Legend of Bill



Legend of Bill is a webcomic started in 2008 by David Reddick. It started as a Gag Per Day Webcomic, albeit not being a daily issue, but gradually turned into a grandiose epic featuring dozens of characters. Some of the recurring characters even led to two spinoffs: Barwench Tales and The Gnome Syndicate.

The story's main characters are Bill, an overly buff guy with a bit of a child mind as the Hero, and Frank, a blue dragon as the Lancer.

The premise starts as Bill, an accounting clerk tired of his daily job as a pencil pusher, decides to start a new life as a Barbarian Hero. Hilarity Ensues.

This webcomic provides examples of:

 * Aborted Arc: The reason Princess Gina initially enrolled the help of Bill. This was never mentioned again, but could very well be a Brick Joke.
 * Action Girl: About every female character. Even the local tavern's barwench will turn into one if you don't order properly - and sometimes even if you do.
 * Altar the Speed: Dark Queen must marry before the first snow fall lest she loses her powers.
 * Bald of Evil: Warix
 * Bald of Awesome: Craven
 * Because Destiny Says So: Poor unsuspecting Bill!
 * Be Careful What You Wish For: Like here.
 * Berserk Button: Sort of (he is not really sane to start with). Just don't mention to the Dark Underlord that Vasheeva is his "EX" wife, you'll regret it (Ask Gork of Givernly or poor Barry).
 * Beware the Nice Ones: If any of the ladies get threatened, Bill goes into berserk mode, remembering nothing afterward. Happened twice so far, or possibly three times according to some reports.
 * Big Bad: The Dark Queen and Warix
 * Blonde Brunette Redhead: Gypsy, Vasheeva, Princess Gina (well, pink, really)
 * Brand X: Dragon Burger fast food restaurants.
 * Breaking the Fourth Wall: At least once, when after a long run of following some other characters, the strip returned to Bill and Frank, this happened.
 * Breast Plate: Literally
 * Chekhov's Gun: Early in the series, the Dark Queen fumbles on the name of Frank. Two years later or so, Frank realizes Princess Gina isn't really who she pretends to be because she calls him Fred.
 * Clip Show: a couple - such as this.
 * Compensating for Something: here and there
 * Continuity Nod: Quite a few. For example compare this and this. See Berserk Button too.
 * Darker and Edgier: Evolving into this, but still peppered with the occasional, non plot related gag.
 * Deadpan Snarker: Frank
 * The Dragon: General Foztik
 * Drink Order: Against stereotype, Played for Laughs as Bill the Barbarian's favorite drink is milk.
 * Everyone Calls Her Barwench: The Wet Gill Tavern sociopath barwench, until she was given a name in the spinoff Barwench Tales.
 * Eyepatch of Power: General Foztik has inherited one recently.
 * Fortune Teller: Gypsy, obviously !
 * Grand Theft Me: Dark Queen does this to Princess Gina - and is the principal drive for the main current plotline.
 * How Much More Can He Take: General Foztik
 * Intimidating Revenue Service: Early in the series, a group of Orcs ambush Bill and are ready to take revenge because as a clerk he misfiled their tax forms.
 * The Leisure Suit Larry: Sir Lance
 * Mark of the Beast: The tattoos on Warix and his minions.
 * Monochrome Past: For the whole Gypsy time travel sequence - with the present characters seen in desaturated colors.
 * Mysterious Watcher: Giles
 * No Name Given:
 * Gypsy
 * The omnipresent gnome for a long time (but that's changed).
 * The narcoleptic horse - although he is credited with a name, this never appears in-universe.
 * Non Sequitur: Bill's trademark
 * The Omniscient Council of Vagueness: The Gnome Syndicate
 * Painting the Fourth Wall:
 * Magic incantations are written with distorted lettering.
 * The Dark Underlord speech bubbles are different.
 * Pointy Ears: Always evil. Maybe
 * Reset Button: Was used extensively at the beginning. Seems to have completely disappeared. Now actions have consequences.
 * Running Gag: This is a Where's Waldo gag - a gnome appears in at least one panel in almost every strip.
 * Seers:
 * Giles
 * Gypsy
 * Ganyon
 * Shout Out:
 * The Smurfs - although they sure don't behave as they usually do
 * Craven looks suspiciously like Deep Space 9's very own Benjamin Sisko with turtle neck and everything
 * Various other comics and webcomics when Bill and Princess Gina (as Vasheeva) try different outfits
 * Split Screen: You mean like that?
 * Stable Time Loop: Gypsy's magic and Bill holding the Idiot Ball started this.
 * Through His Stomach: The surest path to Bill's heart is through cookies.
 * Youthful Freckles: Princess Gina