The Thrilling Adventure Hour - Paul's REVIEW

***I was provided an ecopy of this graphic novel via NetGalley in exchange for a fair review***

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Title: The Thrilling Adventure Hour
Authors:  Ben Acker and Ben Blacker
Year Published: 2013

Synopsis: Based on the popular Hollywood stage show and Nerdist Industry podcast, The Thrilling Adventure Hour is a rip-roaring adventure anthology in the tradition of old-time radio serials, brought to you by a carnival of Hollywood and comic's finest! In a timeless collection of original genre tales that harken back to the heyday of old-time radio entertainment, The Thrilling Adventure Hour brings to life the wild and wonderful worlds and characters serialized on stage by co-creators Ben Acker and Ben Blacker, and performed regularly by fan-favorite actors and comedians such as Paul F. Tompkins, Paget Brewster, Busy Philipps, Nathan Fillion, Linda Cardellini, Patton Oswalt, Neil Patrick Harris, and many, many more. And now those serialized characters will come to life on the pages of this hardcover anthology featuring all-new stories from the worlds of the TAH universe by top artists from the comics community! Each stand-alone tale celebrates and reinvigorates a new genre from the radio comedies of yesteryear, including science fiction, fantasy, westerns, superheroes, horror, war dramas, and many more. A unique, timey-wimey blend of silver age pulp and post-modern pop, this one-of-a-kind anthology promises something for everyone as this cult phenomenon jumps off the proscenium stage and onto the page for the first time in over eight years and 100+ consecutive shows around the globe!

Review: I was  not familiar with this stage show and podcast before reading this graphic novel. It seems like it has a cultlike following, possibly similar to Prairie Home Companion or The Rocky Horror Picture Show. There are many different stories in this graphic novel and they take place in all types of different world. The western of Mars is an interesting place. All of the stories are told in a pre-WWII feel. The media from that era is referenced in the storytelling. 

Although the stories are interesting and quite different, I couldn't get that into it. I felt like I was reading about a world and characters I should have already been familiar with. So, if you are a fan of The Thrilling Adventure Hour, you will probably love this graphic novel. But, as an uninitiated I found it somewhat confusing. I give this graphic novel a 3/5.

-PAUL