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Beanworld Omnibus Volume 1
The iconic inhabitants of Larry Marder's unique Beanworld universe are introduced in this complete collection of Beanworld comic-book issues #1-#21!
Join Mr. Spook, Professor Garbanzo, Beanish, and many others as they experience adventures in their world that prove, whether friends or adversaries, they are all ultimately dependent on each other for survival. Marder's deceptively simple artwork illustrates a self-contained ecological fantasy realm with its own unique rules, truths, and lingo. Beanworld has delighted readers from grade school to grad school for more than a generation, earning a spot on the New York Times Graphic Books Best Sellers List.
Join Mr. Spook, Professor Garbanzo, Beanish, and many others as they experience adventures in their world that prove, whether friends or adversaries, they are all ultimately dependent on each other for survival. Marder's deceptively simple artwork illustrates a self-contained ecological fantasy realm with its own unique rules, truths, and lingo. Beanworld has delighted readers from grade school to grad school for more than a generation, earning a spot on the New York Times Graphic Books Best Sellers List.
- GenresGraphic NovelsComics
608 pages, Paperback
Published July 10, 2018
5 people are currently reading
32 people want to read
About the author
Larry Marder
58 books14 followersLarry Marder is the creator of Tales of the Beanworld.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
June 11, 2022
Beanworld Omnibus Volume 1 collects issues #1-20 of Beanworld.
One of my twitter peeps said this book was very special to them so I picked it up and gave it a shot.
I'd say they don't make them like this anymore but they've never made them like this. The art reminds me of Krazy Kat at times. That's the only thing I can liken it to.
The story is also unique. I have trouble summarizing it. The beans of Beanworld, lead by Mr. Spook, their leader and hero, frequently plunge through the four realities, through the bone zone, to the Hoi-Polloi ring herd to steal Chow, a rocky substance that they consume. Trust me, it's more complicated and much more weird than that.
Some books are weird for the sake of being weird but the weirdness serves the story in Beanworld. The book has a strong ecological message in addition to being funny and cute. If the Beanworld ecology gets thrown out of whack, which it frequently does, Mr. Spook and Professor Garbanzo have problems dumped into their laps.
Rather than embarrass myself trying to describe more of the weirdness, I'll just say that this is easily the most unique comic I've ever read and I'm glad I have the second volume already. Five out of five beans.
It's fucking weird but fucking great if I haven't made myself clear.
One of my twitter peeps said this book was very special to them so I picked it up and gave it a shot.
I'd say they don't make them like this anymore but they've never made them like this. The art reminds me of Krazy Kat at times. That's the only thing I can liken it to.
The story is also unique. I have trouble summarizing it. The beans of Beanworld, lead by Mr. Spook, their leader and hero, frequently plunge through the four realities, through the bone zone, to the Hoi-Polloi ring herd to steal Chow, a rocky substance that they consume. Trust me, it's more complicated and much more weird than that.
Some books are weird for the sake of being weird but the weirdness serves the story in Beanworld. The book has a strong ecological message in addition to being funny and cute. If the Beanworld ecology gets thrown out of whack, which it frequently does, Mr. Spook and Professor Garbanzo have problems dumped into their laps.
Rather than embarrass myself trying to describe more of the weirdness, I'll just say that this is easily the most unique comic I've ever read and I'm glad I have the second volume already. Five out of five beans.
It's fucking weird but fucking great if I haven't made myself clear.
December 6, 2019
I don't think you can get much more indie than this delightfully oddball series from the late 1980s. It's set in a world of intelligent, talking beans who dive through a strange multiverse to collect food. They live under an intelligent tree (Gran'ma'pa) with the mighty bean warrior Mr. Spook to lead them to food and eccentric she-bean Proffy (worth mentioning because a lot of stories would have just made Proffy male by default) to figure stuff out. Then there's Beanish and his strange relationship with Dreamish the sun-goddess... Totally unlike anything else, and I mean that in a very good way.
June 20, 2019
i first read the first few collections of beanworld years ago as a young teen and immediately felt enthralled with the characters and the world larry marder created.
now, re-reading and reading new material, i can still say that beanworld still has that charm. it’s a delightful and an all-ages read. there really isn’t anything else like beanworld out there! if you’re looking for something whimsical, an escapist light read, try reading beanworld.
(the storytelling of this comic might be repetitive to some— kind of like “recaps” and references to previous storylines—it’s because of the original format the comics were originally published in, and made it easy for folks who haven’t picked up the previous issues to read. plus, the repetitiveness of some aspects of the story is only fitting— the beans conduct rituals that are part of their daily lives, the ecosystem of the world they live in, and other disruptions in their cyclical lives serve as a point of conflict/interest/driving the plot forward.)
now, re-reading and reading new material, i can still say that beanworld still has that charm. it’s a delightful and an all-ages read. there really isn’t anything else like beanworld out there! if you’re looking for something whimsical, an escapist light read, try reading beanworld.
(the storytelling of this comic might be repetitive to some— kind of like “recaps” and references to previous storylines—it’s because of the original format the comics were originally published in, and made it easy for folks who haven’t picked up the previous issues to read. plus, the repetitiveness of some aspects of the story is only fitting— the beans conduct rituals that are part of their daily lives, the ecosystem of the world they live in, and other disruptions in their cyclical lives serve as a point of conflict/interest/driving the plot forward.)
August 13, 2022
This comic is one of the absolute best. Marder introduces us to a strange world with rigid rules, then keeps adding to and shifting those rule with every story. It's so fun to read how the Beans react to new information, discoveries, and little facts given to them by beings who know more. One of those stories where the same exact events happen every issue, but it's still so damn fun to read. I had trouble closing it every time I opened it.
September 7, 2023
Beanworld seems almost specifically designed to appeal to my sensibilities: Surreal, but in a carefully conceived (rather than random) way, and matched with a strong sense of story structure. Charmingly bizarre. Marder created an incredibly intricate world, and its fun exploring its depths little-by-little. A genuinely singular work.
December 1, 2019
Very weird. Very good.
January 4, 2021
Fucking delightful! The most relaxing comic I’ve ever read.
December 4, 2023
Wonderful. Zany in all the right ways, chaotic to a point but the concept and origin of the Beanworld is well thought out and implemented nicely.
January 30, 2025
Beanworld was the weird I didn’t know I needed in my life.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews