Nomad of Nowhere
Genre
CreatorGeorden Whitman
Writer
  • Eddy Rivas
  • Miles Luna
  • Jordan Cwierz
ScreenplayJeb Kendrick
StoryGeorden Whitman
Director
  • Jordan Cwierz
  • Yssa Badiola
  • Paula Decanini
Creative directorMaggie Tominey
Voices
Theme music composer
  • Benjamin Zecker
Composer
  • Benjamin Zecker
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Num seasons1
Num episodes12
Executive producer
LocationUnited States
EditorCole Gallian
Runtime10–14 minutes
CompanyRooster Teeth Animation
NetworkRoosterTeeth
First airedMarch 16, 2018
Last airedSeptember 21, 2018

Nomad of Nowhere is an American animated web series released on the website of Rooster Teeth on March 16, 2018. The show, which was created by Georden Whitman, is a western-fantasy hybrid focused on a mute wanderer hunted for being capable of using magic to give life to inanimate objects.[1][2]

Premise

The series follows "the Nomad", a non-speaking scarecrow brought to life by magic, who can bring inanimate objects to life and wanders a Western fantasy realm ruled by the evil king El Rey while being pursued by bounty hunters and other enemies.[3]

Characters

Main characters

  • is the series namesake: a non-verbal scarecrow brought to life by magic. Although Red Manuel and Captain Toth describe him as harmful, he is kind and friendly. He can animate plants and objects, and even though Captain Toth says these are magic abilities, he does not show any abilities to use magic.
  • (voiced by Danu Uribe) leads a group of bounty hunters named the Dandy Lions and is under the command of the forceful Don Paragon. She may have feelings for Skout, her assistant. Series creator Georden Whitman later stated that the narrative growth of Skout and Toth was his favorite part of the story.[4]
  • (voiced by Elizabeth Maxwell[5]) is the assistant of Captain Toth who carries supplies and weapons. She is thoughtful and intelligent but doesn't often understand her strength or have strong self-confidence. Although it is not known why she is loyal to Captain Toth, she clearly has feelings for her. Series director Jordan Cwierz stated that Skout "kinda has a thing for Toth" but is also shy, with Yssa Badiola, another series director, joking they have a friendship / relationship on the show.[6] She was later confirmed as a "LGBT character" by series writer Miles Luna.[7]
  • (voiced by Alejandro Saab) is a self-absorbed member of Toth's unit, and is hostile toward her and Skout. He is below Toth in terms of commanding the unit but tries to compete for her position as the head of the unit.
  • (voiced by Max Dennison) is the pompous superior officer of Red Manuel and Captain Toth, who fashions himself as the "ruler" of a land known as "the Oasis."
  • (voiced by John Swasey[8]) is the ruler of a neighboring region, Nowhere. He was reportedly corrupted through magic, leading all the users of magic to be drained of their power, while the Nomad somehow survived.

Supporting characters

  • (voiced by Ryan Haywood), (voiced by Eddy Rivas), and (voiced by Stephen Fu) are members of Toth's unit, the Dandy Lions.

People of Bliss Hill

  • (voiced by César Altagracia)
  • (voiced by Barbara Dunkelman)
  • (voiced by Adam Ellis)
  • (voiced by Stephen Fu)
  • (voiced by Caitlin Glass)
  • (voiced by Chad James)
  • (voiced by Richard Norman)
  • (voiced by Brooke Olson)
  • (voiced by Christine Stuckart)
  • (voiced by Kyle Taylor)
  • (voiced by Neal Werle)

Twindleweed Brothers Traveling Circus

  • (voiced by Larry Matovina)
  • (voiced by Matt Hullum), a strong woman with a beard
  • (voiced by Ricco Fajardo), a tamer of lizards
  • (voiced by Anna Hullum), a "trick shooter"

Other characters

  • (voiced by Ian Sinclair)
  • (voiced by Shannon McCormick)
  • (voiced by Billy B. Burson)
  • (voiced by Becca Frasier)
  • (voiced by Blaine Gibson)
  • (voiced by Jen Brown)
  • (voiced by Lee Eddy)
  • (voiced by Jordan Cwierz and Connor Pickens)
  • (voiced by Melissa Sternenberg)
  • (voiced by SungWon Cho)
  • (voiced by Brittney Karbowski)
  • (voiced by Yssa Badiola)
  • (voiced by Daman Mills)
  • (voiced by Jeb Kendrick)
  • (voiced by Al McClelland and Kim Newman)
  • (voiced by Josh Ornelas, César Altagracia and Luis Vazquez)
  • (voiced by Jenn Tidwell and Stephanie Ard)
  • (voiced by Alena Lecorchick)
  • (voiced by Kyle Taylor)
  • (voiced by Chris Kokkinos)
  • (voiced by Kent Williams)
  • (voiced by Todd Womack)

Promotion, production, and release

On January 17, 2018, Collider published an article about the show, describing it as a "western adventure that takes cues from Samurai Jack," quoting show director Jordan Cwiecz as describing it as a "western/fantasy mash-up about a mysterious nomad traversing a western wasteland that hasn’t seen magic in 100 years," saying that people should think of it "as two-parts Samurai Jack and True Grit with just a dash of The Lord of the Rings" with humor, fun, and much more.[9] The series had been announced as part of the Rooster Teeth animation slate, along with ', RWBY volume 6, Red vs. Blue, Camp Camp, RWBY Chibi, and others, the same day.[10]

In February, RoosterTeeth released a promotional video for the series.[11][12] Another teaser was posted in early March.[13]

Season 1 of Nomad of Nowhere began airing on March 16 for FIRST members, and March 23 for everyone else.[14]

In April 2017, Jordan wrote a post announcing the mid-season break of the show and noted that the first season would have a total of 12 episodes.[15] The first season aired its last episode on September 28, 2018.[16]

In late March 2018, show director Jordan was interviewed by Collider, calling the series a slapdash of "a bunch of spaghetti westerns got mashed up with all your favorite fantasy series to create one epic adventure," saying the idea of the show came from Georden Whitman, a production artist for a show named Camp Camp, and was inspired by his college animation, Sir Knight of Nothing.[17] He also said that his main source of inspiration came from live-action drama like spaghetti westerns and Deadwood, which have nostalgia and themes of despair in harsh lands with hard lives. Jordan also described the show as ambitious, challenging, and unique, allowing for an exploration of animation styles, inspired by Disney art books, Studio Ghibli, and more, calling it a show that "has the ingredients of things like Samurai Jack and Trigun while still having the legs to stand on its own pretty much sums up what we strive to do."

In May 2022, it was announced that FilmRise has acquired streaming rights for Nomad of Nowhere, Camp Camp, and Red vs. Blue, grouping episodes from each series into "traditional half-hour formats and seasons for streaming."[18]

Apart from airing on Rooster Teeth and the Rooster Teeth animation YouTube channel, the series is on iTunes,[19] as a movie, while the first six episodes are available on Tubi,[20] Prime Video,[21] and Peacock.[22]

Reception

Reviews of this series were relatively positive. In his first review of the series, Dave Trumbore of Collider called the show excellent, saying that whilst it has a Western plot, it has "more of a fun, playful feel," especially when it comes to the Nomad.[17] In a later review, he called the series a story which brings together the Wild West, cartoonish magic, and classic 20th century cartoons, serving as a magical and adventure tale which features a "very silly collection of characters" who encounter the nomad, stating that it is "just a bit different from the rest" of the cartoons out there.[23] Padraig Cotter of Screen Rant described the show as a "mixture of fantasy and western" with a "quirky sense of humor and blend of genres," saying it has earned a loyal fanbase, and even said that some compared it to Trigun and Samurai Jack.[2] Tommy Williams of Geek Tyrant described the series as "very family friendly" and "lighthearted fun".[24] Other reviewers pointed to Western genre themes,[14] and praised Rooster Teeth for branching "into new avenues," citing the show as one example of this.[25]

Future

Although the Season 1 finale[16] teased that the show would continue into a second season, series creator Georden Whitman, who left RT before Season 1 ended, publicly criticized RoosterTeeth, citing "creative differences" as a reason[26] and saying he gave the show's writers "the outline of the whole story, including the ending."[27] Responding to claims that RoosterTeeth engages in "heavy crunch periods," resists providing benefits, has work weeks which are eighty hours, and other issues, he agreed that these claims were correct.[28]

On July 11, 2020, on an episode of the podcast Talk CRWBY to Me, Miles Luna revealed writer Kiersi Burkhart originally joined Rooster Teeth to work on Season 2 of Nomad of Nowhere and the process went "pretty far along," but production was halted when it was decided continuing the series at the time was not advisable.[29] In a September 2020 Tumblr post, RT Animation director Jordan Cwierz explained Rooster Teeth does not cancel shows it owns, but under the company's restructuring, shows like Camp Camp now fall under the RT Studios label, meaning they are no longer produced on their own and are being shopped to partners.[30] Cwierz added that the same applies to shows like Nomad of Nowhere, although his only comment was that they were "trying to make" more episodes.

See also

References

  1. ^ Trumbore, Dave (March 23, 2018). "'Nomad of Nowhere': Jordan Cwierz on the Animated Antics of the Wild New Western Series". Collider. Archived April 8, 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 7, 2018.
  2. ^ Cotter, Padraig (March 15, 2019). "What To Expect From Nomad of Nowhere Season 2". Screen Rant. Archived May 3, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  3. ^ "Series Nomad of Nowhere - Rooster Teeth". RoosterTeeth. Otter Media. May 2, 2020. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
  4. ^ Whitman, Georden (July 31, 2019). "Thanks yo! Also wanted to say thanks for all your kind words on Nomad, Skout and Toths narrative growth was set up to be my favorite part of the story, and I hope at some point that can be shown for you all somehow! Maybe a comic or who knows what the future holds! Thanks again!". No. 1156600473035706368. Archived May 3, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  5. ^ "Elizabeth Maxwell". Alaska Comic Con. 21 January 2024. Archived April 15, 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
  6. ^ Cwierz, Jordan & Badiola, Yssa (March 17, 2018). "Rooster Teeth Drawing Challenge". Drawfee Show. YouTube. Archived March 18, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved August 7, 2024. See 21:31-21:45
  7. ^ Luna, Miles (March 23, 2018). "Yup <3 [in response to a question titled "Is Skout a new LGBT character?"]". Reddit. Archived February 12, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
  8. ^ "John Swasey". Nickle City Comic Con. 21 June 2024. Archived August 7, 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
  9. ^ Trumbore, Dave (January 17, 2018). "Rooster Teeth Unveils 2018 Animation Slate & New Animated Series 'Nomad of Nowhere'". Collider. Archived January 9, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  10. ^ Milligan, Mercedes (January 17, 2018). "Rooster Teeth FIRST Reveals 2018 Animation Slate". Animation Magazine. Archived December 8, 2022 at the Wayback Machine.
  11. ^ Weiss, Geoff (February 6, 2018). "Rooster Teeth Shares Teaser For Western-Style Animation 'Nomad Of Nowhere'". Tubefilter. Archived June 26, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
  12. ^ Milligan, Mercedes (February 6, 2018). "Daily News Bytes: 'GoT' Guys Tapped for 'Star Wars' Slate, 'Isle of Dogs' Clip, 'Nomad of Nowhere' Teaser & More!". Animation Magazine. Archived January 26, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  13. ^ Schwarz, Jon (March 10, 2018). "Rooster Teeth News: "Red vs Blue" Season 16 Gets Start Date; "Nomad of Nowhere" Gets New Teaser". Bubble Blabber. Archived January 26, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  14. ^ Milligan, Mercedes (March 23, 2018). "Daily News Bytes: 'Nomad of Nowhere' Ep. 1, Netflix Doubles Its 'Oddbods,' Teen-Lead Animation Ambition in Guyana, & More!". Animation Magazine. Archived January 26, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  15. ^ Cwierz, Jordan (April 2018). "Nomad Mid-Season & Camp Camp Season 3?!". RoosterTeeth. Archived from the original on September 9, 2019. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  16. ^ Trumbore, David (May 3, 2020). "Exclusive: Rooster Teeth's 'Nomad of Nowhere' Finale Clip Gives Power to the People". Collider. Archived November 9, 2020 at the Wayback Machine.
  17. ^ Trumbore, Dave (March 23, 2018). "'Nomad of Nowhere': Jordan Cwierz on the Animated Antics of the Wild New Western Series". Collider. Archived March 6, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  18. ^ Yossman, K.J. (May 11, 2022). "FilmRise Acquires Streaming Rights for Rooster Teeth Web Series Including 'Red vs. Blue,' 'Camp Camp' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived May 12, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved May 15, 2022.
  19. ^ "Nomad of Nowhere". iTunes. January 2018. Archived September 9, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
  20. ^ "Nomad of Nowhere". Tubi. Archived November 24, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
  21. ^ "Nomad of Nowhere". Prime Video. Archived January 26, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  22. ^ "Nomad of Nowhere". Peacock. Archived May 27, 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
  23. ^ Trumbore, Dave (December 13, 2018). "2018's Best New Animated Series for Kids". Collider. Archived January 9, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  24. ^ Williams, Tommy (2018). "NOMAD OF NOWHERE is a Fun Animated Show for Everyone". Geek Tyrant. Archived January 26, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  25. ^ Jones, Jordan (January 17, 2018). "A Tease for Rooster Teeth's 'gen: Lock' is on the way". Geeks of Color. Archived May 3, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  26. ^ Whitman, Georden (October 10, 2018). "Ya I left RT a while back for some creative differences, and now am workin on a new show of mine.". No. 1049898632277831681. Archived May 3, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  27. ^ Whitman, Georden (March 13, 2019). "We had Nomad fully written before season 3 of camp camp / when i left, and I handed them the outline of the whole story, including the ending, so if RT does its their call and they maybe still thinking over things or busy with other productions. Its a small team and it takes time". No. 1105958505088016390. Archived May 3, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  28. ^ Dan K. (June 17, 2019). "The Exploitation of American Creators: Rooster Teeth's Abusive Crunch Culture". Pop Dust. Archived from the original on May 25, 2022.
  29. ^ "Always Take Notes". Rooster Teeth. Talk CRWBY to Me. Archived 4 September 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 30 July 2020. Here's the clip and an .
  30. ^ Cwierz, Jordan. "Squashing Camp Camp Rumors & Misinformation". Tumblr. Archived October 7, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 7, 2020.