Customer Reviews

Achewood: The Great Outdoor Fight

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

There aren't many times -- at least not since childhood -- when I've unpacked a book and immediately run off to sit down and read it through end to end. But that's what I did with "The Great Outdoor Fight" and it was worth it. There's a bit of a retro thing in reading what began life as a webcomic in a print medium, but for an extended storyline like this one, a book strikes me as just the right format. It gives the reader the chance to really get into the action without having to hit "Next" every few frames, and to pick up, not only on the humor, but also what is in fact quite a good storyline.

Achewood's artwork is not as complex as that you'll find in many webcomics or graphic novels, and sure, it might be interesting to see how Frank Miller, say, would tell the story of the GOF. But Onstad is no slouch with a pen and his relatively minimalist style is a big part of setting the tone for the story. Where I think he really shines, though, is less in the art than in the characters he's created. I particularly enjoy Roast Beef's distinctive turn of phrase (describing information he's known since childhood, for example, as "Dogg it is brain tape since young times"), and the friendship between Beef and Ray that is the cornerstone of this story (and with apologies to an earlier reviewer, by the way, Beef and Ray are anthropomorphic cats, not dogs). Most other regular characters have cameo appearances, including a very entertaining few panels where Cornelius Bear, my favorite character and himself no slouch in the toughness department, having won the first annual Bad*ss Games in a walk, silently locks his trumpet in its case after Lyle makes a comment that cannot be reprinted in an Amazon review.

While Achewood fans will have seen the strips before, Chris Onstad has added a good deal of extra material, mostly relating to the history of the GOF and its champions. Published in a large, almost coffee table-size, format, "The Great Outdoor Fight" is definitely a thing -- especially worthwhile for fans, of course, but more than a book of drawings, a book with a story many readers might find worth checking out.

I have been a fan of Achewood for many years and when the author announced that Dark Horse was publishing a hardcover edition of his greatest and most epic storyline, I preordered it immediately. Upon reading it, I find myself both completely satisfied and pleasantly suprised.

One of the biggest differences between reading this story on paper versus online is the lack of the "alt text". Alt text, on the webcomic, is a small blurb that is hidden blurb of text within the comic that is usually very funny and comments on each strip. Without the constant humorous commentary, the tone of the story changes. It becomes more serious, the danger feels more urgent. The tonal change helps highlight the fact that while the story that frames it is humorous, the Great Outdoor Fight itself is deadly serious. It is a true test of what a man is, and Roast Beef and Ray's journey through it becomes that much more powerful.

Now while the feeling of the story is more serious and dire, the dialogue and characters are still gut-bustingly hilarious. Ray and Roast Beef's banter, the interplay between their friends who follow the fight from afar, the entire pre-fight part of the story.

The other surprise was the relative seriousness of the prose sections that bookend the story (with the exception of the Recipe section, that was not serious by a longshot). They mostly served to further the legend of the Fight and really fleshed out some of its backstory.

All in all, The Great Outdoor fight is a fantastic story of two friends taking on the world and this is an excellent presentation. It is a very different experience from reading the story online, which makes it's purchase all the more worth it. It is a must have for all Achewood fans, and I hope a good introduction to new readers.

I highly recommend it to anyone.

I've read this story online but it plays excellently on the page and the action-packed finale to the fight seems completely different. The extras are a lot of fun, especially the recipes ("Dinosaur" Potato Chuds!). Terrific value for money.

The Great Outdoor Fight by Chris Onstad is deceptively sophisticated and very funny. A sort of "special edition" version of a storyline from his webcomic Achewood, the book is a treat for fans of the online strip and those who've never heard of it (I fell into the latter category). Ignorant of what I was in for, I began with the book's two introductory text pieces that discuss the history and cultural significance of the Great Outdoor Fight--a strange competition with its origins in two intoxicants: cheap wine and California.

Strange as it is in its depiction, the GOF is written about with such conviction that I actually believed it was real. As such, I was completely unprepared for the anthropomorphic animals talking about "trucknutz" knock-offs that greeted me on the first page of the book's actual story. Things get stranger from here.

What proceeds is one character's quest to follow in his father's footsteps as the top dog in this year's Great Outdoor Fight, which will include lots of scheming, plotting, and violent beatings. Don't be fooled by the simple drawings; if it were a movie, this book would be rated a hard PG-13 or a light R.

Even still, appropriateness aside, the book is extremely funny and often had me laughing out loud with glee. The strength of The Great Outdoor Fight is its ability to completely and utterly undercut all seriousness, be it the sudden and shocking violence with which the characters fight at the end of the book or the idea behind the fight itself. The characters elevate the concept of the Great Outdoor fight to mythic, almost religious proportions and proceed to celebrate its glory in the most absurd ways. Ray, the "hero" of the story, engages in the fight's customary turkey dinner and cheap bottle of brandy, ensuring that one of the fight's most important traditions continues. Repeatedly deflating the "serious" with the silly keeps readers on their toes and keeps the story hilarious.

The aforementioned visuals, also provided by Onstad, are not at all flashy and may even have been drawn on a computer tablet. This is not a detriment, however; the lack of detail or artistic virtuosity simply allows the story, characters, and dialogue to heighten their comic punch. Don't get me wrong--the drawing isn't bad at all. But it is simple. That simplicity also allows for subtle changes in a character's expression or demeanor to be that much more effective and, ultimately, funny.

I really appreciate The Great Outdoor Fight as an artifact unto itself. I know that the characters continue to have regular adventures in the online world of webcomics, and it's probable that I could find more enjoyment of the world of the story if I immersed myself in previously published storylines. But that kind of homework is totally unnecessary and, to my mind, may even take away from what is a very, very funny book. Find a copy and laugh yourself silly.

-- Brian P. Rubin

This masterpiece brought a grown man to tears in its triumphant climax. Chris Onstad is a pioneer of modern literature and fifty years from now, I am sure this will be required reading in all of our public schools.

The Great Outdoor Fight offers hilarious material not available on Chris's website. It is a great read and is certain to become one of your favorite story arcs.

5 stars for the 5 inch erection I had the whole time I was reading this book.

Frankly I purchased this through the "people who bought what you are about to buy" feature on the 'Zon and after my initial surprise at the incredible amalgam of forms and styles tossed together into this gem a new entry on the "Best Ever Short Issue Graphic Novel" list was made.

Initially a rather dry if well informed tome about a fictional contest [1923 to present] to find the toughest Hombre' on the 3rd Rock it rapidly and pleasantly shifts gears into a stylish anthropomorphic buddy film noirish kinda thing with many flavors of bonding and redemption and the possibility of finding and/or accepting our destiny as guys, warriors, participants in our own lives to the fullest degree possible.

You won't get all the GOF has to offer the first or perhaps even second or third time through but it is a delightful complex tale that rewards the reader with more than a little to think about and a brilliantly executed, fully realized story that far Far FAR exceeded my first impression of this tale [that of a dry if humorous quasi-documentary take on the imagined institution of the GOF].

Peaxe,
Rev. D.

PS - the recipes are a short sweet delight

OK, so you can totally have your opinion, but man, why you got to do a thing? I finally understood the concept of catholic guilt when I knew that Onstad was coming into my town to sign the GOTF book. I didn't have a copy! And I had been spreading his gospel to many of my acquaintances. Luckily, I picked up this priceless cultural treasure for a mere $15 of my hard earned money, and I haven't looked back (except to re-read it). Achewood continues to entertain me and this book is amazing in its own right, proof that minimalism can be magnificent and rich in any art form (I just finished one of many Brian Eno biographies), even the "lowly" comic book... ahem... "graphic novel".
The extra material is a real treat, too.

So nice to see this story-line in print. Makes a perfect gift for any guy, and even some girls! Great extras!

A very handsome product that looks great on a bookshelf or coffee table. It also has an excellent story withing it pages. The story of life long friends Ray and Roast Beef having the biggest adventure of their lives is full of laughs, gaffes, beatings, and lessons in true friendship. Onstad's writing is both clever and warped, and his art is perfectly suited to the material. He can go from bloody fights to awkward teenage moments in a few panels with great ease. A wonderful read for those of us who love watching cartoon cats beat the hell out of each other.

You must know Achewood to enjoy Achewood. Many people say that about their own terrible comics, but Achewood is the exception to the rule. It is a good comic that takes getting used to. Very good. The writing is exceptional in a way that other wordy comics can only wish for. With a simplistic style, animal people, and big blocks of text you have all the ingredients for an awful comic... but it defies expectation. Chris Onstad will go down in history as this generation's Dan Clowes... only with talking cats. Read the other Achewood strips then buy this bad boy.