My Middle Name's Adventure



""For years have my people been oppressed, silenced and even slain for being who we are! Still today we're treated like monsters, and hunted down savagely because of such narrow-mindedness!

...And I'm pretty sure a few of these movie rentals are overdue.""

- Winston the Dragon

My Middle Name's Adventure is a webcomic created by Leo Modesto and Alex Medina (written by both, drawn by the former) and hosted as part of their website, DOUBLEPUMA.com. The comic follows the adventures of a boy and his pet rock who set out to live grand adventures in a whimsical fantasy land. They meet all sorts of people and creatures along the way, from TV-loving dragons to bridge-controlling mobster trolls.

The comic's main gimmicks are a quasi-retro aesthetic that mimics handheld game systems of old (though it's not a video game comic per se) and its use of Flash content to, among other things, allow the reader to name the main character. The comic has occasional animated and full color strips as well - complete with 8-bit sound effects.

Being rather new (the website launched on February 1st), there are few characters, such as:


 * "The Hero", also known as Alex, also known as John, or whatever. His goal is to become the greatest hero of his time - although he may not be the most qualified for the job. Gets in and out of sticky situations constantly as such.
 * Amed, the hero's trusty pet rock and best friend. Does not speak, but shows slight signs of sentience. His facial expression is a constant "o 3o".
 * Tim, the hero's other friend. Also an adventurer, although one with lesser ambitions (Well, sorta). Carefree and simple, he doesn't seem to mind the fact he's not very competent at what he does and tries to just have fun instead.
 * Lina, an apprentice mage who's looking for the chosen hero who'll fulfill a prophecy she doesn't quite know.
 * Winston, a dragon the hero attempts to slay, but who turns out to be an okay guy who loves TV and fried chicken, and dislikes humans' stereotypes of dragons as ruthless monsters.
 * The Troll Mafia, which is Exactly What It Says on the Tin. Their leader is known as the Godtroll.
 * Angry Germans, who only got a brief mention but seem rather vicious. May or not have perfected dragon technology.
 * Office Worker Pixies, who, like Winston and dragons in general, break the stereotypical definition of pixies as partying individuals.

Currently, the strip updates twice a week, on Mondays and Wednesdays.

Tropes

 * The Ace: Amed is evidently better than The Hero at anything he does.
 * All Trolls Are Different: Here, they're mobsters.
 * Amusing Injuries: The effects of The Hero's sword don't seem to last very long. (Either that or Winston has some kind of Healing Factor)
 * Ancient Tomb: Tim is looking for something like this.
 * The Apprentice: Lina.
 * Beat Panel: In use since the very first strip.
 * Breath Weapon: Subverted in which Winston seems unable to Kill It with Fire.
 * Call to Adventure: Arrives conveniently in strip 27 (Although we're only certain it is the Call three strips later).
 * Companion Cube: Amed.
 * The Chosen One: The Hero may or not be this.
 * Decoy Protagonist: The comic begins by telling us of Tim's plans, then shifts the focus to The Hero.
 * The Don: The Godtroll.
 * Easter Egg: Some strips have these.
 * Everything Talks: Even, apparently, the Sun.
 * Fantastic Drug: Magic is perceived as highly addictive and bad for your health by non-magic users. "Magic Dealers" are also referenced.
 * Fantastic Racism: The world's typical view on dragons.
 * Four-Fingered Hands
 * The Fool: Tim.
 * Funny Animal: Winston is a dragon with very different priorities than a regular animal.
 * Gentle Giant: Winston.
 * Hammerspace: Whether The Hero has a sword and shield in hand seems to depend on the mood of the artist.
 * Hello, Insert Name Here: The first time the reader sees a strip in which The Hero's name is referenced, a prompt appears which allows him to be named (And there is no default name). The site saves your choice, but you can change it at any time.
 * Heroes Prefer Swords: The Hero's Weapon of Choice is a sword. Tim's is a bow and arrow.
 * Horny Vikings: Seen in this strip, doing the only thing vikings are known for.
 * Hulk Speak: The Troll Mafia.
 * Jumped At the Call
 * Limited Animation: The animated strips employ very little actual animation as a throwback to old-school RPGs.
 * Luckily, My Shield Will Protect Me: The Hero also carries a shield.
 * Non-Human Sidekick: Amed.
 * Our Dragons Are Different: Winston lampshades this.
 * Our Fairies Are Different: Office worker pixies.
 * Perpetual Smiler: Amed is happy to see you even in the most dangerous situations. o 3o !
 * Series Hiatus: Suffered from one of these early on due to the artist's tablet breaking.
 * Series Mascot: Amed.
 * Shout-Out: Several, from Indiana Jones to The Godfather to Homestar Runner.
 * Sorry I Left the BGM On: Happens in this strip, as the spanish guitar heard is being played by an actual mariachi band that just happened to be there (and subsequently disappears).
 * Standard Fantasy Setting: Parodied. At first it seems like this, until rocket dragons and televisions show up.
 * Stealth Pun: Co-author Alex Medina goes by the internet alias "Rock". Amed is a rock.
 * Strip Buffer: At least two weeks of comics are uploaded in advance.
 * Those Wacky Nazis: The Angry Germans might be this, especially considering their first mention was a Shout-Out to Raiders of the Lost Ark.
 * The Unintelligible: Lina's mentor, thanks to his incredible beard. She wouldn't be still an apprentice were it not for it.
 * Vagueness Is Coming: A chosen hero is supposed to do something, but the protagonists aren't quite sure what.
 * The Voiceless: Amed.
 * Wizard Beard: Lina's mentor. His beard is so thick that his speech is incomprehensible. The tail of his speech bubble even gets stuck in it.
 * The Voiceless: Amed.
 * Wizard Beard: Lina's mentor. His beard is so thick that his speech is incomprehensible. The tail of his speech bubble even gets stuck in it.