Sunday, August 9, 2020

The Adventure Zone: Petals to the Metal - Clint McElroy, Griffin McElroy, Travis McElroy, Justin McElroy, Carey Pietsch

I finished this in one day. My page per day average soared. I finished and wanted to start all over again.


It's been a couple years since The Adventure Zone, Balance Arc finished its podcast and moved on. I'm still not over it. But as the feeling of the podcast grows more distant, these comics that cover the different arcs within the Balance show, become better. Because the show got better over time as the narrative deepened and the McElroy brothers (and dad) got more deeply into the characters they were creating.

Petals to the Metal is really where this all started to happen within the show. When Griffin McElroy took more control over where the story was going, and side characters who could have been throw- aways became fan favorites. This was the arc where Justin McElroy conjured Spirit Steed and instead of a horse, we got a fabulous, deep voiced binicorn Garyl. I mean, no one but the McElroy's could have pulled this off.

Petals to the Metal deepens the mystery of the red robes and the Bureau of Balance. It illuminates the characters but casts huge doubts over their mission and the narrative. It's an excellent turning point in the series. The only thing to regret is the next installments are not immediately available. And, naturally that since my 8 year old is now into graphic novels he mistook this for his own and we had to have a serious chat about the "F" word.

5/5 Duh. 

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