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Beanworld #1
Beanworld, Vol. 1: Wahoolazuma!
A Most Peculiar Graphic Novel Experience For decades, Larry Marder's legendary Beanworld comics have captivated readers from grade school to grad school. Dark Horse proudly introduces Beanworld to a new generation of fans with this first volume in a series of standalone graphic novels Meet Mr. Spook, Professor Garbanzo, Beanish, and the Chow Sol'jer Army as they experience adventures that prove, whether friends or adversaries, we all ultimately depend on each other for survival. Beanworld reflects deep truths about our world, including themes of ecology, advertising, culture, and art, making the experiences of these fanciful creatures feel as true, funny, moving, and relatable as anything in our own reality.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published February 11, 2009
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159 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 - 30 of 34 reviews
February 22, 2013
I started to read Larry Marder's Beanworld back in the 80s, when it was coming out in pamphlet form from Eclipse. There was nothing else even remotely like it. Marder builds a world from whole cloth, simple but with total consistency and total seriousness. The characters are stylised and flat, the world two-dimensional. At first glance, the visual effect is almost child-like. At second and third glance, you're reminded of ice age cave paintings and early Aboriginal art, which I think is what Marder is slyly quoting.
In terms of story, it's like watching the earliest humans living their lives and turning them into myth as they go. Utterly magical and utterly strange. Marder may have written himself into something of a box canyon after the arrival of the Pod'l'Pool Cuties, the next generation of beans, but the first two volumes are as wonderful to read now as they were back on their first appearance.
In terms of story, it's like watching the earliest humans living their lives and turning them into myth as they go. Utterly magical and utterly strange. Marder may have written himself into something of a box canyon after the arrival of the Pod'l'Pool Cuties, the next generation of beans, but the first two volumes are as wonderful to read now as they were back on their first appearance.
August 24, 2023
read this book years ago because it was at my parents house and it’s always been kind of on my mind, reread and it was just as good as the first time. very very obsessed with how much feeling and worldliness is containing in this little book made up of beans and simple shapes
January 3, 2020
This is one of the most creative things I've read in a while. This is all the more impressive in light of its wholesomeness, which can so easily become trite. Marder created a world with its own ecological processes, organisms, and physical environment onto which he projects any number of tropes from literature and mythology (the hero's journey etc). It reminds me a bit of DaisyWorld, a kind of literary modelling: an ostensibly simple abstraction that helps one understand the intricate mechanisms underlying various phenomena. I'm very excited to go back to Beanworld in Volume 2.
This is my first graphic novel after Watchmen, and while that one didn't really do it for me, I think this book helped me understand why. Graphic novels are intriguing in the different ways authors can present information: in dialogue, in text, and in artwork. On the one hand, it limits how much imagination you need to apply, but on the other, it requires you to "explore" the page more than text to find details that you might have otherwise overlooked if you just skimmed it. Just a different way of engaging with the media. On the one hand, if you don't enjoy one aspect, it all falls apart. On the other, like the synergistic combination of film scores and movies, engaging two different ways of obtaining and processing stimuli can create a completely different (emergent) experience that is more than the sum of its constituent information streams.
This is my first graphic novel after Watchmen, and while that one didn't really do it for me, I think this book helped me understand why. Graphic novels are intriguing in the different ways authors can present information: in dialogue, in text, and in artwork. On the one hand, it limits how much imagination you need to apply, but on the other, it requires you to "explore" the page more than text to find details that you might have otherwise overlooked if you just skimmed it. Just a different way of engaging with the media. On the one hand, if you don't enjoy one aspect, it all falls apart. On the other, like the synergistic combination of film scores and movies, engaging two different ways of obtaining and processing stimuli can create a completely different (emergent) experience that is more than the sum of its constituent information streams.
January 6, 2018
Very creative and fun
June 29, 2020
I cannot understand what the characters are talking about @@
February 12, 2014
I had owned an earlier, less complete collection for many years, which my 9-year-old son found and read last year. He became a little obsessed with Beanworld, and wanted to get more of the story. So this past Christmas I bought him the first three volumes of the Dark Horse hardcovers. I decided to give the book another try myself, since I had not been tremendously impressed when I first read my original collection some twenty-or-so years ago.
So... reading this first collection now, I can still see the source of my initial reluctance with the story. The dialogue is a bit grating, coming off as a sad attempt at sounding hip. And the aura that has surrounded the material, including the introduction by Jeff Smith and Larry Marder's own comments about the work -- which seem to be trying to elevate too high for its own good -- these still bothered me. But, I was able to look past them, and breezed through this first volume.
It's good. And it's interesting. And it left me wanting more. The art style perfectly suits the tone of the stories, though I occasionally found myself wishing that it was a bit more polished.
I liked the idea behind the "breaking out" of Beanish. I am actually a bit hesitant to describe what I enjoyed about that storyline, because it plays into the themes of ecology that Marder and his supporters talk about, and this is precisely one of the things that I dislike about the story. As though talking about the underlying themes destroys the work because it is so delicate a construction. I mean, it's a cartoon book about talking beans ... Let's not try to make it carry too much weight.
I don't know that this first volume stands very well on its own, particularly since it ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, but I feel confident that it will add up to something very good with the subsequent volumes.
So... reading this first collection now, I can still see the source of my initial reluctance with the story. The dialogue is a bit grating, coming off as a sad attempt at sounding hip. And the aura that has surrounded the material, including the introduction by Jeff Smith and Larry Marder's own comments about the work -- which seem to be trying to elevate too high for its own good -- these still bothered me. But, I was able to look past them, and breezed through this first volume.
It's good. And it's interesting. And it left me wanting more. The art style perfectly suits the tone of the stories, though I occasionally found myself wishing that it was a bit more polished.
I liked the idea behind the "breaking out" of Beanish. I am actually a bit hesitant to describe what I enjoyed about that storyline, because it plays into the themes of ecology that Marder and his supporters talk about, and this is precisely one of the things that I dislike about the story. As though talking about the underlying themes destroys the work because it is so delicate a construction. I mean, it's a cartoon book about talking beans ... Let's not try to make it carry too much weight.
I don't know that this first volume stands very well on its own, particularly since it ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, but I feel confident that it will add up to something very good with the subsequent volumes.
February 8, 2014
Beanworld is great, just so great.
If you are about to dismiss Larry Marder's work on account of the deceptively simplistic illustrations (because, seriously, these "beans" really are just glorified stick figures), please read on:
I was "aware" of Beanworld since the '90s (mostly thanks to Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art ) but it took me almost TWO DECADES to get around to reading it! What a loss!
Marder approaches his draftsmanship limitations as a deliberate strength. His simplified rendering of the ecology surrounding Gran'Ma'Pa works for quick-reader comprehension (so he doesn't waste time getting to the interesting stuff!) while enabling his 2-dimensional bean creatures with the simultaneous ability to interact with the more 3-dimensional Hoi-Polli yet fashion tools from the 2-dimensional shape constructions from the Four Realities (lines, circles, triangles, and "twinks"). I'll stop there before I put off anyone with any more of my gibberish from trying to explain Beanworld.
If you get your kicks on art with a constructivist "meta" slant to it, you'll dig Beanworld. If you just want a great adventure to share with your kids, something with wonderful character archetypes in the vein of a Disney classic, you'll also dig Beanworld. There really is something different for everyone to take away from this "most peculiar comic book experience."
This is where to start. There's nothing to lose, except $40 more bucks on the following two books of the series.
If you are about to dismiss Larry Marder's work on account of the deceptively simplistic illustrations (because, seriously, these "beans" really are just glorified stick figures), please read on:
I was "aware" of Beanworld since the '90s (mostly thanks to Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art ) but it took me almost TWO DECADES to get around to reading it! What a loss!
Marder approaches his draftsmanship limitations as a deliberate strength. His simplified rendering of the ecology surrounding Gran'Ma'Pa works for quick-reader comprehension (so he doesn't waste time getting to the interesting stuff!) while enabling his 2-dimensional bean creatures with the simultaneous ability to interact with the more 3-dimensional Hoi-Polli yet fashion tools from the 2-dimensional shape constructions from the Four Realities (lines, circles, triangles, and "twinks"). I'll stop there before I put off anyone with any more of my gibberish from trying to explain Beanworld.
If you get your kicks on art with a constructivist "meta" slant to it, you'll dig Beanworld. If you just want a great adventure to share with your kids, something with wonderful character archetypes in the vein of a Disney classic, you'll also dig Beanworld. There really is something different for everyone to take away from this "most peculiar comic book experience."
This is where to start. There's nothing to lose, except $40 more bucks on the following two books of the series.
July 21, 2009
Where to begin? I think I was about five years old when I first read Beanworld. I don't know quite what I'd think of it if I were picking it up for the first time now. It's its own self-contained world with its own mechanics. It has its own sound. It's... innocent in a way, but has a great deal of depth. It's a comic about anthropomorphic beans and the world in which they live. It's one of the best examples I can think of of Tolkien's observation that a good enough story will serve as a metaphor for the real world without dipping into heavy-handed allegory.
I will say that if you're going to share this with kids, you may want to vet issue 1. Beyond that, you're fine-- Amazon suggests ages 9-12. There's a great deal to be said for a series that's accessible to children without talking down to them, and I don't think my own nostalgia for the series would be necessary to enjoy it as an adult.
One thing to bear noting-- there are two sets of reprints out there, which the Goodreads listings don't distinguish. The Beanworld Press versions came out in the late 80s and early 90s. There were four of them, each reprinting four issues of the comic. Anything past issue 16 is still only available in loose issues. Dark Horse has begun putting out nice sturdy hardcovers that will run the whole series-- Volume 1 covered issues 1-9. Volume 2 came out last week, and covers 10-21; Volume 3 is due in November.
I will say that if you're going to share this with kids, you may want to vet issue 1. Beyond that, you're fine-- Amazon suggests ages 9-12. There's a great deal to be said for a series that's accessible to children without talking down to them, and I don't think my own nostalgia for the series would be necessary to enjoy it as an adult.
One thing to bear noting-- there are two sets of reprints out there, which the Goodreads listings don't distinguish. The Beanworld Press versions came out in the late 80s and early 90s. There were four of them, each reprinting four issues of the comic. Anything past issue 16 is still only available in loose issues. Dark Horse has begun putting out nice sturdy hardcovers that will run the whole series-- Volume 1 covered issues 1-9. Volume 2 came out last week, and covers 10-21; Volume 3 is due in November.
May 11, 2015
Wow totally Wahoolazuma! I can only give a Beanworld book 5 stars - there is no other option.
This hardback book from Dark Horse collects issues #1-9 of the original Tales of the Beanworld comic that was published from 1985 onwards. By the way Beanworld works amazingly well as a graphic novel and this edition looks and feels fantastic.
I was originally hooked with Beanworld from about issue #5 and never looked back. I was sad when the run fizzled out and I have since allowed it to drift to the back of my consciousness. However with the re-issue of the complete run and new material printed (Book #3) I have allowed myself to re-immerse myself into this crazy world.
As Larry Marder warns us, Beanworld is not just a place, it is a process, and each issue reveals more of the place and processes involved in it. You will learn how the Beans interact with the Hoi Polloi to get their food, how Gran'ma'pa protects them, how the Bone Zone was created, what happens when their world is threatened, how a bean 'Breaks out'. You will meet characters such as Mr Spook, Prof. Garbanzo, the Goofy Service Jerks, the Boom'r Band and Dreamishness and many more.
In short, if you like adventurous comics and are looking for 'a most peculiar comic book experience' then read this...and the other books...
This hardback book from Dark Horse collects issues #1-9 of the original Tales of the Beanworld comic that was published from 1985 onwards. By the way Beanworld works amazingly well as a graphic novel and this edition looks and feels fantastic.
I was originally hooked with Beanworld from about issue #5 and never looked back. I was sad when the run fizzled out and I have since allowed it to drift to the back of my consciousness. However with the re-issue of the complete run and new material printed (Book #3) I have allowed myself to re-immerse myself into this crazy world.
As Larry Marder warns us, Beanworld is not just a place, it is a process, and each issue reveals more of the place and processes involved in it. You will learn how the Beans interact with the Hoi Polloi to get their food, how Gran'ma'pa protects them, how the Bone Zone was created, what happens when their world is threatened, how a bean 'Breaks out'. You will meet characters such as Mr Spook, Prof. Garbanzo, the Goofy Service Jerks, the Boom'r Band and Dreamishness and many more.
In short, if you like adventurous comics and are looking for 'a most peculiar comic book experience' then read this...and the other books...
December 3, 2011
Where do you start with Beanworld? This is a simple-seeming comic book, it almost brings to mind the Smurfs at first glance. On page one you might think you'd only give this comic to a five-year old with a learning disability.
And that's where you'd be wrong. A five-year old would LOVE this book, for sure -but after a few pages you'd be reading along, and slowly having your mind blown, like a beer in the freezer that explodes in slow-motion.
This comic is DEEP. Like, origins of civilization and tribal mythology deep. I could almost see the light bulbs coming on in the eyes of the unrefined Bean society as they discover basic concepts like music and art.
The language has its own unique rhythm to it, and the words and phrases of the Beans have a lyrical, poetic quality. It becomes addictive quickly, and you just want to read more sentences like this:
"Hoka-hoka Gunk'l dunk!"
"Hoka-hoka hey!"
Not only is that a real conversation between two characters, not only does it actually mean something relevant to the story, but I found myself wanting to say it to somebody. And that feeling is there a lot.
Come visit the Beanworld. Boom the Clang Twang, check out Beanish's Fabulous Look-See Show, go on a chow raid with the Chow Sol'jers, and I'm pretty sure you'll stick around. But stay away from Der Stinkle...
And that's where you'd be wrong. A five-year old would LOVE this book, for sure -but after a few pages you'd be reading along, and slowly having your mind blown, like a beer in the freezer that explodes in slow-motion.
This comic is DEEP. Like, origins of civilization and tribal mythology deep. I could almost see the light bulbs coming on in the eyes of the unrefined Bean society as they discover basic concepts like music and art.
The language has its own unique rhythm to it, and the words and phrases of the Beans have a lyrical, poetic quality. It becomes addictive quickly, and you just want to read more sentences like this:
"Hoka-hoka Gunk'l dunk!"
"Hoka-hoka hey!"
Not only is that a real conversation between two characters, not only does it actually mean something relevant to the story, but I found myself wanting to say it to somebody. And that feeling is there a lot.
Come visit the Beanworld. Boom the Clang Twang, check out Beanish's Fabulous Look-See Show, go on a chow raid with the Chow Sol'jers, and I'm pretty sure you'll stick around. But stay away from Der Stinkle...
December 11, 2023
I recently stumbled across the fact that Larry Marder's Beanworld was being reprinted, and I could not be happier. Once I married and had children I had to leave my comic books behind--it was too much money for a young couple to comfortably afford. I had no trouble quitting for the most part, but I did miss two titles in particular, Beanworld and Jeff Smith's Bone.
I often thought of both titles as my kids were growing, thinking they would be wonderful reading for children with open minds and imaginations. Several years ago I discovered the Bone books had been collected, and my daughters read them with great delight.
Now, at long last, I can read and share with them the weird and wonderful world of Larry Marder. Even now, 15+ years later, I smile with nostalgic joy at my memories of discovering Beanworld. Like Marder said, "It is a most peculiar comic book experience."
I often thought of both titles as my kids were growing, thinking they would be wonderful reading for children with open minds and imaginations. Several years ago I discovered the Bone books had been collected, and my daughters read them with great delight.
Now, at long last, I can read and share with them the weird and wonderful world of Larry Marder. Even now, 15+ years later, I smile with nostalgic joy at my memories of discovering Beanworld. Like Marder said, "It is a most peculiar comic book experience."
January 21, 2023
I made it all the way through this without being able to decide whether I really liked it or not. It's certainly weird. Marder's art looks good, and has a strangely interesting 2d/3d thing going on. But I could never decide about the plots--the thing all seems very kid-friendly, but I couldn't quite figure who the audience was. The humor is there, but it's very light and subtle, never really laughable. The plots focus on world-building in the most literal possible sense, as if Marder ran across the phrase "world-building" and decided to do exactly that. So it's focus on the way characters interact with a simple environment is interesting. But, invariably, I still don't know what I think.
January 31, 2015
Beanworld is a book I appreciated more than I enjoyed. The way Marder constantly adds elements to the world of the Beans is brilliant in a way. Every new development adds a wrinkle to Beanworld, until we're left with a pretty complex ecosystem that is delicately balanced for all it's inhabitants. And then Marder shows what happens when things get out of wack.
The premise of Beanworld is very original and interesting, but I found the characterization of the characters of Beanworld to be a little thin. Fun, but thin. Still, you've got to love a comic that is entirely unique as this is.
The premise of Beanworld is very original and interesting, but I found the characterization of the characters of Beanworld to be a little thin. Fun, but thin. Still, you've got to love a comic that is entirely unique as this is.
July 26, 2012
Hoka hoka hey! I am rather glad my imouto-san strong-armed me into reading the first collection of Beanworld comics, as I've found myself unabashedly adoring this strange world of beans and chow and hoi-polloi rings. It's pretty great that a comic series from the late eighties can stay so relevant and entertaining. Now, to get my hands on the second volume. Wang dang doodle! Thank you, Dark Horse Books, for releasing these books ♥
April 18, 2014
If I had to explain the concept of "art" to someone who had no idea what it meant, I would use Beanworld to do it. All the complexities of the human relationship to the simultaneous aesthetic and functional nature of the universe are conveyed by the black-and-white drawings of bean shapes speaking non-sense words. If art is when something is greater than the sum of its parts, Beanworld is art of the highest order.
November 18, 2014
I loved the concept of this comic. The idea that it's an evolving environment where even the most seemingly unimportant changes have a significant and lasting effect on the world is a great idea. But personally I just didn't find reading it that fun. It felt a bit repetitive and although I think the artwork suited the story perfectly I just wasn't a fan of it. I read a review earlier that said that they appreciated the book more than they enjoyed it and that's exactly how I felt about it.
November 21, 2009
A comic about beans. Just the idea of it... it's so different from all the other comics I've read before. And as silly as some of the creations are in it, you can still relate it to the crazy world of our reality. There are still many parts of the comic that I'm trying to wrap my head around... but in general, I loved it! Definitely worth a read. Wahoolazuma! :)
May 20, 2010
Graphic novels and comics with a single author/illustrator often have a stunning visual flair and integration of text and visuals that cannot be matched when a story is illustrated after the fact. (Thinking also of Alison Bechdel and Gene Luen Yang) Larry Marder has a delightful bold monochromatic drawing style and cute ecosystem developing in the story. Looking forward to subsequent volumes.
December 13, 2012
At first I thought that this was going to be some hippy dippy San Francisco/Merry Pranksters kind of trip. But happily this is all about a crazy ecosystem that Marder has created and the repercussions and interconnectedness between everything. I love how causal everything is. For every action there is a reaction. It is lovely to watch him explore how the world evolves.
June 3, 2015
Like TMNT, which I read recently, this is one of the comic book series that was a huge indie hit when I started reading, but which I never got to read.
So I was glad to finally be able to pick it up. At first glance, it always felt like a mishmash of characters and settings, but it blended well and produced compelling stories about the beans and their world.
So I was glad to finally be able to pick it up. At first glance, it always felt like a mishmash of characters and settings, but it blended well and produced compelling stories about the beans and their world.
November 15, 2014
The cover says it all: "A Most Peculiar Comic Book Experience".It looks very simply and silly, but in reality it is the opposite (well, it is still a little silly, but silly funny, nit silly stupid) crafting a tiny microcosm world which is easy to comprehend and get drawn into. Charming and intriguing. I certainly intend to visit Beanworld again!
August 1, 2009
Unlike other graphic novels I have read. This is for the fan of something strange and different. These beans live in a world of strange habits and adventures. Great for a boy in 3,4, or 5th grade. It seems like this is the authors dream story. Grades 4+
February 12, 2014
I read Beanworld waaay back in the day and was happy to see it back in print! Re-reading and sharing with my kids. The stories are silly and fun (maybe even deep and full of life lessons if you want) and the artwork is complex in its simplicity. Books 2, 3, 3.5 are in the queue.
February 18, 2014
This is the first of the collected Beanworld volumes. It is a marvelous series and as it says on the cover "a most peculiar comic book experience." It is a pure delight to reread these first stories reliving the begins of these characters.
June 4, 2014
I have the first several issues of the comic book from way back when. I've always loved the Beanworld series. Unfortunately, I gave my set of hard cover books to my oldest son and he's read them to pieces. I need to order a new set for myself.
December 12, 2009
Quite simply, some of the greatest comics (if not the greatest fiction) ever. In the history of the world. Bar none. Read it and be amazed.
July 1, 2010
Almost put this down, then started to have it grow in appeal...then kinda wished I hadn't spent the time.
July 19, 2010
More like a 3.5 star. Really addictive and fun to read but it feels like it should be a video game. I will read Volume 2.
May 23, 2011
It was funny. If it was animated it would be like Jell-O.
July 19, 2011
What's not to love about these critters? They make me feel happy!! Especially when they DANCE!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews