Scan barcode
geekwayne's review
4.0
'Black Badge Vol. 1' by Matt Kindt with art by Tyler Jenkins is a graphic novel about an elusive scout troop, but it's Matt Kindt, so you know there is more here than meets the eye.
A young scout has finally earned all the badges he can. Then he hears about the mythical black badge. He joins a troop in search of this badge only to find that it refers to the troop he's in. They are tasked with counterintelligence jobs like marking a building in North Korea and starting a prison riot in Siberia. They are kids, so no one suspects they are nothing more. Along the way, the new kid finds out about a former black badge named Jimmy, who has a whole other perspective on what it means to be a black badge.
Matt Kindt never fails to impress. His writing is all about subterfuge and misdirection. I loved the small nod to another Kindt series, Mind MGMT. The art is on par for other Matt Kindt type books. Tyler Jenkins art runs to the loose sketch type style, but it works fine for the story here.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from BOOM! Studios and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
A young scout has finally earned all the badges he can. Then he hears about the mythical black badge. He joins a troop in search of this badge only to find that it refers to the troop he's in. They are tasked with counterintelligence jobs like marking a building in North Korea and starting a prison riot in Siberia. They are kids, so no one suspects they are nothing more. Along the way, the new kid finds out about a former black badge named Jimmy, who has a whole other perspective on what it means to be a black badge.
Matt Kindt never fails to impress. His writing is all about subterfuge and misdirection. I loved the small nod to another Kindt series, Mind MGMT. The art is on par for other Matt Kindt type books. Tyler Jenkins art runs to the loose sketch type style, but it works fine for the story here.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from BOOM! Studios and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
bethtabler's review
4.0
Black Badge is an intriguing series. It is a combination of the down and dirty black OPS type narrative against the wholesomeness of the Boy Scouts. It makes sense when you think about it. It takes an amazing amount of dedication to get your badges, and it is in a variety of fields. What better way to find the perfect type recruits than to recruit from a pool of characters that do it for self-betterment. The writing is excellent and the graphics are top notch. I would expect nothing less than great from Tyler Jenkins. (I dug Grass Kings) I definitely think if you love espionage stories with a twist, this is the right thing to read. Check it out!
somethingsnappy's review
adventurous
challenging
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
jkenna1990'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!
wesleyboy's review
4.0
Special forces Boy Scouts?
With a complicated backstory?
Ending up with them on an island surrounded by other Special Forces Boy and Girl Scouts?!
Hell yes.
With a complicated backstory?
Ending up with them on an island surrounded by other Special Forces Boy and Girl Scouts?!
Hell yes.
jkenna90'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!
crookedtreehouse's review
3.0
Matt Kindt is one of the best pitch writers currently working in comics. I've loved most of his work, even whenthe characters are rarely as fleshed out as I'd hope, even when it feels like I'm reading a well-illustrated Wikipedia entry about a fantastic series rather than just reading that series.
For me, that's how Black Badge felt. I liked the story beats, and the watercolor illustrations, but neither the story nor the paneling and layouts made this story particularly stand out. In this first volume about a group of Black Ops Boy Scouts, each character gives their origin story in a flashback completely unrelated to the story's main adventure (calling in an air strike in North Korea, for example). Even with those back stories, it's hard to see these characters as anything more than devices through which the plot moves along.
As a silly adventure story with hyperbolic stakes, I'm intrigued, and will keep reading, but the most excited I was during my read-through was when Kindt tied this directly into [b:MIND MGMT, Volume One: The Manager|16255052|MIND MGMT, Volume One The Manager|Matt Kindt|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1406391108l/16255052._SY75_.jpg|22298040], and referenced the existence of [b:Grass Kings, Vol. 1|35606635|Grass Kings, Vol. 1|Matt Kindt|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1501538217l/35606635._SY75_.jpg|57044244]. those are fun Easter Eggs, but they shouldn't have been the high points of this story.
I do recommend it for people who enjoy Kindt's watercolor style work (he's not the artist on this book, [a:Tyler Jenkins|4773224|Tyler Jenkins|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] is, but it's evocative of Kindt's watercolors without seeming at all derivative. Fans of ridiculous Mission Impossible style romps might also enjoy this.
For me, that's how Black Badge felt. I liked the story beats, and the watercolor illustrations, but neither the story nor the paneling and layouts made this story particularly stand out. In this first volume about a group of Black Ops Boy Scouts, each character gives their origin story in a flashback completely unrelated to the story's main adventure (calling in an air strike in North Korea, for example). Even with those back stories, it's hard to see these characters as anything more than devices through which the plot moves along.
As a silly adventure story with hyperbolic stakes, I'm intrigued, and will keep reading, but the most excited I was during my read-through was when Kindt tied this directly into [b:MIND MGMT, Volume One: The Manager|16255052|MIND MGMT, Volume One The Manager|Matt Kindt|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1406391108l/16255052._SY75_.jpg|22298040], and referenced the existence of [b:Grass Kings, Vol. 1|35606635|Grass Kings, Vol. 1|Matt Kindt|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1501538217l/35606635._SY75_.jpg|57044244]. those are fun Easter Eggs, but they shouldn't have been the high points of this story.
I do recommend it for people who enjoy Kindt's watercolor style work (he's not the artist on this book, [a:Tyler Jenkins|4773224|Tyler Jenkins|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] is, but it's evocative of Kindt's watercolors without seeming at all derivative. Fans of ridiculous Mission Impossible style romps might also enjoy this.
jhstack's review
3.0
While I liked the core plot, I still have yet to get fully hooked by the core characters, the structuring (just getting tossed in and having Willy act as the audience POV character), and the end of the last issue that comprises the volume (namely, how many issues were collected in the trade). I did also like the passing MIND MGMT reference. (e-galley from NetGalley)
carroq's review
4.0
Disclaimer: I received a free ecopy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Someone thought it was a great idea to take a bunch of kids, train them to be spies and assassins and turn them loose on the world. This all happens in the guise of a scout troop system similar to the Boy Scouts. The missions that we get to see the members of the Black Badges on in this volume are somewhat disconnected. They flow pretty well from one to the next. I didn't feel like there was an overarching plotline that tied them together well enough, which is perfectly fine. I like Matt Kindt's writing quit a bit and can forgive a looser storytelling style in hopes of seeing a payoff down the line.
I think the big thing is that I enjoyed reading the characters. The first chapter is clearly an introduction because each of the Black Badge members is presented based on the role that they are meant to fill. They start to develop within that first issue, but it is really in the second and later parts that they take off. There is a new kid and a bit of mystery about what happened to the Black Badge that he replaced. This gets some payoff before the end of the book, yet it doesn't get resolved. And that's part of why I enjoyed this book. It sets down a lot of story points, introduces the characters and the system they work in, and ends with a clear direction for the next volume. The worldbuilding that goes into this volume definitely lays out the potential for the setting, with these characters or new ones.
The art is great. The drawings are good and the watercolor effect is great. After reading this book, I want to see more of this series to find out what happens next.
Someone thought it was a great idea to take a bunch of kids, train them to be spies and assassins and turn them loose on the world. This all happens in the guise of a scout troop system similar to the Boy Scouts. The missions that we get to see the members of the Black Badges on in this volume are somewhat disconnected. They flow pretty well from one to the next. I didn't feel like there was an overarching plotline that tied them together well enough, which is perfectly fine. I like Matt Kindt's writing quit a bit and can forgive a looser storytelling style in hopes of seeing a payoff down the line.
I think the big thing is that I enjoyed reading the characters. The first chapter is clearly an introduction because each of the Black Badge members is presented based on the role that they are meant to fill. They start to develop within that first issue, but it is really in the second and later parts that they take off. There is a new kid and a bit of mystery about what happened to the Black Badge that he replaced. This gets some payoff before the end of the book, yet it doesn't get resolved. And that's part of why I enjoyed this book. It sets down a lot of story points, introduces the characters and the system they work in, and ends with a clear direction for the next volume. The worldbuilding that goes into this volume definitely lays out the potential for the setting, with these characters or new ones.
The art is great. The drawings are good and the watercolor effect is great. After reading this book, I want to see more of this series to find out what happens next.