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Bravest Warriors #1-4

Bravest Warriors Vol. 1

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The new hit Cartoon Hangover series from the imagination of Adventure Time creator, Pendleton Ward! POWER! RESPECT! Based on ADVENTURE TIME creator Pendleton Ward's brand new animated series! Join Chris, Wallow, Beth and Danny, four 16-year-old heroes-for-hire, as they warp from galaxy to galaxy, saving alien races with the power of their...emotions. They're noble, righteous and totally bodacious! This new series of original comics based on the new Cartoon Hangover series is sure to be a smash hit! This collection includes the first four issues, including the totally boss backup stories!

128 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2012

118 people are currently reading
993 people want to read

About the author

Joey Comeau

44 books663 followers
Joey Comeau is a Canadian writer. He is best known for his novels Lockpick Pornography and Overqualified, and as co-creator of the webcomic A Softer World (with Emily Horne).

Comeau currently resides in Toronto, Ontario. He has a degree in linguistics.

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5 stars
585 (44%)
4 stars
392 (29%)
3 stars
259 (19%)
2 stars
56 (4%)
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17 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 112 reviews
Profile Image for Kai Charles(Fiction State Of Mind).
3,212 reviews11 followers
June 26, 2015
This is one of my favorite animated series. If you haven't seen it Google Bravest Warriors and prepare to have your mind blown! This first arc shows the powerful teens visiting a clown planet and fighting a villain called sadness. The monsters in this volume are wonderfully creepy so be careful with showing it to the young ones! There are also back up stories in this volume as well? This book is for Coyer Scavenger Hunt #16 Read a Graphic Novel
Profile Image for Valéria..
1,019 reviews37 followers
May 26, 2018
Such a funny story. Exactly the type you want to read when you need to shut down your brain for a while.
Profile Image for Ann DVine.
148 reviews7 followers
November 13, 2014
The Bravest Warriors webshow is one of the coolest things to happen on the internet in some time. Co-created by the brains behind Adventure Time, Pen Ward, it follows the space-faring adventures of the Bravest Warriors, a group of teenagers, separated from their parents, and taken on their mantles as heroic space-vigilantes for hire. In space!

Part of the reason it works so well - and part of the reason it continues to work well in comic form - are that the characters are so damn likable. Just like Adventure Time, which managed to lay genuine emotional depth beneath an outrageous, often inane fantasy world, Bravest Warriors features a principal cast of very human, very real teens, set against a spectacularly odd backdrop of weird cartoon creatures, planets, and technology. It doesn't outright take Adventure Time's formula - if anything, I'd equate it more with something like Red Dwarf - but the similarities are many, and, frankly, welcome.

This volume features a lot of stuff, with a main plot running through and a lot of tiny little stand-alone gags, jokes, and even entire mini-stories by Ryan Pequin littered throughout. The main plot concerns our Bravest Warriors, Chris, Wallow, Danny, and Beth, alongside their sometimes-friend Plum (who is, naturally, a half-mermaid, somehow, and has two brains). Chris is the leader. Wallow is the enthusiastic one. Danny is the frightened one. Beth is the girl (well, to be fair, she often comes off as the core protagonist, but, for the sake of differentiation, she's the girl). Each and everyone of them has their quirks, fears, desires, and unique voice, provided aptly by Joey Comeau.

The long-form nature of the volume-spanning arc is a major deviation from the webshow. Often clocking in at under ten minutes, the show deals with vignettes of the Bravest Warriors' adventures - here, we have a full story, replete with inciting incident, conclusion, and... that stuff that goes in the middle. Y'know. Storytelling. It takes the "emotional realism against backdrop of wacky surrealist cartoon universe" completely to heart, telling the story of a planet of people who are completely, unbearably depressed for some reason. A planet of clowns, of course - such comic irony cannot be devalued! - but a planet of super depressed people, whom the Bravest Warriors really want to cheer up. It turns out that the sadness is coming from a supernatural villainess who is literally the physical embodiment and manifestation of sadness itself - her name, Sadness. Believe me, it may not sound so, but hijinks do ensue.

One thing that perhaps separates Bravest Warriors from its cousin Adventure Time, is its unrelenting attitude towards adult themes. Adventure Time has them, but this is a comic in which, within the first few pages, they've blown up a planet because it's full of misogynists. That's... that's pretty full-on, there, sport! Not that I don't welcome blowing up planets full of misogynists, but it's not something you see every day (sadly). Later on, where Sadness herself shows up and she's juggling skulls and threatening to put on puppet shows with the Bravest Warriors' corpses (albeit, adorable cartoon skulls, and adorable cartoon corpses), it takes a turn for the dark. Hell, she actually manages to behead all of them, killing them instantly. Say what? Yeah, I said it! You'll have to read the comic to see how the Bravest Warriors get out of being dead. Needless to say, it's not an uncommon recurrence in their line of work.

The art takes the styles of the webshow and makes them significantly fuller in detail, and I actually think the book looks damn beautiful. Mike Holmes provides the illustrations, and the way he's approached Pen Ward's signature style without being confined completely to the look and feel of the web series is absolutely masterful, with fantastic use of colour and shadows in particular - something an internet cartoon show with a limited budget has to use somewhat sparingly. And Pequin's stories are well-illustrated too, but they're kind of aiming for something a bit different.

Bravest Warriors is a real treat, both in its online form and here, as a comic. I actually think I prefer the comic - its meatier, (somewhat) edgier, and looks fantastic. The cover gallery included is of particular note, because, as with the Adventure Time comics, various artists have taken on the task of drawing the Bravest Warriors. Their unique styles and approaches are thrilling to witness, and the various variants collected here are welcome additions to the volume. There's very little negative I can say about Bravest Warriors - a lack of fan-favourite characters like Catbug and Impossibear, perhaps, but I assure you they feature in later volumes, and it's a nitpick in the face of the spectacular adaptation of a surprising and exciting piece of modern-day entertainment.

I can wholeheartedly recommend Bravest Warriors to pretty much anyone who likes cute cartoon characters you feel attached to going on a surrealist emotional journey and talking about friendship and their feelings and stuff. Check it out.
Profile Image for India.
Author 11 books125 followers
October 10, 2017
Such a fun story. I love the characters and I love the cartoon. The side stories were random and distracting though. Some were funny, I was tempted to skip through them and just get back to the actual story.
Profile Image for Dione Basseri.
1,034 reviews43 followers
August 22, 2017
Well. If you dislike clowns...guess you're never getting into the Bravest Warriors comics. Cause this opening does not spare you. The Bravest Warriors are sent to a planet of sad clowns, to battle against Sadness. Sadness...the witch. Not, like, the embodiment of sadness, or the cause of sadness (except as much as she can, being an evil witch). Just a powerful witch. And, well, things get weirder than that. Bravest Warriors takes the random events of Adventure Time and just sets them in a sci-fi universe. It's all a little unsettling, and a whole lot funny.

Make sure to watch at least the first season of the YouTube series, first. Perhaps the second, as well, though the second does little for the plot here. You mainly just need to get to know the characters, so you can accept that, yes, things are that weird in the main release. I mean...this IS the series with a hologram projector in their bathroom to entertain you while you poo. The comics live up to that weirdness.

Catbug continues to be a delight.
Profile Image for Jason.
3,956 reviews25 followers
August 9, 2020
I read the first issue or so of the trade, and not wanting to make the mistake I made with Invader Zim, watched a handful of episodes before returning to the graphic novel. I highly recommend this, as the humor in the comic plays better with some kind of frame of reference for the characterizations of the Warriors. It's fascinating to me how different writers can capture the Pendleton Ward zeitgeist effectively- for example, Ryan North during his Adventure Time comics run. Similar to Adventure Time, I like how the comic diverges from the tv show (at least the first several episodes) by having a longer story arc, interspersed with shorter backup stories each issue. I'm looking forward to reading more, but first I want to watch a little more of the show. Maybe finish the first season.
Profile Image for Ileni Schofield.
44 reviews
October 31, 2019
3.5
Good job I decided to finish it! The begining was mest up and the first chapter just looked pretty useless. But I decided to finish this volume, and I loved the story.

I decided to give only 3 stars because I didn't like much who it was narrated, it could have been good with less jokes.
I read some pages with really pretty color schemes, but others pages had different colored schemes and they looked pretty ugly. Also at the end of every chapter there was included a minichapter that made things overall confiusing and a bit annoying. But I am definately gonna try to read the next volume!
Profile Image for Drew.
1,628 reviews9 followers
January 14, 2014
For those who love Adventure Time, meet the Bravest Warriors! I should mention that this book starts with the team blowing up an entire planet of sexists. Good, consistent art from all the artists who worked on this volume. The story is simple, but the best parts are the great bits of dialogue and zingers that is peppered throughout the book.
Profile Image for Juan Fuentes.
Author 7 books76 followers
January 31, 2018
Tiene detalles muy locos y un ritmo endiablado, y aunque carece de la profundidad filosófica que suelen tener algunos capítulos de horas de aventuras lo compensa con algunos detalles de humor negro.
A mis hijos le encantó.
Profile Image for Adriana.
3,514 reviews42 followers
February 22, 2017
It's a bit bizarre and confusing, but highly entertaining even for a reader who has never watched the cartoon.
Consider it a light amuse-bouche to enjoy in between serious reads.
Profile Image for L. Petunia.
280 reviews
July 1, 2013
I love how crazy irreverent this comic is, just like the show. (But why is there no Catbug here?! Why?!) That said, sometimes it's SO crazy, I can't even guess what's going on... o_0 But I still love it.
Profile Image for Joe.
542 reviews8 followers
January 29, 2016
Adventure Time remix-reimagining of sorts. Similar visual vibes, round and puffy soft feels, and great unforced silly humor.
Profile Image for Daniel Andreu.
141 reviews6 followers
January 30, 2019
Hay dos cosas que me parece que lastran este cómic. Lo primero, la traducción, que hace que tenga todo el rato la sensación de estar leyendo un cómic de Hora de Aventuras cuando no lo es. Se nota su creador por supuesto, pero non hacía falta traducir este así también. La segunda, las puñeteras notas a pie de página que siguen sin ser graciosas ni necesarias, solo consiguen ponerme de mala hostia porque no soy capaz de no leerlas. Aparte de todo eso, ha supuesto una grata sorpresa porque yo me esperaba un Hora de Aventuras con otros personajes y ya está, pero el humor y las situaciones sin mucho más locas y tienen un toque adulto diferente que separa mucho ambos cómics.
Profile Image for Katie Mullaly.
8 reviews
March 2, 2019
Wow! What an amazing adventure.

I loved the art and the creative writing, but don’t get it twisted. There are graphic subjects in this comic book. The subject of death is obviously prominent and some other big subjects kids may want to talk about. Parents, read it first and don’t forget to talk to your kids about sadness. It will destroy you if you’re not careful.
Profile Image for Adam Graham.
Author 63 books69 followers
September 3, 2017
The Bravest Warriors, four teenaged superheroes, Chris, Wallow, Beth, and Danny fight evil. In this book, their quest is to save a planet of clowns from their enemy Sadness.

To be honest, this book left me with mixed feelings. It's fun and the characters are likable, if a bit one note in some cases. The book walks the line between silly and inane throughout. Is this a story that can be enjoyed by all ages, or only for littler kids? It's just on the line for me.

Overall, this didn't thrill me but I also wouldn't mind checking out another volume of this series to see what they do with it.
Profile Image for Marisa.
714 reviews12 followers
September 10, 2017
Great art and characters. I'd say watch out the creator of Adventure Time would sue...but Pendleton Ward IS the creator of both. The set up is there, but I wish there was a little more sense/story flow. What works on tv is harder to create I. Comic form.
Profile Image for Beth.
38 reviews
December 9, 2017
*2.5. Just not my kinda book. Plot was dumb, shallow feminism abound and the author apparently thinks the “friend zone” is an actual thing. Forced romance. Just too fake random/“teen cool” for me, I guess.
Profile Image for connie.
1,567 reviews102 followers
September 30, 2018
4/5 stars

I loved this! It's been years since I watched Bravest Warriors and this has definitely rejuvenated my excitement for it. I love Danny and these stories are so cute, I'm so excited to read volume 2!!!
Profile Image for Andrea Wright.
984 reviews18 followers
September 10, 2021
This was really fun, a bit confusing, but make sure if you read it you don't skip the light blue text at the bottom of the pages or you miss half the humor! I will for sure check out more and will look into finding the cartoon to see if I enjoy that too! OMG Clowns!
Profile Image for Douglas Beagley.
907 reviews16 followers
April 13, 2022
Immensely clever to the point of being confusing, filled with color and bright noises. Writing and story arch is for a 10 year old, but humor and black comedy is about right for people in their 40s-mid-life-crisis era. WHO IS THIS COMIC FOR? I liked it.
Profile Image for A.M..
71 reviews
March 11, 2017
I liked this so much! Now I need to go re-watch the episodes <3
Profile Image for Dharma Tilley.
74 reviews
August 16, 2017
Little confusing with the random short stories within the overall graphic novel, but you get over it after a while. And it had no Catbug, I need Catbug!!!:)
Profile Image for Anna.
5 reviews
August 17, 2017
It was really funny! The story is probably one of the best parody of superhero genre ever. While joking, authors underline absurds in our everyday life. Entertaining, colorful comic book for adults.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 112 reviews

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