The Adventure Zone: Here There Be Gerblins

I pre-ordered the paperback, but haven't had time to binge-read straight through it until the last two days! I should probably be able to come up with a witty McElroy reference as I started listening to the Balance Arch of the Adventure Zone podcast in April 2018...and finished all episodes in just a few months' time (for anyone reading and aware, yes, I believe I averaged an hour and 15 minutes of TAZ every day), but I'll just leave it at this: it left me happy, and feeling creative, and patiently(??) waiting for next summer's second installment! Clint and other contributing editors did a wonderful job adapting the hours and hours of audio content into extremely concise print format while really maintaining the best lines and exchanges from the podcast...yet remaking the tale into its very own thing–no easy task! In the same vein, Carey Pietsch's illustration work is PERFECT. It is sooo difficult to take an audio medium with such a massive fandom built around it and craft a definitive appearance for the characters and the environments created in TAZ, but it think Pietsch has done a tremendous job! The visual style chosen for the graphic novel suits the TAZ canon well. This could have come out looking so many different ways and it would have been awesome regardless, but the aesthetic choices made are something to be really proud of–and to sleep easy at night knowing great decisions have been made. I was initially unsure why some of the character and place names had been changed from the original podcast material, and then I figured it was some sensible revisionism to tweak the early days of the podcast to be more in-line with what it would become. I convinced my younger cousin to purchase a Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition starter kit on Black Friday so we could unbox it and play with family members (all with no D&D playing experience) with myself as DM–starter kits come with remade characters. I was a little worried about running a fun adventure for first time players with an unknown, pre-written, mystery adventure with only seconds or prep time. *Closes eyes and pinches bridge of nose.* Of course, I realized immediately...that I know this pre-made adventure VERY WELL! And it became immediately clear why the revisions are in the graphic novel. All of this came together in a confluence of good, good joy. Many thanks, All!!

A spoof of Dungeons and Dragons based on a the adventure zone podcast which I've never seen nor played Dungeons and Dragons but I have heard there other well known podcast My Brother, My Brother and Me. You don't have to be a fan of D&D or there podcast though to enjoy because both the humor and art have fantastic synergy to create a hilarious romp of an adventure that keep the jokes coming smart and witty throughout. Whether it's an old priest that casts a holy fire spell with an extreme teen bible or just bringing light to an old D & D setting like adding elevators and green goblins that want you to kill there new boss to get a promotion as if there horde is a professional work place. A fresh approach that is silly and fresh. An Almost AAA graphic novel, would of like to see a bit more detail in the environments although character work is fantastic and loved the art style. They used matte finish instead of glossy that looks nice and glad this novel had quite a premium level of quality that I was pleasantly surprised. I felt there could of been a bit more characterization to add an extra level of depth but i'm just nitpicking. An amazing debut quite unexpected and something I would recommend to anyone to read not just there established niche, a true labor of love and potential to be a cult classic.

I can't find the words to express how much I love The Adventure Zone (but that's not going to stop me from trying). While I was visiting my sister, I saw this graphic novel in her room and a quick "thumb through" was all I needed. I started listening to the podcast as soon as I left her house (which brought the # of podcasts I listen to up to '1') and ordered this graphic novel the same night. Now, having binge-listened(?) to 40 TAZ podcast episodes so far, I am thoroughly addicted and just can't get enough. The McElroys (in descending order: Clint, Justin, Travis, & Griffin) are so much fun to listen to! So much fun in fact, I couldn't keep all the fun to myself; I've already introduced The Adventure Zone to two other friends of mine who are now just as hooked as I am. Okay, I think we've established that I have a somewhat favorable disposition towards the original subject material this graphic novel is based on, so let's get back to the novel itself. I LOVE THE ARTWORK! Carey Pietsch has done a masterful job bringing these audibly-based McElroy character creations to life in the beautifully colored pages of this graphic novel. The cover art is gorgeous and the novel is very well made. I am ABSOLUTELY going to purchase all of the graphic novels in this series (yes, I am aware that, as of the writing of this review, this graphic novel is the only one available for immediate purchase with "The Adventure Zone: Murder on the Rockport Limited!" available in preorder; but I pray to Pan [that's for you Merle] that the McElroy/Pietsch dream team keeps 'em coming!) #thezonecast

Like most people who've bought this comic, I'm a huge fan of The Adventure Zone's podcastian form, which puts me in a bit of a biased position... but whatever. This comic is amazing; in its own way, even more so than the original material. The art's cartoony style is perfect for the combination of somewhat-serious storytelling and semi-crude humor, and the characters - Magnus, Merle and Taako (and Griffin, our Dungeon Master) - are perfectly represented in both their expressions and body language. The jokes from the podcast are perfectly translated into the visual media and, as usual, Taako, with his extravagant appearance and fuck-this-shit attitude, tends to take the spotlight. From caves to mines to SSHHHXKSRNKXXX, the story is clear-cut, the dialogue hilarious, and the characters instantly lovable. Even for those who haven't listened to the podcast and aren't likely to read every line in the characters' voices, I highly recommend The Adventure Zone: Here There Be Gerblins as a fantastic entryway for the McElroy's escapades.

I wouldn't have thought a podcast could translate to a comic book, but somehow it happened - and really awesomely. The art is great, the writing is great, of course the story is great! Hits all the plot points (with maybe a name change or two) but it's still so funny. All of the McElroys' voices ring true, which is quite a feat considering that it went from comedic improv/voice acting to a primarily visual medium. The art and lettering only enhance the story, and manage some really great moments that take advantage of the fact that it IS a visual medium. Kudos to the artist and scriptwriter! Fans will not be disappointed! For newbies: it really stands up, and you need no previous experience with the McElroys to enjoy it. And whether you're a newbie or have been a fan for years, you'll be asking, "when can I pre-order the next in the series?!"

What a treasure. This book brings the podcast to life. I didn’t expect it to be so long - at around 240 pages, they really had the room to capture the details and little jokes and character touches. Most if not all of the lines are lifted straight from the show, and they work really well in comic form. Not to mention the art is fantastic and the characters illustrated so well, it worked even better than what was in my head. I can hear the McElroy’s voices as I read over it. At the end of the day, reading this was a beautiful way to re-experience the story with characters I’ve come to really love and care about, and I can’t wait until the next one.

I'm in love with the Adventure zone and our good good boys. This is such a delightful interpretation of the first part of the Balance Arc, and I'm so so happy that it exists. Clint McElroy does a great job tweaking the story/narrative elements to not only fit the plucky dialogue exchanges - blending them with some of the "out of character" shenanigans which we're so fond of - but also retconning many of the mannerisms and details which make the first few episodes stick out strangely upon a re-listen of the entire piece. Not to mention, the illustration is fantastic, and the quality of the print is stupendous. This makes the PERFECT gift for anyone who is a fan of TAZ , or anyone who likes Dungeons and Dragons and maybe just can't get into the habit of listening to a Podcast about it.

A great book! It really streamlines the Adventure Zone podcast into a great story. The Adventure Zone is already a great story as it is, but they clearly polished the story for the book. Carey Pietsch has a great, fun, lively art style that really captures the style of the story perfectly. It captures the humor so so well, but is perfectly suited for dramatic scenes as well. She's really the best artist for the job! You don't have to have listened to The Adventure Zone to enjoy this, and don't have to know about the McElroy's at all. The book stands on it's own as a great work! I'm very excited to read the next volume when it comes out!

It is awesome to revisit the story through a graphic novel. The art is gorgeous and it has the same great, dumb-in-a-good-way sense of humor of the podcast. I really recommend it to fans of the podcast! If you haven't listened to it, what are you doing, go do that. And buy this book.

I loved listening to TAZ when it was first coming out and reading it now in comic form is a dream! The drawings are beautifully done and the story is still just as fantastic. It's been a nice bit of nostalgia. If you are thinking about buying this, do it!! You won't regret it. I also think this form of storytelling is great for those who aren't big on DnD but would still enjoy the story. 10/10~

Truly fantastic

I absolutely loved the Adventure Zone podcast and have been listening since episode 1 so when they announced the release of a graphic novel I was excited, but somewhat skeptical. I wondered how they'd manage to capture not only the story but also the little side-comments between the players and Griffin which make TAZ so wonderful. I needn't have worried however because not only is the art amazing (Carey has done an amazing job at creating visual representations of everybody) but also the way that they're chosen to tell the story and have Griffin as a little insert on the corner of panels. Great adaptation of a great podcast and a genuine pleasure to read.

I'm always a fan of the McElroys and have been a follower of The Adventure Zone for some time, so I pre-ordered the graphic novel when I heard it was released. As always, the boys' work is wonderful, and a shout-out to Carey Pietsch for the beautiful illustrations! Seeing the story in physical form really makes it seem real, and they did a wonderful job of translating the podcast to comic form. The book I received has a couple of minor errors to it- it looks like two of the inside pages were folded over when the paper was cut to size, requiring the reader to unfold it to see the edge of the illustration, but it doesn't overlap on any words or anything important. The spine of the book also had minor damage to it -Amazon apparently decided to send it in an envelope rather than a box- but I feel as though that was a mistake of the postal service handling the book too roughly during travel, rather than any error on the manufacturer. Overall, while a bit disappointed in the damage, it's nothing major, and I found that my enjoyment and delight with the novel itself overrides any of those concerns I have. Great book, I'd recommend it to all fans of D&D and fans of the McElroys!