Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Bandette Volume One: Presto! by Paul Tobin art by Colleen Coover YP FIC TOBIN

Bandette is the world's greatest thief!  She steals from the dastardly and gives to well, herself, but also to claims adjusters and museums (if the pay is right).  And she does so with panache,  style, flair, elan, dash, verve, zest, spirit, brio, éclat, vivacity, and gusto!  She outwits the long suffering Police Inspector Belgique, matches wits with the other world's greatest thief (the title is currently contested), Monsieur, and draws the ire of the Arch Criminal Absinthe.  Can Bandette and her crew of urchin helpers defy the world's deadliest criminal empire?  Presto!

This book is flat-out fun. It is (sadly) so very rare to say that about any comics these days.  Every one thinks that being moody, violent, and depressing is super mature and deep. This results in a LOT of overly and unnecessarily violent books that all feel sophomoric instead of smart.  I mean, even Superman is brooding and dark these days!  SUPERMAN! So this retro-cool throwback to heist movies and books of the 60s is a glorious breath of fresh air.  Bandette, the carefree thief, who can outsmart everyone and have fun doing it is an antidote to the antihero!  The art is as vibrant, colorful, and fun as Bandette herself. It has a simple, painted look of old French posters, that evoke the spirit of energy and motion perfectly.  the characters aren't incredibly deep, nor do they need to be.  They are fun archetypes that move the clever and absurd plot forward. Also, it is very nice to see a female lead that isn't a pin-up girl wearing as little skin tight clothing as possible. This is a great read for fans of fun, happiness, and comics that are actually comic.

You can find Bandette (but you'll never catch her!) in our catalog here.

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