The Stuff of Legend

Playing with your toys has never been this epic.

During World War II, a young boy is kidnapped by the Boogeyman and held hostage in the Dark, the Boogeyman's domain. A handful of brave toys venture into the Dark in order to save him. However, they need to fight hordes of bitter, vengeful, discarded toys who have every intention of serving the Boogeyman and no intention on letting the boy go. And apparently, the Dark turns everything into the Darker and Edgier version of itself, including our heroes.

It's pretty much The Book of Lost Things meets Toy Story.

The Stuff of Legend is an independent comic book series that was published in 2009. The next volume of the series is expected to hit shelves in spring 2010.

Tropes used in The Stuff of Legend include:

• Anyone Can Die: The Colonel. In the first issue, no less!
• Action Girl: the Princess
• The Berserker: Jester
• Big Bad: The Boogeyman.
• Ensemble Darkhorse: In the comic book industry. The independent publisher Th3rdWorld Studios released a 30-page promotion for the series for Free Comic Book Day. Three months later, when the first issue was finally published, it sold out almost immediately.
• Executive Meddling: Initially the story was set in the modern day, but an editor suggested that the toys be more "classic."
• Five-Man Band
  • The Hero: The Colonel
  • The Lancer: Jester
  • The Smart Guy: Percy
  • The Big Guy: Max
  • The Chick: Harmony
  • Tagalong Kid: Quackers
    • As of issue 2, with the exception of the Colonel, team dynamics haven't shifted yet.
• Knight in Shining Armor: Unlike the Colonel, Jester seems to not realize that the Princess can take care of herself.
• The Mole: Percy until the end of Book 2.
• Proud Warrior Race Girl: The Princess. To her annoyance none of the male humanoid characters seem to pick up on this.
• Quirky Town: Hopscotch.
• Shown Their Work: Artist Charles Paul Wilson III researched toy designs from the 1940s and earlier.
• Team Pet: Scout, who stays the same beagle puppy even in the Dark.
• Weapon of Choice: Jester loves his hatchets, but he's not Ax Crazy.
• We Can Rule Together: The Boogeyman offers Percy the chance to never be broken (Percy is a piggy bank).
• What Measure Is a Non-Human?: Percy, the forgotten toys in the Dark, and to an extent the rest of the cast.