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Weapon Brown
The Last War has reduced the world to cinders… the world of the comics page. Chuck is a bitter and luckless ex-super soldier fleeing both a haunted past and the grip of his creators, the tyrannical Syndicate. Together, Chuck and his faithful mutt Snoop will battle demon pumpkins, sluggardly cat-worms, cannibal cavemen and a host of other famous freaks torn from the funny papers. And then the ultimate showdown, where the identity of history’s greatest cartoon duo will be settled by blood: either a man and his dog, or a boy and his tiger. The Weapon Brown omnibus collects ten years of Jason Yungbluth’s outlandish indy comic book series, together with a kiloton of bonus material and a guarantee that you will never read your favorite comic strips the same way again!
416 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2014
3 people are currently reading
77 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
June 17, 2014
Well, that was insane and extremely wrong. This is an '80s-style post-apocalyptic comic (meaning plenty of violence and objectification of women) written by someone with a deep knowledge of newspaper comics, past and present.
The more you know about comic strips, the more you will enjoy this. There are end notes pointing out some of the more obscure references, but even some of these assume significant knowledge (for example, only the most devoted Far Side fans will know what the note referring to "cow tools" means).
If all of this sounds up your alley, I can't recommend this highly enough. If you prefer your comics politically correct and don't know the Yellow Kid from Snuffy Smith, you might not be in this book's target audience.
(By the way, I particularly enjoyed the references to B.C., the Stephen Pastis cameo, and how Little Orphan Annie's parents died.)
The more you know about comic strips, the more you will enjoy this. There are end notes pointing out some of the more obscure references, but even some of these assume significant knowledge (for example, only the most devoted Far Side fans will know what the note referring to "cow tools" means).
If all of this sounds up your alley, I can't recommend this highly enough. If you prefer your comics politically correct and don't know the Yellow Kid from Snuffy Smith, you might not be in this book's target audience.
(By the way, I particularly enjoyed the references to B.C., the Stephen Pastis cameo, and how Little Orphan Annie's parents died.)
February 17, 2015
Infuckingdescribable.
The end.
The end.
June 15, 2018
Weapon "Chuck" Brown wanders the apocalypse with a plasma pistol and a massive cybernetic arm (which he doesn't need). On his side: a ferocious dog named Snoop. In his way: the heartless Syndicate who created him, his vengeful ex-commander Crokk, and their superior Cyber Augmented Legionnaire Version 1 (with a Heuristically Optimized Bonding Surrogate in tow). Behind him: the pupil-less Anne, a handful of stragglers she'd give anything to protect, and their world-saving secret.
I enjoyed the very gritty, VERY ADULT WeaponBrown in its serial form on the Deep Fried website. However, it's in omnibus form that gory, vulgar parodies of comic strip characters gel with a lovingly crafted world and story to become the tributes they genuinely are. Fiercely detailed black-and-white inks are complimented with clever and memorable dialogue (Yungbluth writes some of the best badass boasts out there) and the story is packed with more references than anyone can count (thanks for that appendix in the back, Jason!) Your favorite nationally syndicated comic strip is in here somewhere, I promise.
My only gripe is that with all the death, nihilism and horror in its 400 pages, it's still not as depressing as "Peanuts"... ;)
I enjoyed the very gritty, VERY ADULT WeaponBrown in its serial form on the Deep Fried website. However, it's in omnibus form that gory, vulgar parodies of comic strip characters gel with a lovingly crafted world and story to become the tributes they genuinely are. Fiercely detailed black-and-white inks are complimented with clever and memorable dialogue (Yungbluth writes some of the best badass boasts out there) and the story is packed with more references than anyone can count (thanks for that appendix in the back, Jason!) Your favorite nationally syndicated comic strip is in here somewhere, I promise.
My only gripe is that with all the death, nihilism and horror in its 400 pages, it's still not as depressing as "Peanuts"... ;)
December 11, 2017
Entertaining post-apocalyptic comic-strip battle royale.
Lots of violence, quite a bit of a profanity, a little sex ... and a lot of violence.
Also fun to play "spot the reference."
Lots of violence, quite a bit of a profanity, a little sex ... and a lot of violence.
Also fun to play "spot the reference."
July 10, 2023
Wasn't bad. Would of been 4 stars if he would of kept his political beliefs from the book
February 16, 2020
So, so wrong, and so, so fun.
I never really thought about the Peanuts characters growing up; I just left them in the eternal childhood of their world, with absent or unintelligible adult figures occasionally drifting by. But I’m not very creative or imaginative, and clearly Mr. Yungbluth is, because wowza.
The minute I heard of the concept I was in: Charlie Brown, a grown-up mercenary in a post-apocalyptic hellscape? Hell, yes. Shut up and take my money!
Some of the characters’ fates make sense, at first, but the author then pushes the line way, way further. Schroder grows up to play piano in a shadowy dive bar? Sure, fine. Linus turns into a religious freak? Totally works—didn’t he used to quote the Bible fairly often?
But wait, he’s not just a regular religious nut; he worships the Great Pumpkin, and is about to sacrifice a virgin to ensure His Appearance—with Sally as his adoring acolyte/ accomplice? Oh, yeahhhh.
And that’s just in the first twenty pages or so. Pretty much everyone from the funny pages over the past eighty years or so comes in for their fair share of crazy time.
Admittedly, I have perhaps a slightly better sense of comics history than some, just because I a) am old and b) had older parents who bought me compilations of the old comics they’d liked, but even so armed I’m sure I missed batches of clever references. Still, the ones I got were many, and marvelous (and the notes at the end were appreciated). This is definitely a book which will reward re-reading.
Calvin (and to a lesser extent, Hobbes) got an appropriately big part, which I was glad to see.
My only complaint (and it’s minor) is that as a graphic novel, there were pages on which the illustrations were so busy I couldn’t make out very well what was happening—it felt a lot like watching an action-movie fight scene, with so much happening so fast and in so many places that none of it really makes sense. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it generally happened in fight scenes.
I never really thought about the Peanuts characters growing up; I just left them in the eternal childhood of their world, with absent or unintelligible adult figures occasionally drifting by. But I’m not very creative or imaginative, and clearly Mr. Yungbluth is, because wowza.
The minute I heard of the concept I was in: Charlie Brown, a grown-up mercenary in a post-apocalyptic hellscape? Hell, yes. Shut up and take my money!
Some of the characters’ fates make sense, at first, but the author then pushes the line way, way further. Schroder grows up to play piano in a shadowy dive bar? Sure, fine. Linus turns into a religious freak? Totally works—didn’t he used to quote the Bible fairly often?
But wait, he’s not just a regular religious nut; he worships the Great Pumpkin, and is about to sacrifice a virgin to ensure His Appearance—with Sally as his adoring acolyte/ accomplice? Oh, yeahhhh.
And that’s just in the first twenty pages or so. Pretty much everyone from the funny pages over the past eighty years or so comes in for their fair share of crazy time.
Admittedly, I have perhaps a slightly better sense of comics history than some, just because I a) am old and b) had older parents who bought me compilations of the old comics they’d liked, but even so armed I’m sure I missed batches of clever references. Still, the ones I got were many, and marvelous (and the notes at the end were appreciated). This is definitely a book which will reward re-reading.
Calvin (and to a lesser extent, Hobbes) got an appropriately big part, which I was glad to see.
My only complaint (and it’s minor) is that as a graphic novel, there were pages on which the illustrations were so busy I couldn’t make out very well what was happening—it felt a lot like watching an action-movie fight scene, with so much happening so fast and in so many places that none of it really makes sense. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it generally happened in fight scenes.
October 27, 2020
This was insane but really interesting in reading. Imagine all the comic strips from your local paper smashed together into one giant world. A world that is post-apocalyptic and ruled by an evil syndicate. One man and his dog stand against the evil and tries to bring some peace not only to himself but the land. That man is only known as Weapon Brown and his dog Snoop. However, the Syndicate has their own man who can be a challenge to Weapon Brown, only know by the acronym of C.A.L.
The amount of callbacks and little references in this book are amazing. I think I spent more time trying to identify which characters were what in the comic strips in the paper. Which is difficult at times due to the exaggerated parody done to obtain what has to be fair use. Even better is once you get past the main story line there are some one shot comics included in this that talk about a few of the holiday specials the main character used to make.
The whole thing is over the top, and akin to what you would expect from an underground comic. It is very much an adult situations throughout the book from naked women to over the top violence and constant swearing.
It was pretty good, but there are some issues with it. Since the book does some of its lore in the background during its chapters with some intra-chapter write ups. There are some details buried in there that are hard to read at times. As well, the whole thing being so over the top; that some of the scenes get lost in their impact since it becomes very much a situation of "they can't top this scene". Finally, this is pure black and white, which made some scenes difficult to track or even get some details from; due to the fact that it was black and white and so much action went on at various points in a scene.
The amount of callbacks and little references in this book are amazing. I think I spent more time trying to identify which characters were what in the comic strips in the paper. Which is difficult at times due to the exaggerated parody done to obtain what has to be fair use. Even better is once you get past the main story line there are some one shot comics included in this that talk about a few of the holiday specials the main character used to make.
The whole thing is over the top, and akin to what you would expect from an underground comic. It is very much an adult situations throughout the book from naked women to over the top violence and constant swearing.
It was pretty good, but there are some issues with it. Since the book does some of its lore in the background during its chapters with some intra-chapter write ups. There are some details buried in there that are hard to read at times. As well, the whole thing being so over the top; that some of the scenes get lost in their impact since it becomes very much a situation of "they can't top this scene". Finally, this is pure black and white, which made some scenes difficult to track or even get some details from; due to the fact that it was black and white and so much action went on at various points in a scene.
February 23, 2020
From the author of Deep Fried- one of my favorite independent comics. This is a hysterical, yet dramatic, bastardization of the Charlie Brown- Peanuts- comic strip. Set in a post-apocalyptic future, Weapon Brown battles against the evil Syndicate who try and rule the wasteland with an iron fist. This story works on so many levels that it is incredible and contains several hundred references to other strips- from the beginning of the medium to the present. A perfect send up of the grim, gritty reboots dominating the movie industry today. It is fun deadpan humor.
August 8, 2024
Weapon Brown is a demented love letter to newspaper comic strip characters. Its protagonist is Weapon Brown who is a grown up Charlie Brown who has survived the apocalypse, turned into a super soldier, escaped his creators, the evil Syndicate, and now wanders the wasteland with his loyal mutt, Snoop, as a killer for hire. Chuck will encounter many mutated comic characters ripped from the funny pages. Some comic characters are obvious and some obscure.
The art is visceral as is the story which contains much gratuitous violence and sex and occasionally offensive. Like I said, demented.
The art is visceral as is the story which contains much gratuitous violence and sex and occasionally offensive. Like I said, demented.
May 29, 2021
When I was at the library this morning, this caught my eye on the "Staff Recommends" shelf. Jamil R.'s synopsis described "Charlie Brown's struggles in a post-apocalyptic nightmare...yes, THAT Charlie Brown." Leafing through, I figured I'd give it a try. It was cool to see all the easter eggs and cameos from Sunday comics, but this is definitely not for everyone, and I'm not sure if I liked it or not. Good grief!
June 24, 2023
Delightfully over the top and clearly a labor of love for newspaper comic strip creators, but in a grimdark post-apocalypse, Mad Max/Judge Dredd setting. Detailed art and satirical writing like the best of MAD Magazine, but if MAD was allowed to be R-rated. It tells a decent story, but the joy of reading it is largely in seeing diverse and nostalgic source material woven together into a coherent world. That said, mileage will vary for anything that’s reliant on nostalgia and references.
September 24, 2023
The author crams all your favorite newspaper comic strip characters in a brutal post-apocalyptic blender.
Not exactly explicitly naming the characters, that copyright is still owned by their respective syndicates, but recognizable analogues redesigned to be familiar and grittier, more intense, as if mutated by bondage and leather aesthetic catalyst.
It's a fun read, and recommended if you want to see your favorites and familiar characters as misshapen mockeries of themselves.
Not exactly explicitly naming the characters, that copyright is still owned by their respective syndicates, but recognizable analogues redesigned to be familiar and grittier, more intense, as if mutated by bondage and leather aesthetic catalyst.
It's a fun read, and recommended if you want to see your favorites and familiar characters as misshapen mockeries of themselves.
December 31, 2018
I don't usually include graphic novels in my Goodreads, but at 400+ pages I feel like it's warranted. This book is ostensibly a satire of newspaper comics, but mostly it is exactly what it is on the surface: a mashup of Charlie Brown and Mad Max. Still, it is well researched and expertly executed. I wouldn't recommend this for everyone.
January 28, 2021
Fabulous idea, but the execution left me very unhappy. The older I get, the less inclined I am to put up with stories where women are objects (as opposed to subjects). No, I didn't finish it, but I'm just not going to waste my time on a book that was making me angry that I'd spent money on it.
December 5, 2025
I absolutely loved this book. I first read it in 2014 and just picked it up again for fun and it was funnier than I remember it being. The art is fantastic and the jokes are so good. Such a fun time if you like dark humor and the funny’s.
August 26, 2019
It has a few moments. In the end, he turned Calvin and Hobbes (and all of the characters) into something hateful, and I didn't enjoy that. C&H is very dear to me, so this didn't work for me.
February 24, 2020
This was an amazingly fun and creative read. It was really cool seeing all of the crazy reinterpretations of classic comic strip characters.
December 23, 2015
This is Peanuts meets Mad Max meets Dark Knight Returns meets indie zine.
It's undeniable that this is a work of genius. On the other hand, the vision to which it is being true is incredibly ugly. The contrast between the sweet nature of the source material and vicious and unremitting ugliness of the book is the key dynamic. I think it's supposed to remind us of our own foibles. Possibly?
But the point is that it's really ugly and redemptive aspects (1) feel forced and (2) can't compensate for the nausea induced by the rest of the book.
Sadly, I felt like I missed a lot of the references to the source material, which surprised me. Yungbluth chose some relatively obscure material to complement a mix of (most notably) Peanuts, Dilbert, Blondie, Little Orphan Annie. E.g., https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crock_(.... And the deformation required by the story and art style made it hard, too. The (brief) notes in the back were very informative.
It's undeniable that this is a work of genius. On the other hand, the vision to which it is being true is incredibly ugly. The contrast between the sweet nature of the source material and vicious and unremitting ugliness of the book is the key dynamic. I think it's supposed to remind us of our own foibles. Possibly?
But the point is that it's really ugly and redemptive aspects (1) feel forced and (2) can't compensate for the nausea induced by the rest of the book.
Sadly, I felt like I missed a lot of the references to the source material, which surprised me. Yungbluth chose some relatively obscure material to complement a mix of (most notably) Peanuts, Dilbert, Blondie, Little Orphan Annie. E.g., https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crock_(.... And the deformation required by the story and art style made it hard, too. The (brief) notes in the back were very informative.
May 21, 2016
Imagine Frank Miller's Sin City crossed with Mad Max but populated by beloved characters from the funny papers and you'll come close to this massive book. Charlie Brown is a half-cyborg warrior, accompanied by his faithful pooch, Snoop, on a mission to stay alive and get revenge in a post-apocalyptic world.
The art and most of the storytelling were impeccable. My only beef with the book is that some parts seemed misogynistic; whether those parts were exaggerated in an attempt to satirize Miller's storytelling or intentionally sexist toward women is something I couldn't figure out.
The art and most of the storytelling were impeccable. My only beef with the book is that some parts seemed misogynistic; whether those parts were exaggerated in an attempt to satirize Miller's storytelling or intentionally sexist toward women is something I couldn't figure out.
January 15, 2017
Violent, brutal and ugly satire. This is not for the kiddies or the faint of heart but I found it hilarious. Post-apocalyptic Charlie Brown now turned into Weapon Brown battling a multitude of characters from the funny pages; running from the familiar to the obscure. It's not gonna be everyone's cup of tea; the satire runs is very, very dark and if you need to hold on to your childhood memories of comic strips this really isn't for you. However, if you're the kind of person who can admiringly say, "that is really messed (or expletive) up", you'll probably like it.
June 11, 2014
Very clever take on newspaper comics and characters with quite a bit of satire and commentary thrown in. The story is pretty over-the-top violent post-apocalyptic in the style of Mad Max and Fallout, but with some clever turns and the use of the comic strip characters and ideas is very inventive.
June 16, 2014
A solid adventure yarn that takes its conceit as far over the top as it can possibly go, turning first Charlie Brown, then all of Peanuts, then all of newspaper strips into a rousing, big, loud, postapocalyptic action movie, complete with chewy, Frank Miller-style narration.
August 8, 2014
Metal.
October 9, 2014
Amazing. Fantastic storytelling with a crash course in Newspaper comics. A must read for anyone with a love for post-apoc literature and the funny pages.
January 2, 2015
One of the best books ever! Yungbluth really did his homework to include so many comic characters in a different light.
December 31, 2025
Bloody and profane. I liked this book a lot. The homages to cartoon strips past and present were well done, I thought. Definitely an adult book.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews