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A review by readingrobyn
The Adventure Zone: Here There Be Gerblins by Griffin McElroy, Clint McElroy, Carey Pietsch, Travis McElroy, Justin McElroy
5.0
I had very high expectations for this book and was 100% prepared to be brutal if it sucked... but thankfully, it doesn't. The Adventure Zone podcast Balance Arc was a long time obsession of mine. It got me through several long days at work and long nights of restlessness. To see that the boys got to make it into something more than just the pod is completely fantastic.
The McElroy's and Carey Pietsch did a great job of translating what made the podcast fun into the graphic novel format. In The Adventure Zone the classic fantasy template of aventures on a D&D campaign is combined lovingly with humor and family. Although the story isn't new to me, I loved being able to enjoy it again in a new format. It makes it new, even though I consider it like an old friend.
The thing I was most worried about with this adaptation was the character designs. Because these characters started out on a podcast, each listener was allowed to create their own unique interpretations of each character's appearance. You can see this play out in all the unique fan art and fan made animations that have been made for the show. For this aspect I was happy with how the cannon turned out. I think Carey did a great job of taking the personalities of the characters and creating their own cannon designs that look to be very informed by the boy's DIY cosplay that they would wear to live shows. Travis's Magnus was the most like how I pictured him and I was surprised how I especially enjoyed Killian's design.
I can't wait to check out the next volume!
For anyone uninitiated to the podcast, as a long time listener, I would suggest dipping your toe in by checking out some fan animations on YouTube. There are some crazy talented people who animate the original audio and they have picked some of the best bits to show off. The podcast story is quite a commitment so this is always the place I suggest to start.
The McElroy's and Carey Pietsch did a great job of translating what made the podcast fun into the graphic novel format. In The Adventure Zone the classic fantasy template of aventures on a D&D campaign is combined lovingly with humor and family. Although the story isn't new to me, I loved being able to enjoy it again in a new format. It makes it new, even though I consider it like an old friend.
The thing I was most worried about with this adaptation was the character designs. Because these characters started out on a podcast, each listener was allowed to create their own unique interpretations of each character's appearance. You can see this play out in all the unique fan art and fan made animations that have been made for the show. For this aspect I was happy with how the cannon turned out. I think Carey did a great job of taking the personalities of the characters and creating their own cannon designs that look to be very informed by the boy's DIY cosplay that they would wear to live shows. Travis's Magnus was the most like how I pictured him and I was surprised how I especially enjoyed Killian's design.
I can't wait to check out the next volume!
For anyone uninitiated to the podcast, as a long time listener, I would suggest dipping your toe in by checking out some fan animations on YouTube. There are some crazy talented people who animate the original audio and they have picked some of the best bits to show off. The podcast story is quite a commitment so this is always the place I suggest to start.