Meet Dungeon Con 2 special guest, Jolly Blackburn!

Jolly quietly celebrated his thirty-sixth year in the games industry a few months ago. He began his journey writing about games and those who play them in SHADIS, the award winning games magazine he and his wife launched out of an upstairs bedroom (in 1990.

Best known as the creator of Knights of the Dinner Table, Jolly (who is vice president of KenzerCo) readily admits that the gaming comic was something of a ‘creative burp’ — an after thought that came about because he found himself with a few empty pages that needed filled and a pressing deadline.

“Being a cartoonist was definitely not something I set out to do” he explains, “I sort of fell into it. Looking back, I sometimes shudder when I think how close I came to trashing that first strip and moving on to other things. A few years ago I felt the comic was keeping me from designing games — the real reason I got in this business. Ironically, KODT has brought me full circle and has opened an incredible number of doors. It’s also introduced me to some amazing people. ”

Jolly was a co-writer/developer on HackMaster (Game of the Year 2001) and is currently helping develop Aces and Eights: Shattered Frontier (Best RPG 2007). Most of his time however, is still devoted to the comic he owes so much to.

Knights of the Dinner Table Magazine created an entirely new market in games/comics several spin-offs and a handful of competitors reaching for the same audience. Over a million copies have been sold since it’s debut in 1994. As it approaching its landmark 323rd issue there’s no signs of it slowing down.

“I find myself in the awkward position of having stumbled on to the ride of a lifetime and not quite knowing how I got there. All I can do is to hold on and see where it takes me.”