I don’t want to compare them too much, because that’s really unfair, and I certainly listened to every episode with an open mind to let Travis do his own thing and put his own stamp on the campaign. Travis was a very different DM from Griffin.
Adventure zone series#
Things got way more complex and the whole series ended up being about how too much order and maybe also capitalism, in general, are bad, but also fun? And there were lots of demons? On the one hand, it was really fun having Griffin as a player and seeing how he developed a complex character who ended up being sort of the hero of Graduation, a story about (as usual) three dinguses who in this case were students at a school for heroes and villains, but in the sidekick program. Having a different DM for a major campaign definitely changed things for The Adventure Zone. Travis McElroy took over running the game and narrative for Graduation, and so let’s start there. But I missed the fantasy setting and D&D ( Amnesty was a Monster of the Week game set in present-day West Virginia) so was curious and excited going into Graduation because it was a return to D&D but with a new dungeon master. Both Amnesty and Balance featured babiest brother Griffin McElroy as the game/dungeon master and that kept up a certain continuity in tone and dynamic between the two, and though Amnesty was less complex than Balance, I certainly enjoyed it and thought it mostly worked. So how do you follow up after something so big and successful? After a few experimental short campaigns, the McElroys moved onto a new campaign called Amnesty. Every fan was sad to see it end but it concluded in an incredibly satisfying way. And that’s not surprising, Balance was amazing. It was and continues to be wildly popular with a devoted and pretty awesome fandom. The first campaign, Balance, lasted for years and has spawned a series of graphic novels, a game, and an animated series still in development. Spun off from The McElroy brothers’ My Brother, My Brother and Me podcast and starring brothers Justin, Travis, and Griffin McElroy along with their dad Clint, The Adventure Zone is always fun and goofy no matter what. So we want to take a minute to talk about the campaign, and what we loved and didn’t love about this trip to the Adventure Zone.įor context, The Adventure Zone podcast has been around for quite a while. Pietsch delivers the essence of role-playing, enhancing many scenes' ambience and transforming the book into a delightful visual experience that balances exposition and action.It seems like just yesterday we were hyping the announcement of The Adventure Zone: Graduation and now the third major campaign in from the popular tabletop podcast has concluded after 38 episodes. In the tradition of RPGs, illustrator Carey Pietsch (Mages of Mystralia) introduces each new character with a trait sheet, helping the reader to quickly get up to speed on their quirks. In between exploring and fighting, the heroes amuse themselves by antagonizing one another, pontificating on dwarves' musical preferences, and cussing out the dungeon master, who occasionally pops into the story to give direction, insult the players, or congratulate himself on his own crafty storyline. The comic follows Magnus (human), Taako (elf), and Merle (dwarf) as they fight their way deep into dungeons filled with monsters, mayhem, and whatever else the dungeon master throws at them.
The McElroy family ups their metafictional wackiness in this comic adaptation of their podcast of same name, which revolves around live performance of role-playing game The Adventure Zone. With endearingly off-kilter storytelling from master goofballs Clint McElroy and the McElroy brothers, and vivid, adorable art by Carey Pietsch, The Adventure Zone: Here There be Gerblins is the comics equivalent of role-playing in your friend's basement at 2am, eating Cheetos and laughing your ass off as she rolls critical failure after critical failure.
Join Taako the elf wizard, Merle the dwarf cleric, and Magnus the human warrior for an adventure they are poorly equipped to handle AT BEST, guided ("guided") by their snarky DM, in a graphic novel that, like the smash-hit podcast it's based on, will tickle your funny bone, tug your heartstrings, and probably pants you if you give it half a chance. MARVEL! At the sheer metafictional chutzpah of a graphic novel based on a story created in a podcast where three dudes and their dad play a tabletop role playing game in real time!
READ! Their journey from small-time bodyguards to world-class artifact hunters! SEE! The illustrated exploits of three lovable dummies set loose in a classic fantasy adventure!
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