Writers: Nick Winn & Elizabeth Brei
Artists: Austin Baechle & Cleonique Hilsaca
Colorist: Heather Breckel
Letterer: Shawn Lee
Cover Artists: Nick Winn, Austin Baechle, JustaSuta & Nicole Goux
Publisher: Oni Press
Price: $4.99
Release Date: January 21, 2026
The Enchiridion may be lost forever. But Finn doesn’t care. His encounter with the Lich has taught him that friendship is more powerful than a hero handbook. After his battle with Golb, Jake agrees. Uniting with your friends is the best way to combat any dangers. Where will Finn and Jake's adventures take them next? And what dangers will threaten the land of Ooo? Let’s leap into Adventure Time #9 and see!
Handbook Heroes Part One: Story
Months have passed since Finn and Jake battled Golb and the Lich. Along with Computer Princess, they have spent that time helping the people of Ooo recover from the storm. Computer Princess realizes that people won't let her make innovative replicas of them anymore. But she's determined to keep Finn's new arm up to date.
While looking out for Finn, Computer Princess knows that he and Jake are Old School. So she gives Finn a spiral notebook and asks him to record his adventures in Adventure Time #9. This daunting task makes Finn second-guess his decision to discard the Enchiridion. He cannot recreate the lost knowledge written in the ancient tome. But Computer Princess convinces Finn that his efforts are valuable. Recording his adventures and the insights he gains along the way may help future heroes achieve their potential.
After launching Finn and Jake on a new journey, Nick Winn gives the two handbook homies plenty to think about. Without the Enchiridion to guide them, Finn and Jake must decide how to structure a book and what to put in it. Ironically, as they contemplate the qualities that make someone a hero and the skills they should develop, they meet a hero. But Finn and Jake also learn that more of Computer Princess’s inventions have come back to plague Ooo in Adventure Time #9.
Handbook Heroes Part One: Art
As Lady Rainicorn forms a recliner for Jake and gazes at her guy with adoring eyes, Finn sits on a tree stump while Computer Princess welds his arm. Like Inspector Gadget, devices spring from the artificial limb on long, thin appendages. Jake uses a camera to record what he sees, while a magnifying glass alerts him to a battle nearby.
After Finn and Jake leave Computer Princess’s futuristic city behind, Austin Baechle populates the hillside with creatures and animals drawn from real life and fantasy. Heather Breckel lavishes a bright palette of colors on Adventure Time #9 as Jake stretches through scenes, and Finn fills pages in his notebook with art and notes. Pale green statues commemorate how the worky wigglin’ heroes helped save Ooo from Computer Princess’s Almost-Apocalypse. Then they meet a character with blue skin battling a purple creature who meets their definition of a hero.
Shawn Lee places uppercase black letters in white dialogue balloons as Finn and Jake launch their expedition. Marcy speaks white letters into black balloons as she embarks on her own journey. The letters grow bold for intonation, swell for raised voices, and shrink for lowered voices. Sound effects fill the air when gadgets sprout from Finn's updated arm and the friends undergo trials. Yet words become colorful giants when the booty bumpin’ friends make an unexpected discovery in Adventure Time #9.
Lemonhope Alone Part One: Story and Art
While people and animals play in a pool of mud or enjoy a picnic, a singer plays their harp and sings. As Elizabeth Brei addresses the need for people to be honest about their feelings, one of Cleonique Hilsaca’s whimsical creatures takes an interest in the musician. Thanks to Oni Press and Superfan Promotions for providing a review copy.
Final Thoughts
When the Lich possessed Finn, he sought out Marcy and Bonnie. While Bonnie seems unaffected by the encounter, Marcy withdraws into herself. So, as Finn and Jake try to forge a new beginning, Marcy invests in her past in Adventure Time #9.
Rating 9.6/10
To look inside see my preview of Adventure Time #9.
