Circus Friends

Over The Garden Wall Original #2

by Jonathan Case, Pat McHale (Creator), John P. Golden (Illustrator)

When Wirt, Greg, and Beatrice stumble on a circus in the Unknown, they must save Beatrice when the Ringmaster kidnaps her to be the circus’ newest attraction.

It’s not all laughs and peanuts for Wirt, Greg, and Beatrice when they stumble upon a circus in the Unknown. What starts as good fun with Greg reciting Wirt’s poetry for the circus’ audience quickly becomes a dangerous situation when the Ringmaster sets his eyes on Beatrice to be his next star attraction. Wirt and Greg must work together with past-his-prime Strongman Frederico and down-in-the-dumps clown Paola to infiltrate the circus and rescue Beatrice.

Join Eisner Award-winning writer Jonathan Case (Before Tomorrowland) and artist John Golden (Boneman) as the Eisner Award-winning Over the Garden Wall™ series continues its journey into the Unknown with this all-new original story! With death-defying stunts and a cast with the strangest acts, this’ll be a story Over the Garden Wall™ fans won’t want to miss.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Fantasy, Graphic Novels Comics, Fiction, Middle Grade, 21st Century

144 pages, Paperback

First published October 8, 2019

Reviews

[Iben Frederiksen · Rating 3 out of 5]

★ 2.5 Stars ★

So far, this is the one that is the least like the show - it's not completely unregocnizable, it's just missing something - perhaps something creepy haha

[Stay Fetters · Rating 3 out of 5]

"You’re much funnier than I could ever be. Don’t let it go to your head.
What? Is there a bug on me? Get it off! Take it!"

Over the Garden Wall is one of my favorite cartoons and I’ve been slowly buying all the graphic novels for the library I work at. There’s just something about that show that I think everyone should experience.

This graphic novel was a really quick read and pretty funny. It’s not a typical Greg and Wirt story but it follows how they get lead astray in the show. Greg is just hilarious and he’ll forever be one of those characters that’ll stick with you always.

I now have Potatoes and Molasses stuck in my head!

[Lovely Day · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐️

I love Wirt and Greg….especially Greg, and this one had a fantastic ending segment! 😂

[Doug Levandowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one was absolutely fantastic!! Laugh-out-loud funny, bizarre, and sometimes poignant.

[Ken Yuen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was alright, not quite supernatural enough for me

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Greg, Wirt, Beatrice and the frog with the ever-changing name stumble upon a circus . . . they may never get to leave. Greg keeps audiences enthralled with his antics, but the owner is more interested in Beatrice - a talking bird.

Need more enticement?

How's about Wirt in pantaloons?

[Emily Byrne · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The moral of this story is to never trust people who make rules or have lots of money... I guess that means don't trust anybody except wild animals, some kids, and people who don't drive cars. And DEFINITELY nobody who makes BOOKS. Those people are the WORST."

[Nate]

Jonathan Case’s Distillatoria was a fantastic Over the Garden Wall story that felt like a true episode of the show. It was witty, offbeat, creepy, and heartwarming all at once. Naturally, I was looking forward to his second entry, Circus Friends, and I’m happy to say it’s another fun read. Maybe not as wonderful as Case's first book, but fans of the show will want to check it out. I was a bit let down that it lacks the horror vibe of the series. Instead, the story feels more like a straightforward adventure with Wirt, Greg, and Beatrice. It has its share of funny moments, though, and Case has the characters’ personalities down very well. I can hear Elijah Wood’s voice whenever Wirt speaks.

[Sem · Rating 5 out of 5]

This might be the least OTGW-feeling comic based in the OTGW universe and yet it's the best one I've read so far. It's quite witty, presents a distinct range of characters, including great villains, and is taken to a whole other level by the vibrant, funny art. Circus Friends can make you laugh with a single facial expression all without forgetting to progress the plot and actually weave together a fun story. Very pleasant surprise.

[morgan ☽ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had no recollection of reading this before, but I guess I liked it better this time around since I only gave it 3 stars last time.

[Paris Chadwick · Rating 4 out of 5]

The art style changed :(

[Nothing · Rating 4 out of 5]

I juat want them to make over the gardenwall an adult animation and go in depth of the horror. It'd be so so so so good if it was fully unpacked

[Kaytlyn Snyder · Rating 4 out of 5]

the art was really beautiful in this one!

[Grey Liliy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved every page of this book. I loved the fun story. I loved the new characters. I loved Wirt in disguise at the Circus. I loved Greg.

Wonderful art. Wonderful story. A wonderful adventure to add to the Over the Garden Wall series.

If you enjoyed the show or the other comics, I imagine you'll love this, too.

[Libri Sempra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great

I love the OTGW comics! Cute and eerie and fun just like the show. The stories are entertaining and satisfy the want I have for more OTGW. Recommend to fans of the show. Those who haven't seen the show will probably enjoy it, but it's better to have watched the show before reading the comics, so it makes a little more sense.

[Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up.

The biggest fault with this story is the plot—there's not very much of it, and it doesn't even add any supernatural elements to add to the worldbuilding (though there does seem to be an attempt to make the circus performers creepy). I'm also a bit iffy on the art; it's mostly the right level of cartoony, but sometimes it adds just enough realism to stray into the uncanny valley.

Where this story excels is in its character moments. Especially near the beginning, it does a great job both with our main cast and the new characters—Paola and Bongo are both good foils for Wirt in different ways, and we explore some interesting ideas like Wirt being jealous of how easily Greg wins people's approval. I wish those dynamics had been used more, but the final act mostly dissolves into an action scene (though I guess there was supposed to be some moral about Wirt getting over his embarrassment?)

I'm also not sure how I feel about these "post-credit scenes" with Greg. They're kind of funny but also kind of forced. *shrug*

[Greg Kerestan · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Over the Garden Wall" has already gone to the theatre, so now they go to the circus, with surprisingly dissimilar results. I can't think of the last time an OTGW adventure has been so deeply character-based and introspective; there's a little inspiration from "Children of Paradise" sprinkled into the story of a soulful mime, a wise but aging strongman and a clown on the spectrum. It's still funny when it wants to be, and spooky in unexpected places (the circus owner's second pair of false teeth is a GREAT macabre touch), but this is the most human "Over the Garden Wall" has been in a long time.

[Dylan Zucati · Rating 3 out of 5]

I get the instinct behind a lot of the decisions in this one, but they felt out of step with the show. Do I love Wirt in a dress? Of course, but it felt like the boys were put in a situation to put Wirt in a dress rather than Wirt being in a dress to get out of the situation.

I can't fully define it, but there's something in how everyone talks that doesn't feel quite right. Like this belongs to a different comic book, but because the creative team got Over The Garden Wall, they did this one. Maybe Greg's a little too smart, I don't know. That doesn't make it bad or wrong for trying something outside of the box, but it comes off a little insincere when looking at the series as a whole.

[Tim O'neill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Worthy of the series; nice to think about the type of song this would’ve had, had it been a real episode. I’m not sure what’s goïng on with this comics, since all the series appear to be unrelated, but it was unpleasant at the end of this for one of the characters to point out that they had made no progress toward their goal. If they’re to be a continuätion of the series, then they should find a way to do that, and if they’re to be, like, lost episodes from the series, then they should find a place where they can fit and make that clear.

[Draculari · Rating 5 out of 5]

At first I didnt like the art as much I like the last one, but as I read all the book, I learn to love the narrative, the style is more realist than the last one, but I liked (Distillatoria is my favorite) I like how Paola isnt one of Wirt's love interest, she is so cool and her expressions are so funny, I like how this edition has some faces that are so expressive.

I just didn like that the cover artist is not the same as the rest of the book, so this can cause some confusion and uncanny at first.

Love u Frederico 💖

[Harris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I discuss each of the Over the Garden Wall Original Graphic Novels in the latest entry of my book review essays, Harris' Tome Corner, focusing on Halloween-friendly Kid Horror.

This was my least favorite of the stand-alone graphic novels. It may be that, like Wirt, I’m just not a fan of circuses, but I felt that this one just didn’t add anything new to the series, but it was still a fun, engaging read.

[Darcy Roar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another excellent Over the garden Wall adventure this time featuring a creepy circus! I liked the new characters very much, but it was a little too short to give them much time to bloom. No spoilers for the show this time around, in fact this felt like it could have easily been a filler-y episode (would still recommend watching the show first though). Also! Greg's moral corner at the end is delightfully fourth wall breaking & extra fun!

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was… ok? It wasn’t bad and I appreciated the art and story but it did not feel like an episode of OTGW. It felt too real or grounded in real world rules and if the unknown place is supposed to be more like ‘wonderland’ with absurdist things happening, this didn’t feel very absurd. I wasn’t keen on all the other characters hijacking the story. Actually my favourite part was Greg breaking the 4th wall at the end. Otherwise, take it or leave it.

[Alyssa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a sucker for the circus! Open fields, bright lights, colors everywhere, so good.
Wirt is a sensitive boi. Greg is a horsefly on a mission. Beatrice is questioning why she's even with these guys. I really love this series and show.
Less Dark Country feels in this one, but still a good time with the trio

[maddie patterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decent read. I'm not a huge fan of circus themed stories, but getting to explore more of the unknown is always fun. I also feel like this story captured more of the darkness that you can find in the series itself. Would have loved to see more of Paola.

[Hafsa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been starting books and not getting past the first chapter for a while now, and this was the perfect book to get me out of this slump! The art and colours were gorgeous, the story was hilarious, and it was such a fun quick read in general.

[Roo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am really impressed by the OTGW graphic novels! This was funny and fit well into the style of the show, but also was very fleshed out as it's own story. I loved the side characters in it, and Wirt and Greg also felt like their show counterparts.

[Lizzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was pretty fun and cute, although lacked some of the emotional impact of the show. It is a fun companion piece though, although the epilogue seemed really weird and the whole “boy wears a dress = funny” joke seemed a little dated/cheap. Still, plenty of funny little bits and charming art.

[Jiro Dreams of Suchy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This FEELS the most like an episode- the characters are unique, tragic and silly - all with that Cartoon Network polish. It is such a fun read!

My biggest complaint is that this would be an episode that deepens the lore but doesn’t push the story forward- which is fine!

[evierose · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a silly, but fun, read!