were required when the material was to appear in print for the first time. The later comics feature more frequent double- and even triple-page strips than in the early days, when longer strips were reserved for special occasions (such as reaching #200). In strip #947 the artwork was upgraded again, adding volume to characters' limbs that were previously drawn as simple stick-figure lines. In addition to these permanent improvements to the art, two variant art styles are used to distinguish the events of certain comics from those taking place in the story's present. Historical events relating to the plot are portrayed in a hand-drawn crayon style both in the online comic and in Start of Darkness, while events in the "prequel" print-exclusive stories are shown in black-and-white. Representation of minorities Burlew has said that he includes stances on social topics in his comic because he worries about the impact of his work beyond momentary distractions. He has also written that he is attempting to compensate for past instances of "unintentional sexism and/or insensitivity to gender issues" but, being a straight white male, he finds it difficult to speak authoritatively about minorities without the proper knowledge. Characters Protagonists The comic's central protagonists, known collectively as "The Order of the Stick," are a party of adventurers who are questing to destroy the evil lich Xykon who is attempting to conquer the world. Though they have many allies, the official members of the Order of the Stick are: Roy Greenhilt: A 29-year-old lawful good human fighter, Roy assembled the Order to defeat Xykon, and is its leader. Roy is a counterstereotype of the traditional 'dumb fighter' cliché. Haley Starshine: A 24-year-old "Chaotic Good-ish" human rogue. The Order's second-in-command, she is skilled in stealth and deception. In early strips, she is portrayed as highly materialistic. Haley's father was being held for ransom and she originally joined the Order to raise the money. She develops a romantic crush on fellow member Elan and, later, begins a relationship with him. Durkon Thundershield: A lawful good dwarven cleric, is the healer of the party. He had worked with Roy for years prior to the founding of the "Order of the Stick." Durkon is a cleric of Thor and travels through human lands on the orders of the high priest of Thor, who exiled him as a result of a prophecy. Durkon speaks and writes in a Scottish