King of the Unknown
King of the Unknown is a rock-powered webcomic that’s equal parts supernatural horror, raunchy comedy, action epic, and all-you-can-eat conspiracy theory buffet.
Stygian horrors, alien invasions, covert ops are all just another day at the office for the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll. Ever since a supernatural mishap transformed the King and forced him to fake his own death (and perhaps forced some of his sanity into early retirement), he has dedicated his new secret life to a shadowy government organization known as the Institute for Research and Study of the Unknown (IRSU). With the help of a magical guitar, a rookie cryptozoologist, and his good friend Leonardo da Vinci (whose spirit resides in a robot body), King kicks the collective ass of everything that goes bump in the night. Their mission: to keep our world safe, and blissfully ignorant, from the unknown forces that constantly threaten our very existence.
- Action Hero
- All Myths Are True
- Badass Bookworm: Grace Connor, King's cryptozoologist partner, is extraordinarily capable on paper AND in combat.
- Conspiracy Kitchen Sink
- Cool Shades: Check the King's trademark eye-beauties.
- Elvis Presley: The secret, No Celebrities Were Harmed, identity of the titular King.
- Elvis Lives: The same incident that first gave King his magical mojo also transformed him physically, forcing him to fake his own death and spend the rest of his freakishly long life as a secret agent.
- Fantasy Kitchen Sink
- Ghost in the Machine: Leonardo da Vinci transferred his soul into a robot body as he was dying, and this "Vinny" is now a member of the IRSU.
- Government Agency of Fiction: King's turf, the Institute for Research and Study of the Unknown (IRSU).
- Government Conspiracy
- Heroes-R-Us
- Hotblooded Sideburns: Just look at the King.
- Hot Librarian: Young cryptozoologist and King's "sidekick," Grace Connor.
- Instrument of Murder: King's magical guitar.
- Jimi Hendrix: Here known as Agent H, head of IRSU and King's Mission Control.
- Leonardo da Vinci: The soul of a renaissanceman housed in a robot body. "Vinny" builds the unique and powerful weapons IRSU needs to combat the unknown. King’s roommate and best bud.
- Masquerade: Just like we don't know that Elvis actually lives, society is blissfully unaware of all the bad stuff he protects us from. That bad stuff being, basically, everything we could possibly imagine.
- The Men in Black: What bystanders might call the IRSU.
- Mission Control: King's dispatcher and direct superior, Agent H.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: Figures like King and Agent H are never directly named within the comic, but their characters are based on many very specific details (not to mention the broad strokes) of certain rock celebrities.
- Plucky Comic Relief: Vinny, the robot form of Leonardo da Vinci. Renaissance Man out of time.
- The Power of Rock: The most powerful force in the universe. King' ultimate weapon.
- Renaissance Man
- Robot Buddy: King's roommate Vinny, the robot form of Leonardo da Vinci.
- Rule of Cool
- Rule of Funny
- Sliding Scale of Comedy and Horror
- The Smart Guy: Grace Connor, IRSU's newest cryptozoology expert. She’s assigned as the level-headed agent who’ll accompany (and keeps tabs on) King in the field.
- Sunglasses at Night: King never removes his sunglasses. Ever.