sizrobe's review
5.0
Achewood is doubtless the best webcomic to date, and The Great Outdoor Fight is arguably its best story arc. Though Achewood is very character-driven, the GOF is well enough encapsulated that a newcomer can read the whole thing without missing too much. The prose at the beginning and end make me wish Chris Onstad would write a regular-type book, as he's set aside cartooning for the time being.
testpattern's review
5.0
One of the most perfect graphic narratives ever. Man. This reasonably-priced, gorgeously designed hardcover is a perfect introduction to the wonderfully-written world of Achewood. The characters are perfect, the humor sublime, and the minimalist art has a simple elegance that only gets richer as you read more. While almost all of the content is available for free online, having in in a portable edition is a joy. Buy this, buy one for you friends, and hell, buy one to give to a stranger. Our sad, fucked-up world needs more joy.
zorpblorp's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
kfan's review
4.0
Three days! Three acres! Three THOUSAND men!
I've probably read this storyline 5 times on the interweb, but I was still genuinely LOL-ing reading it on paper, to the point where I couldn't even breathe when I got to this scene. Achewood delivers and then it keeps delivering.
The new material (mainly text: historical info on the GOF, a glossary and some character bios) is fine, I could take or leave it. The main thing is that the story is eternally awesome.
I just wish the original alt texts had been preserved; they would have made a great series of endnotes. Like "p. 67, panel 2: The middle vehicle in a convoy must ALWAYS be doing a wheelie."
I've probably read this storyline 5 times on the interweb, but I was still genuinely LOL-ing reading it on paper, to the point where I couldn't even breathe when I got to this scene. Achewood delivers and then it keeps delivering.
The new material (mainly text: historical info on the GOF, a glossary and some character bios) is fine, I could take or leave it. The main thing is that the story is eternally awesome.
I just wish the original alt texts had been preserved; they would have made a great series of endnotes. Like "p. 67, panel 2: The middle vehicle in a convoy must ALWAYS be doing a wheelie."
library_brandy's review
3.0
Part of my quest to enjoy, or at least understand the appeal of, Achewood. So far: it's not taking. It has its moments but it's not eliciting any fangirl squeal fro me just yet. Not sure if I should keep trying or give it up.
skolastic's review
5.0
Catching up on reviews!
I haven't exactly made any secret of my love for Chris Onstad and Achewood (people who are actually Facebook friends with me, which is everyone on here, I guess, will note he's my only "inspirational person"), so giving this five stars shouldn't come as any surprise. You can make all of the accusations about Achewood dropping off quality-wise and I won't make a peep (I think it's peaked, too), but this is a shining example of the strip (is it a strip?) at its best. Onstad has his character voices down so tight, the art is spare but somehow perfect, and the jokes are magnificently executed. There's some fun back-matter type stuff to be had in the added bios of GOF champions of yesteryear, but the recipes section falls surprisingly flat for an Onstad production. My biggest quibble is that Dark Horse put a big 1 on the spine, which I think is bound to throw people as time goes on.
I haven't exactly made any secret of my love for Chris Onstad and Achewood (people who are actually Facebook friends with me, which is everyone on here, I guess, will note he's my only "inspirational person"), so giving this five stars shouldn't come as any surprise. You can make all of the accusations about Achewood dropping off quality-wise and I won't make a peep (I think it's peaked, too), but this is a shining example of the strip (is it a strip?) at its best. Onstad has his character voices down so tight, the art is spare but somehow perfect, and the jokes are magnificently executed. There's some fun back-matter type stuff to be had in the added bios of GOF champions of yesteryear, but the recipes section falls surprisingly flat for an Onstad production. My biggest quibble is that Dark Horse put a big 1 on the spine, which I think is bound to throw people as time goes on.
kylelorey's review
4.25
[UPDATE 08-23-2021] Hello. It has become clear to me that my ratings system is flawed beyond repair. Due to a lack of standardization, I have rated many books more highly than they deserve, resulting in an inability to rate newly read books accurately without creating an incorrect impression of quality compared to books previously read. As a result, I am re-rating all of the books I have read in 2020 and 2021. For each book, I will append this little explanation, my new rating for this book using Storygraph’s scale (which allows for quarter-star ratings), my reasoning for the change (if necessary), and finally a guide to my new rating scale. Thank you.
Old Rating: 5
New Storygraph Rating: 4.25
My Reasoning: okay, this one goes pretty hard
Guide to my New Rating Scale:
* 5 Stars: This book was more or less flawless. One of the best things I’ve ever read.
* 4.75 through 4.25 Stars: This book had slight flaws, but I REALLY loved it. Marked as 4 stars on Goodreads.
* 4 Stars: This book had slight flaws, but I loved it.
* 3.75 through 3.25 Stars: This book had significant flaws, but I REALLY liked it. Marked as 3 stars on Goodreads.
* 3 Stars: This book had significant flaws, but I liked it just fine.
* 2.75 through 2.25 Stars: This book was extremely flawed, but I thought it had some merit. Marked as 2 stars on Goodreads.
* 2 Stars: This book was extremely flawed, but I didn’t actively dislike it. It was a waste of my time but not odious.
* 1.75 through 1.25 Stars: This book was irreparably flawed, and I actively disliked it. Marked as 1 star on Goodreads.
* 1 Star: This book was irreparably flawed. I actively hated this book and am worse off for having read it.
————————————————————————-
hell yeah
Old Rating: 5
New Storygraph Rating: 4.25
My Reasoning: okay, this one goes pretty hard
Guide to my New Rating Scale:
* 5 Stars: This book was more or less flawless. One of the best things I’ve ever read.
* 4.75 through 4.25 Stars: This book had slight flaws, but I REALLY loved it. Marked as 4 stars on Goodreads.
* 4 Stars: This book had slight flaws, but I loved it.
* 3.75 through 3.25 Stars: This book had significant flaws, but I REALLY liked it. Marked as 3 stars on Goodreads.
* 3 Stars: This book had significant flaws, but I liked it just fine.
* 2.75 through 2.25 Stars: This book was extremely flawed, but I thought it had some merit. Marked as 2 stars on Goodreads.
* 2 Stars: This book was extremely flawed, but I didn’t actively dislike it. It was a waste of my time but not odious.
* 1.75 through 1.25 Stars: This book was irreparably flawed, and I actively disliked it. Marked as 1 star on Goodreads.
* 1 Star: This book was irreparably flawed. I actively hated this book and am worse off for having read it.
————————————————————————-
hell yeah
whimsicalmeerkat's review
4.0
Hilarious in the most irreverent way possible. This is the sort of thing that is "right up my alley" as my mother would say.