Reviews

Get ready for a rollicking adventure with a couple that meets with a bang during a fight and both hold their own such that they banter and fall in love. Both fight monsters and ghosts all while finding the time to have a sip of a signature cocktail, even with a full bar-cart thrown in. I have never listened to the podcast and didn’t feel I missed anything. From their friend buying a haunted house and Frank and Sadie Doyle having to save the day. It goes from a ghost story to a more complex neighbourhood fraternity that worships some big bad old that has been locked up for a reason with an unbelieving detective and some romance with side characters. If you like Buffy the Vampire Slayer graphic novels this is a fun read.

Character – quirky & larger than life, snappy dialogue and noir comedy

Illustration – silver age pulp and post–modern pop cartoonish style with vibrant warm colours. It feels like old-timey detective fiction.

Tone – dramatic and amusing

joncav07's review

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adventurous funny fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

andydost's review

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Made me want to listen to more episodes of the podcast.

aeahb2's review

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3.0

I'm not sure if graphic novels just aren't my medium, but I didn't enjoy this as much as I thought I would. Some of the stories are repeats from the podcast, and I found myself losing interest through a few of the installments. Also, the beyond belief section? What a let down.
Sparks Nevada was great though. I am so conflicted.

tempscire's review

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5.0

Delightful as the podcast, which also means some segments bore me as much as others amuse me endlessly. The fake ads, likewise, are awesome. This was a well-done adaptation of audio play to visual format that was familiar (and included some of the same gags, tweaked to suit the format) without reading like a script (unlike the merely decent Welcome to Night Vale novelization). Not an easy feat!

ruzgofdi's review

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4.0

The Thrilling Adventure Hour is a staged production in the style of old time radio. It is performed and recorded once a month, and then released as a podcast. Each episode features three non-serialized segments as well as songs and commercials from fictional sponsors.

This graphic novel gives a good taste of what the shows are like. It's a collection of short stories, each being a sample of the more frequently performed sketches from the shows. I recently found out about the podcast, and have run through their library of past shows, so I had knowledge of the settings and characters before picking up the book. A part of me thinks that this book could be a good way to introduce people to the recordings. At the same time, I wonder if because of my familiarity I wasn't able to spot parts where things weren't adequately explained for a first timer.

Over all I really liked it. My only complaint is that more than a few of the stories were recycled from the show. So there were a couple of times where I had a moment of "Oh yeah! I remember this one".

tiedyedude's review

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5.0

Excellent transition from audio to visual. The artists' styles matched the segments well. As always, Beyond Belief steals the show, though I loved the ending of Sparks Nevada. I was happy they included all the different characters, even the ones that haven't been on the podcast lately. It might not have the same appeal to those who haven't listened the podcast, but it certainly captures the spirit of the show.

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