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The Less Than Epic Adventures of TJ and Amal #1
The Less Than Epic Adventures of TJ and Amal, Vol. 1: Poor Boys and Pilgrims
In the span of a single tumultuous evening, Amal calls off his arranged marriage, comes out to his conservative parents, gets disowned, goes on a bender... and wakes up the next morning to find a lanky, dread-locked vagrant named TJ in his kitchen.
TJ claims that the two have made a drunken pact to travel from Berkeley, California to Providence, Rhode Island. As it happens, Amal promised his sister he'd be in Providence for her graduation the following week. As for TJ... well, he's got his own reasons.
The agreement is simple: Amal does the driving, TJ pays the way - but a 3500 mile journey leaves plenty of time for things to get complicated.
Volume 1 collects the first 13 chapters of EK Weaver's free online graphic novel.
TJ claims that the two have made a drunken pact to travel from Berkeley, California to Providence, Rhode Island. As it happens, Amal promised his sister he'd be in Providence for her graduation the following week. As for TJ... well, he's got his own reasons.
The agreement is simple: Amal does the driving, TJ pays the way - but a 3500 mile journey leaves plenty of time for things to get complicated.
Volume 1 collects the first 13 chapters of EK Weaver's free online graphic novel.
127 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
16 people are currently reading
2,295 people want to read
About the author
E.K. Weaver
15books141followersE.K. Weaver was born during disco and grew up in a town full of rockets. She briefly slipped into and out of the Bible Belt and now lives in Austin, Texas with her husband Brett, two dopey dogs, a cat who likes everyone, and a cat who hates everyone.
She has been drawing since childhood, and really should be better at it than she is now.
She is a chaotic neutral Libra with a +3 heat shield. Her weak points are used CD shops, font collections, and seeds.
E.K. also gets a little weirded out writing about herself in the third person.
She has been drawing since childhood, and really should be better at it than she is now.
She is a chaotic neutral Libra with a +3 heat shield. Her weak points are used CD shops, font collections, and seeds.
E.K. also gets a little weirded out writing about herself in the third person.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews
December 23, 2012
Done, finito. Pros and cons time.
I heavily favor full-color comics. As in, I don't buy black and white. However, this one won me over pretty quickly. The panels are large, creating a nice inviting feeling, the level of detail is exquisite, and the way Weaver handles body language and facial expression is masterful. I'm now an E.K. Weaver fan.
Masterful expressions
Also, it has a great start and a good premise.
Thoughts/predictions: TJ is either a hooker or a wealthy, white Rastafarian. It could go either way at this point. TJ favors awful music (see "Tie My Pecker to My Leg", a song I'm sorry to say I'm intimately familiar with). Amal is a sweetheart, I can just tell. I can't wait to see him with his sister, and I hope he works out some of the strain with his family.
The art: It's beautiful, subtle, and portrays what's going on very well. Except...I loathe the dot eyes. Why does she switch between fully realized eyes, which she does so well, and the blank doll eyes? Is it laziness? Is she trying to say something with the blank eyes, because I'm getting nothing.
Example
The end is a promise of good things to come.
Final words, Amal, I love him.
I heavily favor full-color comics. As in, I don't buy black and white. However, this one won me over pretty quickly. The panels are large, creating a nice inviting feeling, the level of detail is exquisite, and the way Weaver handles body language and facial expression is masterful. I'm now an E.K. Weaver fan.
Masterful expressions
Also, it has a great start and a good premise.
Thoughts/predictions: TJ is either a hooker or a wealthy, white Rastafarian. It could go either way at this point. TJ favors awful music (see "Tie My Pecker to My Leg", a song I'm sorry to say I'm intimately familiar with). Amal is a sweetheart, I can just tell. I can't wait to see him with his sister, and I hope he works out some of the strain with his family.
The art: It's beautiful, subtle, and portrays what's going on very well. Except...I loathe the dot eyes. Why does she switch between fully realized eyes, which she does so well, and the blank doll eyes? Is it laziness? Is she trying to say something with the blank eyes, because I'm getting nothing.
Example
The end is a promise of good things to come.
Final words, Amal, I love him.
Shelved as 'dnf'
April 14, 2020I read the free online version. It seemed like something I should love, but I could not overcome my dislike of TJ. I tried -- I kept pushing on when I wanted to stop -- telling myself to read just a little further, just a little further -- but I could not make myself like it. Lots of folks *do* like it, though, as you can see from its GR rating, so I'm the odd one out here.
May 16, 2015
This volume is only really an introduction to the characters and story. It's enough to tell Amal's situation and hint at TJ being more than the happy-go-lucky surface persona.
Each chapter is named for a song and I'm no music buff so I'm oblivious to many of them. It's starts with a song I love though, and the rhythm permeates through. There's a relaxed pace, nothing rushed and no big drama.
The art is incredible, landscapes, people, sideways glances; lots of little details that has the world comes alive on the page. I'm not generally a person to buy something that can be read free online, but this I really wanted and was far from disappointed it. Seeing the pages rather than a screen view concreted my awe at the artwork.
It's a graphic novel where both the art and the characters make me want to read more.
Each chapter is named for a song and I'm no music buff so I'm oblivious to many of them. It's starts with a song I love though, and the rhythm permeates through. There's a relaxed pace, nothing rushed and no big drama.
The art is incredible, landscapes, people, sideways glances; lots of little details that has the world comes alive on the page. I'm not generally a person to buy something that can be read free online, but this I really wanted and was far from disappointed it. Seeing the pages rather than a screen view concreted my awe at the artwork.
It's a graphic novel where both the art and the characters make me want to read more.
March 3, 2014
Subtle. Accomplished. Sure-handed storytelling. I'm impressed.
June 27, 2020
*PDF edition*
Art: 5 stars
Plot: 3 stars
When I think about the art, the words fluid and touching come to mind. :) I'm excited to read the next book and find out more about TJ and Amal - especially TJ. He tends to be very reserved when it comes to his private life, which makes me suspicious.
Art: 5 stars
Plot: 3 stars
When I think about the art, the words fluid and touching come to mind. :) I'm excited to read the next book and find out more about TJ and Amal - especially TJ. He tends to be very reserved when it comes to his private life, which makes me suspicious.
December 31, 2017
It's so gorgeous!
December 14, 2019
Love the sketchy art, and the characters are very compelling! I can't wait to see where the story goes. :)
May 14, 2014
I followed this comic since back when EK Weaver first started posting sketches and scene snippets several years back. Now that the long, strange trip is complete, it's great to go back to the beginning and read it as a coherent whole. TJ and Amal are great characters, unique and delightful on their own, and with a great rapport between them. And it's wonderful to see a gay comic that neither avoids nor focuses on sex: it's one element in a larger story. The setup in Volume 1 works well--knowing what I know now, I can see certain elements getting set up and wonderful subtext going on in the background, but it's done so well that it's intriguing if you don't know what's coming, and satisfying if you do. In all, a great start to a solid series.
August 30, 2016
Oh, dude. Don't get blind drunk two weeks before med school finals and right after you come out to your conservative parents and break off your engagement. That's just not good. And if you wake up hungover with a stoner in your apartment and he says you agreed to drive him cross country and he's going to pay for everything with cash? RUN AWAY. I don't care if he's cute and you really need to change your headspace and he's good in bed and actually listens to what you say and accepts who you are as a person.
Seriously, I can see bad things happening! Where did all that money come from?!
Aw hell never mind. Y'all are too cute. I'm just going to hope for the best.
Seriously, I can see bad things happening! Where did all that money come from?!
Aw hell never mind. Y'all are too cute. I'm just going to hope for the best.
March 12, 2022
So freaking cute!
Read
August 24, 2021
Trigger & Content Warnings
Homomisia
Sex work mentioned
Alcohol consumption
Drug use
Homomisia
Sex work mentioned
Alcohol consumption
Drug use
November 21, 2014
Different & Refreshing! it tells the story of TJ who is mysterious with a secret (i can feel it!) & Amal who is experiencing some life changing events! (he called iff his wedding & came out to his family at the same time) these two meet in a bar (Amal was wasted!) & begin a journey , Amal wants ta attend his sister's graduation ceremony & TJ ...well TJ has a secret remember :p .
January 12, 2012
The strength of this story is its characters. They're subtle and funny and feel like real people. E.K. Weaver's attention to detail is also quite awesome.
September 13, 2012
The art in this comic is beautiful and evocative. The characters are charming and the dialogue spot on. I love this comic.
June 12, 2014
I read this as a web comic. It is fantastic.
March 14, 2024
Це найкомфортніший комікс евер! Смішний, добрий, легкий, ще раз смішний , а при тому підіймає важливі життєві питання довіри, вибору шляху, різноманітности. Обожнюю і перечитую вже років із десять. �
May 23, 2017
I remember reading this back when it was still updating, and I loved it just as much as I do now that the story is finished.
When I first stumbled upon The Less Than Epic Adventures of TJ and Amal I was curious but the intro didn't really do it for me, still I gave it a few more pages to win me over and OH MY GOD DID IT EVER. The art actually started tell the story alongside the words. And no I don't mean an action happened and then talking happened and yada yada as comics are doing these days, I mean the art actually focuses on body language and facial expressions in depth. There's so many little details that affect the story that if you read too fast or skim you could easily miss it. It even expresses character growth and change in mindsets. THIS IS WHAT COMICS SHOULD BE, equal parts visual and written narrative, and this story hits it spot on.
Most of the story is in black and white and the art has a distinct pencil sketch look to it that helps give the scenery a little more emotion, like we're flipping through a well done sketchbook chronicling a road trip. I've always enjoyed the expressive quality an artists hand can give to media. It's why I initially started looking through the pages, the art was cool.
The characters are well fleshed out, the plot seems simple, but it isn't a focus on a physical journey more of an emotional one, these 2 are both running to and from something, and together they help each other reach Graceland.
The first printed volume collects chapters 1-13 of the story, and it sets up the premise of the road trip, we get to know of Amal's troubles and we get on the first stretch of road. It's only the beginning but it'll have you yearning for more.
When I first stumbled upon The Less Than Epic Adventures of TJ and Amal I was curious but the intro didn't really do it for me, still I gave it a few more pages to win me over and OH MY GOD DID IT EVER. The art actually started tell the story alongside the words. And no I don't mean an action happened and then talking happened and yada yada as comics are doing these days, I mean the art actually focuses on body language and facial expressions in depth. There's so many little details that affect the story that if you read too fast or skim you could easily miss it. It even expresses character growth and change in mindsets. THIS IS WHAT COMICS SHOULD BE, equal parts visual and written narrative, and this story hits it spot on.
Most of the story is in black and white and the art has a distinct pencil sketch look to it that helps give the scenery a little more emotion, like we're flipping through a well done sketchbook chronicling a road trip. I've always enjoyed the expressive quality an artists hand can give to media. It's why I initially started looking through the pages, the art was cool.
The characters are well fleshed out, the plot seems simple, but it isn't a focus on a physical journey more of an emotional one, these 2 are both running to and from something, and together they help each other reach Graceland.
The first printed volume collects chapters 1-13 of the story, and it sets up the premise of the road trip, we get to know of Amal's troubles and we get on the first stretch of road. It's only the beginning but it'll have you yearning for more.
June 10, 2021
This is just so likable! It is a total roadtripping strangers to ??? kind of story and it's so easy to just go with the flow of it. It's a slow burner and nothing in this volume leaps out to say OMG they're destined to fall in love and be together forever and ever. Nothing to say that that couldn't happen, but friends for life or bitter enemies could just as easily be the ultimate outcome.
The pencil work is a little inconsistent at times. I can't tell if it's deliberate or not. The sketching lightens to a fade out at the end of each chapter, so that seems intentional and I kind of like. The panels where they go hard on the shadow don't seem to serve a similar purpose. The strokes are very evident, at times, making it seem scratched out in anger or frustration and it puts those moments in a harsher light for me. The characters are well drawn. It's the background noise that's made too loud by the heavy hand and I found that distracting at times. (Unfortunately, it gets worse in volume 2.)
The pencil work is a little inconsistent at times. I can't tell if it's deliberate or not. The sketching lightens to a fade out at the end of each chapter, so that seems intentional and I kind of like. The panels where they go hard on the shadow don't seem to serve a similar purpose. The strokes are very evident, at times, making it seem scratched out in anger or frustration and it puts those moments in a harsher light for me. The characters are well drawn. It's the background noise that's made too loud by the heavy hand and I found that distracting at times. (Unfortunately, it gets worse in volume 2.)
May 31, 2020
God that was good. I just spent the last 3 hours with a vat of honey, 2 packs of chips, and this extraordinary story and now I don't even know what to do with myself anymore. SERIOUSLY! How have I been missing this all my life? It's something that you can go back to over and over when you're feeling down, and you'll finish it feeling merrier and content.
THAT'S IT! I've decided to not read generic yaoi anymore because come on! These native comics are way better than most Asian fanservice mediocre crap with cliched plot hosting a cringe level of 100! Read em coz of the good art and the D. But now I know better. To hell with instant gratification. I'd rather read ones with superb storylines and profound messages than yamettekudasai eye candy shit that leaves your brain right after you've jerked off to it.
THAT'S IT! I've decided to not read generic yaoi anymore because come on! These native comics are way better than most Asian fanservice mediocre crap with cliched plot hosting a cringe level of 100! Read em coz of the good art and the D. But now I know better. To hell with instant gratification. I'd rather read ones with superb storylines and profound messages than yamettekudasai eye candy shit that leaves your brain right after you've jerked off to it.
December 10, 2020
TJ is a lot more off the wall than I expected either of the two lead characters in this story to be, and part of me is thinking "I know opposites attract, but how on earth is this going to work?" But I love Amal already, even when he was a big ol' hungover grump, because he's going through it and is still smart, funny, and seemingly more open-minded than most. I love a road trip story, and being able to see their geographical progress as well as their relational progress is lovely. I'm excited to continue on this journey with these two for sure!
August 23, 2020
Stumbled into the web comic umpteen installments in, which was good, because there was enough to devour ...for a while. I quickly snatched up the first volume and the second, then came the excruciating part where I was all caught up and had to wait wait wait for each new installment. The protagonists were people I could see and feel and knew. The locations [so beautifully rendered] were places I knew, or would come to feel as if I did.
December 5, 2023
it's a book about a delightful journey that masterfully captures the essence of a spontaneous road trip. The art style, with its fluidity and its touches of messy sketching lines, adds to the allure of the narrative. Each page feels like a snapshot of life on the road, perfectly complementing the unfolding story of TJ and Amal.
March 19, 2019
I read the webcomic (last year? year before?) but I have no idea where the webcomic ends compared to the books and what volume I got to. Since these are not at my library, guess I'll stay safe and just mark this one.
April 26, 2020
I love this! Made me smile a whole bunch. And the facial expresions are so good! If you search "TJ and Amal" on spotify you'll find a playlist of all the songs that correspond with each chapter's title
October 24, 2022
brown gay guy😭😭
iNdian guy are u kiddinf me i love it
start of their adventures
amal gets disowned for coming out and not wanting to marry kavita
dk shit abt tj at all except he gives shaggy vibes
and he has cash and is probs in some dodgy shit
hes trhna find kazuo?? idk
iNdian guy are u kiddinf me i love it
start of their adventures
amal gets disowned for coming out and not wanting to marry kavita
dk shit abt tj at all except he gives shaggy vibes
and he has cash and is probs in some dodgy shit
hes trhna find kazuo?? idk
June 9, 2018
Love the boys !
December 30, 2018
Still stands up as one of the most inventive and realistic depictions of a queer relationship in comics e v e r. 6/5
January 26, 2019
This needs to be made into a movie, asap.
February 4, 2019
Loving this gay sexual tension
July 17, 2019
Bittersweet and lovely
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