The Thrilling Adventure Hour: Residence Evil

The Thrilling Adventure Hour

by Ben Acker, Ben Blacker, M.J. Erickson (Artist)

It’s time to send the little ones to dreamland and set your radio’s dial to “spooky.” Steel yourself for mysterious suspense in…BEYOND BELIEF Meet Frank and Sadie Doyle, toast of the upper crust. Headliners on the society pages. And, oh yes, they see ghosts. Trading quips and tossing back cocktails, the Doyles take what they want and hoodwink their clientele for the rest. When one night of having a drink (or ten) with friends goes horribly wrong at a haunted house, the Doyles find themselves face-to-face with ancient beings of the blood-sucking variety. Luckily, their blood alcohol content is up for the task. Written by the creators of the wildly popular Hollywood stage show and podcast, Ben Acker and Ben Blacker (Deadpool, Star Wars Adventures), and illustrated by M.J. Erickson, The Thrilling Adventure Hour: Residence Evil is a rip-roaring adventure that harkens back to the heyday of old-time radio entertainment. Collects The Thrilling Adventure Hour #1-4.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Fantasy, Graphic Novels Comics, Humor, Horror

107 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 11, 2019

About the author

Aka: Benjamin Acker

Reviews

[Liz (Quirky Cat) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Thrilling Adventure Hour: Residence Evil is based off a Hollywood Stage Show and podcast. That being said, I don’t think you need to be immersed in that story in order to follow the tale told in this graphic novel. I know I didn’t have any trouble.
What originally drew me to this series was the delightful artwork on the covers. It was charming and full of personality, and in general looked like the sort of thing I would enjoy. And I certainly wasn’t wrong.
Frank and Sadie Doyle are two upper society lovebirds that deal with things that go bump in the night. It may seem like an odd entertainment choice, given their options. But it works for them. Here the couple end up in a haunted house, but with a few unexpected twists along the way.


The Thrilling Adventure Hour: Residence Evil was a quirky and delightful read. As mentioned above, I’d never listened to the podcast it was based off of (but maybe I should) but I had no troubles understanding our leading characters or the adventure they were on.
I’m sure that fans of the original media would enjoy this tale, perhaps more than I did. But I also think that new fans could easily jump on board as well.
This graphic novel was oddly whimsical, with an airs to it that was teasing and joyous, even when dealing with some of the darker elements of the world. I think that’s what made it so unique, truth be told. I would love to see more of the adventures of Frank and Sadie.
I love how The Thrilling Adventure Hour managed to flip everything around, with twists and turns to classic tropes. It turned everything into its own unique version. And that made for a lot of fun.
The couple ends up in a haunted house, along with another couple. But none of the events go quite as I would have expected – and I loved that. Our leading couple didn’t react at all how I expected, and the situation itself proved to be more surprising and intricate than I expected as well. In short, it was a lot of fun all around.
The plot continued onwards from there. And I’m not going to lie; the whole take on vampires had me chuckling. I just couldn’t help myself! It’s clear that they wanted the situation to be pushed to the most absurd extremes. And it did, though it added to the charm as well, oddly enough.
I’m looking forward to seeing more of The Thrilling Adventure Hour. In fact, I might just have to cave and check out that podcast!


For more reviews check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 like supernatural Nick & Nora Charles.

[A. Nixon · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading the TAH: Martian Manhunt graphic novel, I was a little worried that this would be the Beyond Belief comic issues all over again, which felt a little flat for me when I read them. But I was SO pleasantly surprised by this graphic novel! They really captured the sweet, cool, not-giving-a-crap-ness that I love about Frank and Sadie. There was banter and fun, and the one-liners really worked here, even when they were playing off Donna or Dave, rather than each other.

I think this would be a great introduction to Beyond Belief for anyone who hasn't heard the podcast.

For me the final issue/story felt a bit boring compared to the other storyline but there were still moments when I laughed aloud! And they get points in the Donna/Dave stuff for NOT doing what I expected and showing us how Donna turned into a vampire! I'm just tickled that it was Dave who got bitten instead! What an afterthought, that was great!

So yeah. Whether you already love the show or just want a fun, snarky, supernatural read - I don't think you can go wrong with Frank & Sadie! (and Donna & Dave!)

[Hayley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second (?) time that they've tried to turn The Thrilling Adventure Hour into comics, and I hate to say that it just doesn't work. The characters may not have been born on the stage, but that's where they came to life. Frank and Sadie just come across as terribly cold in this collection because without Paul F Tompkins and Paget Brewster's voices, you can't hear the sardonic (not apathetic) tone of their one-liners nor the warmth of their love for each other. Also, TAH stories are, by nature and necessity, incredibly dialogue heavy, and there's not enough else going on to balance that out. Perhaps if this had been more successful, the Bens might have adapted Beyond Belief to play better in the comics space, seem less like an illustrated version of a script, but alas, these four issues are all that there is. Perhaps it's for the best, though. Frank and Sadie deserve a bit of time to themselves -- and their liquor cabinet.

[Adrian · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's a city underneath the one. Around the edges. In the corners. In the dark. A whispered-about place. Thriving, if you know how to see it.

Picked up in Forbidden Planet's sale section, this graphic novel looked a lot of fun. Done in a noir episodic radio show style, it follows Frank and Sadie Doyle. Socialites who harbour a secret talent of being able to see and communicate with ghosts.

When a panicked man bangs on their apartment door, they believe it is a normal haunted house job that they can quickly resolve. Taking a long a couple of friends, they soon find there is more to the haunting than they imagined and they find themselves embroiled in a murder mystery.

Turn in next week for the thrilling conclusion, as they say. 4 stars.

[Bill Coffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Frank and Sadie Doyle are back! Not since Hellboy have we met such a fun and compelling ally int he fight against the supernatural. Upper crust, head over heels for each other, and perpetually hammered, this tipsy duo is impossible to not enjoy. This volume follows A Spirited Romance, and while that volume was very good, this one is even better, with writing that never hits a bump, and often veers into witty hilarity. A standoff with vampires over how exactly that "you must be invited in" rule is a true highlight and one of the most humorous bits of vampire fiction I've ever read. Let's hope there is plenty more of Frank and Sadie to come.

[Mateen Mahboubi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish that I could rate this higher but even though I consider myself a huge fan of the podcast, I felt like the story fell a bit flat and the art could have been better. But I do look forward to future Beyond Belief and Sparks Nevada stories.

[Todd Landrum · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun.

[Warren · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're a fan of the show I think you'll enjoy it.

[Rachael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the podcast, love the graphic novel

[Josie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Much preferred the art and stories in the previous Beyond Belief collection.