Scan barcode
vsbedford's review
3.0
A clever idea, rendered in a style that doesn't totally appeal to me (there are too many what I call color pages, such that all the page is done in blue and black or red and black, I find it distracting and a bit too "ooooo" for my tastes). I think there are some great building blocks here, but all in all I found it to be a far too serious version of The Lumberjanes, and probably won't read Vol. 2.
I received an ecopy from the publishers and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I received an ecopy from the publishers and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
rbritt515's review
2.0
I really wanted to love this-- a comic about a covert group of boy scout-like secret agents tasked with traveling across the world and and going places no adult could get away with going. Great premise. But the comic itself fell short for me. There were a few interesting parts, but it didn't feel as fresh or interesting as I had hoped based on that premise. Overall: meh.
**Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review**
**Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review**
quirkycatsfatstacks's review
4.0
I received a copy of Black Badge Vol. 1 through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Black Badge is a new series from Boom! Box. Lately, I’ve been willing to give almost any series from Boom! a chance, simply because they’ve been so awesome about publishing new and different things. Black Badge was no exception to this.
The series is about a particular branch of the boy scouts – the Black Badges. Specifically, the series follows four of them through their harrowing tales of espionage, subterfuge, and tactical maneuvers.
I ended up enjoying this series more than I expected, and have to admit that it was way more intense and riveting than I had anticipated. I strongly recommend it to anybody looking for something different to read.
Black Badge didn’t waste any time throwing us, or the main characters, into the thick of things. I personally love that they chose to have one new member added to an otherwise established team. This gave us an in for the series. The new guy got to ask all the questions we wanted to, thus allowing us to learn along with him. It was an elegant solution to the problem. And I prefer it to having the whole team be full of probies (I don’t think that would have worked with the story they want to tell here).
I love how Black Badge feels like they have to constantly escalate things. It isn’t enough that we have a secret organization within the boy scouts. It isn’t even enough that said secret organization does black ops missions (hence the name, I suspect). Nope, we have to see them figuring out that there’s even more than that to uncover. I’m happy for it because I think it gave the series a lot more lasting power than originally believed – which is saying something.
They’ve set themselves up for a tough go at character development here. I’m not saying it isn’t do-able, just that they made it harder. Most of the kids are pretty hardened and unwilling to show us any cracks or weakness. But that can be a form of character development in its own right – just not necessarily the healthy kind. I’m impressed with what they were able to get out of the characters, and how much they were able to make us care about them.
I’m looking forward to seeing where the story goes from here. It’s clear that they’re building towards a bigger picture – the fourth issue removed any doubt from my mind about that. I just don’t quite know where it’s going just yet. I’ll have to keep reading to find out!
For more reviews, check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
Black Badge is a new series from Boom! Box. Lately, I’ve been willing to give almost any series from Boom! a chance, simply because they’ve been so awesome about publishing new and different things. Black Badge was no exception to this.
The series is about a particular branch of the boy scouts – the Black Badges. Specifically, the series follows four of them through their harrowing tales of espionage, subterfuge, and tactical maneuvers.
I ended up enjoying this series more than I expected, and have to admit that it was way more intense and riveting than I had anticipated. I strongly recommend it to anybody looking for something different to read.
Black Badge didn’t waste any time throwing us, or the main characters, into the thick of things. I personally love that they chose to have one new member added to an otherwise established team. This gave us an in for the series. The new guy got to ask all the questions we wanted to, thus allowing us to learn along with him. It was an elegant solution to the problem. And I prefer it to having the whole team be full of probies (I don’t think that would have worked with the story they want to tell here).
I love how Black Badge feels like they have to constantly escalate things. It isn’t enough that we have a secret organization within the boy scouts. It isn’t even enough that said secret organization does black ops missions (hence the name, I suspect). Nope, we have to see them figuring out that there’s even more than that to uncover. I’m happy for it because I think it gave the series a lot more lasting power than originally believed – which is saying something.
They’ve set themselves up for a tough go at character development here. I’m not saying it isn’t do-able, just that they made it harder. Most of the kids are pretty hardened and unwilling to show us any cracks or weakness. But that can be a form of character development in its own right – just not necessarily the healthy kind. I’m impressed with what they were able to get out of the characters, and how much they were able to make us care about them.
I’m looking forward to seeing where the story goes from here. It’s clear that they’re building towards a bigger picture – the fourth issue removed any doubt from my mind about that. I just don’t quite know where it’s going just yet. I’ll have to keep reading to find out!
For more reviews, check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
littledollreads's review
2.0
There were a couple of quick things that just didn't work for me with this comic. The art for one just didn't work for me. Any situation where I take notice of the art for being anything other than beautiful typically causes me concern. Another thing I just couldn't get behind was the story. It didn't click with me as the most enjoyable story. I also think I've read and consumed more enjoyable media involving slightly twisted scouts as a concept.
dostojevskijs's review
4.0
"You ever read Lord of the Rings?"
"Yeah. Three times. This is totally like that, now that you mention it. A fellowship... I like it."
"Yeah, 'cept, you are the ring, Willy."
"Yeah. Three times. This is totally like that, now that you mention it. A fellowship... I like it."
"Yeah, 'cept, you are the ring, Willy."
jkenna's review
5.0
Black Badge is a comic about boy scouts. Not just any boy scouts though. The cream of the crop, best of the best, boy scouts. These scouts have earned every badge there is to earn. Or so they thought. They find out that there is another badge, the black badge.
Having been a Girl Scout my entire life I really enjoyed reading about this fictional universe surrounding using children - specifically scouts - to carry out secret missions. Because really who expects a bunch of kids, right? The plot of the book is nice, well paced and not rushed. Secrets are teased out as we read along. I really enjoyed the story line and the art style as well. I would highly recommend this book, especially if you are a fan of spy stories. Altogether, it was a fun story and I am excited to read more!
Having been a Girl Scout my entire life I really enjoyed reading about this fictional universe surrounding using children - specifically scouts - to carry out secret missions. Because really who expects a bunch of kids, right? The plot of the book is nice, well paced and not rushed. Secrets are teased out as we read along. I really enjoyed the story line and the art style as well. I would highly recommend this book, especially if you are a fan of spy stories. Altogether, it was a fun story and I am excited to read more!
iwanturpizza's review
5.0
Many thanks to BOOM! Studios and Netgalley for this ARC, in exchange for an honest review.
If Wes Anderson made a sequel to Moonrise Kingdom, following his scouts, and placed them in a Mission Impossible type scenario is, it might look like this. Black Badge feels so familiar, and it helps that the storytelling and the art is so confident in itself, and doesn’t forget to have fun with its premise, it’s difficult not to be enchanted by any of this.
There’s so much world-building that gets revealed, besides having the events play within an alternate-US, but in terms to the different scouts that are out in the world, casually making changes everyday.
I’m definitely going to keep up with this series, and can’t wait to see what’s coming up for these characters
If Wes Anderson made a sequel to Moonrise Kingdom, following his scouts, and placed them in a Mission Impossible type scenario is, it might look like this. Black Badge feels so familiar, and it helps that the storytelling and the art is so confident in itself, and doesn’t forget to have fun with its premise, it’s difficult not to be enchanted by any of this.
There’s so much world-building that gets revealed, besides having the events play within an alternate-US, but in terms to the different scouts that are out in the world, casually making changes everyday.
I’m definitely going to keep up with this series, and can’t wait to see what’s coming up for these characters
megggriffin's review
4.0
Review to come post-24in48!
------
I received a copy of this from Netgalley and Boom! in exchange for an honest review. As always, thank you for a chance to review this book.
The premise of this book intrigued me enough that I picked up the first issue when it came out. I didn't keep up with it (mostly because I read about 85% of my comics in trade) but I was highly excited to see volume 1 coming out.
The reason I took away a star: overall, the story isn't quite as concise as I would like it to be, and the cut off for the first volume doesn't feel natural. That being said, I love the direction of this book and where it is going next. The artwork has a rough and dirty feel, which I think is perfect for this story. The concept of kids as spies (or assassins of some sort) is one I will always love.
------
I received a copy of this from Netgalley and Boom! in exchange for an honest review. As always, thank you for a chance to review this book.
The premise of this book intrigued me enough that I picked up the first issue when it came out. I didn't keep up with it (mostly because I read about 85% of my comics in trade) but I was highly excited to see volume 1 coming out.
The reason I took away a star: overall, the story isn't quite as concise as I would like it to be, and the cut off for the first volume doesn't feel natural. That being said, I love the direction of this book and where it is going next. The artwork has a rough and dirty feel, which I think is perfect for this story. The concept of kids as spies (or assassins of some sort) is one I will always love.
glitterandtwang's review
5.0
Holy hell, this was good. I don't care about spycraft or espionage, but this volume got me interested - apparently if you put national security into the hands of a scout troop, you've got me hooked. It's sort of like Lumberjanes, if the troop were mixed-gender, mean, and tasked with wetwork. Definitely a series I'll be picking up from now on - and, apart from the excellent art, the coloring is really unique and phenomenal.