Paul Tobin

I think Tobin and Susini are going for gonzo, but Made Men just comes off sloppy and dumb.

In a funny bit of synchronicity for me, I had just finished Junji Ito's adaptation of Frankenstein the day before, and not having read the back cover of this book, I was unaware that it too was related to Shelley's novel when I snatched it randomly off my shelf of library books. It seems that the protagonist, Jutte (Jootee? Yootah? Not sure how you'd pronounce it.) is a descendant of Victor show more Frankenstein's smarter and previously unmentioned sister, Cecilia. When she and her team of fellow police officers are ambushed, she uses her family secrets to literally put them back together for revenge. (The subtitle is the best part of the book.)

There's plenty of sex and violence, but little sense and no ending. And since no issue #6 has come out since #5 was published in January of 2018, and the publisher didn't label this a volume 1, I'm not too sure an ending will ever come. Well, no big loss.

You know, I'm generally against all the endless copyright extensions fueled by Disney and other large corporations to protect their intellectual properties, but junk like this could certainly be used as an argument against letting works go into the public domain. Why do creators keep rehashing something Mary Shelley did 200 years ago instead of coming up with something wholly original?

Anyhow, I love Tobin's Bandette series, but this book and The Complete Colder Omnibus make me leery of picking up anything of his that does not include Colleen Coover in the future. show less

This is the story of Annahnette (Annah) Billips...who may or may not have a missing sister. But there are plenty of things that we do know for sure about her. She dates both boys and girls (she really likes Afros), she's 27 years old, like sushi, hates beer breath...and oh yeah her parent's divorced when she was 9. Annah says that her mad scientist father extracted part of her brain, the part that deals with emotions, and great it into a twin sister. In this novel multiple narrators show more introduce us to who Annah is as we follow her through the city one night on a date.

I love how this story is told. Its just such a unique way of introducing the main character, the various elements of her life, and what we should know about her. The fact that it's presented by multiple different narrators allows us to see Annah from different perspectives and how different people view her and what she says is her life story. It's almost like piecing together a mystery, does she really have a sister? And I love that we never really get told whether she does or not, but the writers present us evidence on both sides so we get to form our own conclusion. Even better for me, is that although its a short book I feel like I know the characters, even the supporting ones that don't really say much. They say enough that you can recognize them as that guy that you know down the block or that waitress that you keep trying to flirt with. The authors do a fantastic job of building the characters so that we feel like we know them. And the story flows smoothly never missing a beat.

I love the artwork in this book. It reminds me a lot of the style that Craig Thompson uses in his book "Blankets." It's a nice flowing line, with good detail in the background without being overwhelming. And they capture the human form so well! I can just picture the people in real life and seeing them because that's how they move. It helps make the characters feel like real people. And the layout of the book is absolutely fantastic and really helps the story flow.

I cannot say enough good things about this book and I'm just completely blown away by the storytelling and the artwork in it. I give it 5 stars out of 5 and highly, highly recommend it. It's picks up for the 20/30 generation where Scott Pilgrim left off. show less

This was very cool. I have to admit being drawn to it because of the cover, and the art never let me down. Being from Boston I liked recognizing the architecture, both in our world and in the other world. Maybe especially in the other world.

The story was just the right kind of horror for me. I much prefer psychological horror and a story about a creature that drives people insane (or more insane) in order to eat their minds is right up my alley. That creature, Nimble Jack, was well-written, show more well-drawn, and absolutely terrifying in his movements and his dialogue.

I wasn't certain about Declan in the beginning. After all, he didn't do much other than sit there getting colder. His background is still a mystery, one I'm dying to learn.

(Provided by publisher) show less

I love Bandette and her joie de vivre. I'm ever so happy when a new adventure of hers makes its way into my hands.

The Six Finger Secret

In the main story, Bandette is one of six thieves trying to get their hands on the painting know as "The Six Finger Secret," which has been used for centuries to pass along secret messages hidden in the many small paintings within the painting. (The image is based on the real painting by Pierre Subleyras entitled "The Artist's Studio.") The action and comedy show more is nonstop, and many members of the vast cast get some quality time and/or development even amidst the introduction of many new characters. (This is not a good jumping-on point for new readers!)

Fun in all the ways that make Bandette so addictive!

Urchin Stories: Freckles in "No Bandette"

Bandette is not often denied that which she wants (usually something sweet), and it's funny to see one of her street agents, Freckles, tell her, "No," again and again.

Monsieur in "Souvenirs"

The gentleman thief -- Bandette's rival/comrade -- gets to have a gentlemanly fling back in the '60s/'70s while making off with a treasure.

Don't Speak Her Name

This illustrated text story is actually my favorite part of the book. An amateur artist is devastated to be victimized by Bandette when she steals all the paintings out his tiny little studio. His grief quikly turns to anger, and he sets out to get revenge. The ending is obvious, but oh so effective.

FOR REFERENCE:

This volume collects issues fourteen through eighteen of the Monkeybrain comic book series Bandette.

Contents: Previously -- Bandette in "The Six Finger Secret" / Paul Tobin, writer; Colleen Coover, illustrator -- Urchin Stories: Freckles in "No Bandette" / Paul Tobin, writer; Sarah Burrini, illustrator -- Urchin Stories: Monsieur in "Souvenirs" / Colleen Coover, writer and illustrator -- Don't Speak Her Name / Paul Tobin, writer; Colleen Coover, illustrator -- What's Bandette Stolen Now? / Colleen Coover, writer; Colleen Coover and Pierre Subleyras, illustrators -- Special Thanks -- About the Authors show less