Quests Aside

A skeleton, an apprentice mage, and an exiled princess walk into a bar—and clock in for their shift. Quests Aside is the high-fantasy comedy Cheers: the story of Barrow, a once-legendary adventurer who actually pulled off One Last Quest, retired, and opened the tavern that bears his name. Now his misfit found family of staff and regulars pull pints and dodge dragon-slaying ex-comrades, until the King privately announces he plans to shut the whole place down.

Written by Brian Schirmer with rollicking art by Elena Gogou, colors by Rebecca Nalty, and the polished design of Tim Daniel, the launch from Vault Comics is “Dungeons & Dragons meets It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”—a tavern-tall premise full of magic, situational comedy, and heart. Publishers Weekly compared it to “Cheers set in the world of Ralph Bakshi’s 1978 Lord of the Rings adaptation,” and it earned a NYPL Best Comics of 2023 nod.

The best-selling five-issue first arc is collected as Quests Aside Vol. 1: Adventurers Anonymous. Perfect for fans of Rat Queens, Giant Days, Nimona, and The Adventure Zone. Read it on GlobalComix or grab the trade from Vault.