Achewood: The Great Outdoor Fight [Hardcover]

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.