Action Philosophers Review: Funny, But Niche

Philosophy is about as old as humans. There are many schools all across the world that some people just don’t know where to start or to look. Luckily, Fred Van Lente and Ryan Dunlavey fixed that in a comic series know as “Action Philosophers.”

“Action Philosophers” takes a comic book approach to philosophy from Thales of Miletus to Jacques Derrida. It tells you their teachings and adds in plenty of humor. One of the major problems with philosophy is that it can get boring and some of the teachings bloated. This comic does a good job of showing all sides of philosophy. The problem continues is that not a lot of people are into philosophy. The added humor tries to make things more interesting (painting Plato as a professional wrestler is a nice touch) but there is still that lingering sense of “what the hell is he talking about?” in these comics.

This comic wants to both teach and entertain the reader. The humor here is not all that funny. There are some genuine funny moments, but they are all smashed under the weight of teaching philosophy. Yes, there are people who enjoy philosophy, but most people will be bored to tears no matter what you try to do.

The comic is drawn similar to a black and white newspaper comic strip. This style seems like it’s the perfect way to make a comic that’s a teaching tool for philosophy. The simple designs make the absurdities of the topic and the philosophers shine through. Anything more complicated than this and the effect would not be as strong.

“Action Philosophers” tries to make philosophy interesting to the masses, but the impact is not effective. This comic may appeal to philosophy buffs who like comics and vice-versa, but to the average person it will go over their heads. It is a lot more educational educational than fun educational which was the intent. “Monty Python” knew this and summed up philosophers nicely in “Bruce’s Philosophers Song” (that is, all philosophers are drunks.)