Day 27 — Beowulf and Grendel make a mad dash for book two, "The Song of Roland" which drops tomorrow from @andrewsmcmeel #28DaysOfRoland #comics #motiongraphics by @briankolm

Day 26 – In the original drafts of “Kid Beowulf: The Song of Roland” I sprinkled references from French literature in the story, in particular Quasimodo the hunchback and Esmeralda the gypsy, from Victor Hugo’s “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.” As my story solidified I realized these references didn’t fit so I had to retro-fit them in since I already drew those pages (rookie mistake kids!). So I turned back to the history books and was lucky to discover Pepin the hunchback, who was in fact, Charlemagne’s oldest son. In 792 Pepin tried to overthrow his dad but it didn’t work out, so Charlemagne had him exiled to a monastery in Prum, Germany. This was a happy coincidence since it meant I could rename my hunchback Pepin and leave him in the chapel in Paris (which I drew to resemble the one in Prum). My Pepin and Charlemagne are not related (at least, they don’t mention it) nor does he try to overthrow Charlemagne, instead, he’s a key player in the French Resistance. As for Esmeralda, I renamed her Belisande (Ogier the Dane’s true love) and put her in charge of the pub called “The Gallows” (an homage to “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” – the gallows are where Esmeralda was saved by Quasimodo). My own discovery of Pepin, a hunchback who was exiled to a monastery, makes me wonder if Victor Hugo may have been inspired by history for his own story of a hunchback (I know for sure Pepin inspired the 1972 musical Pippin). KidB Fun Fact: As seen above, Roland and Pepin end up being prison mates, which made for lots of good comedy between the two! #28DaysOfRoland #history #kidbeowulf #hunchback #victorhugo #quasimodo #bts

Day 25 – In each book I draw a sequence depicting the title character in their younger days doing a great feat that exemplifies who they are. For Roland we see his encounter against Ferragus the Giant! In order for Roland and Oliver to graduate from squires to full-fledged Peers they must defeat the giant. In the encounter we see how each character addresses a problem: Roland rushes headlong into them while Oliver thinks his way through, in the end both of them need each other's talent to succeed. This sequence also shows how Roland got his famous sword Durendal and his horn, the Oliphant. #28DaysOfRoland #comics #giants #bts #writing

Day 22 – Cortana is the name of Ogier’s sword, which he won from the Saracen king Marsilion at the Battle of Rennes. Like other famous swords, #cortana has a name and is wielded by great warriors and it bears the inscription “My name is Cortana, of the same steel and temper as Joyeuse and Durendal” (Joyeuse was the name of Charlemagne’s sword and #durendal is Roland's). Since Cortana was originally owned by Marsilion who rules Hispania I decided to make the sword a falcata style blade, which has a scimitar-shaped edge and originated in the Iberian Peninsula. The inscription noted above is scrawled into the hilt in Arabic (which Charlemagne properly nerds out about when he sees the sword). The name “Cortana” has since been used in the video game #Halo and as #Microsoft software. #28DaysOfRoland #kidbeowulf #bts #roland #ogier #swords

Day 20 – Winter scene featuring Beowulf, Grendel, Roland, Oliver and Hama. This scene never appeared in the book but was original art created for a Christmas card. #28DaysofRoland #kidbeowulf #bts

Day 19 – Ganelon is Roland’s step-father and a truly devious fellow. He has no love for Roland, Charlemagne, or the Peers and has been secretly plotting for years with King Marsilion to destroy them all. Ganelon prizes himself on being the smartest one in the room and enjoys defeating his enemies through nefarious, intricate, and long-term schemes which he believes are the best way to humiliate his enemies. KidB. Fun Fact: Just why does Ganelon hate Charlemagne so much? He’s secretly a descendant of the Merovingian Dynasty – the family in power before Charlemagne’s! #28daysofroland #character #snidelywhiplash #kidbeowulf

Day 18 – Rodomont, Renaud, and Bradamant are characters who come to Carolingian lore from the Italian epics, Orlando Furioso and Orlando Innamorato. They have a rich history of adventures that I combined as a sub-plot in “Kid Beowulf: The Song of Roland.” Rodomont is a Saracen warrior and the king of Algiers who lays siege to Paris. Bradamant has a long-standing feud with Rodomont and Renaud (Rinaldo in Italian) is Bradamant’s brother. In other stories Renaud is one of four brothers (“The Sons of Aymon”) who all ride the magical horse Bayard. I threw some of these elements together and pitted Renaud and Bradamant against the juggernaut Rodomont, who has a vendetta against their family. Rodomont has sworn to defeat all the "sons of Aymon" but discovers he cannot defeat the daughter. KidB Fun Fact: Rodomont’s design is in part inspired by The Juggernaut from the X-men! #28DaysOfRoland #bts #comics #mythology