Staff Pick
The second volume of this graphic novel adaptation of the McElroys' much-beloved D&D podcast grants +2 to all stats and delivers the goods. Longtime listeners and first-time readers alike are sure to be delighted by Carey Pietsch’s joyous rendering of this classic train mystery — featuring, as all good train mysteries do, a secret moon base (with no dogs allowed), a mystical being known as Garfield the Deals Warlock, questionable physics, and (most importantly) the introduction of the single best character ever created: Angus McDonald, world’s greatest detective (and just the gosh-darned best boy). All aboard for Rockport! Recommended By Madeline S., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
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 coadaptation from Carey Pietsch, the McElroys are once again turning their raucous freewheeling D&D campaign into some damn fine comics.
Review
"It's tough to adapt anything into a comic, but especially to go from an audio-only medium to a visual-only one, but Pietsch in particular knocks it out of the park." Paste Magazine
Review
"The story is fun, the artwork continues to be fantastic, and it's a great read for fans of goofy adult fantasy, whether you're a veteran D&D player or you just love irreverent jokes about Garfield, stealing from small children, or Tom Bodett." Winter is Coming
Review
"This arc is stuffed to the gills with excitement — a murder mystery, some brand new NPCs, and a whole lot of wayward wizardry and other questionable hijinks." Nerds and Beyond
About the Author
Meet the McElroys! Clint was born first, which recent studies have shown is the best procedure for fathers and sons; then came Justin, Travis, and, last but not least, Griffin. This hilarious family gained fame in the world of podcasts with My brother My brother and Me (which spawned a popular TV show), sawbones, shmanners, rosebuddies, and a farcical romp called The Adventure Zone.
Carey Pietsch is a cartoonist based out of Brooklyn, New York. Her previous work includes drawing two arcs of Lumberjanes and the artwork for the Mages of Mystralia webcomic. Carey also makes Keepsakes and other original comics about magic and empathy. Along with brightening her workdays, The Adventure Zone got her to join a D&D campaign.