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Digger
Series · 7 books · 2005-2013

Books in series

Digger, Volume One book cover
#1

Digger, Volume One

2005

"Digger is a story about a wombat. More specifically, it is a story about a particularly no\-nonsense wombat who finds herself stuck on the wrong end of a one\-way tunnel in a strange land where nonsense seems to be the specialty. Now with the help of a talking statue of a god, an outcast hyena, a shadow\-being of undeterminate origin, and an oracular slug she seeks to find out where she is and how to go about getting back to her Warren"\-\-Publisher's web site.
Digger, Volume Two book cover
#2

Digger, Volume Two

2006

The second collection of Digger is here, featuring the third and fourth chapters of the highly acclaimed webcomic. Digger is still lost in the strange land she discovered at the end of a one\-way tunnel, which now seems more intentional than accidental. A seemingly innocuous fossil she picked up on the way is suspected of having more to it than meets the eye, and the beneficient talking statue of Ganesh has a need that sends Digger and a decidedly unhinged acolyte deep underground in search of answers.
Digger, Volume Three book cover
#3

Digger, Volume Three

2007

In this third volume of Digger, covering chapters five and six of Ursula Vernon's webcomic, our wombat Heroine is driven from the protective care of the Hag by the persistent efforts of Captain Jhalm. Back in the strange world outside the temple of Ganesh, Digger encounters friends new and old, while often confronting the age\-old question of the nature of good and evil. Seemingly simple answers lead to complicated consequences, foes turn into allies, and Digger must continue to sort out who she can trust in her quest to find her way back home.
Digger, Volume Four book cover
#4

Digger, Volume Four

2009

In this fourth volume of Digger, covering chapters seven and eight of Ursula Vernon's webcomic, our wombat Heroine finds herself under the scrutiny of the universally feared matriarch of the Cerulean Hills hyena tribe, Boneclaw Mother. Should she survive, there is only the small matter of a ceremonial feast for the late hyena hunter Skull Ridges, which Digger unwittingly helped avenge—much to the consternation of all. (It's complicated...) A hyena long feast is no place for a vegetarian wanting to avoid offense and a one\-way\-trip to the dessert course. And there is still the matter of getting home without getting any deeper into the matter of nearly\-dead Gods, insane acolytes, talking statues, or amoral shadow critters with a penchant for existential crises. When Surka (the ex\-pirate captain shrew turned professional bridge troll) and Ed (the outcast hynena artist and master of the warrior\-tea ceremony) are among the saner beings in your social circle, you KNOW things are just not turning out like you hoped. Despite her humble protests, Digger continues to get rave reviews from the critics. Publishers Weekly says that Digger "...has inspired comparisons to Bone and Finder." Eric Lindberg of Broken Frontier describes Digger as "...a rich fantasy adventure, a bitingly sarcastic satire, a meditation on myth and religion, and possessed of a quirky and beautiful black and white art style..." And Eric Burns of Websnark reminds us that "...Ursula Vernon didn't come to comics via comics, but instead was a fine artist and illustrator who kind of segued into comics. It shows in her style, which is perhaps the most beautiful pen and ink work on the web. Vernon knows how to take black and negative space and make them into astounding pieces." This collection also contains an excerpt from Hyena Hierarchies Today, courtesy of the collection of Librarian Vo, specifically dealing with the members of the Cerulean Hills Boneclaw tribe. Winner of the Web Cartoonists' Choice Awards in the categories of Outstanding Black and White Art (2005, 2006\) \& Outstanding Anthropomorphic Comic (2006\), as well as the Broken Frontier award for Best Webcomic Creator (2007\), Digger has also attracted the attention of the wider comics industry—garnering Ursula Vernon a 2006 Will Eisner Comics Industry Awards nomination in the category of Talent Deserving of Wider Recognition.
Digger, Volume Five book cover
#5

Digger, Volume Five

2010

In this fifth volume of Digger, covering chapters nine and ten of Ursula Vernon's webcomic, our wombat heroine embarks on the journey into which she had been cajoled by the statue of Ganesh in the previous volume, accompanying Murai and her destiny towards a monastery in the Morrakgon Mountains that once had connections to the god shackled underground. Along the way, they meet up with Grim Eyes, who had been sent to join them by Boneclaw Mother, hire a guide with an interesting history (and morphology) all his own, and are surprised to find that Shadowchild has been trailing them all along. One of the oracular slug's prophesies comes true, with disastrous consequences that threaten to end their quest rather abruptly, but with a good dose of teamwork, wombat\-style glow\-sticks, and Grim Eyes' first\-aid skills, they manage to resume their trek. Unfortunately, when they arrive at the monastery, they find it to be rather less inhabited than they had hoped, though not completely empty. Murai's destiny is interrupted by the arrival of one of Digger's relatives, from whom they learn the history behind the god who is chained underground. Their path forward becomes clear, but before they can return to the temple, Shadowchild gets a visit from a relative of his own, and for him the phrase "confronting your demons" takes on a whole new meaning.
Digger, Volume Six book cover
#6

Digger, Volume Six

2011

In this sixth and final volume of Digger, covering chapters eleven and twelve of Ursula Vernon's webcomic, our wombat heroine makes her way back from the Morrakgon Mountain monastery along with Grim Eyes and Murai. They make a beeline for the temple, but get intercepted by Surka with grave news. The Veiled have corralled the hyenas on their lands and are coming to surround the temple, leaving Murai the only one equipped to defend the temple (even with a broken arm). Meanwhile Digger and Ed (now dishomed by The Veiled as well as his former tribe) take a decidedly un\-mystical crowbar to see about killing a God—or what is left of one, anyway. Who will come out of this with their liver intact? Will Boneclaw Mother do "The Thing" to Captain Jhalm? Will there be bug\-on\-a\-stick?
Digger book cover
#1-6

Digger

The Complete Omnibus

2013

Digger is a story about a wombat. More specifically, it is a story by author and artist Ursula Vernon about a particularly no\-nonsense wombat who finds herself stuck on the wrong end of a one\-way tunnel in a strange land where nonsense seems to be the specialty. Now with the help of a talking statue of a god, an outcast hyena, a shadow\-being of indeterminate origin, and an oracular slug she seeks to find out where she is and how to go about getting back to her Warren. With an irreverent sense of humor and a fantasy protagonist with a healthy dose of skepticism, Digger rapidly gained a huge following of devoted fans eager for the twice a week updates of the webcomic for the duration of the comic's run. Digger's story is now complete. It has been compiled in six bound volumes, each including additional content not posted online.

Author

Ursula Vernon
Ursula Vernon
Author · 22 books

Ursula Vernon, aka T. Kingfisher, is an author and illustrator. She has written over fifteen books for children, at least a dozen novels for adults, an epic webcomic called “Digger” and various short stories and other odds and ends. Ursula grew up in Oregon and Arizona, studied anthropology at Macalester College in Minnesota, and stayed there for ten years, until she finally learned to drive in deep snow and was obligated to leave the state. Having moved across the country several times, she eventually settled in Pittsboro, North Carolina, where she works full-time as an artist and creator of oddities. She lives with her husband and his chickens. Her work has been nominated for the Eisner, World Fantasy, and longlisted for the British Science Fiction Awards. It has garnered a number of Webcomics Choice Awards, the Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story, the Mythopoeic Award for Children’s Literature, the Nebula for Best Short Story, the Sequoyah Award, and many others.

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