Black Badge #4
Boom! Studios 2018
Written by Matt Kindt
Illustrated by Tyler Jenkins
Coloured by Hilary Jenkins
Lettered by Jim Campbell
The Black Badges are invited to the compete in the Badge of Champions—a gigantic secret convention where scouts from competing disciplines meet every year for a cut-throat survival course. The objective is to win—no matter the cost.
Wow Matt seems to have no mercy as this story unfolds before our eyes. This story just moves and the pacing is amazing to see. Last issue ended with the group finding Jimmy, finally, however the reunion isn’t what I would call a happy one though it is incredibly enlightening. I wasn’t expecting things to play out this way but I couldn’t be any happier as Matt keeps me on my toes. He also is one of those writers who’s work is just so good you roll with it and try not to second guess or look ahead because it’ll drive you crazy since nothing will be as good as what he brings.
I like the way this book is structured. It feels crazy busy but the way it’s done just reminds us what plotting and pacing can do with a story to make feel that much larger than life. The group starts out in Pakistan then home to Camp Wayward, which is a nice play on words by the way, and finally off to Hawaii and all in such a short span. Talk about travelling but then again I can see why too, there’s something about keeping the boys too busy to think and analyse what they have learned or to act upon it. It’s a nice ploy if it works but somehow with the exception of Willy the boys are smart and open to possibilities.
Matt really is a master storyteller and he has such a creative mind that’s filled to rim, with Brim, with sheer imagination that needs to be unleashed. I think Matt is a well known man in the industry but he doesn’t get the kind of attention that I feel he deserves and that’s a shame. Still if you look at the way that this book done with the dialogue between the boys and the adult mentor of sorts, how the story progresses and develops throughout the book it’s just amazing to see. Also the developments in this issue alone bode well for readers as it looks like things are going to get a whole lot more interesting and very quickly.
Tyler and Matt work so well together and have become one of those teams that you want to always see working together. I really like the way this looks and feels and when a husband and wife team is responsible for the interiors it adds this special kind of something. I really am impressed with how we see Jimmy’s flashback sequences compared to the now work and it has this unexpected sense of strength to it that keeps the readers eye on the page. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels shows us Tyler’s spectacular eye for storytelling. Backgrounds are utilised as needed and while I always want to see more the work here speaks for itself. That this really sets the tone, mood and feel and how we see the boys going about their business is sensationally well done. The tension and anger ooze off the pages.
That we finally be seeing a crack in the facade here is great and I cannot wait to see how big a crevice the boys make in that. I was wondering what happens to these kids after they have done what they’ve done and I think we may be getting our first glimpse at it, with a very unexpected host of what’s to come. This is one of my favourite titles because I am never sure what’s going to happen next or what direction Matt’s taking this.
Boom! Studios 2018
Written by Matt Kindt
Illustrated by Tyler Jenkins
Coloured by Hilary Jenkins
Lettered by Jim Campbell
The Black Badges are invited to the compete in the Badge of Champions—a gigantic secret convention where scouts from competing disciplines meet every year for a cut-throat survival course. The objective is to win—no matter the cost.
Wow Matt seems to have no mercy as this story unfolds before our eyes. This story just moves and the pacing is amazing to see. Last issue ended with the group finding Jimmy, finally, however the reunion isn’t what I would call a happy one though it is incredibly enlightening. I wasn’t expecting things to play out this way but I couldn’t be any happier as Matt keeps me on my toes. He also is one of those writers who’s work is just so good you roll with it and try not to second guess or look ahead because it’ll drive you crazy since nothing will be as good as what he brings.
I like the way this book is structured. It feels crazy busy but the way it’s done just reminds us what plotting and pacing can do with a story to make feel that much larger than life. The group starts out in Pakistan then home to Camp Wayward, which is a nice play on words by the way, and finally off to Hawaii and all in such a short span. Talk about travelling but then again I can see why too, there’s something about keeping the boys too busy to think and analyse what they have learned or to act upon it. It’s a nice ploy if it works but somehow with the exception of Willy the boys are smart and open to possibilities.
Matt really is a master storyteller and he has such a creative mind that’s filled to rim, with Brim, with sheer imagination that needs to be unleashed. I think Matt is a well known man in the industry but he doesn’t get the kind of attention that I feel he deserves and that’s a shame. Still if you look at the way that this book done with the dialogue between the boys and the adult mentor of sorts, how the story progresses and develops throughout the book it’s just amazing to see. Also the developments in this issue alone bode well for readers as it looks like things are going to get a whole lot more interesting and very quickly.
Tyler and Matt work so well together and have become one of those teams that you want to always see working together. I really like the way this looks and feels and when a husband and wife team is responsible for the interiors it adds this special kind of something. I really am impressed with how we see Jimmy’s flashback sequences compared to the now work and it has this unexpected sense of strength to it that keeps the readers eye on the page. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels shows us Tyler’s spectacular eye for storytelling. Backgrounds are utilised as needed and while I always want to see more the work here speaks for itself. That this really sets the tone, mood and feel and how we see the boys going about their business is sensationally well done. The tension and anger ooze off the pages.
That we finally be seeing a crack in the facade here is great and I cannot wait to see how big a crevice the boys make in that. I was wondering what happens to these kids after they have done what they’ve done and I think we may be getting our first glimpse at it, with a very unexpected host of what’s to come. This is one of my favourite titles because I am never sure what’s going to happen next or what direction Matt’s taking this.
RSS Feed
