The McElroy Brothers were already successful podcasters when they announced their new actual-play RPG podcast, The Adventure Zone. Adding their father, Clint McElroy, to the mix, the brothers created a massive hit. Their first story arc, “Balance,” introduced the world to Taako (Justin), Magnus Burnsides (Travis), and Merle Highchurch (Clint) as well as youngest brother and Dungeon Master Griffin’s extraordinary ability to blend storytelling with humor and music. The series was an enormous success, and the response from the fanart community was so massive that the McElroys attempted their first cross-platform adaptation, and helped create a continuing series of graphic novels as well
The resulting comics exceeded expectations in many ways. The writing and artwork have made TAZ‘s fans happy, and the series’ first installment, Here There Be Gerblins, even premiered at number 1 on the New York Times bestseller list. There’s a lot to appreciate in the 4 volumes (so far) chronicling the semi-competent adventures of the Bureau of Balance’s best Reclaimers, but it is an adaptation to a new medium. Some of the original greatness had to be sacrificed if only so a different experience could emerge.
10 The Comics Do It Better: Carey Pietsch’s Artwork Changes The Game
Carey Pietsch shone as a part of TAZ‘s fanart community. She’s worked on several webcomics, but her vibrant fanart got the boys’ attention and created an unexpected opportunity for the blossoming cartoonist. The first graphic novel became a showpiece for her artwork and visual storytelling, revealing an undiscovered professional talent. She particularly excels in characterization and has brought the heroes and villains to life with genuine emotion and humor. Previously, she’s contributed to popular books like Boom! Studios’ Lumberjanes, which further demonstrated constant artistic skill.
9 We Miss: Hearing Taako’s Voice Was A Revelation
From the beginning, the voice acting on the show was surprisingly good. While Clint and Travis took a while to truly develop their character voices, Griffin’s characterizations were solid early on, and only improved with fan favorites like boy detective Angus McDonald and the Team Rocket-inspired Edward and Lydia. However, it was Justin’s portrayal of Taako the elf that revealed the show’s future.
His explanation that “I am but a simple idiot wizard,” didn’t do justice to the character’s future self-serving and self-obsessed behavior, but the goofy frankness of the delivery was perfect. Justin found the perfect voice not just to load up with sarcasm, but also rant effectively with, and scream “abraca-f***-you!” as he let fly with murderous magic missiles.
8 Does It Better: Clint Irons Out The Wrinkles In The Story
Clint McElroy may or may not have learned which dice to roll in any given game, but he’s proven his writing chops. It’s very difficult to translate the spirit of partially improvised storytelling into comics, but he’s done a terrific job of taking Griffin’s stories and translating them into a visual medium. He’s managed to turn TAZ into a story, not a series of goofs, which was always a danger. In the beginning, the show felt much more like improv comedy built on a pre-packaged adventure module, but every volume has delivered sharply streamlined humor and storytelling.
7 We Miss: Random Rolls Keep Things Fresh
One of the great things about actual-play shows is the fact that, while it’s a collaborative story, there are elements that are out of everyone’s hands. A single critical hit or failure can disrupt any hero’s or villain’s plans. While Griffin definitely had his DM’s thumb on the scales when the heroes’ ineptitude destroyed Phandalin, players are notoriously unpredictable, and things could have gone differently from the beginning. This creates a tension that’s impossible to simulate when the story’s already been written and the results are known.
6 Does It Better: Making Sure Every Joke Lands
There are advantages to having your story confined to a streamlined script. The podcast is full of jokes, but also full of voices. The McElroys sometimes collide or talk over each other, and sometimes what’s meant to be a quip falls flat. There’s humor in having family members razz each other for fouling up, too, but one of the strengths of Clint’s scripting is that he eliminates most of these less successful moments. He also does a good job delivering his own brand of humor. The graphic novels don’t have the expansive space the podcast does to indulge off-topic jokes and observations, and the finished product is sharp and funny in a way that fits its medium perfectly.
5 We Miss: The Improvised Comedy
RPGs are vehicles for unexpected laughs. The dice play havoc with the best-laid plans, and the fantastic settings most games take place in make for some wonderfully ridiculous scenarios. Combining this dynamic with skilled improvisational comedy is a natural winner, and in the podcast the boys make it look easy. This was present from the beginning, where Travis and Griffin delivered this gem to their unsuspecting listeners after the heroes stumbled across 2 dead horses and rolled Perception:
Travis: I rolled a 2. I can’t find my own butthole.
Griffin: You’re like “look at those two dead dogs.”
When jokes are landing this well just minutes into an extended podcast series, listeners know they’re in for a treat.
4 Does It Better: Seeing Their Faces Makes A Difference
Again, this is a testament to Carey Pietsch’s artwork, but seeing the immense cast of TAZ: Balance really helps readers engage with the story. There are always disadvantages to visualizing characters, whether they exist in podcasts or novels, since it takes an element of imagination away from the audience.
However, Pietsch’s characters are alive, interactive, and full of emotions. It’s well worth the trade-off to see the annoyance on Jenkins’ face when the three boys mercilessly mock him on the Rockport Limited, as well as his rage when he tries to give the trio their comeuppance. Solid characters with solid emotions make everything better.
3 We Miss: Griffin’s Surprising Musical Scores
While he’s not on the same level as his friend, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Griffin has stepped up to provide the TAZ with multiple musical themes, atmospheric music, and songs. Each season– Balance, Amnesty, Graduation, and Ethersea– has received a different soundtrack and themes. This has contributed to more than just a solid atmosphere, though, and has resulted in some haunting melodies, most notably the Legion of lost souls’ eerie ballad “Crystal Kingdom.”
2 Does It Better: Gives Every Individual Character Life
Since actual-play podcasts give listeners a less-edited version of the audio than a radio play might, fans get to hear many out-of-character moments and accidentally outrageous accents in TAZ. It’s honestly part of the medium’s charm. That said, the comics’ delivery is more even, and the focus can move off of the boys more effectively and onto minor characters. Star-crossed lovers Hurley and Sloane especially benefited from this treatment, as have side characters like The Director and Barry Bluejeans, whose stories are more nuanced than the show’s goofy atmosphere might indicate.
1 We Miss: Collaborative Storytelling Can Deliver Amazing Results
The McElboys sometimes resonate on the same uncanny frequency. As comedians and family, they’re used to building on each other’s work. TAZ shows this off, sometimes brilliantly. This results in a lot of solid goofs, but also in some genuinely moving and unexpected storytelling. Two of the greatest examples on the show revolve around Taako, and his lost twin sister, Lup.
Taako’s iconic weapon is the Umbra Staff, an oversized umbrella stuffed to the ribs with magic. However, when Taako reads the staff’s erratic behavior correctly, he shatters his magical conduit over his knee, releasing his forgotten twin’s soul from inside it, with no prompting from the DM. This sets up for an even more potent reveal many episodes later, when the heroes lose their memories. Lup’s husband Barry and Taako are exhausted from searching for Lup, who vanished along with the Grand Relic she created. Pouring over maps, Barry sadly asks “Taako, what if she’s just gone?” and Taako’s heart-shattering reply is a simple “Who?”
Since it was a flashback, the listeners knew Taako’s memories would be stolen, eventually. What they couldn’t have anticipated was Justin picking the perfect moment for Lucretia to take his sister away from him.
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