different origin, etc. If I called it a Warforged, the readers would eat me alive for not staying true to Warforged mythos, and then I'd get sued for using the name. So um... yes and no.

Biscuit the giant-ass Orc is absolutely my favorite character, not to mention the email you got about the millitary man using "it's a very sunny day" in combat. (That made me smile real big). Will we be seeing more of this most badass of orcs? For jeebas sake the guy cut his own leg off to survive, and ATE healing potions bottle and all.

Second question. How often do you stop, look in the mirror and be all like...God damn I'm awesome... ?

Biscuit will continue to be a part of the comic. He's still a part of the Dies and Fox arc that we'll eventually get back to.

Second question answer- I used to do that every day, until I realized that what I THOUGHT was my mirror, was a picture of Batman. :(

Hey Thunt!

Where'd you come up with the idea to Goblins?

Who's your favorite character?

Do you do a lot of RPing in real life?

I first came up with the idea for the comic while I was working in an ice cream store (while the casino I worked at was on strike). Though I first started with the idea of Kobolds. I stopped scooping ice cream and started sketching them on a paper towel.

I don't really have a favourite character (boring answer, I know).

I used to play D&D a lot before I started working on the comic. Now though... not so much.

Hey Thunt! Great to see you're on Reddit now!

Thanks!

Random, extremely minor story point.

At one point, the GAP walks by a huge dragon skull in the forest. Any backstory to that dragon? The Forum assumption was that it was so long ago that it has zero effect on the characters and setting.

That's a dragon skull from a young, green dragon variant. It was killed by adventurers a looooong time ago. That's about all the detail I put into that skull.

Thunt, can you go into any detail about changes you had to make because of TSR copyright issues? For example, not being able to call Kin a "Yuan-ti" anymore?

Are there things you wanted to do story-wise but had to avoid, drastically change because of legal concerns?

Nothing had to be changed a whole lot. And to be fair, no one has ever hit me with a cease and desist or anything. I just decided to be extra careful after 'Rusty & Co.' got into legal trouble.

There are some minor changes that I've made to future story points, but obviously I can't go into details until after those points have been posted online.

Did you go to college/university?

If so, would you recommend it?

I have not.

I am completely unqualified to recommend or condemn it.

HOLY SHIT AWESOME! Read Goblins every update! DO you plan to super expand on the Minmax and Forgath Adventure, throughout the search for the Jade Teapot to then connect over to Names and Ears? And also, What the FUCK is up with that Kore and his tied fate to Forgath? Can we expect amazing fight scenes? And furthermore, I sincerely wanna know what the fuck's up with Dies Horribly and such. Thanks for the amazing comic, crazy imagination based off a crazy hobby game

Darn. Most of those questions, I can't answer because they're spoilery. :(

(Here's my answer if they both get to live...) Minmax and Forgath have lots to do after this story arc.

(Here's my answer if one or both of them die...) No, Man. There's screaming and death. It's awful.

The story never actually says that the dwarf destined to kill Forgath is Kore. I'm not saying it isn't Kore, but that's never been confirmed. :)

Yes, there are fighting scenes. With lots of blood. Tis yucky.

We'll get back to Dies, etc. Biscuit has one leg, Dies has a new arm and Fox... well we need to meet her clan.

Was the Blue Orb of Bloodlight consumed when Fox used it to give Dies a new arm? I was never quite clear on that.

It was, yeah. It was a one use item. It'll be clearly explained as soon as we get back to their arc.

Have you ever thought about releasing or selling a goblins RPG or a module for dnd ?

I'd love to do stuff like that, but it all comes down to time. I'm always racing deadlines and as my readers know... failing at that. Other projects like that will have to wait. But yes, I want to.

When did the idea of Goblins First come to you, and how significantly has the story evolved between when you started, and when you finished the written bits?

I 'think' it was 2002 when I first started working on Goblins (then called Kobolds). I might be wrong about that year, though.

The dialogue and pacing evolves as I continue to learn. The story points remain the same (mostly), but the dialogue, etc is always being altered.

First off boyband fan screams

Second: I have several questions about the goblins card game I havnt seen answered will the shield of wonder pack be available after launch? Will the game have eventual 'booster packs' like trading card games? Will we see familiar characters we havnt seen in a while with additions added on to them? (such as the monsters that escaped with the goblins crew from the dungeons, but with classes [which they discussed doing in the back ground])

And thirdly how many more issues will there be in the maze of many arc? And will you have any more alt explanations pages? (i love those)

Fourthly do you already have plans for after goblins? Could you see yourself working for comic companies like dark horse or marvel?

Finally why are you so awesome :D

Shield of Wonder- I 'think' it's going to be available after the kickstarter. My mind would be blown if it was not made available for purchase.

Booster Packs- Nope. It's not a CCG. There are plans for expansions, but those can be played on their own or added to the main game. And yes, they'll include lots of other characters, locations, etc. I'm pretty sure that the Monster Adventuring Party (the MAP) will be in an expansion.

Maze of Many- We're near the end of that arc. I'm not sure how many pages, though. I just know what's going to happen.

If you had to choose, and if you were not allowed to see either ahead of time and had no other information to go on, would you rather fight Mindcrow or Gonadulus?

Gonadulus. Cause I like boats.

How the Doodles-to-make-up-for-lack-of-Tempts-Fate thingies coming along? I can't say I've seen any besides the opening one. :)

This Kickstarter has eaten up more time than I have. I've been way too late just with the basic comic updates. I plan to hit the Tempts comic as soon as the kickstarter ends and I catch up on the basic comic stuff.

Sorry for the wait. :(

Sigh, I suppose it is tradition to ask this.

So Thunt, would you rather battle one horse-sized duck or 100 duck-sized horses?

Have you ever seen a duck's penis?! 100 duck-sized horses. Definitely.

I find Chief to be an underrated character, do you feel the same way?

Well, Chief left a lot of stuff unfinished. I think he would have shined more if he'd gotten a chance to reach more of his personal goals.

Hey, Thunt. Jakesdad here.

If you had the chance to talk to Gary Gygax right now, after the obligatory round of zombie jokes, what would you two discuss?

Gary "It's a '/rolls dice' pleasure to meet you."

Me "Put the dice away before I put them away!"

Seriously, I'd just stare at him and giggle in starstruck awe.

Have you ever trolled another famous person? (At a con or something.)

HAHA! No.

Wait... yes. I threatened to draw penises on my Munchkin cards, if John Kovalic got 10,000 Twitter followers before me. He did. Then he jokingly demanded those drawings and thus, successfully trolled me back. To this day, I have not drawn the penises, nor have I reach 10,000 Twitter followers.

Oh, and I also pretended to be Aaron Williams (author of Nodwick and PS238) on a panel at Gencon. I was sitting next to the real Aaron Williams at the time.

Any idea when I might be able to buy all 4 books written so far, preferably in hardcover with fancy binding and stuff? :D

I imagine it might be a ways off with all the GAR stuff going on right now, but I thought I should tell you that as SOON as you find time to sort that out, I will throw all my money at you!

Thanks!

I have no release dates for future books, yet. But they're coming for sure.

Do you still have that talking robot that can be net accessed and be made to yap at you in the wee hours of the morning?

If so, what's the URL and code?

I still have it, but it's not connected at the moment.

So... I have a Q: (Dah!)

I think i read somewhere that you actually played out the "Game" of the story... using the DnD rules...

Is this true or am I miss informed.. and If its true... did you roll battle? Normal things such as spot checks and listen? If you did.. I guess you used the Rule of cool (The dice are important, but the story is more so, so if needed, scr*w the dice) or am i completely off track here?

The story has not been 'played ou't and nothing in the comic was determined with dice. This rumour has popped up every now and then, but it's not true. It's all just written out in the old fashioned sense.

2nd Q (Request i guess): "I used to look at the mirror every day, proclaiming -I'm Awesome- until I realized that what I THOUGHT was my mirror, was a picture of Batman!" Will you please make a poster, or a background with this! That is the worlds best quote ever, and I'd pay to have a poster with Fumbles or a drawing of you proclaiming that....

Maybe if I catch up with my deadlines HAHA!

What chapter or page are you most proud of?

It hasn't happened yet. :)

Though out of the posted pages, I like... hmmm.... Kore attacking Chief... The monsters storming Brassmoon... Um... "Penis go boom".

When Dies is gonna die? Can it be that his name means dies like "dies all the time"?

More will be explained about Dies Horribly. All I can say now, is that his name is NOT a play on words.

"Hey, you died my hair the wrong colour! You're horrible at this! GASP! That's why you're named Dies Horribly!" No. >:(

Congratulations on the comic and the last page published so far it's impressive... i've never seen such psionic-induced gore since Akira!

Akira rocks the casba!

Since you've already written the story, will you print ot as a novel at some point? could be interesting to get all the details that dont get into the comic

You mean print out my notes? Oh geez, no. The story is written, sure. But it's nothing like a clean, easily read novel. It's a mess of point-form notes, clunky dialogue, descriptions of fight scenes and stuff that no one other than me can understand. Okay, maybe my wife can understand it.

I got no questions. Just absolute love for this comic. You do great work and I wish I could draw like you.

Thanks! XD

Your fans surprise you with cool presents from time to time. However, did you ever recieve a "fan gift" that you absolutely hated? (Or didn't have the heart to tell them it sucked?)

I've never, ever hated a gift from a fan. I'm going to spend the rest of my life swimming in gratitude toward them. :)

What's your favourite flavour of ice cream?

Anything with peanutbutter in it.

Who would win in a fight, me or fire? :P

You, of course! Fire'd get its ass handed to it!

What would you have done differently/the same about avoiding the recent Blind Ferret... thing?

Are you going to get back goblinscomic.com anytime soon?

Oh, and the Morgan Freeman AMA thing was.... weird. the verification pic people think was photoshoped. And it seemed to be another PR stunt to promote a movie (Kinda like Rampart ama (knowyourmeme link))

Well, I don't want to say anything negative about Blind Ferret. I wish them the best.

We don't have control of goblinscomic.com yet, but we're hoping it gets handed back to us soon. After all, Blind Ferret is busy running their own business. I'm sure they'll get to it as soon as they can.

Yeah, the Morgan Freeman thing was bizarre. "Like a Twinkie. Like a Twinkie."

9 more backers til Gen Con?

Is it? Cool!