Over The Garden Wall (2015) #1

Over the Garden Wall (mini-series) #1

by Pat McHale

What's to Love: Airing last November, Pat McHale's Over the Garden Wall was Cartoon Network's first-ever original animated miniseries. We loved the eerily sweet story of two half-brothers trying to find their way home so much we published a companion one-shot that was quickly snapped up by folks who just wanted more of this world to experience. Now, we're expanding the world of Over the Garden Wall with McHale and returning artist Jim Campbell with a full-length story.

What It Is: A new Over the Garden Wall story set between episodes 3 and 4 of the animated series! Wirt and Greg are trying to hitch a ride out of schooltown but end up having to walk. Soon, they come upon two girls playing, and wind up having to keep them entertained so that they don't wake their giant father!

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Graphic Novels Comics, Middle Grade, Fiction, Humor

24 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 26, 2015

About the author

Patrick 'Pat' McHale is a writer, storyboard artist, animator, and independent filmmaker, best known for being a former writer and creative director on the animated series Adventure Time for Cartoon Network, which he contributed to during its first five seasons. McHale also created the mini-series Over the Garden Wall.

Reviews

[Mohadese · Rating 5 out of 5]

بسی کیوت و دلچسب! کمیک در مورد دوتا برادره که تو جنگل گم شدن و با دوتا خواهر ملاقات میکنن و کلی خرابکاری به بار میارن
تصویرسازیاشو خیلی دوست داشتم قیافه بچه‌گونه‌ای داره اما عمق داره داستان مثلا این شماره‌ش در مورد آدم‌هایی بود که برای پیش بردن اهدافشون یا توجیه کارهاشون از دیگران سو استفاده میکنن
وسط این همه روزای یکنواخت قرنطینه و کتابای جدی خیلی شیرین و دلنشین بود
ترجمه فارسی کتاب رو خوندم از انتشارات باژ با ترجمه کژوان آبهشت که بسی خوب بود

[Xandra (StarrySkyBooks)]

Does this count as a book for the GR challenge? 🤔 It does if I say so.

[Reza Qalandari · Rating 4 out of 5]

این سری عالیه آقا
انمیشنشو حتما ببینید :))

[SMLauri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me encantó la miniserie y estoy disfrutando mucho recordándola.

Greg es genial!

[☾❀Apple✩ Blossom⋆｡˚ · Rating 4 out of 5]

[Razan Ghuraibi · Rating 3 out of 5]

My favourite miniseries is now a comic book!

[AnnaNeverLands]

i haven't watched the show yet, criminal, i know. but i wanted to know what all the fuss was about.
i'm happy to say that, even though this was very short, it was very cute and i loved it. can't wait to start the show as soon as i can :)

[guille (littlebitmoody) · Rating 4 out of 5]

cuuuuuuute

[Hadia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly hilarious for such a short graphic novel!

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great miniseries of comics. Includes five short 'midquel' stories for the highly recommend television show, delivering creepy and kooky tales whose cleverness leaves a great impression. Definitely watch the TV series first. With 10 episodes at 10 minutes each it's a quick watch.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eerie in tone, but also whimsical in this first issue of four. The sisters and their wordplay reminds me of Lewis Carroll's books. Yet also much like a fairy tale with Wirt being given odd tasks to avoid a terrible fate. All this leads Wirt into trouble he wants to avoid, but Beatrice wishes he would show more backbone in dealing with their efforts. I'm anxious now to read more on their journey!

*Slight Spoiler Here*
By the way, I think the little girls' vague wordings were intending Wirt to quench the dog's thirst with the well water. Not to send it down to sleep with the fishes. Just my thought on that.

[Puck · Rating 5 out of 5]

So cute

[Trevor Durham · Rating 2 out of 5]

duck-stuck

[Marina Coco · Rating 5 out of 5]

Qué pequeña maravilla es todo lo relacionado con Over The Garden Wall, qué absurdamente feliz me hace y de qué manera habla a una sensibilidad estética mía súper específica. Estoy enamorada.

[Sydney · Rating 4 out of 5]

the bEAst is upOn me!

[Hannah | thebookwormsfeast · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really need to rewatch this show - it gives me all the autumn feels! And I love Wirt and Greg 😍

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would've drowned these girls in the well idc, catch these hands, kids

[alke ✪]

THIS IS HOW BEING AUTISTIC FEELS LIKE

[Ethan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved the miniseries of this, and this is more of the same but in short comic form. Better yet, it expands the story of Wirt and Greg even more without falling into any of the traps these types of releases usually do. It takes place in between episodes, filling in little holes that are implied in the episode breaks. I doubt you'd get much out of it if you hadn't seen the series, but if you enjoyed it you'll enjoy these quick reads too.

[Vhart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amo "Más allá del Jardín" desde que salió la primera vez en CN y no he dejado de pensar en ella desde que la serie acabó.

Ésta "colección" cuenta con cuatro historias que no vieron la luz en la serie de televisión, pero que son tan encantadoras que no pudieron quedarse escondidas por siempre.



Hablemos de éste primer "volúmen".

Wirt, Greg y Beatrice están buscando a Adelaide, así que emprenden viaje juntos por el bosque.

Beatrice le dice a Wirt que se toma las cosas demasiado enserio, y que no presta la suficiente atención ni hace las preguntas adecuadas. Es entonces que se encuentran con dos hermanas que están haciendo sus quehaceres.

Wirt pisa las flores que ellas estaban plantando y, entonces, las dos hermanas le piden que él termine de hacer sus quehaceres en cambio a su perdón.

Pero éstas hermanas no son normales, y buscan la forma perfecta de hacer que Wirt haga mal los quehaceres a propósito para burlarse de él.



La historia en sí me pareció realmente divertida y me ha puesto algo triste que semejante cosa no haya visto luz verde para la TV.

Éstos "volúmenes" son cortitos, así que son bastantes entretenidos para leer en algún tiempo libre teniendo la agenda apretada.

[Nannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't remember the last time I actually laughed out loud reading something, but this did it. I loved Over The Garden Wall the miniseries, and the comics retain the same dark humor, the same charming art style, and . . . the same everything that made me fall in love with the original.

Book content warnings
drowning mention

This comic is a small self-contained story taking place between episode 3 and 4 (the tavern episode). Wirt, Greg, and Beatrice come upon two girls doing chores--and when Wirt tries to help, they give the most confusing orders ever, so that he ends up "messing things up" instead of helping. And they keep repeating "Papa won't like this at all"! in a very ominous verse.

I wish I could remember the direct inspiration for these girls. Was it a quilt pattern? I know everything from this comic/show is inspired by some old American show/old-time folk something. In this case, I forgot . . . I'll have to do some research!!

But in any case, this is the most fun I've ever had reading a comic in perhaps forever.

[Quinn · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 / 5

Pros
- The art style is evocative of the show, and continues its visual aesthetic
- The story fits in well with the "Over the Garden Wall" universe, and even dovetails into a plot beat of the show

Cons
- The work is very short, coming in at only 24 pages (with extra content, like sheet music)
- Folks who haven't watched the show may be better served by watching it first. It isn't strictly necessary, but it may provide additional context for the relationships and interactions between the characters.
- Perhaps this is an unfair criticism, but I worry that a slavish adherence to the plot beats of the show may render these comics unable to produce something truly new and interesting for readers to enjoy.

Conclusion
Over the Garden Wall fans will almost assuredly enjoy this work, as it's more of their beloved characters in wacky situations. Folks who haven't watched the show may not be as dazzled by the work, and honestly, can probably pass on it.

[Frank · Rating 5 out of 5]

Consider this as a companion to a great series.

I first came across OTGW in it`s animated form. Taken by its simplistic style and the dark tone of its story, I`m not sure I would have appreciated all the nuances of the story as a child as much as I do as an adult as is fairly apparent by the number of analysis videos that appear on YouTube. And yet, the story in its comic form takes me back to a time in my childhood that reminds me of the old Disney comics or the Silly Symphonies books. Simplistic by nature but deeply satisfying in nostalgia, OTGW has the same feel. I don't know which to recommend first; the cartoon or the comic, but I found it more satisfying when both were included as part of the experience. If you like one, I can't see how you could go wrong with the other.

[Daly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ugh the little children that Wirt, Greg & Beatrice (the blue bird) find & make them do the chores ect are annoying AF! Mind you this is NOT my first time reading this. I love Over The Garden Wall and most of their characters and the sh!t they go thru and deal with. It's an eerie show / Graphic Novels ect. Love them honestly. Just those damn children... I understand why they did it. But it pissed me off, the thing is like I said, it's not the first time reading it, I always get so upset as if I don't know what's about to happen... Oh well whatever other than that, fun and I just love them Beatrice's attitude is just ME in a bird lol.

[Courtney Birnbaum · Rating 4 out of 5]

The perfect companion to the charmingly creepy animated miniseries, the Over the Garden Wall comic fills in the gaps between each episode, with mixtures of humorous mishaps and dark explanations of what went on off-screen. The fall motif makes this a great read for whenever the weather starts to get chilly, and half-brothers Wirt and Greg are just as appealing in the graphic novel as they were in the miniseries, and I could still hear Elijah Woods, Collin Dean and Melanie Lynskey (Beatrice the Bluebird) when reading to myself.

[asmaa☁️ · Rating 2 out of 5]

1st pick of the booktubeathon tbr (book with a person on the cover) :D I feel like I missed out big time by not following the correct order; so I'm gonna go back, watch the series, read the special, and then return to this miniseries. This one gets two stars instead of the three I originally intended to give it (as I was reading) because the artwork wasn't as I was hoping it would be (still pretty cool tho).

[Hannele Kormano · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was tempted to wait until the Trade Paperback but I couldn't help myself. Tough to review since it's just the first issue, but suffice to say it's just as delightful as the TV show so far.

It might be a little tough to get caught up if you haven't watched the show, and it is necessarily gonna be ancillary to that (the comic book happens somewhere in the middle of the show).

But regardless I'm super happy to pick it up and dive into this world again

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Side stories squeezed in between the episodes of the spooky/funny series. Quintessentially autumnal to me, so I feel a little bad reading them all in the summer. Some, like the backstory of the horse, are enlightening to the show's plot, but mostly they're fun and atmospheric, innocent picardesque.

[Morgan Ashleigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great addition to the Over The Garden Wall comic series. The writers really did their research when trying to summon a feel of old Americana and European fairytale. Sunbonnet Sues. It’s a flashback to childhood for me. The issue keeps the same dark humor as the mini series.

I do wish these issues were a bit longer. The sheet music is a nice little extra though.

[Ashley T · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like that I can hear the characters’ voices in my head while I read. All of the dialogue fits in swimmingly with the show (obviously it’s the same writers, so what did I expect?).

I’m just happy to know I can be in the Over the Garden Wall world for a little longer. This story had Amelia Bedelia vibes.