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Tell Your Story By The Sea In “Oi! Tales Of Bardic Fury”

Tales of Bardic Fury

Hail and well met, weary traveler! Welcome to the quaint seaside village of Oi, where we’ve got kelp, kelp, selkies, and more kelp! Think you can find some bardic inspiration here? Then come on down and read Oi! Tales of Bardic Fury. Don’t forget to bring your music with you! After all, this small town in Ireland has never heard of it before!

Oi! Tales of Bardic Fury is a free-to-read episodic web comic that follows Bryan, a recently graduated bard. Sent to Oi, a town by the sea; he learns about the town and its inhabitants. In particular, he meets village druid Star Seal, his two daughters Rhianna and Aideen, and the town slave Servius. Making himself at home, Bryan learns more about how to become a better bard. He picks up some interesting stories to tell. Even though he does appear to be the protagonist, Bryan is far from the central character. In fact, the entire comic is very character-driven, with episodes focusing on one character arc at a time. Reading the first three episodes, you can guess that the second episode focuses on Rhiannon, while the third focuses on Servius.

Seemingly drawn with a pen and markers, the entire comic is visually stunning. Colors are in monotone, but not in typical black and white. It’s actually blue and white, which is a really smart decision! Partially founded by the god of the sea; Oi is a town by the sea with plenty of oceanic themes. The color scheme is a nice touch that I think most people may look over. However, the comic itself, according to a comment from the creator, was “originally designed for print, and not as a webtoon”. It’s a response to a user comment saying that the panels are small, and I have a fairly similar concern. While a little hard to follow in terms of panels and dialogue, none of that takes out the experience for me.

As a character-driven comic, Oi! Tales of Bardic Fury really shines. The story operates fantastically with the small cast of characters, and they each have something to love about them. But just because it’s character-driven, doesn’t mean it sidelines other aspects of the story. In fact, the characters drive the lore and the worldbuilding forward. Oi is a town in Ireland. We actually learn that according to Oi’s oral history, three selkies founded the town. Rhiannon speaks extensively about this lore, and we have reason to believe she’s a selkie as well. The webbed hands and her love of water are the obvious giveaways.

Best of all is that there’s a world outside the town. Bryan hails from Tara, and Aideen hints that Tara isn’t exactly friendly with Oi. Bryan’s also the only outsider as Oi’s such a small town that it doesn’t get many visitors. Goodness, they’ve never even heard of music before! I really hope Bryan comes in clutch and tells stories from his home in his upcoming performances. Bards thrive off of telling stories, be they true or completely fictional; Bryan has got a lot of work to do in Oi. All in all, there’s a lot of potential here. I’ll be lying if I say I’m not excited to read more.

Overall, Oi! Tales of Bardic Fury is very fun to read! It’s light-hearted most the time. But I think there’s a layer of darkness hidden underneath the surface as well. I mean, look at it this way: Servius is a slave. Do I need to say more? He actually ends up being my favorite character; I’m really looking forward to what antics he gets into with Bryan and Rhiannon. There’s definitely more to him than meets the eye. I’m also excited to see what happens to Bryan. Obviously, he’s in Oi to be a bard. But we haven’t heard any of his stories yet. What adventures has he been on? What awkward stories from Bard College will he share?

I recommend Oi! Tales of Bardic Fury to anyone, really. It’s got something for everybody to enjoy. However, if you’re a huge fan of historical fantasy, Irish mythology, or even Dungeons and Dragons, I think this comic is especially for you. And yes, don’t think I didn’t see the D&D references in there; I bet Bryan would be a College of Lore bard!

What do you think of Oi! Tales of Bardic Fury? Who is your favorite character and why is it Servius? Oi! Tales of Bardic Fury is available to read on Tapas and Webtoons. Daniel de Sosa, the comic’s creator, also has a Patreon if you’d like to support his work! Let us know your thoughts in the comments or tweet us over on Twitter!

About the author

Kayleigh Clark