So, first things first. If you don’t know the wonder that is the McElroys, go fix that now. Get a podcast app, listen to ALL of My Brother, My Brother, and Me (that’s right, all of it), and then listen to all of The Adventure Zone. The McElroys are the funniest dudes around, and The Adventure Zone is a podcast in which Justin, Travis, and Griffin (the three McElroy brothers) play Dungeons & Dragons with their dad, Clint. This book is adapted from their first D&D adventure together.
How could a graphic novel adapted from a podcast of four dudes playing D&D possibly be good, you ask? Well IT JUST IS, KAREN! But no, really. It’s great. It’s especially great if you’ve listened to the podcast and can remember many of the moments that are translated over, especially things like Taako’s “Abra-ca-fuck you!” and the introduction of *insert static noises here*. But even if you’ve never listened to the podcast, this graphic novel is delightful, funny, and charming. Just like the McElroys! It was also really nice to see how much diversity Carey Pietsch’s art brought to the world of The Adventure Zone, especially knowing how much work the McElroys put into making sure they were being inclusive without being offensive or presumptuous. I can only hope they’ll get a chance to publish more and make this an entire graphic novel series, because there are stories in TAZ I would adore seeing in a visual medium.
If any of this sounds intriguing to you, and you want to know where to get started with the wonderful world of McElroys, let me know in the comments and I’ll recommend some good My Brother, My Brother, and Me episodes to start with.