On Colonialism and The Legend of Jamie Roberts

The other day, I got on Twitter, because I’m back on that platform for the fun of it. (Follow me for RPG content and hot takes). While scrolling, I spotted a Critical Role fanart piece. For folks not in the know, Critical Role is a show where nerdy voice actors sit around and play Dungeons & Dragons. In the fanart, The Dungeon Master sits at a table with miniatures scattered across it. The miniatures, of course, are the players’ characters.

One of the responses to this fanart said, “Hey! This is so good! Shout this out to Crit Role so they can use this into their intro sequence instead of using colonialism!”

Did that make you scratch your head? Here’s the missing piece:

Critical Role’s intro reel shows the cast in explorer costumes, poking around fantasy ruins. This is a callback to fiction like Edgar Rice Burroughs (Tarzan) and H. Rider Haggard (King Solomon’s Mines). You know…fiction where rich white explorers poke around “lost continents” (read: Africa and India) to search for treasure.

Burroughs and Haggard wrote in a time when this narrative was seen as “romantic” and “adventurous.” Nowadays, this isn’t as good – it’s seen as exploitative of the native people. (Because it is).

Thing is, this Twitter commenter got me thinking about my own comic, The Legend of Jamie Roberts. It’s about a genderqueer pirate and their two best friends treasure-hunting in a land full of dragons. This is true – but it also leaves out the Indigenous people I have in the story. Put a pin in that for a second.

One of the works that inspired this comic is the Dreamworks movie The Road to El Dorado. It’s no joke that this movie is a foundational piece of who I am as a person. A LOT of my humor and sensibilities stem from this movie. (And The Emperor’s New Groove, but that’s for a different time).

Here’s a secret about The Road to El Dorado, though…

When the movie came out, the ads declared that this movie would have a “respectful presentation” of Central American history. Why? Because the art and animation teams went on location to do research. So imagine the backlash the movie got when people watched it and said, “ah shit, of COURSE the Indigenous people think the two white guys are gods.”

Now, Breadsword on YouTube already did a fantastic video on the history behind The Road to El Dorado. So watch that for more context. But the reality is: The Road to El Dorado is a callback NOT to Indigenous Central Americans. It’s a callback to Bob Hope and Bing Crosby comedies. The Road to El Dorado’s twist was that not everyone believed the two protagonists were gods. But the doubters kept up the charade for the sake of the people.

When I rewatched this movie for roughly the 187th time, I thought, “What if white people came to a new land… and actually INTEGRATED instead of raiding?”

That’s how I started writing The Legend of Jamie Roberts. At least…one of the previous drafts.

Now, The Legend of Jamie Roberts DOES have three white people plotting to rob Indigenous people. I’m not going to sugarcoat that. They’re pirates, after all. So what’s my twist?

Well, in Chapter 6, Jamie Roberts is going to do something that has lasting consequences. And they destroy something. And for the rest of the story, they have to deal with the consequences of their actions… and the reactions of the Indigenous people.

In Chapters 7 and 8, the story is going to shift from “I’m seeking treasure” to “I’m seeking redemption.”

That’s right – I’m going to subvert the White Explorer narrative.

The trajectory of “I’m seeking redemption” has been at the core of the story since the start. It took several drafts and many years of writing to figure out WHY. But I’m confident in this final draft of the story.

I hope you stick with me. Because The Legend of Jamie Roberts is about to get REALLY juicy.

That’s all for now. Thank you for reading.

You. Are. Awesome.

The Final Hours of Jamie Roberts, Volume 1 on KickStarter

We’re in the FINAL hours of The Legend of Jamie Roberts, volume 1 on KickStarter.

If you haven’t heard:

The Legend is the story of Jamie Roberts and their two best friends treasure-hunting with a stolen map in a land full of magic.

The story is a long-running webcomic project, but now…

  • We’re getting chapters 1 through 4 (plus bonus material) in one book.
  • The KickStarter launched to get funding so the book can go to print.
  • We reached our initial goal! And now we’re SO CLOSE to our next stretch goal!

Interested in getting the book? Back it soon – the campaign ENDS MARCH 27 – that’s THIS SATURDAY.

Rewards for backers include, but are not limited to:

  • Books!
  • PDFs!
  • Stickers!
  • Campaign-exclusive minicomics!
  • And more!

If we reach 50 backers, I’ll add new bonus material to the book: sketched versions of Chapter 5’s first 3 to 4 pages. Will you be our 50th? Or even our 51st?!

Broke? Share this post, or the campaign link (tinyurl.com/jamie-v1) FAR AND WIDE!

Thank you for your support however you show it.

You. Are. Awesome.

Last Week for The Legend of Jamie Roberts, Volume 1

a four-block design announces "The Legend's Last Week on KickStarter. Campaign ends March 27. More info at tinyurl.com/jamie-v1" In one block, Jamie blocks a sword attach from a soldier. In another block, Basho and Izhye gasp in shock. Another block announces rewards for campaign backers.

It’s the LAST week that The Legend of Jamie Roberts, volume 1 is on KickStarter. The campaign ends March 27!

The Legend of Jamie Roberts, volume 1 collects the first 4 chapters, plus bonus content, in one volume. If you love genderqueer protagonists, pirates, dragons, magic, and adventure, this is the story for you!

Early Bird rewards may be all claimed, but there are still other rewards. Like…

  • $1 – you get a copy of Jamie and Friends’ map made as a desktop background.
  • $2 – you get the above PLUS the minicomic The Legend of Norsa mailed to you.
  • $10 – you get the digital background PLUS a PDF copy of The Legend of Jamie Roberts, volume 1.
  • $25 – get the above PLUS the copy of the book with a custom autograph
  • alternately, $25 – get the digital rewards PLUS two copies of the book are donated in your name to your local library.

Can you back the campaign? Then check it out BEFORE MARCH 27!

Broke? Share the link to the campaign (tinyurl.com/jamie-v1) far and wide with your friends!

The Legend of Jamie Roberts Returns to KickStarter!

(image of Jamie Roberts, a genderqueer young person with messy blonde hair climbing the side of a mud-brick building. They look out at the sea with a soft smile on their face. Text next to them reads The Legend of Jamie Roberts, volume 1 - Funded in the 1st 24 hours)
(image of Jamie Roberts, a genderqueer young person with messy blonde hair climbing the side of a mud-brick building. They look out at the sea with a soft smile on their face. Text next to them reads The Legend of Jamie Roberts, volume 1 – Funded in the 1st 24 hours)

Jamie Roberts returns to KickStarter!

Jamie is neither boy or girl – they’re a PIRATE! The Legend is about Jamie and their two best friends, Thomas and Daniel, as they uncover an unfinished map to a land they’ve never seen.

So what do they do with this map?

(A picture of Jamie, a genderqueer human with messy blonde hair and green eyes, gesturing with excitement, saying, "Go treasure hunting, of course!")
(A picture of Jamie, a genderqueer human with messy blonde hair and green eyes, gesturing with excitement, saying, “Go treasure hunting, of course!”)

So they leave their life on the seas and go adventuring for treasure! Along the way they find magic, dragons, and an ancient history bubbling back to the surface once more.

Right now, the story is on KickStarter to get chapters 1 through 4 – plus bonus content – in one shiny paperback book.

If you back this campaign, you’ll get:

  • a custom-signed copy of the book,
  • the map Jamie, Thomas, and Daniel found, complete with their notes and doodles,
  • your very own orb (make sure it never breaks, or Ranki will escape his prison!)
  • and more!

Some rewards are ONLY available until March 12, so check out the campaign and back it if and while you can.

“Wait!” you might be thinking. “You’ve already reached your funding goal! So what’s in it for me if I support you?”

Well, we still have stretch goals!

If we can get to 30 backers, then everyone who supports the campaign will get a FREE sticker sheet included with their rewards.

And if we get to 40 backers? I’ll make a NEW minicomic for all backers, The Legend of Azu-Mi.

Plus, I have a NEW gift…

(a black and white line drawing of a dragon roaring into the void. The title, The Legend of Jamie Roberts, is printed along the top)
(a black and white line drawing of a dragon roaring into the void. The title, The Legend of Jamie Roberts, is printed along the top)

Here’s a free, downloadable coloring book page for you!

If 5 people color this page, and use the hashtag #thelegendofjamieroberts on Instagram or TikTok, then I’ll add a bookplate to each book! (Up to a maximum of 50 books.)

Broke? Share this link far and wide with your pirate-loving friends:

http://tinyurl.com/jamie-v1

Some rewards are ONLY available until March 12. The campaign as a whole wraps up on March 27.

Thank you for your support, however you show it!

You. Are. Awesome.

Prepare! For The Legend of Jamie Roberts, Volume 1 on KickStarter…

jamie roberts, a genderqueer human with messy blonde hair and green eyes, is gesturing with dreamy excitement against a brown background.

It’s that time – time for a new KickStarter campaign. And this time, I’m hoping to get The Legend of Jamie Roberts, volume 1 in paperback.

The WHAT

The Legend of Jamie Roberts is a weekly webcomic I write and illustrate. It’s all about Jamie – neither man or woman, but a PIRATE. Jamie and their two best friends, Thomas and Daniel, find an unfinished map for a land they never explored. And so together, they go on a new adventure!

Volume 1 will collect the first 4 chapters of the webcomic. Yeah, I know I had chapters 1 and 2 in single-issue comics before. And those had their own KickStarter campaigns. But volume 1 will be the first time the first 4 chapters of the story will be in print together.

The WHEN

Mark your calendars – the KickStarter will launch before the end of February.

The HOW

If you want to be first in line to pre-order the book, you need to get on the email newsletter. My email peeps are the first to know when ANY KickStarter launches. That means they get to see the Early Access rewards, which are only available for a limited time.

Any questions? Hit me up in the comments below.

Thanks for reading!

You. Are. Awesome.