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The Less Than Epic Adventures of TJ and Amal #1-3
The Less Than Epic Adventures of TJ and Amal: Omnibus
E.K. Weaver's critically-acclaimed road trip romance comic is collected here in this award-winning, commercially-successful omnibus edition. Less Than Epic tells the story of Amal (just out of the closet and freshly disowned by his parents) and TJ (a mysterious and eccentric vagrant) and their journey across the continental United States.
527 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2015
5 people are currently reading
435 people want to read
About the author
E.K. Weaver
15Ìýbooks141ÌýfollowersE.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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 138 reviews
May 2, 2016
This book raised the bar for characterization and visual design across the whole comics industry. This is one of those rare graphic novels out there you can't /not/ think is about real, living human beings you could pass on the street today. Everyone should read it!
February 2, 2020
After crashing out of his impending wedding by coming out to his parents, a drunken Amal decides to give himself some breathing room by agreeing to drive a complete stranger across country from Berkeley, California, to Providence, Rhode Island. As he drives, Amal must cope with a looming reunion with his parents at his sister's college graduation on the East Coast while slowly figuring out what is up with his mysterious passenger.
This low-key road trip is driven by the slow but engaging revelations about the characters and their evolving relationship. It truly is "less than epic," but I was never bored.
My tags:
This low-key road trip is driven by the slow but engaging revelations about the characters and their evolving relationship. It truly is "less than epic," but I was never bored.
My tags:
March 13, 2020
Going to start this review out by saying that this is now my favourite graphic novel. The art style is beautiful, and the way it is pieced together is done so well, perfectly conveying the character's emotions.
It's a road trip story from Berkely, California to Providence, Rhode Island. We start off with Amal, who has just come out to his "traditional" parents and called off his arranged marriage. Amal decides to drown his sorrows at a bar, where he meets TJ. Cut to the next morning, Amal wakes up with TJ cooking breakfast in his kitchen (they didn't hook up). It turns out Amal agreed to TJ's plan of driving to Providence together. They both need to get there, Amal for his sister's graduation and TJ for his own reasons. The deal is that Amal drives while TJ pays the way; food, gas, accommodation.
How they both get to know one another during the course of the road trip is done amazingly. They both help each other with their problems and create a bond. The romance is simply perfection, it tugged at my heartstrings and made me feel all the emotions.
Definitely need to read , , and anything else writes about TJ and Amal.
It's a road trip story from Berkely, California to Providence, Rhode Island. We start off with Amal, who has just come out to his "traditional" parents and called off his arranged marriage. Amal decides to drown his sorrows at a bar, where he meets TJ. Cut to the next morning, Amal wakes up with TJ cooking breakfast in his kitchen (they didn't hook up). It turns out Amal agreed to TJ's plan of driving to Providence together. They both need to get there, Amal for his sister's graduation and TJ for his own reasons. The deal is that Amal drives while TJ pays the way; food, gas, accommodation.
How they both get to know one another during the course of the road trip is done amazingly. They both help each other with their problems and create a bond. The romance is simply perfection, it tugged at my heartstrings and made me feel all the emotions.
Definitely need to read , , and anything else writes about TJ and Amal.
October 19, 2016
Incredible. Could never work as anything but a graphic novel. Understated dialogue, with lots of space for facial expressions to do the talking. There are points where the panels invite you to just pause and admire/contemplate TJ and Amal, the way that they are pausing to admire and be astonished as they fall in love.
The last page....!! ACK. YOU CAN'T DO THAT.
I'm going to want to go back and look more closely at the execution and layouts. They're just wonderful, without getting in the way of the story.
The last page....!! ACK. YOU CAN'T DO THAT.
I'm going to want to go back and look more closely at the execution and layouts. They're just wonderful, without getting in the way of the story.
March 10, 2023
2016 Review~
A surprisingly slow burning webcomic gone print. I knew the basic premise going into the comic, but I guess I figured it would be more goofy and less heart felt then it necessarily ended up being. Not to say it lacked in the humor department, it certainly had its share of funny moments, but it was just a lot quieter then I expected.
For an American comic (at least in my general experience) this comic had a lot of silent panels. Or rather wordless panels technically speaking, because Weaver still manages to communicate a lot with these quite sections. The characters are extremely expressive, and the quite actually serves to build the tension even higher. It's almost as if having words in at least some of these panels would have simplified things too much. By not pinning things down with words, we are left in a space pregnant with possibilities.
The framing was also pretty genius. Communicating so much without having to actually say anything. While the story doesn't jump around at all, it's also not just one continuous narrative either. Weaver has an eye for picking out the small stories in the larger arc of things that really help define her characters and entertain her audience. It's almost slice of life in the level of detail, even if it's really not. Much like Nimona, I think it's fairly clear that Weaver had a pretty good idea of where she was going when she started the comic.
The art for this comic was also pretty much perfect. Just simple enough that Weaver could presumably keep up with the demands of publishing regularly, but done in a way that clearly illustrates that she knows what she's doing. I often find that pencily comics lack contrast, but Weaver's shading never gets muddy and all of her lines are crisp. Most importantly perhaps is that she is consistent.
And the story is just as good. As I mentioned at the start it is a bit of a slow burn, with Weaver feeding us a steady diet of character development and plot. The plot and characters were different enough to keep me interested, but Weaver doesn't seem to be one to show all her cards at once. Even by the end of the book, the characters were still surprising me.
A surprisingly slow burning webcomic gone print. I knew the basic premise going into the comic, but I guess I figured it would be more goofy and less heart felt then it necessarily ended up being. Not to say it lacked in the humor department, it certainly had its share of funny moments, but it was just a lot quieter then I expected.
For an American comic (at least in my general experience) this comic had a lot of silent panels. Or rather wordless panels technically speaking, because Weaver still manages to communicate a lot with these quite sections. The characters are extremely expressive, and the quite actually serves to build the tension even higher. It's almost as if having words in at least some of these panels would have simplified things too much. By not pinning things down with words, we are left in a space pregnant with possibilities.
The framing was also pretty genius. Communicating so much without having to actually say anything. While the story doesn't jump around at all, it's also not just one continuous narrative either. Weaver has an eye for picking out the small stories in the larger arc of things that really help define her characters and entertain her audience. It's almost slice of life in the level of detail, even if it's really not. Much like Nimona, I think it's fairly clear that Weaver had a pretty good idea of where she was going when she started the comic.
The art for this comic was also pretty much perfect. Just simple enough that Weaver could presumably keep up with the demands of publishing regularly, but done in a way that clearly illustrates that she knows what she's doing. I often find that pencily comics lack contrast, but Weaver's shading never gets muddy and all of her lines are crisp. Most importantly perhaps is that she is consistent.
And the story is just as good. As I mentioned at the start it is a bit of a slow burn, with Weaver feeding us a steady diet of character development and plot. The plot and characters were different enough to keep me interested, but Weaver doesn't seem to be one to show all her cards at once. Even by the end of the book, the characters were still surprising me.
June 18, 2020
Swoon.
Ok, yeah, mature content, and from my almost-golden-years perspective, these boys aren't very mature, but wtf do I know, I only know that I believe in them and love them and am glad they're not my responsibility....
Ok, yeah, mature content, and from my almost-golden-years perspective, these boys aren't very mature, but wtf do I know, I only know that I believe in them and love them and am glad they're not my responsibility....
March 12, 2020
I found this graphic novel on a random BuzzFeed list of queer graphic novels, and I am SO GLAD I did - and was able to get it through ILL! The story starts with Amal, who, in one day, breaks off his engagement, comes out to his extremely conservative parents, and goes on a drunken bender. When he wakes up in the morning, a tattooed & dreadlocked hippie named TJ is making eggs in his kitchen, and informs him that he agreed to drive them across the country to Providence, RI.
What follows is an epic tale (despite the title, it really is quite epic) of road trip shenanigans: sleeping in national parks, getting pulled over, smoking lots of weed, accidentally stealing from Goodwill, eating crappy Chinese food, spending too much money on gas ... and falling in love.
And not only is this an adorable story of two guys randomly being thrown together and making the best of it, but it is a story of found family, and living your life the way you want to, admitting your mistakes, trying new things, starting over, and being open to the possibilities of life and love and all the amazing things in the world. The art is absolutely gorgeous, the relationship between TJ & Amal is moving and hilarious and emotional, and there are so many good lines that I had to go back and read again because they were just that good.
So, so glad I found this graphic novel. Now to read it again - more slowly, in case I missed anything!
What follows is an epic tale (despite the title, it really is quite epic) of road trip shenanigans: sleeping in national parks, getting pulled over, smoking lots of weed, accidentally stealing from Goodwill, eating crappy Chinese food, spending too much money on gas ... and falling in love.
And not only is this an adorable story of two guys randomly being thrown together and making the best of it, but it is a story of found family, and living your life the way you want to, admitting your mistakes, trying new things, starting over, and being open to the possibilities of life and love and all the amazing things in the world. The art is absolutely gorgeous, the relationship between TJ & Amal is moving and hilarious and emotional, and there are so many good lines that I had to go back and read again because they were just that good.
So, so glad I found this graphic novel. Now to read it again - more slowly, in case I missed anything!
October 1, 2021
Enjoyed it much more in book format rather than webcomic. Worked well as a graphic novel and had a nice evolution of the art style. That's about all the feelings I have on this.
February 26, 2018
This is an incredibly sweet love story that is refreshing to read. Part of what makes this book so real is that the characters are so well-rounded. Both TJ and Amal have past histories, baggage, and idiosyncratic ways of looking at the world. You don't get the sense that their story just started when we first see them, but that we are seeing a piece of their lives that started before, and will continue after, we are seeing them. One of my criticisms of a lot of gay male fiction is that characters tend to be types with very little of an internal world.
The other thing that makes this book work really well is how it portrays love. Love is not for TJ and Amal at any rate, a thunderbolt, but a series of quiet, intimate moments that slowly build. Weaver captures these moments perfectly in glances, quite pictures, little gestures, and these are what love, at least in my life, looks like.
One last thing, the book has on it a "FOR ADULTS ONLY" warning, and it is, but don't mistake that for being something smutty. Sex is part of their romance, but there's nothing egregious shown, and it's only a few scenes in the whole book. You'll see an erect penis or two, but it's completely the opposite of porn.
Anyway, i HIGHLY recommend this. Easily the best thing I've read in a while.
The other thing that makes this book work really well is how it portrays love. Love is not for TJ and Amal at any rate, a thunderbolt, but a series of quiet, intimate moments that slowly build. Weaver captures these moments perfectly in glances, quite pictures, little gestures, and these are what love, at least in my life, looks like.
One last thing, the book has on it a "FOR ADULTS ONLY" warning, and it is, but don't mistake that for being something smutty. Sex is part of their romance, but there's nothing egregious shown, and it's only a few scenes in the whole book. You'll see an erect penis or two, but it's completely the opposite of porn.
Anyway, i HIGHLY recommend this. Easily the best thing I've read in a while.
May 26, 2018
Just wow, how did it take me so long to get around to reading this?!
There's a lot of good stuff to say about it but what really jumps out is how both the words and art do *just enough*. It's restrained and tightly edited without being hard to follow. Which makes it that much more powerful when she throws a lush painting or detailed page into the mix.
There's a lot of good stuff to say about it but what really jumps out is how both the words and art do *just enough*. It's restrained and tightly edited without being hard to follow. Which makes it that much more powerful when she throws a lush painting or detailed page into the mix.
September 27, 2016
This... I can't even.
Ugh. Perfection.
How many more stars can I give???
Ugh. Perfection.
How many more stars can I give???
March 31, 2017
This comic is so fucking lovely. I've already read it twice and own the hardcover, and I recommend this to everyone.
March 23, 2022
Lungo viaggio on the road che, sì, parte da premesse un po' paradossali che trovano ragion d'essere solo molto in là nella narrazione.
Di certo, infatti, questa graphic novel non ha fretta e si prende tutto il suo tempo, collezionando piccole scene di vita quotidiana, per raccontare l'innamoramento dei due protagonisti. È un tenero disimpegno, con un paio di colpi di scena ben messi a segno, che non ha timore di sfiorare anche tematiche più forti.
Io l'ho scoperto andandomi a cercare i vincitori passati dei Lambda Literary Awards e devo dire che mi ha piacevolmente colpito per la sua precocità nel trattare argomenti - vedi, per esempio, la discendenza indiana del protagonista gay - che mi sembra siano diventati oggetto di discussione mainstream solo in tempi più recenti.
Approfondirò ulteriormente questo premio letterario, anche se in passato sono spesso rimasto scottato dalle pantomime che celano questi ritrovi di intellettuali barbogi, nella speranza che, con la sua queeritudine, faccia eccezione.
Consigliato a chi è in cerca di una lunga traversata confortante.
Di certo, infatti, questa graphic novel non ha fretta e si prende tutto il suo tempo, collezionando piccole scene di vita quotidiana, per raccontare l'innamoramento dei due protagonisti. È un tenero disimpegno, con un paio di colpi di scena ben messi a segno, che non ha timore di sfiorare anche tematiche più forti.
Io l'ho scoperto andandomi a cercare i vincitori passati dei Lambda Literary Awards e devo dire che mi ha piacevolmente colpito per la sua precocità nel trattare argomenti - vedi, per esempio, la discendenza indiana del protagonista gay - che mi sembra siano diventati oggetto di discussione mainstream solo in tempi più recenti.
Approfondirò ulteriormente questo premio letterario, anche se in passato sono spesso rimasto scottato dalle pantomime che celano questi ritrovi di intellettuali barbogi, nella speranza che, con la sua queeritudine, faccia eccezione.
Consigliato a chi è in cerca di una lunga traversata confortante.
July 27, 2021
The best part about not having logged this book in goodreads back when I read it originally is that I get to gush about how great it is now. I followed this comic as it was released weekly back in 2010-2013-ish, and that's probably the last time I read it. But Weaver started to release a new comic on her Patreon and I was like 'what if full story?' so I went back and re-read this. And it was even better than I remembered.
I remembered how good the dialog is, how funny it is and how deeply you feel each character. But I forgot how much of the story is told without any dialog at all. The art is so good and so much is told through the character's micro-expressions. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It is so, so, so good.
I remembered how good the dialog is, how funny it is and how deeply you feel each character. But I forgot how much of the story is told without any dialog at all. The art is so good and so much is told through the character's micro-expressions. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It is so, so, so good.
January 2, 2022
5/5
THE END?! THE END?! WHAT TO YO MEAN THE END?! I NEED MORE OF THIS! HOLY CRAP! I AM IN LOVE! <3
Its strongest point is probably its characterizations. TJ and Amal leap right off the page, each with their own distinct, fully fleshed personalities. EK Weaver truly has an ear for dialogue and an eye for character expression and body language. Often, cartoonists are stronger artists than they are writers or vice versa, but Weaver balances both the art and writing in order to sell these characters and their story to you perfectly.
A journey that two strangers undertake, finding themselves and love at the opposite pole. You just love the two characters. Artistically it's ten!
THE END?! THE END?! WHAT TO YO MEAN THE END?! I NEED MORE OF THIS! HOLY CRAP! I AM IN LOVE! <3
Its strongest point is probably its characterizations. TJ and Amal leap right off the page, each with their own distinct, fully fleshed personalities. EK Weaver truly has an ear for dialogue and an eye for character expression and body language. Often, cartoonists are stronger artists than they are writers or vice versa, but Weaver balances both the art and writing in order to sell these characters and their story to you perfectly.
A journey that two strangers undertake, finding themselves and love at the opposite pole. You just love the two characters. Artistically it's ten!
April 28, 2021
This began a bit too slow but built to a great slow burn. It's a road trip story about a guy leaving an arranged marriage and decides to travel to his sisters graduation cross country with a strange new friend he drunkenly promised they could tag along. What follows is a funny, sexy, introspective story on how to face your problems and be your own person. I think Weaver should also be commended for her panels that feature no dialogue but have you focus on their emotions. She's one to look out for.
April 11, 2019
This was worth it for the "scenic" pages alone but was some truly epic characterization, much of it rendered entirely in really fine expression drawing. A touching story of two very different people who find each other when times are desperate. I don't know if I'd call it a romance. A love story of sorts, built around self-realization and avoidance but beautifully rendered.
March 3, 2022
"Ain't no sorry."
This is technically a reread since I've read the webcomic in its entirety several times since its completion in 2014 but also this is the very first time I got to hold the print version of it in my hands which I feel like has to count for something, right?? anyway TJ & Amal has been and still is one of my favorite webcomics of all time and it is such a gift to be able to experience it in printed comic form. The art - exquisite! every page rich in detail and character expression and subtlety! the full color spreads are a fucking JOY to have in print, i had the spread of them at the smoky mountains as my desktop background for like a good while back in 2014-2015 and to actually hold it in my hands is absolutely surreal. love the research and the love that goes into every detail, love the character and relationship work, love the tenderness and the intimacy so well-depicted in these pages... This webcomic has had such an impact on me and how I approach relationship building in stories and truly for good reason! good fucking addition to my bookshelf, I'm very happy about it
This is technically a reread since I've read the webcomic in its entirety several times since its completion in 2014 but also this is the very first time I got to hold the print version of it in my hands which I feel like has to count for something, right?? anyway TJ & Amal has been and still is one of my favorite webcomics of all time and it is such a gift to be able to experience it in printed comic form. The art - exquisite! every page rich in detail and character expression and subtlety! the full color spreads are a fucking JOY to have in print, i had the spread of them at the smoky mountains as my desktop background for like a good while back in 2014-2015 and to actually hold it in my hands is absolutely surreal. love the research and the love that goes into every detail, love the character and relationship work, love the tenderness and the intimacy so well-depicted in these pages... This webcomic has had such an impact on me and how I approach relationship building in stories and truly for good reason! good fucking addition to my bookshelf, I'm very happy about it
April 19, 2019
omfg, this was so unexpectedly good
February 21, 2022
i read the webcomic years ago and decided to reread it now � it’s just as good as i remember it.
April 1, 2022
A perfect road trip and a perfect love story
June 27, 2022
I picked this back up on a whim and it was a delightful read all over again.
March 26, 2024
L’une de mes BDs préférées.
January 3, 2025
great start to the new year. solid 4.5 stars; we love sex, drugs, and the gays.
October 7, 2019
A wonderful, huge, romantic, on-the-road graphic novel about Amal and TJ crossing the States by car and falling in love on the way. Loved it.
January 2, 2019
Took me a while to figure this out. And then I got it -- it was supposed to evoke the japanese boy love manga that are marketed to teenage girls. Often, in these manga one of the two boys looks a lot like a girl, and Weaver definitely strays into this territory (TJ's outline, with his hair, is very feminine and sometimes he is even given perky little breasts). The character Amal feels much more lovingly drawn, while TJ is just sketched in. On a bigger level, this sketched in quality started to feel a little too prominent. My rating dropped the more I read, and by this point, the 3 stars is merely a kindness. Happy new year!
July 9, 2021
The read manages to feel much more epic in scale than the title lets on, tackling some heavy emotions against the vast backdrop of...All of America? as the characters road-trip from Berkley to Providence. Queer comics, particularly webcomics, particularly M4M, often veer wildly between precious and almost fetishistic. Though the story is simple, TJ and Amal is a head above the rest in terms of dialogue, art, and design. Cinematic and sensitive, but also perspicacious, it keeps just enough secrets from the reader. Supremely enjoyable.
October 9, 2016
I really enjoyed this book. I liked that it didn't have a crazy plot, but was just a story between these two guys. I like that it felt real, that they weren't perfect, they fought, they had sex. It was just a great story all around and I would highly recommend it!
May 15, 2018
The best depiction of a burgeoning m/m romance I've read. The characters are actually authentic instead of being idealized or stereotyped. And it's a WEBCOMIC, so it's FREE (although I interlibrary loaned the print edition, so it still counts as a BOOK for the challenge muahaha). Love, love, LOVE.
August 12, 2019
Fantastic! I wish I could give this more than 5 stars! Stunning! ALL THE FEELS.
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