top of page
Writer's pictureByron O'Neal

GALLANT AND AMOS, ISSUES #1-4

Updated: Jun 24, 2021


Cartoonist: Rob Barnes Publisher: Fair Spark Books


Gallant & Amos, issue 1, cover, Fair Spark Books, Barnes

WHAT IS IT?

A humorous, light-hearted adventure tale of two friends, a knight and a dragon, stumbling into adventures and traveling the world.

It feels like one of the funnies from the newspaper's Cartoons section, with a Looney Toons influence mixed with the Munchkin board game.

WHAT'S IT ABOUT?

(Minor Spoilers)

Originally started as a webcomic, Gallant And Amos follows two friends as they make their way through a fantasy realm.

After being beset by villainous snowmen, the longer story arc starts in issue #2, as Gallant & Amos are recruited for a quest to find a book of power and battle an ancient evil.

You know that saying where it's more about the journey than the destination? That's this comic. The quest is more a delivery mechanism for wink-and-a-nod references, dad jokes and chuckle-filled, family-friendly humor.

WHAT WORKS?

  • Gallant plays the serious one while Amos, the dragon, is always hungry and always has a "dad joke" to share -- which really works!

  • The humor feels like Sunday funnies mixed with some Mel Brooks or older era jokes -- if that sounds like your type of humor, this is the perfect comic for you

  • Low stakes and straightforward plot make this the perfect comic to sit back and enjoy

  • Rob Barnes deserves a round of applause for writing, lettering, illustrating and coloring the entire comic

  • He also lives in the same town as some of my family!

  • They're my in-laws, so don't go searching for yetis in Farmington, MO

  • Accessible comic for all ages

  • Fun references in art or dialogue to fast food, Donkey Kong, and all sorts of other pop culture things

  • Map in the back of the comics is nice backmatter and helps give some context to their travels

WHAT DOESN'T WORK? ​

  • While the type of humor is friendly for all ages, some specific jokes may be over the head of folks who may not get the specific reference

  • That being said, there are plenty of jokes to go around, so missing one or two isn't a huge loss

  • If you're bothered by Barnes signing every page at first, Gallant and Amos originally started as a webcomic with each page published separately, which helps give some context for this

  • This also explains why the characters often reiterate previous events in the first panels of some pages early on

  • Some typos throughout (not many, but might take some readers out of the moment)


Gallant & Amos, issue 3, air Spark Books, Barnes

WHY SHOULD I READ IT?

A fun and humorous fantasy comic for the whole family, where one can just sit back and enjoy some hijinks.

WHAT DO I READ NEXT?

If you like the writing:

  • Trekkin' by Rob Barnes

  • The Family Graves by Timothy Bach & Brian Atkins

  • Hägar the Horrible by Chris Browne

If you like the art:

ABOUT THE CREATORS

Rob Barnes – Cartoonist

  • Multitalented: One of the rare creators who can write, illustrate, color & letter

  • Lives in the same town as a certain comic book yeti's in-laws!

  • Has been Creative Team Lead at his local newspaper for over 14 years

HOW DO I BUY IT?

Click one of these:

The image(s) used in this article are from a comic strip, webcomic or the cover or interior of a comic book. The copyright for this image(s) is likely owned by either the publisher of the comic, the writer(s) and/or artist(s) who produced the comic. It is believed that the use of this image(s) qualifies as fair use under the United States copyright law. The image is used in a limited fashion in an educational manner in order to illustrate the points of the author and not for the purpose of entertainment or substituting the original work. It is believed the use of this image has had no impact on the market value of the original work.

All Fair Spark Books characters and the distinctive likeness(es) thereof are trademarks of and copyright Fair Spark Books or their respective owners. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

bottom of page