Wizards (Robert Kirkman)

Wizards is an American sword & sorcery fantasy comic book series created by writer Robert Kirkman and artist Tony Moore, who was the artist on the first twenty issues and cover artist for the first twenty six with the art for the remainder of the series being Charlie Adlard.

Publication history
Robert Kirkman first came up with the idea for Wizards after reading Shotaro Ishinomori's manga Cyborg 009 and in an interview revealed what of instead of cyborgs they were turned into wizards and magical beings.

Wizards was first published on June 2000, published by Image Comics, with art by Tony Moore for the first twenty issues and Cliff Rathburn shading the art after issue #6. Charlie Adlard took over as artist on issue #21, after he was approached by Kirkman. Moore also created the cover art for the first 26 issues and the first four trade paperbacks. The remainder were done by Adlard.

Plot
The series features 12 individuals from various countries around the world and different ethnic minorities who are kidnapped by the mysterious Earth Order organization, a shadowy society consisting of wizards, witches, sorcerers, alchemists, elves, trolls, dwarves, orcs, faeries, dragons and goblins lead by the mysterious Mortigern the Great who seek to restore magic to the world by converting out most of Earth's population in mythical creatures and wiping out modern civilization. Each of the kidnapped individuals were given the Elixir of Earth which turns them into whatever fantasy creature that matches their personalities. The group later escape with the help of Earth Orders most reputable Alchemist Dr. Merlin Pendragon.

The Fellowship
A group of 12 individuals from around the world who were kidnapped by Earth Order and were given the Elixir of Earth which transformed them into wizards or magical creatures depending on their personalities.


 * James Rowling - A 20 year old Irish American Wizard who is the leader of the Fellowship and the main protagonist of the comic book. He was found by agents of Earth Order after being left for dead by muggers, whilst being in their custody he was given the Elixir of Earth and was transformed into a Wizard due to his love of learning. After escaping from the Earth Order facility James became the leader of the Fellowship, over time both he and Françoise fell deeply in love with each other and eventually they both had a baby boy together whom they named Oisin.
 * Françoise Dubois - A beautiful 19 year old French Elf who is the twin sister of Pierre and James' love interest. She and Jean-Paul were both arrested for their involvement in an environmental protest until they were both bailed out by agents of Earth Order who then took them to their facility. Whilst being held by Earth Order they were both given the Elixir of Earth and were both transformed into Elves, due to their love of nature. Whilst fighting Earth Order both she and James fell deeply in love with each other and eventually had a baby boy together whom they named Oisin.
 * Jean-Paul Dubois - A 19 year old French Elf and the twin brother of Françoise. One day after being arrested for participating in an environmental protest they were bailed out by agents of Earth Order and were then drugged and taken to one of their facilities, whilst being held by Earth Order they were given the Elixir of Earth and as a result both he and Françoise were transformed into Elves due to their love of nature.
 * Herman Grubb - A 21 year old German Satyr and former college student. He was once a party and music loving student from the University of Berlin until he was captured by agents of Earth Order whilst extremely drunk, due to his party and music loving nature he was transformed into a Satyr by the Elixir of Earth. Out of the Fellowship he is the most bitter about his transformation believing himself to be a monster.
 * Chang Chung - A 42 year old Chinese Halfling and the Fellowships cook. He was once a famous Chinese chief with his own restaurant, however one day a fire trick he was performing went badly wrong and the restaurant was burned down. Overwhelmed with bills and having no insurance Chang considered suicide, however he was found by two agents of Earth Order who took him to their facility.
 * Gilbert Brown - A 40 year old Changeling and former Shakespearean actor from Great Britain. Unlike many in the Fellowship he actually prefers his magical form as he can transform into nearly anything he wants. He was once an accomplished stage actor, until his career flopped where upon he become an alcoholic. One night after been thrown out of a pub due to excessive drinking he was found by agents of Earth Order who took him to their London facility, once at the facility, he was given the Elixir of Earth and was transformed him into a Changeling.
 * Jason Smith - An 18 year old from Boston who was turned into a Fairy and Thomas' younger brother. Ever since he was a boy he had always dreamed of flying and planned to become a pilot in the United States Air Force, much like his grandfather. However on his 18th birthday his parents threw him out at Billy's request, however just a few hours later he was grabbed by agents of Earth Order and was taken to their facility. Whilst at the facility he was given the Elixir of Earth and was turned into a Fairy due to his love of flight,
 * Rains Wind - A 26 year old Native American and Centaur from New Mexico. He was unable to find work due to widespread racism against Native Americans, he was found by agents of Earth Order and was seemingly offered a good job which he took. Due to his love for both nature and astronomy he was transformed into a Centaur by the Elixir of Earth, he is the most deep thinking of the Fellowship and has a deep reverence for nature and its creatures.
 * Paumya - A 22 year old former freedom fighter from West Africa and a Merman who is the Fellowships underwater operative. His homeland of Bawanda was very unstable as it was ruled by a corrupt dictator, whilst he was escaping from prison he was shot by a guard and fell into a river where he was discovered by a group of Earth Order agents who patched him up and took him to their facility. Whilst at the facility he was given the Elixir of Earth, which due to his love of water was transformed into a Merman.
 * Dáinn & Dvalinn - Two Norwegian Dwarf brothers and the mechanics of the Fellowship. They were once respected contractors in their hometown, however the Great Depression hit and the both lost their business and eventually their house. Just as they were about to give up hope, they were both found by Mortigern who recruited them into Earth Order where they were transformed into Dwarves by the Elixir of Earth.
 * Collie Jefferson - A hillbilly Troll from West Virginia. He was tending to his moonshine one night when he was approached by agents of Earth Order who offered him a job in making moonshine for them, to which he eagerly accepted. However whilst at the Earth Order facility he was given the Elixir of Earth where due to his low intelligence was transformed by the elixir into a Troll, but despite it he didn't seem to be put off by it. Despite his low intelligence he does care deeply for his friends and would do anything for them.

Humans

 * Dr. Merlin Pendragon - One of Earth Orders leading Alchemists and mentor to the fellowship. Whilst dutiful to Mortigern and Earth Order, he was reluctant to accept their intentions to convert most of the world's population into magical beings in order to restore balance and found it to be too extreme. After helping the Fellowship to escape he became their mentor and moral support, it is also revealed that he was a victim of the Holocaust
 * Luke Rowling - The husband of Mary and the father of James and Timothy. After James disappeared, the entire Rowling Family was worried sick
 * Mary Rowling - The wife of Luke and the mother of James and Timothy.
 * Timothy Rowling - James' 14 year old brother and a huge fantasy enthusiast.
 * Harry Tolkien - Mary's father who is the father in law of Luke and grandfather to James and Timothy.
 * Father Thomas O' Leary - A Roman Catholic priest and an ally to the Fellowship. He is one of the few who knows of the Fellowships condition, but isn't put off by their appearances and is shown to be a rather minded individual.
 * Maria - Mortigern's beloved wife and the mother of their children, Antonia and Carlos. She and Mortigern met

Camelot

 * King Arthur - The legendary king of sixth century England.
 * Queen Guinevere - The beloved queen and wife of King Arthur.
 * Merlin - The legendary wizard of sixth century England and the chief wizard of Camelot.
 * Sir Lancelot - One of the premiere knights of the Round Table.
 * Sir Kay -
 * Sir Percival -

Others

 * Methuselah - An ancient and wise dragon who is one of the oldest beings on Earth. He was born many millennia ago during the Age of Myth, a time when Earth had magic and humans and magical creatures lived side by side with each other in harmony and friendship.
 * Silver Mane - A Unicorn who is Fellowships official pet and mascot. He was originally an old race horse who was due to be put down, however after being bought by Earth Order he was given the Elixir of Earth and was turned into a Unicorn. He was liberated when the Fellowship escaped and took him with them, he then became their official pet and team mascot. He is shown to be wild and refuses to let anyone ride him, however he is calm around James and Françoise ride him.
 * Durin Ironbeard - A Dwarf Lord and ruler of the Dwarf Kingdom under the Rocky Mountains
 * Tick-Tock - A clockwork mechanical man who was created by Brokkr and Eitri whilst they were held by Earth Order. He was built by them in order to test them in order to see if they still remember their mechanical skills, he later escaped with the Fellowship when they escaped from Earth Order. He was shown to be an innocent being who's desire to see the world can lead him into trouble.
 * Trogler - A Cave Troll Wizard who is also the seventh Troll of a seventh Troll.
 * The Four Elemental's - Four mythical beings who control the four important elements of nature which include earth, water, air and fire. Due to them being beings of nature they are neither good nor evil, and as a result of this they are not allied to either the Fellowship or Earth Order.
 * Air Elemental -
 * Earth Elemental - The most compassionate of the elemental's.
 * Fire Elemental - The most temperamental and destructive of the four elemental's.
 * Water Elemental -

Earth Order
A mysterious secret society of Eco-Terrorists lead by Mortigern who serve as the main antagonists of the series. The societies members consist of wizards, sorcerers, witches, alchemists, elves, trolls, dwarves, goblins, orcs, faeries and dragons. The goal of Earth Order is to restore magic to the world and to restore society to more simpler times, although their intentions and methods are extreme they genuinely believe that they are doing the right thing


 * Mortigern the Great - A very powerful sorcerer who is the main antagonist of the comic book. As the leader of Earth Order and an environmental terrorist he has made it his mission to restore magic to the world. Despite his intentions he is not truly evil, his reason steamed from when he was a child when his parents and older brother were tortured and burned at the stake during the Spanish Inquisition by Tomás de Torquemada after he discovered that they were sorcerers. Years later he married a beautiful woman named Maria and raised a family with her, tragically however she and their children were found out by Tomás de Torquemada and were dealt the same fate. Deeply scared by the deaths of his family, he swore that he would one day restore both magic and its creatures to the world and teach people tolerance, compassion and understanding.
 * Vermithrax - A female Wyvern who is Mortigern's loyal pet and sometimes his mount.
 * General Grimskull - An Orc who is one of Earth Orders leading military commanders and Mortigern's trusted right-hand man. He is a very loyal and highly intelligent Orc who is devoted to both Earth Orders cause and to Earth Order itself, he is also the father to Blorg and Gormog. He joined up with Mortigern shortly after the death of his family, Grimskull's tribe had nearly been wiped out by Spanish soldiers but were saved by Mortigern. Afterwards Grimskull swore his eternal loyalty to him and became a high ranking member of Earth Order.
 * Blorg - Grimskull's eldest son and one of Earth Orders most skilled warriors. Like his father, he is loyal to Mortigern and devoted to Earth Order and its goal. He is also highly skilled in swordsman ship and is a formidable opponent to the Fellowship.
 * Gormog - Grimskull's younger son and younger brother to Blorg. Like both his father and older brother, he is a devotee to the cause of Earth Order. He devotee is due to his father's tribe nearly being wiped out and swearing to avenge them, he is a highly skilled archer and can put an arrow through either someone's heart or brain from a good distance away.
 * Mary Williams - A witch who is one of Mortigern's most trusted lieutenants and one of Earth Orders most senior witches. She met Mortigern back in 1692 during the Salem Witch Trials, she was about to be burned at the stake when Mortigern and Grimskull rescued her from the Pilgrims. Years later she adopted Thomas' son Luke after he was put up for adoption by his mother, when Thomas was recruited into Earth Order
 * Thomas Smith - A commander of Earth Orders military forces and the father of Luke. When he was 21 he was involved in a car accident and was left in a coma, at first Tina, his parents and Jason visited everyday until they began to lose hope that he'll every awaken and so reluctantly left him at the hospital. When he woke up 5 years later and was discharged he tried to return them but was reluctantly turned away by both Tina and his parents who had moved one with their lives, whilst attempting to commit suicide he was found by Mortigern to took pity on him and recruited him into Earth Order were he was reunited with Luke and soon became one of Earth Orders most high ranking commanders.
 * Luke Smith - Thomas and Tina's 5 year old son. He was born whilst his father was in a coma and was reluctantly placed up for adoption by Tina, unbeknownst to her he was adopted by Mary Williams who brought him to Earth Order where he was reunited with Tommy 5 years later.
 * Patriot - Thomas' Griffin mount.
 * Tom, Dick and Harry - Three Troll brothers who are members of Earth Order and serve as recruiters for the organization.
 * Margot - An Elf and a devoted member of Earth Order. She is mostly seen wearing a hooded cloak that covers but does reveal her face when it is necessary. It is later revealed that she is Françoise and Jean-Paul's long lost mother
 * Fjalar and Galar - Two Dwarf brothers who serve Earth Order as the blacksmiths.
 * Robin Redcap - A Goblin assassin
 * J.R.R. Tolkien - A famous British Author who was the writer of the famous fantasy books The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings who was also a devoted member of Earth Order. It was revealed that after returning from World War 1, he was so badly shaken up from his time in the trenches that he became misanthropist and bitter at the world. However he met Mortigern who recruited him and his wife Edith in Earth Order as members, it was during his time as a member that he got the ideas for The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings
 * Earth Order Army -
 * Orc Stormtroopers - The main backbone of Earth Orders military forces.
 * Banshees - Female spirits from Irish Mythology who were known as heralds of death, they emanate a loud deafening screech that can render the victim unconscious or even kill them.
 * Redcaps - A group of murderous Dwarves
 * Balarg Riders - A group of Goblins who ride Balargs, a type of giant wolf.
 * Knights - The most well trained of all Earth Orders troops. They dress like traditional medieval knights and wield weapons like swords, axes, fails and shields,

Norse Pantheon

 * Odin - The King of the Aseir gods and the main antagonist of the Ragnarök story arc.
 * Thor -
 * Loki -
 * Sif -
 * Magni and Modi -
 * Freyr -
 * Týr -
 * Heimdallr -
 * Baldur -
 * Brokkr & Eitri -
 * Thyrm -
 * Surtr -
 * Sleipnir -
 * Fenrir -



Giants of Britain

 * Cormoran -
 * Cormelian -
 * Blunderbore -
 * Thunderdell -
 * Galligantus -

Humans

 * Billy Thompson - A young man who Thomas knew from before he joined Earth Order. He was originally Thomas' bully throughout his childhood and his later high school years, during which he would bully Thomas and other kids mercilessly and due to the fact that he was a master manipulator would get away with it. Years later after Thomas went into a coma following a car accident Billy took advantage of Tina's and his parents grief, first by convincing her to give up Luke for adoption when he was born and his parents.
 * Tina Wilson - The fiancée of Billy, the former girlfriend of Thomas and the mother of Luke. Years ago both she and Thomas were in a relationship and were both very much in love, however Thomas was involved in a car accident which left him in a coma, shortly after Tina discovered she was pregnant with Luke. However Billy took advantage of her grief by, first having her fall in love with him and abandoned Thomas whilst he was in his coma, later by convincing her to give Luke up for adoption.
 * Tomás de Torquemada - A cruel and ruthless Castilian Dominican friar who served as an inquisitor during the Spanish Inquisition. It is revealed that he was responsible for the brutal deaths of Mortigern's parents, old brother, wife and children and whom installed Mortigern's intentions to return magic to the world, it is later revealed that he was cursed by a dying wizard to wander the Earth until the second coming of Christ.
 * Morgana le Fay - A powerful witch and the half sister of King Arthur. She was the daughter of their mother Igraine and her father, Duke Gorlois of Cornwall.
 * President Benedict - The tyrannical president of Paumya's home country of Bwanda in West Africa.

Others

 * Baba Yaga - A powerful Russian witch who lives in a hut on chicken legs.
 * The Lambton Worm -
 * Lord Ruthven -
 * Scientists of Jurassic Island - A team of six mad scientists with each member resembling a different anthropomorphized dinosaur and prehistoric mammal, they are the main antagonists of the Jurassic Island arc. Although they are not members, they are funded by Earth Order. Their base of operations is on a small tropical island in the Pacific Ring of Fire with their laboratory built on the side of an active volcano.
 * Dr. Rex - A scientist with the appearance of a Tyrannosaurus Rex. Out of the experiments on the island, he is in charge of mind-controlled animals, particularly pygmy Triceratops with poison-laced antlers and acid spitting Dilophosaurus.
 * Dr. Topps - A scientist with the appearance of a Triceratops. He creates rampaging giant Neanderthals from captured humans.
 * Dr. Paras - A scientist with the appearance of a Parasaurolophus, she is the sole female member of the team. She is responsible for creating Ape-men from captured humans, rendering them being invulnerable to pain.
 * Dr. Dactyl - A scientist with the appearance of a Pteranodon. He is specialized in creating mutant Pterodactyls that emit sonic screeches that destroy buildings.
 * Dr. Saber - A scientist with the appearance of a Smilodon. He creates robotic animals, including Velociraptors and Troodons.
 * Dr. Sloth - A scientist with the appearance of a Megatherium. He is proud of his "insanity insects", which cause people to lose their memories after being bitten into.



Elixir of Earth
The Elixir of Earth is a mysterious potion made from the essence found in all magical beings and creatures. When a magical being or creature dies their essence is released and it randomly floats around looking for a host, however it can be caught and stored in Oak lined containers until it is administered to a host. Once given the given host is placed inside a plant like pod where they undergo a permanent transformation into what ever magical being matches their personality. The Elixir of Earth can be given to both humans and animals.


 * Intelligence & Stories - Wizards
 * Love of Nature - Elves
 * Industrious or Hardworking - Dwarves
 * Angry or Warlike - Orcs
 * Trickster or Thief - Goblins
 * Low Intelligence or Greed - Trolls
 * Love of Flight - Faeries
 * Peace Loving & Food - Halflings
 * Debauchery - Satyrs
 * Acting or Theatrical - Changelings
 * Love of Water - Merpeople
 * Nature & Astronomy - Centaurs
 * Unknown - Giants
 * Unknown - Gnomes
 * Cruel or Cannibalistic - Ogres
 * Crocodiles & Komodo Dragons - Dragons
 * Horses - Unicorns
 * Unknown - Griffins
 * Wolves - Balargs
 * Unknown - Phoenixes
 * Squids & Octopuses - Krakens
 * Snakes - Sea Serpents

Magical Beings

 * Conjurers - The name for the collective of humans with magical powers. They come in three groups, the wizards, the sorcerers/sorceresses and the witches.
 * Wizards - Male individuals who learn magic later in life. Wizards are men who are born normal and without magic powers, however they can learn magic later in life from either spell books or being mentored by another wizard or a sorcerer/sorceress. Once gaining magic powers, their aging is slowed down
 * Witches - Female individuals who like Wizards learn magic later in life.
 * Sorcerers/Sorceresses - Individuals who born with magic. Because they are born with magic they are more powerful then wizards
 * Elves - Magical humanoids who resemble humans except with pointed ears, pale skin, long lived and perpetual youthfulness.
 * Half-elves - The result of a union between humans and elves.
 * Dwarves - Short, stout and bearded humanoids who dwell under mountains and the earth. They are legendary for their industrious skills which include mining precious gems and metals and crafting swords and axes that never lose their sharpness.
 * Redcaps - A subgroup of violently murderous dwarves from Scotland.
 * Orcs - Muscular green skinned humanoids who are well known among the magical world as being a brutal but proud warrior race. Contrast to popular belief, Orcs whilst barbaric aren't truly evil as they are known to have a very strong sense of honor and very loyal to whom they serve. Its because of this that they make perfect warriors and soldiers to a variety of masters from evil sorcerers to even good and noble kings.
 * Goblins - Green skinned humanoids who have a reputation among the magical world as being skilled thieves and tricksters. They are however quite skilled at what they do, they can slip in and out of places without being seen.
 * Trolls - Large hulking humanoids who are known for their strength but low intelligence.
 * Cave Trolls -
 * Forest Trolls -
 * Ice Trolls -
 * Two-Headed Trolls -
 * Faeries - Winged magical humanoids who in a variety of sizes ranging from the size of a bird to an adult human.
 * Satyrs -
 * Changelings -
 * Halflings -
 * Gnomes -
 * Merpeople -
 * Ogres -
 * Giants - A race of very powerful humanoids who resemble gargantuan humans. They are twenty feet tall and are extremely powerful, Giants also live in tribes, are very bad tempered and do not tolerate intruders on their land.
 * Banshees -
 * Elementals -
 * Treants -
 * Vampires -

Magical Creatures

 * Dragons - Large fire breathing reptilian beasts who are among the most powerful magical beasts on Earth. They come in three varieties which include the four legged and highly intelligent drake, the bipedal Wyvern and the serpentine Wyrm. They have thick armored skin that is quite difficult to penetrate
 * Drakes - The giant winged, four legged dragon of common depiction. They are highly intelligent and capable of wisdom and speech, however they also have a love for gold and can sometimes be quite arrogant or even evil. They are also the only species of dragon capable of speech and rational thought.
 * Wyverns - The winged bipedal dragon. Unlike Drakes, Wyverns are feral beasts with no speech or sentience.
 * Wyrms - Wingless serpentine dragons with four eight legs. Unlike Drakes or Wyverns, Wyrms cannot breath fire, however they do make up for it with their poisonous breath that can kill if someone comes into direct contact with.
 * Unicorns - The most well known magical creature after dragons. Unicorns are beautiful white horses with silver manes and a golden horn on their foreheads, which has for centuries been known to cure a myriad of illnesses once ground into powder. Tragically it was because unicorns were ruthlessly hunted and were nearly wiped out. Despite their gentle appearance unicorns are actually quite aggressive and would either gore or trample anyone whom they deem a threat to either them or their foals, however if a unicorns trust is gained then they will become a very loyal steed.
 * Balargs -
 * Griffins -
 * Phoenixes -
 * Harpies -
 * Sea Serpents - Giant sea dwelling serpents
 * Krakens -

Television Adaptation
During an appearance at the 2008 San Diego Comic-Con Robert Kirkman announced that a live-action Wizards television series was in development at AMC studios.