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The Adventure Zone Graphic Novels #7
The Adventure Zone: Story and Song
The triumphant final installment in the #1 New York Times-bestselling Adventure Zone graphic novel series, a meta-fictional D&D adventure story based on the smash hit podcast.
After six beloved and bestselling installments, The Adventure Zone series returns one final time for a grand Story and Song. Our heroes—Taako, Magnus, and Merle—are about to discover the long-lost truths about themselves, their shared history, and the nature of the threat they’ve been facing since they first agreed to join the Bureau of Balance. But just as their eyes are opened to the truth—mere moments after being reunited with long-lost loved ones—the forces that have hunted them for all these years catch up in a spectacularly horrifying fashion.
After six beloved and bestselling installments, The Adventure Zone series returns one final time for a grand Story and Song. Our heroes—Taako, Magnus, and Merle—are about to discover the long-lost truths about themselves, their shared history, and the nature of the threat they’ve been facing since they first agreed to join the Bureau of Balance. But just as their eyes are opened to the truth—mere moments after being reunited with long-lost loved ones—the forces that have hunted them for all these years catch up in a spectacularly horrifying fashion.
416 pages, Paperback
First published July 14, 2026
About the author
Griffin McElroy
28 books367 followersGriffin McElroy is a podcaster, video producer, composer and writer living in Austin, TX.
He does a comedy podcast called My Brother, My Brother and Me, which was adapted into a TV show for Seeso in 2017.
He also does a bunch of other podcasts with my friends and family.
He was chosen as one of Forbes' 30 Under 30 for the Media category in 2017, which he's still kind of in shock about.
He was a Senior Editorial Producer over at Polygon, which is a long-winded way of saying he made goofy videos for them full time. He also occasionally does a bit of writing.
He does a comedy podcast called My Brother, My Brother and Me, which was adapted into a TV show for Seeso in 2017.
He also does a bunch of other podcasts with my friends and family.
He was chosen as one of Forbes' 30 Under 30 for the Media category in 2017, which he's still kind of in shock about.
He was a Senior Editorial Producer over at Polygon, which is a long-winded way of saying he made goofy videos for them full time. He also occasionally does a bit of writing.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 248 reviews
July 14, 2026
i'm not crying you're crying
July 29, 2026
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🎲≋🧊≋🪄 The Adventure Zone: Story and Song 🪄≋🧊≋🎲
꒰➛ Stars: 6 ⭐!
꒰➛ Pov: N / A
꒰➛ Spice: 1 / 5
꒰➛ Content: Violence; swearing; plenty of cute kisses
꒰➛ This review may contain mild spoilers for the other six books!
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✎𓂃 Mini Review! ✎𓂃
I'm not even sure how formulate this so that it's not a giant rave about this amazing graphic novel series, so I won't even try 😌 Just buckle in
#1: THE ART KEEPS GETTING BETTER AND BETTER! There's so many absolutely gorgeous two-page and full-page spreads in this, like how?? I love how we've gotten to see the artist improve over time, in everything from coloring choices to poses to facial expressions to panel shapes! And I mean... no matter what happens, Taako always has the most amazing outfits 😏
#2: I love love LOVE the big everyone-comes-together-to-fight trope! All the characters we made friends with along the way, they're here to help in the time of need. And I mean everyone. Even the giant worm in volume five 🤣
#3: The Hunger just looks INCREDIBLE 🤩 Like I know it's a big evil thing, but the design of it!! Even in its human-ish form, it still looks great!
#4: We've finally figured out the pasts of the characters. And... OMG 😭 I don't cry on the outside, but I was emotional on the inside, alright? Same with the ending, I was crying on the inside, trust (but happy tears this time)
#5: is a trans fem icon ✨
There's so much more I could say, but it would be spoilers. So I beggeth of thee, fine review reader, that if you have a modicum of interest in graphic novels, D&D type adventures, jokes being cracked, references to pop culture (sometimes direct and sometimes indirect), surprising character depth, and clues dropped through the whole series that FINALLY make sense at the end, PLEASE give this a try 🙏🏻🙏🏻 It may become one of your favorite graphic novels too! After all, I found it by chance and decided to take a leap into a genre I don't often read, and look where I ended up 😉
═════ ≪ °❁° ≫ ══════ ≪ °❁° ≫ ══════ ≪ °❁° ≫ ═════
🎲≋🧊≋🪄 The Adventure Zone: Story and Song 🪄≋🧊≋🎲
꒰➛ Stars: 6 ⭐!
꒰➛ Pov: N / A
꒰➛ Spice: 1 / 5
꒰➛ Content: Violence; swearing; plenty of cute kisses
꒰➛ This review may contain mild spoilers for the other six books!
═════ ≪ °❁° ≫ ══════ ≪ °❁° ≫ ══════ ≪ °❁° ≫ ═════
✎𓂃 Mini Review! ✎𓂃
I'm not even sure how formulate this so that it's not a giant rave about this amazing graphic novel series, so I won't even try 😌 Just buckle in
#1: THE ART KEEPS GETTING BETTER AND BETTER! There's so many absolutely gorgeous two-page and full-page spreads in this, like how?? I love how we've gotten to see the artist improve over time, in everything from coloring choices to poses to facial expressions to panel shapes! And I mean... no matter what happens, Taako always has the most amazing outfits 😏
#2: I love love LOVE the big everyone-comes-together-to-fight trope! All the characters we made friends with along the way, they're here to help in the time of need. And I mean everyone. Even the giant worm in volume five 🤣
#3: The Hunger just looks INCREDIBLE 🤩 Like I know it's a big evil thing, but the design of it!! Even in its human-ish form, it still looks great!
#4: We've finally figured out the pasts of the characters. And... OMG 😭 I don't cry on the outside, but I was emotional on the inside, alright? Same with the ending, I was crying on the inside, trust (but happy tears this time)
#5: is a trans fem icon ✨
There's so much more I could say, but it would be spoilers. So I beggeth of thee, fine review reader, that if you have a modicum of interest in graphic novels, D&D type adventures, jokes being cracked, references to pop culture (sometimes direct and sometimes indirect), surprising character depth, and clues dropped through the whole series that FINALLY make sense at the end, PLEASE give this a try 🙏🏻🙏🏻 It may become one of your favorite graphic novels too! After all, I found it by chance and decided to take a leap into a genre I don't often read, and look where I ended up 😉
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September 20, 2026
Oh wowzers. What an end to an incredible series. Probably one of my longest standing series that I've continued on with and got to the end of. 6 years I've been loving these characters and this world. And this final instalment did not disappoint. Thank you to the McElroy's and Carey for giving us so much joy and laughter, and also some tears over the years!
May 8, 2026
“I have magic powers.”
An incredibly iconic line from Taako, one that may seem simple but holds a lot of weight. It’s also unironically one of my favorites. Not the only one amongst dozens that live rent free in my head and of which I think of on the regular.
It’s amazing to get chills over a story you’ve heard before—in this case one I’ve literally heard at least three or four times before. This was an iconic end when I listened to Balance for the first time and it’s still an iconic end reading it here. I love TAZ, I love this story and these characters. I LOVE getting to see Lup here at last—she’s such a fun and important character to the overall story.
It’s sometimes hard to compare something that is strictly audio to a different media of paper and no speaking whatsoever, but I do think the team has done well, especially with any changes to the original story to make everything more cohesive. Meandering storylines and confusion can sometimes go hand in hand with an improve storytelling format, even when the end result is spectacular, so I do like and agree with changing things up a bit.
I can’t leave here without shouting out Carrie for the incredible art. I’m so excited to see it in person and have all those boys on my shelf in one place. I still love the character designs, they all look so perfect to how I imagined and I simply cannot improve upon her designs. Brava.
Thank you so much to NetGalley for providing me with an early arc of one of my most anticipated reads of the last 5 years honestly. I’m so sad it’s over, but ready for a new story from the hoys
An incredibly iconic line from Taako, one that may seem simple but holds a lot of weight. It’s also unironically one of my favorites. Not the only one amongst dozens that live rent free in my head and of which I think of on the regular.
It’s amazing to get chills over a story you’ve heard before—in this case one I’ve literally heard at least three or four times before. This was an iconic end when I listened to Balance for the first time and it’s still an iconic end reading it here. I love TAZ, I love this story and these characters. I LOVE getting to see Lup here at last—she’s such a fun and important character to the overall story.
It’s sometimes hard to compare something that is strictly audio to a different media of paper and no speaking whatsoever, but I do think the team has done well, especially with any changes to the original story to make everything more cohesive. Meandering storylines and confusion can sometimes go hand in hand with an improve storytelling format, even when the end result is spectacular, so I do like and agree with changing things up a bit.
I can’t leave here without shouting out Carrie for the incredible art. I’m so excited to see it in person and have all those boys on my shelf in one place. I still love the character designs, they all look so perfect to how I imagined and I simply cannot improve upon her designs. Brava.
Thank you so much to NetGalley for providing me with an early arc of one of my most anticipated reads of the last 5 years honestly. I’m so sad it’s over, but ready for a new story from the hoys
July 15, 2026
AND IF I CRIED, SO WHAT
July 22, 2026
Sure, fine, I'll cry over 4 idiots playing dnd so hard they made themselves cry....a g a i n....
July 15, 2026
4.5 🌟 There is so much good in this volume! I really liked the shift of perspective to have Lucretia tell the Lost Century arc. That was always my least favorite arc from the podcast because of how it stalled momentum and meandered, and I felt like they managed to keep things largely pretty well wrapped together in this book. The most surprising thing to me is that I was not more sympathetic to Lucretia's perspective regarding the choices she made by the end of the arc, since I would have expected to be based on it focusing on her POV as the narrator. But every single person told her, "No, that is actually a bad idea and everyone will almost certainly die," and then she decided to steal her friends' memories and do it anyways? I just didn't find myself very sympathetic toward that perspective, and was surprised that the POV didn't help.
Cuts wise, the only cut that I noticed that I felt like had any impact was Merle's friend line. The scene was still really good and wonderfully executed even without it, but it did feel like a missing piece.
Everything was wonderfully done and executed, but my biggest detractor was definitely the fact that while the art of the hunger looked incredible and eye-catching, it was difficult to see the spell effects when Merle or Takko were fighting (and fighting took up a decent percentage of the last half of the book) so it all just got a little lost and samesy looking in some of the panels.
Overall, a great end to an adaptation of the podcast that got me into Dnd, and a story that I have loved for years.
Cuts wise, the only cut that I noticed that I felt like had any impact was Merle's friend line. The scene was still really good and wonderfully executed even without it, but it did feel like a missing piece.
Everything was wonderfully done and executed, but my biggest detractor was definitely the fact that while the art of the hunger looked incredible and eye-catching, it was difficult to see the spell effects when Merle or Takko were fighting (and fighting took up a decent percentage of the last half of the book) so it all just got a little lost and samesy looking in some of the panels.
Overall, a great end to an adaptation of the podcast that got me into Dnd, and a story that I have loved for years.
July 30, 2026
Feeling normal about this! The Adventure Zone is absolutely a touchstone for me as a person and as an artist. It was incredibly formative and inspiring, and even though it has been a while since I listened to the podcast, I have come back to this story time and time again because it changed the way my brain is wired. Adapting the final arc into a graphic was undoubtedly very difficult and I do feel a bit sad about the parts that were lost, but ultimately I can't help but love this. The story of four idiots who played d&d so hard they made themselves cry.
Also shoutout to Lup you are the only woman to ever do it.
Also shoutout to Lup you are the only woman to ever do it.
March 23, 2026
The Adventure Zone: Story and Song by Clint McElroy, Griffin McElroy, Justin McElroy, and illustrated by Carey Pietsch brings the saga to a vibrant and emotionally charged close.
This final installment reveals the hidden past of Taako, Magnus, and Merle while bringing their long battle with a mysterious, relentless force to its climax. As buried truths come to light and lost connections resurface, the story builds toward a dramatic and high stakes confrontation.
What stands out most is how much depth this volume adds to the overarching narrative. The extensive backstory is full of imaginative ideas and genuinely enriches the world, even if its retelling nature makes parts feel a bit slower compared to the more immediate, adventure driven energy of earlier volumes. Still, the variety of experiences keeps things engaging, and longtime readers will appreciate the many callbacks to beloved characters encountered along the way.
The antagonist is a highlight, offering compelling interactions that add tension and emotional weight. All of this culminates in a resolution that feels both epic and well earned, delivering a satisfying payoff to the journey.
Carey Pietsch’s artwork once again shines throughout. The illustrations are bold, expressive, and bursting with color, perfectly matching the tone of the story and elevating every moment. As a whole, this volume serves as an epic conclusion that celebrates everything that made the series memorable.
A big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher First Second Books and 23rd St. for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
This final installment reveals the hidden past of Taako, Magnus, and Merle while bringing their long battle with a mysterious, relentless force to its climax. As buried truths come to light and lost connections resurface, the story builds toward a dramatic and high stakes confrontation.
What stands out most is how much depth this volume adds to the overarching narrative. The extensive backstory is full of imaginative ideas and genuinely enriches the world, even if its retelling nature makes parts feel a bit slower compared to the more immediate, adventure driven energy of earlier volumes. Still, the variety of experiences keeps things engaging, and longtime readers will appreciate the many callbacks to beloved characters encountered along the way.
The antagonist is a highlight, offering compelling interactions that add tension and emotional weight. All of this culminates in a resolution that feels both epic and well earned, delivering a satisfying payoff to the journey.
Carey Pietsch’s artwork once again shines throughout. The illustrations are bold, expressive, and bursting with color, perfectly matching the tone of the story and elevating every moment. As a whole, this volume serves as an epic conclusion that celebrates everything that made the series memorable.
A big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher First Second Books and 23rd St. for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
September 11, 2026
My god. What a finale. What a series! Such a brilliant translation of the original podcast. I’m proud to have these on my shelves, and I cannot wait for my kids to be old enough to read them.
Legitimately one of the best stories I have had the pleasure of being in my life.
Legitimately one of the best stories I have had the pleasure of being in my life.
August 14, 2026
3.5 rounded up, i really hate some of the choices made here and throughout the gn adaptations. and i'll stand on that. but when it comes down to it, these are some of my favorite characters in the whole world and my love for them is transcendent even if they're stuck in baby books for babies. Love DOES win !!!!!
July 20, 2026
I like the ending of the story itself but wish it had consolidated more from what we heard in the podcast version. The content is a great ending, but it just goes on way too long IMO
August 25, 2026
I sat down at a Barnes & Nobles and read this cover to cover, savoring every last delectable morsel from the McElroy brothers (and Dad). I then bought a copy and brought it home for my family to do the same.
What an incredible journey, this was the seventh and final volume in what is arguably the greatest Dungeons & Dragons podcast which an amazing comic book artist drew to memorialize the series. If you have any love for D&D and have not explored the work of the McElroy brothers, I highly recommend it.
The story arc follows the journey and growth of Taako the Sorcerer, Magnus the Fighter and Merle the Cleric. These brothers and their dad are absolutely hilarious and knew next to nothing about the game when the series began.
I listened to this arc with my son and then we drank up the graphic novels. They have a special place in my heart because the first time I met him we skipped stones at the river and read volume 1 and have enjoyed every single one since.
I am going to miss awaiting the next installment, but I am grateful to have taken the ride. The story arc is fantastic, the art work is incredible and the jokes are pure delight.
Thank you McElroy brothers for being you and sharing this mirthful and joyous gift with the world!
What an incredible journey, this was the seventh and final volume in what is arguably the greatest Dungeons & Dragons podcast which an amazing comic book artist drew to memorialize the series. If you have any love for D&D and have not explored the work of the McElroy brothers, I highly recommend it.
The story arc follows the journey and growth of Taako the Sorcerer, Magnus the Fighter and Merle the Cleric. These brothers and their dad are absolutely hilarious and knew next to nothing about the game when the series began.
I listened to this arc with my son and then we drank up the graphic novels. They have a special place in my heart because the first time I met him we skipped stones at the river and read volume 1 and have enjoyed every single one since.
I am going to miss awaiting the next installment, but I am grateful to have taken the ride. The story arc is fantastic, the art work is incredible and the jokes are pure delight.
Thank you McElroy brothers for being you and sharing this mirthful and joyous gift with the world!
September 9, 2026
And they stuck the landing!!
Admittedly I probably should've re-read the last book (or the whole series) to really get the full effect of everyone they've ever met coming back together to defeat the BBEG. But even with my memory slowly coming back, there were still plenty of happy gut punch surprises.
Part 1: The Stolen Century
I really, really enjoyed this section. Getting the full run down and all the answers of everything we'd been building towards for 6 other books was satisfying. Seeing all the worlds, the found family of it all, and the sheer grit to try and best the Hunger over multiple cycles was what my episodic Star Trek-loving heart wanted. I think it was my favourite section of the three, followed by epilogue and then part 2.
Part 2: Story and Song
This was mostly battle scene after battle scene, not going to lie, but I still enjoyed it. Pietsch knocked it out of the part art-wise (as she did the whole series). It's SO hard to convey battle scenes in their momentum, split-second action, and detail, and not lose the reader to confusion or boredom and I thought Pietsch did a really good job. She's just a phenomenal artist (whose style really jives with me).
Epilogue
I thought I got away with not shedding tears for once and then! Then!!! They sucker-punched me with an epilogue scene of Magnus and his wife and I just full on burst into tears and sobbed (in a good way).
Overall, I thought they were successful in pulling together all the loose threads, having those emotional scenes and letting them hit while also not lingering too long (because battles yall), and acknowledging the sheer ridiculousness of it all with the deus ex machina relics, allies, spells, etc. that almost any campaign's final boss battle would have.
I love the Les Tres Horny Boys and am so glad I spent 6 years reading this series. Worth it (even my aching hands because that book was HEAVY).
...Did I mention the gorgeous art?
Admittedly I probably should've re-read the last book (or the whole series) to really get the full effect of everyone they've ever met coming back together to defeat the BBEG. But even with my memory slowly coming back, there were still plenty of happy gut punch surprises.
Part 1: The Stolen Century
I really, really enjoyed this section. Getting the full run down and all the answers of everything we'd been building towards for 6 other books was satisfying. Seeing all the worlds, the found family of it all, and the sheer grit to try and best the Hunger over multiple cycles was what my episodic Star Trek-loving heart wanted. I think it was my favourite section of the three, followed by epilogue and then part 2.
Part 2: Story and Song
This was mostly battle scene after battle scene, not going to lie, but I still enjoyed it. Pietsch knocked it out of the part art-wise (as she did the whole series). It's SO hard to convey battle scenes in their momentum, split-second action, and detail, and not lose the reader to confusion or boredom and I thought Pietsch did a really good job. She's just a phenomenal artist (whose style really jives with me).
Epilogue
I thought I got away with not shedding tears for once and then! Then!!! They sucker-punched me with an epilogue scene of Magnus and his wife and I just full on burst into tears and sobbed (in a good way).
Overall, I thought they were successful in pulling together all the loose threads, having those emotional scenes and letting them hit while also not lingering too long (because battles yall), and acknowledging the sheer ridiculousness of it all with the deus ex machina relics, allies, spells, etc. that almost any campaign's final boss battle would have.
I love the Les Tres Horny Boys and am so glad I spent 6 years reading this series. Worth it (even my aching hands because that book was HEAVY).
...Did I mention the gorgeous art?
August 1, 2026
4.5 ⭐'s 🚀🎲🗡️
What a beautiful conclusion for our goofy band of misfits ♥️
I can't believe it's been TWO YEARS since I read the last book! I knew this took extra time because there would be two campaigns in one, but DANG this graphic novel is big! I really loved the first part, as we get to see the origins of our party and what truly leads to our heroes gearing up to collect magical artifacts. All the crazy worlds, beautiful character development and emotions as they fled and failed to fend off The Hunger.
Part Two felt like The Avengers: End Game of D&D campaigns! Like I said before, it's been two years since I read the last Adventure Zone book...I probably should've reread some of the books; I probably missed so many fun references and forgot many of the earlier characters from the other books. Lots of cool fighting, decision-making and emotions!
As always, Carey Pietsch is flawless with how well they illustrated everything; the chaotic malevolence of The Hunger, the character designs (especially background characters!), action scenes, varying panels and full-page art...the list goes on and on.
I wonder if they'll make graphic novels for another campaign? If not, I should, y'know, try listening to the podcast for the first time! I would love more goofy adventures with the McElroy's.
What a beautiful conclusion for our goofy band of misfits ♥️
I can't believe it's been TWO YEARS since I read the last book! I knew this took extra time because there would be two campaigns in one, but DANG this graphic novel is big! I really loved the first part, as we get to see the origins of our party and what truly leads to our heroes gearing up to collect magical artifacts. All the crazy worlds, beautiful character development and emotions as they fled and failed to fend off The Hunger.
Part Two felt like The Avengers: End Game of D&D campaigns! Like I said before, it's been two years since I read the last Adventure Zone book...I probably should've reread some of the books; I probably missed so many fun references and forgot many of the earlier characters from the other books. Lots of cool fighting, decision-making and emotions!
As always, Carey Pietsch is flawless with how well they illustrated everything; the chaotic malevolence of The Hunger, the character designs (especially background characters!), action scenes, varying panels and full-page art...the list goes on and on.
I wonder if they'll make graphic novels for another campaign? If not, I should, y'know, try listening to the podcast for the first time! I would love more goofy adventures with the McElroy's.
August 12, 2026
Kind of staggering to think that I've been entertained by The Adventure Zone in some form for at least ten years (I started listening to the podcast in 2015 or 2016 - I was definitely caught up before 'Balance' was over). Continue to love the graphic novels - they call to mind beloved moments from the podcast while adding their own flavor, and the art is fantastic. The cartoonish side profiles and the wide variety of colors and environment designs were highlights in this volume. Sad it's over, but very cool that the entire story made it into graphic novel form - and I wonder if this will be the format in which I remember TAZ, since it's been so long since I listened to it. No dogs on the moon!
July 27, 2026
ahaha. what (and i cannot stress this enough) the fuck.
Read
July 23, 2026my lawyers have advised me not to speak on my thoughts about the changes to Legato Conservatory
(TSC is a 2/5, S&S is a 5/5. Hard to truly rate this book because of it.)
(TSC is a 2/5, S&S is a 5/5. Hard to truly rate this book because of it.)
September 4, 2026
I love this stupid podcast. Four idiots who played D&D so hard they made themselves (and so many others) cry. This did bring me back to the show’s final arc in a good way. Can’t believe they didn’t include the guy who made tacos to help save the world though. I was waiting to see what they would do with Joaquin, my good buddy Joaquin. Remember him.
July 25, 2026
What am I supposed to do with my life now?
#JusticeForJoaquin understandably gone but not forgotten!
#JusticeForJoaquin understandably gone but not forgotten!
September 30, 2026
Recommendation: a satisfying and even thrilling conclusion to the "Adventure Zone" D&D story arc.
Critique: I stopped listening to the Adventure Zone podcast a long time ago (not because I didn't enjoy it, but because real life took precedence and I stopped commuting long distances so I didn't have uninterrupted periods of time to listen to long-format audio fiction), so these graphic novels have been a delightful way for me to keep track of the continuing adventures of Merle the dwarf cleric, Taako the elf wizard, and Magnus the human fighter, since these graphic novels are adapted from their D&D game recorded in that "TAZ" podcast.
This volume starts out as journal entries, providing a framing device for a series of encounters that the space-faring, dimension-hopping PC adventurers played. In a tabletop RPG, it's a heavy-handed narrative device, but it works very, very well in a literary form like this. The story is marvelous, and by the end, it ties in elements from each of the six previous books in a way that is at least as dramatically satisfying as it is ham-fisted. I was grinning and exultant when different characters made their cameo appearances. It is delightful.
The artwork is very evocative and colorful, the dialogue is funny, and the plot moves at a brisk pace without seeming incredibly rushed. It's quite an achievement!
That said, there are a couple of issues I had: the onomatopoeia employed in this book is pretty over-the-top, even for a comic book. Even the original Guardians of the Galaxy mixed in dialogue with the "Wrrshhh!"es and "Tsewww!"s and "Shhhhaaaaa!"s. But here we get pages and pages of it, without any narration or dialogue, and often with so much depicted on the page that it's difficult to make out what is HAPPENING. But those barely detract from the book; if anything, I found these flaws funny.
I must add the obligatory aside: I still find it endlessly amusing that one of the characters, Barry Bluejeans, is so called because one of the brothers playing the podcast couldn't be bothered to remember the name of one of the most famous NPC characters in D&D lore: Gundren Rockseeker. Nearly everyone who has played D&D in the last 12 years knows Gundren Rockseeker, as he is the key character in the introductory adventure that everyone (including the guys in this podcast) played: Lost Mines of Phandelver. In renaming Gundren because he was too lazy to remember it, the nature of the character changed from a greedy dwarf to a paunchy middle-aged white man with something of a hippie demeanor. Gundren became Barry, and Barry became a major NPC in the Adventure Zone story for no reason other than the players liked him because they named him. I chuckle every time I think of this.
Review: We begin the story with Lucretia, archivist and director of the Bureau of Balance, fighting a battle against the Hunger.
Critique: I stopped listening to the Adventure Zone podcast a long time ago (not because I didn't enjoy it, but because real life took precedence and I stopped commuting long distances so I didn't have uninterrupted periods of time to listen to long-format audio fiction), so these graphic novels have been a delightful way for me to keep track of the continuing adventures of Merle the dwarf cleric, Taako the elf wizard, and Magnus the human fighter, since these graphic novels are adapted from their D&D game recorded in that "TAZ" podcast.
This volume starts out as journal entries, providing a framing device for a series of encounters that the space-faring, dimension-hopping PC adventurers played. In a tabletop RPG, it's a heavy-handed narrative device, but it works very, very well in a literary form like this. The story is marvelous, and by the end, it ties in elements from each of the six previous books in a way that is at least as dramatically satisfying as it is ham-fisted. I was grinning and exultant when different characters made their cameo appearances. It is delightful.
The artwork is very evocative and colorful, the dialogue is funny, and the plot moves at a brisk pace without seeming incredibly rushed. It's quite an achievement!
That said, there are a couple of issues I had: the onomatopoeia employed in this book is pretty over-the-top, even for a comic book. Even the original Guardians of the Galaxy mixed in dialogue with the "Wrrshhh!"es and "Tsewww!"s and "Shhhhaaaaa!"s. But here we get pages and pages of it, without any narration or dialogue, and often with so much depicted on the page that it's difficult to make out what is HAPPENING. But those barely detract from the book; if anything, I found these flaws funny.
I must add the obligatory aside: I still find it endlessly amusing that one of the characters, Barry Bluejeans, is so called because one of the brothers playing the podcast couldn't be bothered to remember the name of one of the most famous NPC characters in D&D lore: Gundren Rockseeker. Nearly everyone who has played D&D in the last 12 years knows Gundren Rockseeker, as he is the key character in the introductory adventure that everyone (including the guys in this podcast) played: Lost Mines of Phandelver. In renaming Gundren because he was too lazy to remember it, the nature of the character changed from a greedy dwarf to a paunchy middle-aged white man with something of a hippie demeanor. Gundren became Barry, and Barry became a major NPC in the Adventure Zone story for no reason other than the players liked him because they named him. I chuckle every time I think of this.
Review: We begin the story with Lucretia, archivist and director of the Bureau of Balance, fighting a battle against the Hunger.
July 16, 2026
It’s been just around or a little over a decade since I first started listening to TAZ, right around when Petals to the Metal was wrapping up and Crystal Kingdom was kicking off. I distinctly remember laughing and crying on a drive in a rental car as I was dealing with some repairs on my first car, my 2008 blue Honda Civic. I’d been running my Edge of the Empire campaign for probably a year or so at that point and the McElroys, especially Griffin as DM, had already left a huge impression about what I could do with world building and drawing on pop culture as a resource to infuse the stories I wanted to tell with the telltale elements of the Star Wars Universe. When Story and Song wrapped up, I was worried about ever listening to TAZ again, and whether I could ever get as into a live play podcast as I did this one (I’ve largely stayed away from Critical Roll for that reason, in addition to the run time being like four times that of TAZ). I’ve loved Amnesty and TAZ vs Dracula and really hope some of those stories also get GN adaptations in the future (or animated series?!). Since that time, I’ve also come back around to listen to Balance 2-3 times all the way through, and I imagine I’ll do it again in the next 6-12 months.
Suffice it to say, that’s a LOT of expectation to pile onto a single, final, seventh issue of a graphic novel run. That so much of the team was preserved from issue to issue and that Carey stayed the illustrator across an 8-year run is just astounding. There are choices in this I didn’t love — I’ve never really loved the obfuscation of the Hunger, even if narratively I understand the reason. There are a few blips in here where I couldn’t track characters clearly (one that really stuck out as a series of panels where we see Kravitz done a half-skull as “face paint” and then moments later see him in what appears to be a full skull mask and the a panel later he’s back to half-face paint, so I’m not even sure we’re seeing Kravitz in that midpoint panel…), and while we got a TON of the most memorable lines from Story and Song in particular, I was a bit bummed that Lup’s climactic reappearance in the present was rushed in terms of flashback and didn’t conjure up the totality of the “phantasmal and resplendent” moment of her apotheosis. I was also a bit perplexed by the sounds — a lot of “shaaaaa” that felt like it took both the place of shooting sounds, the ebb and flow of tidal waves, and even the sounds of the Voidfish (and I’m willing to concede maybe the conflation WAS the intent).
HOWEVER…I love this overall. Managing and effective delivery of the Stolen Century is no small feat, and Carey does a great job alongside Cliff and other contributors to make sure all the seeds are laid in that arc for payoff by the end. There are plenty of “oh shit” moments and you could really tell everyone wanted to make sure that while Magnus and Merle and Taako stayed front and center, Lucretia and Lup got to really own a huge chunk of this last chapter. And yet we never lose Barry or Davenport either. That this still hit all the emotional beats for me is a testament of the translation to this other medium. As I’ve said before, I’m not sure how clearly this will read for folks who haven’t listened to the podcast, but at this point…what are you doing having made it to the seventh and final entry in this series if you have YET to dip into the podcast? Go listen! It’s great!
It’s always bittersweet to have the finale of a series in your hands, especially after such a long stretch of time. I’ve had that happen MANY times but rarely gotten around to actually finishing a long form series of this scope. Seriously other than Harry Potter and The Inheritance Cycle and some of the longer Star Wars arcs — The New Jedi Order (where I somehow read 19 books over the span of like 4-5 years?! How did I do that?!), The Legacy of the Force, and The Fate of the Jedi (both 9-book series I actually finished!) — I’m not sure I’ve read anything with 4+ books where I was catching most of them soon after publication for at least most of the run. I’ve read these TAZ graphic novels almost always within a day or two of getting my hands on them. Hopefully these won’t be the last the McElroys do — I’d love a series of one shots or combined releases of some of the standalone stories from live TAZ events. Having a Christmas and Halloween collection would be AMAZING.
So, in closing, I loved this warts and all. I’m deeply grateful this was something I invested my time in, and I’m glad both the podcast and the comic run left me feeling fulfilled. Thank you Carey, and thank you Boys. You did good.
Suffice it to say, that’s a LOT of expectation to pile onto a single, final, seventh issue of a graphic novel run. That so much of the team was preserved from issue to issue and that Carey stayed the illustrator across an 8-year run is just astounding. There are choices in this I didn’t love — I’ve never really loved the obfuscation of the Hunger, even if narratively I understand the reason. There are a few blips in here where I couldn’t track characters clearly (one that really stuck out as a series of panels where we see Kravitz done a half-skull as “face paint” and then moments later see him in what appears to be a full skull mask and the a panel later he’s back to half-face paint, so I’m not even sure we’re seeing Kravitz in that midpoint panel…), and while we got a TON of the most memorable lines from Story and Song in particular, I was a bit bummed that Lup’s climactic reappearance in the present was rushed in terms of flashback and didn’t conjure up the totality of the “phantasmal and resplendent” moment of her apotheosis. I was also a bit perplexed by the sounds — a lot of “shaaaaa” that felt like it took both the place of shooting sounds, the ebb and flow of tidal waves, and even the sounds of the Voidfish (and I’m willing to concede maybe the conflation WAS the intent).
HOWEVER…I love this overall. Managing and effective delivery of the Stolen Century is no small feat, and Carey does a great job alongside Cliff and other contributors to make sure all the seeds are laid in that arc for payoff by the end. There are plenty of “oh shit” moments and you could really tell everyone wanted to make sure that while Magnus and Merle and Taako stayed front and center, Lucretia and Lup got to really own a huge chunk of this last chapter. And yet we never lose Barry or Davenport either. That this still hit all the emotional beats for me is a testament of the translation to this other medium. As I’ve said before, I’m not sure how clearly this will read for folks who haven’t listened to the podcast, but at this point…what are you doing having made it to the seventh and final entry in this series if you have YET to dip into the podcast? Go listen! It’s great!
It’s always bittersweet to have the finale of a series in your hands, especially after such a long stretch of time. I’ve had that happen MANY times but rarely gotten around to actually finishing a long form series of this scope. Seriously other than Harry Potter and The Inheritance Cycle and some of the longer Star Wars arcs — The New Jedi Order (where I somehow read 19 books over the span of like 4-5 years?! How did I do that?!), The Legacy of the Force, and The Fate of the Jedi (both 9-book series I actually finished!) — I’m not sure I’ve read anything with 4+ books where I was catching most of them soon after publication for at least most of the run. I’ve read these TAZ graphic novels almost always within a day or two of getting my hands on them. Hopefully these won’t be the last the McElroys do — I’d love a series of one shots or combined releases of some of the standalone stories from live TAZ events. Having a Christmas and Halloween collection would be AMAZING.
So, in closing, I loved this warts and all. I’m deeply grateful this was something I invested my time in, and I’m glad both the podcast and the comic run left me feeling fulfilled. Thank you Carey, and thank you Boys. You did good.
August 4, 2026
What an absolutely joyous triumph this final instalment is. “Joyous,” I say, despite the fact that I cried my way through it, quite the way I did listening to the final few episodes of the podcast itself.
I started listening to The Adventure Zone in the summer of 2015 (starting with the beginning and catching up to the 3rd arc, Petals to the Metal). It quickly became one of my absolute favourite fantasy stories across any and all mediums that has featured fantasy: book, film, TV, video gam. I’ve pre-ordered every volume of the graphic novel and savoured every single page.
These might just be some of the best adaptations ever made, in any medium. They’re not mere novelisations by any stretch of the imagination. They’re in conversation with their source material in the way the very best page to screen adaptations (eg, The Lord of the Rings) are. They are their own thing, they take wonderful moments and translate them from an audio medium into a visual one, even though those visuals aren’t moving. They cut what doesn’t necessarily serve the purpose of a graphic novel, they add parts to make a cohesive whole that stands entirely on its own, even without voices and some frankly really awesome music.
I do want to stress that I think these graphic novels really do stand on their own as their own thing, which is what the best adaptations generally do (barring that occasional “in name only adaptation” that actually is just stunningly good in its own right) even though we get further and further away from… oh good heavens, TAZ started in 2014. So, okay, I’m not saying that these are in any way ~*~problematic~*~ and I’m not saying what I’m about to say as your friend who’s too woke: the language in this feels dated. Not because it’s full of slurs or whatever, but there’s a lot of jokes that feel like they were originally said in the 2010s, and that’s because they are. It’s an un-problematic version of “wow, nobody really talks like that anymore.” So I’m not sure I find it as funny as I did 12 years ago, but I still find it endearing and charming.
Would I say that someone should listen to all 69 episodes of the podcast? Yeah. Do I think someone could just read the graphic novels and enjoy them as their own fantasy stories? Yeah, I think so, if they understood they’re an adaptation of a podcast that was made in the 2010s so characters talk like they belong in the 2010s.
And I suppose that’s one of the downsides to both books and podcast: they sound very modern. There is actually an in-universe reason for it that I can’t say without massively spoiling things. But one thing I’ll say, for anyone who might be reading this, to see this as an overall note/review about the entire series: there is an actual reason they sound like that.
But also I think people need to unclench just a little bit about thinking that characters in fantasy settings need to sound formal and stilted like they’re straight out of Middle-earth because something something “back then” because this is secondary-world fantasy, there is no “back then.”
Sorry: off that soap box.
These books are wonderful and they fill me with unending joy but also have a way about that them that makes me cry a lot. They’re full of charm and whimsy and effortlessly diverse and pretty damn queer to boot. I love them, I can’t be objective in any way about them or about their source material which, I cannot stress enough, they adapt so masterfully that the McElroys and Carey Pietsch have made it seem effortless.
Bravo/brava to everyone involved in creating this incredible, delightful story.
I started listening to The Adventure Zone in the summer of 2015 (starting with the beginning and catching up to the 3rd arc, Petals to the Metal). It quickly became one of my absolute favourite fantasy stories across any and all mediums that has featured fantasy: book, film, TV, video gam. I’ve pre-ordered every volume of the graphic novel and savoured every single page.
These might just be some of the best adaptations ever made, in any medium. They’re not mere novelisations by any stretch of the imagination. They’re in conversation with their source material in the way the very best page to screen adaptations (eg, The Lord of the Rings) are. They are their own thing, they take wonderful moments and translate them from an audio medium into a visual one, even though those visuals aren’t moving. They cut what doesn’t necessarily serve the purpose of a graphic novel, they add parts to make a cohesive whole that stands entirely on its own, even without voices and some frankly really awesome music.
I do want to stress that I think these graphic novels really do stand on their own as their own thing, which is what the best adaptations generally do (barring that occasional “in name only adaptation” that actually is just stunningly good in its own right) even though we get further and further away from… oh good heavens, TAZ started in 2014. So, okay, I’m not saying that these are in any way ~*~problematic~*~ and I’m not saying what I’m about to say as your friend who’s too woke: the language in this feels dated. Not because it’s full of slurs or whatever, but there’s a lot of jokes that feel like they were originally said in the 2010s, and that’s because they are. It’s an un-problematic version of “wow, nobody really talks like that anymore.” So I’m not sure I find it as funny as I did 12 years ago, but I still find it endearing and charming.
Would I say that someone should listen to all 69 episodes of the podcast? Yeah. Do I think someone could just read the graphic novels and enjoy them as their own fantasy stories? Yeah, I think so, if they understood they’re an adaptation of a podcast that was made in the 2010s so characters talk like they belong in the 2010s.
And I suppose that’s one of the downsides to both books and podcast: they sound very modern. There is actually an in-universe reason for it that I can’t say without massively spoiling things. But one thing I’ll say, for anyone who might be reading this, to see this as an overall note/review about the entire series: there is an actual reason they sound like that.
But also I think people need to unclench just a little bit about thinking that characters in fantasy settings need to sound formal and stilted like they’re straight out of Middle-earth because something something “back then” because this is secondary-world fantasy, there is no “back then.”
Sorry: off that soap box.
These books are wonderful and they fill me with unending joy but also have a way about that them that makes me cry a lot. They’re full of charm and whimsy and effortlessly diverse and pretty damn queer to boot. I love them, I can’t be objective in any way about them or about their source material which, I cannot stress enough, they adapt so masterfully that the McElroys and Carey Pietsch have made it seem effortless.
Bravo/brava to everyone involved in creating this incredible, delightful story.
July 14, 2026
(I read a 400 page graphic novel in one sitting, let me breathe for a sec.)
ETA: Review time!!
What a beautiful end to a beautiful series. Balance as a whole means a lot to me, and I've been so excited to see the Stolen Century and Story & Song arcs illustrated by Carey that I actually took the day off work so I could get the book and just read in bed all day and let me tell you: that was a great idea. It was such a joyful way to spend a day.
Even with as chonky as this book is - the longest in the series - some things obviously had to be cut. There were a few cuts that surprised me, maybe even disappointed me a little (for example, Taako & Barry's conversation on the beach cycle, most of the Stone Judges, and Merle's "are you my friend?" to John) but considering how much they did manage to pack in there, I get why some things had to be left in the podcast alone. I'm always curious to see what things are added into the graphic novels, what the boys felt was important to retcon with the opportunity of hindsight. Things like Merle and Taako's modern flashbacks during the epilogue with Killian and Lucretia were especially great, the twins' tween flashback, Lucretia's overall POV of the Century, and I actually love the switch to have the bond engine help the boys in the form of their friends down on the ground. Moments I loved, just in general, just for seeing them laid out in front of me after living in my mind for so long: the first escape from the animal plane, the Best Day Ever, Back Soon, the Forgetting (all three parts, WOOF), Angus' declaration, Magnus' ending.
Look, if you know me personally, you know that Balance as a story means a lot to me. I listened to the podcast towards the end of 2018, and in 2019 I was in a pretty bad spot; I didn't realize it at the time, but in hindsight I was pretty depressed and the only thing that brought me any kind of joy, the only thing I could focus on outside of the shitty situation I was in that year was Balance. I just listened to Balance over and over again for almost an entire year. Quotes like Merle's "choose joy" and Magnus' "do good recklessly," Lucretia's "I made it, I fucking made," and Davenport's "have we not earned a little wrath?" burned themselves into my brain. Just hearing the Balance theme song now makes my shoulders relax. Balance is a story about people fighting for the whole world and the world steps up to fight back for them, too. It's a story about a family who forgot that they loved each other, and then fell back in love again. It's a story about finding something to live for, and people to protect. Balance lead me to other actual play shows, like D20 and NADDPod, that have since become important to me as well, and it was the first D&D-related media I ever interacted with, and now I've been DMing a home game with some friends for 4+ years.
The boys like to say that Balance is the story of four nerds who played D&D so hard they made themselves cry. Well, they made me cry, too. And they made my world a little brighter at a time when I desperately needed it. And this book is filled with beautiful art and a reminder to choose joy, and love, and each other.
ETA: Review time!!
What a beautiful end to a beautiful series. Balance as a whole means a lot to me, and I've been so excited to see the Stolen Century and Story & Song arcs illustrated by Carey that I actually took the day off work so I could get the book and just read in bed all day and let me tell you: that was a great idea. It was such a joyful way to spend a day.
Even with as chonky as this book is - the longest in the series - some things obviously had to be cut. There were a few cuts that surprised me, maybe even disappointed me a little (for example, Taako & Barry's conversation on the beach cycle, most of the Stone Judges, and Merle's "are you my friend?" to John) but considering how much they did manage to pack in there, I get why some things had to be left in the podcast alone. I'm always curious to see what things are added into the graphic novels, what the boys felt was important to retcon with the opportunity of hindsight. Things like Merle and Taako's modern flashbacks during the epilogue with Killian and Lucretia were especially great, the twins' tween flashback, Lucretia's overall POV of the Century, and I actually love the switch to have the bond engine help the boys in the form of their friends down on the ground. Moments I loved, just in general, just for seeing them laid out in front of me after living in my mind for so long: the first escape from the animal plane, the Best Day Ever, Back Soon, the Forgetting (all three parts, WOOF), Angus' declaration, Magnus' ending.
Look, if you know me personally, you know that Balance as a story means a lot to me. I listened to the podcast towards the end of 2018, and in 2019 I was in a pretty bad spot; I didn't realize it at the time, but in hindsight I was pretty depressed and the only thing that brought me any kind of joy, the only thing I could focus on outside of the shitty situation I was in that year was Balance. I just listened to Balance over and over again for almost an entire year. Quotes like Merle's "choose joy" and Magnus' "do good recklessly," Lucretia's "I made it, I fucking made," and Davenport's "have we not earned a little wrath?" burned themselves into my brain. Just hearing the Balance theme song now makes my shoulders relax. Balance is a story about people fighting for the whole world and the world steps up to fight back for them, too. It's a story about a family who forgot that they loved each other, and then fell back in love again. It's a story about finding something to live for, and people to protect. Balance lead me to other actual play shows, like D20 and NADDPod, that have since become important to me as well, and it was the first D&D-related media I ever interacted with, and now I've been DMing a home game with some friends for 4+ years.
The boys like to say that Balance is the story of four nerds who played D&D so hard they made themselves cry. Well, they made me cry, too. And they made my world a little brighter at a time when I desperately needed it. And this book is filled with beautiful art and a reminder to choose joy, and love, and each other.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 24, 2026
So, take this rating with a pinch of salt because this novel is beautifully illustrated and brought me to tears multiple times. But, as an adaptation of one of my favorite stories of all time, and particularly the portion of it that has stuck with me for a decade now, it was not everything I'd have liked it to be. (Which! Given the constraints they were under would have been virtually impossible, but! I can still feel it!)
And it was not just how much needed to be cut (which was so, so much of it) but the writing was very quippy, even in moments which desperately needed earnestness. There's that line in the beginning where Lucretia writes that Lup is her dearest, closest friend, yet in their only conversation to indicate that, they talk about Barry. It's quite comical lol
It also felt so strange to me to make the change that they saved absolutely none of the worlds they traveled to over 100 years. Oddly enough, we lose a lot of the emotional weight of their journey this way — the pressure they put themselves under to recover the light, the connections they make, the guilt when they fail, the choices they make to stay behind and fight even when it's hopeless. "We'll get em next time." Hello??
Anyway, though. The Story and Song half is almost a beat for beat adaptation and it does its job tremendously <3 I loved the scene with Griffin <3 Loved the added scene with Taako and Lucretia <3 The wedding was so beautiful <3
Very similar feelings to my review on The Suffering Game. It does stick the landing in a major way
And it was not just how much needed to be cut (which was so, so much of it) but the writing was very quippy, even in moments which desperately needed earnestness. There's that line in the beginning where Lucretia writes that Lup is her dearest, closest friend, yet in their only conversation to indicate that, they talk about Barry. It's quite comical lol
It also felt so strange to me to make the change that they saved absolutely none of the worlds they traveled to over 100 years. Oddly enough, we lose a lot of the emotional weight of their journey this way — the pressure they put themselves under to recover the light, the connections they make, the guilt when they fail, the choices they make to stay behind and fight even when it's hopeless. "We'll get em next time." Hello??
Anyway, though. The Story and Song half is almost a beat for beat adaptation and it does its job tremendously <3 I loved the scene with Griffin <3 Loved the added scene with Taako and Lucretia <3 The wedding was so beautiful <3
Very similar feelings to my review on The Suffering Game. It does stick the landing in a major way
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 17, 2026
The adventure zone balance is, in my (correct) opinion, the best ttrpg podcast ever recorded and story & song is the best arc of it all. I cried like a baby when I first listened to it so long ago and cried like a baby again today when I read the graphic novel. TAZ is what got me into dnd and I’m so happy that such a wonderful adaptation of it exists so that I can keep a part of it with me as if the books are the seven grand relics.
October 4, 2026
A bit upset by some of the stories cut for time (especially since they help flesh out the relationships between the crew and Lup), and how the monsters generated by The Hunger tend to blur together with the dark kaleidoscopic background, but Story & Song is still a worthwhile finale to one of the best adaptations of a D&D podcast. If you've stuck around this far you have to pick it up.
July 18, 2026
I had tears rolling down my face finishing this book. TAZ Balance has always held a special place in my heart and so seeing it in a beautiful visual medium I fell in love with it all over again. Such a beautiful send off for an incredible series. Plus we LOVE to see all the queer representation.
September 25, 2026
A beautiful and poignant conclusion to the Adventure Zone graphic novel series. I definitely teared up a time or two. It was so nice getting to catch up with Taako, Magnus, and Merle, and to see their happily ever after after all.
July 16, 2026
SO GOOD.. i love how they adapted this story 😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢 i need to relisten
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