Deron Generally
Deron Generally
The Thrilling Adventure Hour A Spirited Romance
Boom! Studios
Written by Ben Acker and Ben Blacker
Art by Phil Hester
Inks by Eric Gapstur, Mark Stegbauer and Ande J Parks
Colors by Mauricio Wallace and John Rauch
Letters by Marshall Dillon
For the uninitiated, a prologue introduces you to the fabulous Frank and Sadie before they were the Doyles. It’s an incredibly fun interlude that establishes the characters and their banter, which is the key to most of the comedy. We get to see how the Doyle’s met, fell in love, discovered their mutual love of a good drink and how they complement each other both verbally and in the work of fighting the supernatural.
The story then shifts to the present where a friend of Sadie’s Donna Donner is moving into her new house and she realizes that she is not alone. Frank and Sadie are called in to investigate what might be a haunting and the duo realizes that they’ve stepped into a situation that requires their unique talents to solve. The story continues with an ever expanding cast of characters and histories and all of them are compelling and fun, especially with Frank and Sadie dealing with them.
As a fan of the podcast and stage play that this series is based on, I was immediately curious as to how the banter and dialogue that are mainstays to the characters played by Paul F Thompkins and Paget Brewster would translate to the page and I can say that they do quite well. Acker and Blacker have created some enduring characters with great comedic timing and wit. The dialogue is refreshing and isn’t so above the action that it feels stale.
Hester’s art is the perfect accompaniment to the dialogue. His renditions of the characters are crisp and they leap off the page amidst the rest of the action around them. It’s a great way to keeping them grounded in the story while also reminding the reader that Frank and Sadie are the focus. This was a fun foray back into the world of The Thrilling Adventure Hour and hopefully, it won’t be the last.
