Of Kings and Vagabonds
2 years ago
https://www.deviantart.com/krrouse/.....-and-vagabonds
I think you all are aware by now that I am HUGE fan of Lion King. Like, it defined quite a bit of my tastes when it comes to media and storytelling. And of course, since it is considered one of the best animated movies of all time, it managed to build a HUGE fanbase, full of people with passion for TLK. Which to me was great, as I get to enjoy endless amount of forms of fanart. You'd probably seen them here already, what's with lion-sonas and other, sometimes racier, art pieces. At times, you also stumble upon a fun fanfiction story done with the same amount of love and commitment a Trekkie or Star Wars fan does to their beloved franchises. That said, majority of the the time they are fun "What If..?", others are shipping materials, and of course, a deep dive into author's character (a practice I'm guilty of as well).
And then you have "Kings and Vagabonds," by KRRouse
Do note, I don't usually feel like doing this type of advertising. Not because I hate advertising, but because I tend to not consider it necessary on my part to do that. Some people will like it, others don't, it's all good. But I wanted to give more love to this fancomic due to how well it managed to "touch" me, and outright "inspire" me! The story follows Banzai, Shenzi and Ed, the hyena henchmen trio of Scar's after the latter's fall, as they have to live with the consequences of theirs, Scar's, and even Simba's actions.
I will admit, I tended to gloss over the hyena characters in general. I don't find them interesting in TLK, beyond their designated role as bad guys, or a lesson about specieism and whatnot. So I have to commend the author for finding a way to make me care for them to this extent. Now to elaborate, the reason why, while I love most fanfics, I don't usually go out of the way to recommend usually has to do with how much they satisfy this "respect" I have for the product. Any product, mind you. Usually, it's just "principles", like for example: Accuracy, Maturity, Artistry, and etc. These are common in every fan, of course. And usually, not every one of these was able to follow though them (Inaccurate; Character Retcon; Too violent; Too fluffy; Losing the plot...). So believe when I say how glad I am to have found this little comic!
The best thing I have to say is how it feels close to almost accurate to how characters are. The only differences here come from understandable plot necessities. It is darker than the original for sure, but it's not too dark, and has fluffy, and even humorous moments (I chuckled at the "Hakuna Matata" joke, not going to lie), without ever tonally whiplashing. The art is, I'll say for the most part, definitely done with passion. While not the most gorgeous thing out there (This is an art site, you've seen many), I give credit for trying to keep it close to the movie's style and working with it effectively to give appropriate moods for the scene. The plot is engaging from beginning to end, and the twist is well done. My nitpicks are minor, and they kinda have to do with inclusion of Kopa (I personally don't subscribe to his theory), as well as how this story fits with Lion Guard cannon (Then again, I'm more than happy with retconing Lion Guard a bit than this story!).
Genuinely, take a look if you are a TLK fan. Its over 200 pages long, but worth seeing at least once.
Also, TW: Blood, Suicide, and some Heavy Themes. If you having trouble with Deviant Art, look it up here:
https://kings-and-vagabonds-tlkcomi.....ext-full-comic
Also, the author is writing her own book, so check it out!
Gracias.
Now, onto writing more of my mediocre fanfiction...T-T
I think you all are aware by now that I am HUGE fan of Lion King. Like, it defined quite a bit of my tastes when it comes to media and storytelling. And of course, since it is considered one of the best animated movies of all time, it managed to build a HUGE fanbase, full of people with passion for TLK. Which to me was great, as I get to enjoy endless amount of forms of fanart. You'd probably seen them here already, what's with lion-sonas and other, sometimes racier, art pieces. At times, you also stumble upon a fun fanfiction story done with the same amount of love and commitment a Trekkie or Star Wars fan does to their beloved franchises. That said, majority of the the time they are fun "What If..?", others are shipping materials, and of course, a deep dive into author's character (a practice I'm guilty of as well).
And then you have "Kings and Vagabonds," by KRRouse
Do note, I don't usually feel like doing this type of advertising. Not because I hate advertising, but because I tend to not consider it necessary on my part to do that. Some people will like it, others don't, it's all good. But I wanted to give more love to this fancomic due to how well it managed to "touch" me, and outright "inspire" me! The story follows Banzai, Shenzi and Ed, the hyena henchmen trio of Scar's after the latter's fall, as they have to live with the consequences of theirs, Scar's, and even Simba's actions.
I will admit, I tended to gloss over the hyena characters in general. I don't find them interesting in TLK, beyond their designated role as bad guys, or a lesson about specieism and whatnot. So I have to commend the author for finding a way to make me care for them to this extent. Now to elaborate, the reason why, while I love most fanfics, I don't usually go out of the way to recommend usually has to do with how much they satisfy this "respect" I have for the product. Any product, mind you. Usually, it's just "principles", like for example: Accuracy, Maturity, Artistry, and etc. These are common in every fan, of course. And usually, not every one of these was able to follow though them (Inaccurate; Character Retcon; Too violent; Too fluffy; Losing the plot...). So believe when I say how glad I am to have found this little comic!
The best thing I have to say is how it feels close to almost accurate to how characters are. The only differences here come from understandable plot necessities. It is darker than the original for sure, but it's not too dark, and has fluffy, and even humorous moments (I chuckled at the "Hakuna Matata" joke, not going to lie), without ever tonally whiplashing. The art is, I'll say for the most part, definitely done with passion. While not the most gorgeous thing out there (This is an art site, you've seen many), I give credit for trying to keep it close to the movie's style and working with it effectively to give appropriate moods for the scene. The plot is engaging from beginning to end, and the twist is well done. My nitpicks are minor, and they kinda have to do with inclusion of Kopa (I personally don't subscribe to his theory), as well as how this story fits with Lion Guard cannon (Then again, I'm more than happy with retconing Lion Guard a bit than this story!).
Genuinely, take a look if you are a TLK fan. Its over 200 pages long, but worth seeing at least once.
Also, TW: Blood, Suicide, and some Heavy Themes. If you having trouble with Deviant Art, look it up here:
https://kings-and-vagabonds-tlkcomi.....ext-full-comic
Also, the author is writing her own book, so check it out!
Gracias.
Now, onto writing more of my mediocre fanfiction...T-T