Line #31 Webcomic/VanVonHunter


1	[[quoteright:269:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/1898917.jpg]]
2
3	A mighty wanderer and hunter of evil stuff, ''[[http://www.vanvonhunter.com/ Van Von Hunter]]'' wanders around with his {{Sidekick}} and fights evil. Or at least as much evil as friendly vampires and The Flaming Prince can summon.
4
5	Basically a comedic fantasy, ''Van Von Hunter'' pokes fun at many fantasy elements, especially the questing aspects and the kind of people who make those requests. Its sense of humor is its strong point.
6
7	It started in 2002, but started suffering from ScheduleSlip sometime after the author got a book deal from {{Creator/Tokyopop}}. Three volumes were published in all, forming a complete story arc taking place [[strike: ten thousand]] three years after the end of the story begun in the webcomic. It also made a surprising jump to newspaper syndication, thanks to a six-month deal through Universal Press Syndicate. The webcomic started up again in 2012 with some strips involving TimeTravel.
8
9	Has also been turned into a movie, which...[[InNameOnly diverges from the source material.]]
10
11	----
12	!!The series provides examples of:
13
14	* AmplifierArtifact: The Ebon Eye in the books. Or, as the Flaming Prince would have it, the "[[{{Portmanteau}} blarble]]".
15	%%* AtrociousAlias: The Flaming Prince
16	* AxCrazy: Van's maid, Miriam. She cleans Van's mansion with a ''knife''.
17	* BeardOfEvil: Van ''draws'' a goatee on his evil twin so that they can be told apart.
18	* BigNo: Parodied in the second book when Van sacrifices his Sidekick's brownie hoard and the Sidekick realizes what her boss just did.
19	* BreakingTheFourthWall: Van's sidekick complains to the audience upon the first mention that she has no actual name.
20	* BreastPlate: Adonette, in the second book. Lampshaded.
21	%%* ChildMage: Ariana Rael
22	* DisproportionateRetribution: The life's work of Vengeance Joe. He's on a quest to slay Von Hunter for not properly introducing himself.
23	* EasyAmnesia: The given reason that nobody knows the name of Van's sidekick.
24	* EmbarrassingFirstName: The Flaming Prince's first name is Lesley. Though that's probably ''less'' embarrassing than his title.
25	* EnemyEatsYourLunch: What happens when Van throws the brownie sack to the zombies with an "EAT THIS!!"
26	* EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep:
27	** Van's sidekick is first introduced in the webcomic as a "Damsel In Distress," being held captive by one Count Disdain (a Vampire). After the Counts inevitable slaying, she gets dragged into Vans quest to defeat evil, and never actually properly introduces herself before she is given amnesia, which actually happens quite awhile after she meets Van. Since the only one who might have known her name (Or at least had a clue to it) ''was'' Count Disdain, they never do find out what her name is.
28	** This also applies to the Flaming Prince's assistant.
29	* EvilTowerOfOminousness: Count Disdain's castle ("The ominous fortress on the mountaintop")
30	* FlamingSword: Van usually uses a battle hammer, but occasionally uses a magic sword in the books.
31	* FunetikAksent: Miriam. "Roight. Keep it ter yorself then, love."
32	%%* GeneralFailure: The Flaming Prince.
33	%%* HarmlessVillain: The Flaming Prince is this in a nutshell.
34	* ImThinkingItOver: Van and his sidekick escape their first adventure after having been sentenced to death. When confronted by the choice of accompanying Van or returning to face certain death, the sidekick says she'll have to think about it. Even after their foes launch a B-2 bomber at them out of a catapult she still isn't certain.
35	* ImpossiblyCoolClothes: Van, as well as Ari, The Flaming Prince, and Adonette
36	%%* ImpossiblyLowNeckline: {{Omake}} strip spoofing [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyX Lulu's outfit]].
37	* ImprobableWeaponUser: Amanda Beaumont has mastered the use of ''broken'' swords.
38	* ImpossiblyDeliciousFood: The Goblins' Brownies are so good, that a king is forced to reconsider his hostility of the Goblins, and allow them to trade in his kingdom (with the brownies among other tasty goods the Goblins sell). They snap a group of brain-hungry zombies out of their mindset as they realize how good they are, and almost can be considerer a GRatedDrug as they compel the Sidekick to want them (and she has to be slung over Van's shoulder carrying a big golf-bag full of them).
39	-->"NO! I Can Still Carry More! THEY HAVE SEMI-SWEET CHOCOLATE CHUNKS IN THEM, DAMN YOU!!"
40	* JokerJury: ''Van Von Hunter'' begins with Van on trial for the crime of "re-murder", i.e. the "murder" of an undead vampire. The event took place in a land seemingly populated entirely by the undead, so the judge, jury, and lawyers are all undead.
41	* KangarooCourt: Van's killing of a vampire was brought to trial in a court that was incredibly biased in favor of undead.
42	* KickTheDog: What convinced Van that his counterpart was evil.
43	* LampshadeHanging: "The laws of the land strictly forbid the use of flashbacks within flashbacks!"
44	* LargeHam: The Sidekick's down to her last brownie--"The One Brownie"--in Volume 3, and invokes [[Film/TheLordOfTheRings Gollum]] as she's torn about her "sweet, tasty Precious" and eating it. "But we musts! Yes, Precious, we musts!" And then can't bring herself to eat it, bemoaning, "But You Are the Last!" And then a goblin pushes a sqweaky-wheeled cart right where she can see it--loaded with boxes of brownies. A few pages later, she has a box tray of them, as well as a drink to go with them.
45	* LoadBearingBoss: Subverted. Van warns everyone to leave Kulaats' tower before it collapses, but it's still standing later on.
46	* MeaningfulName: Van changed his name to Von Hunter to reflect his chosen profession. His real name is Vaughn. His real surname, that is. Von Vaughn. His given name was always Van, though originally also pronounced "vawn".
47	* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: After eating one of the Goblins' Brownies, a previously brain-hungry zombie asks in shock, "What have we been DOING all this time?!?"
48	* NoNameGiven: As mentioned above, with Van's sidekick.
49	* OtherMeAnnoysMe: The Flaming Price's eviler, gay version from an AlternateUniverse [[http://www.vanvonhunter.com/vvh211.html is shown to really get on his main counterpart's nerves]].
50	* OurGoblinsAreDifferent: Volume 2 has "darkness-loving goblins" who were "elfs" corrupted by demonic magic. Hollow-tree, cookie-baking elfs. Who still make great, delicious baked goods. They make AMAZING brownies. Which are ComfortFood to the Sidekick, and [[ImpossiblyDeliciousFood Really Good to a pack of zombies]] that [[GRatedDrug snaps them]] out of a hunger from brains in Volume 2 [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything (the zombies then want the brownies instead)]]. The brownies have made a king reconsider not having them operate in his kingdom (where they could do great business selling their baked goods).
51	* QuestGiver: One bit character is ''officially'' named "Quest Giver Guy".
52	* RunningGag: "I will crush you like... like... this X!"
53	* SelectiveObliviousness: Van pretends not to notice that Ari is entirely evil so that he doesn't have to fight her.
54	* SesquipedalianLoquaciousness: An "SAT prep" version of the first book was released, with various words replaced with fancier synonyms. "Clever" became "perspicacious" for example.
55	%%* ShirtlessScene: Van, in the first book.
56	* ShoutOut:
57	** The Technolich is eventually brought back to life by being hit with a pillow stuffed with [[Franchise/FinalFantasy Pheonix Down]]. The books also include more, including references to ''Franchise/DragonBall'' and ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'', and a minor character named [[Film/DieHard Hans Gruber]]. Ariana's [[Franchise/HarryPotter Warthog's School of Magical Science]] arc (complete with characters such as "Hairy"), and some more Manga/FullmetalAlchemist references. Also present in one of the swords on the wall in [[http://www.vanvonhunter.com/vvh99.html this]] strip.
58	** Also, a [[http://www.vanvonhunter.com/vvh196.html shout out]] to ''Manga/AzumangaDaioh''.
59	* SinisterShades: The Flaming Prince's assistant.
60	* SuperStrength: Subverted. The magic gauntlets acquired by Van's sidekick let her lift very heavy things, but not throw them, push them, or manipulate them in any other way, with one exception: She can [[http://www.vanvonhunter.com/vvh68.html drop stuff]].
61	%%* {{Stripperific}}: Adonette
62	* TimeSkip: Between the webcomic and the books, amounting either to three years or ten thousand years, depending on who you ask.
63	%%* TimeTravel: The comic's resurrection involves this.
64	* TrickingTheShapeshifter: As it turns out, vampires can switch between human and monstrous form, and "A beautiful woman is so much more intimidating than a vampire." Two panels later, "They are easier to stake, though."
65	* TheVonTropeFamily: Right there in the title. Subverted; Von Hunter is A) a good guy, and B) not his real name.

Context Webcomic / VanVonHunter