Name: Steph L 's review of The Adventure Zone: Murder on the Rockport Limited! by Justin McElroy
Item: The Adventure Zone: Murder on the Rockport Limited!
Rating: 5
Author: Steph L

Justin McElroy

Carey Pietsch

Clint McElroy

Travis McElroy

Griffin McElroy

This format is designed to be read on color devices and cannot be read on black-and-white e-readers. In the second Adventure Zone graphic novel (adapted from the McElroy family's wildly popular D&D podcast), we rejoin hero-adjacent sort-of-comrades-in-arms Taako, Magnus, and Merle on a wild careen through a D&D railroad murder mystery. This installment has a little of everything: a genius child detective, an axe-wielding professional wrestler, a surly wizard, cursed magical artifacts, and a pair of meat monsters. You know, the usual things you find on a train. Hot on the heels of The Adventure Zone: Here There Be Gerblins, the smash hit graphic novel that launched the series, The Adventure Zone: Murder on the Rockport Limited! picks up the saga where volume 1 left off. Both books are based on "The Adventure Zone," a tabletop RPG comedy podcast with downloads numbering in the tens of millions and an army of passionately devoted fans. With art and co-adaptation from Carey Pietsch, the McElroys are once again turning their raucous freewheeling D&D campaign into some damn fine comics.

The Adventure Zone: Murder on the Rockport Limited!

In the second Adventure Zone graphic novel (adapted from the McElroy family's wildly popular D&D podcast), we rejoin hero-adjacent sort-of-comrades-in-arms Taako, Magnus, and Merle on a wild careen through a D&D railroad murder mystery. This installment has a little of everything: a genius child detective, an axe-wielding professional wrestler, a surly wizard, cursed magical artifacts, and a pair of meat monsters. You know, the usual things you find on a train. Hot on the heels of The Adventure Zone: Here There Be Gerblins, the smash hit graphic novel that launched the series, The Adventure Zone: Murder on the Rockport Limited picks up the saga where volume 1 left off. Both books are based on "The Adventure Zone," a tabletop RPG comedy podcast with downloads numbering in the tens of millions and an army of passionately devoted fans. With art and co-adaptation from Carey Pietsch, the McElroys are once again turning their raucous freewheeling D&D campaign into some damn fine comics.

Steph L 

If you have never played DND this book is for you. If you're only a casual player of DND this book is for you. If you're one that is an avid player of DND this book is for your. The characters are fun and witty. The story is heartfelt and the art is amazing. If you have never heard of The Adventure Zone check out the first book followed by this one. I recommend this for all ages, but I would say Middle Grade to Adult.

Risa C

Probably my favorite Balance arc, so I was always going to love this.

Meg Casey

I'm starting 2021 with something that I knew would make me happy, and I wasn't wrong. I love how they adapted the podcast campaign to the graphic novel format and kept what makes it so funny while also adding new details through the art.

Katie

Reread 6/29/20: This just in--I still love everything about The Adventure Zone. There were a couple of jokes on this reread that I either didn't notice the first time I read it or just forgot about that legitimately made me laugh out loud. I also can't get over how much I love Angus McDonald, the world's greatest detective. And the introduction of Garfield the Deals Warlock was hilarious as well.

As per usual, I'm crying in the club over The Adventure Zone.

In this volume, our good good boys Magnus, Merle, and Taako are attempting to solve a murder mystery on a train. They are joined by Graham the Juicy Wizard, Jess the Beheader, and fan favorite, Angus McDonald, Boy Detective.

I am deeply familiar with this books source material, a podcast I have listened to the entirety of four times, but I still think this graphic novel stands on its own. They cut out some pieces that would have slowed down the momentum of the book, while adding in a few details that help smooth out the storyline. If you have ever played Dungeons and Dragons, then you know that sometimes things don't quite add up as your DM is writing the story as you all play. This graphic novel took some of the details from the early days of The Adventure Zone that didn't quite fit with the overall story and retrofitted them to work with the overall narrative.

This is not a word-for-word transcription of the podcast, and I think the book is stronger for that. Some of the most popular and quotable jokes are included, but Clint McElroy worked hard to breathe new life into the graphic novel and add in some new dialogue and fantastically funny jokes to keep the spirit the same, while making the graphic novel a unique and worthwhile experience that diverges from its source material.

Honestly, I could wax poetic for hours about how much I loved this adaptation and how much I love the podcast, but I won't, because you all would hate me. Just know that The Adventure Zone, whether you start with the graphic novels or the podcast, is one of the best fictional narratives I have ever encountered, and that's saying a lot for a woman who reads over a hundred books a year.

Renee Delcourt

Some of the fighting scenes were really hard to follow what was happening but again I really enjoyed it. I think I preferred the jokes in the first book more. Maybe the next will be a bit better.

Riley Young

Great fun! I just finished the podcast for this campaign and it's wonderful seeing how they've added details in that won't appear in the podcast storyline until later.

Jane Galloway 

Love this series. Huge fan of the podcast and I cannot say enough good about the Graphic novel adaptions. The art is fantastic and the story is amazing. If you need a feel good story with worlds to get lost in and Characters to adore, this is something you should check out :)

Ash &
The Adventure Zone: Murder on the Rockport Limited! by Justin McElroy

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The Adventure Zone: Murder on the Rockport Limited! by Justin McElroy