Summary on the Goodreads website . . . .
An espionage series about a top-secret, elite branch of boy scouts tasked by the government to take on covert missions.
Meet the Black Badges, a top-secret branch of boy scouts tasked by the government to take on covert missions that no adult ever could. Among their organization, the Black Badges are the elite—the best of the best. The missions they’re tasked with are dangerous, and will only get worse as their leader’s attention is split between their objective and tracking down a lost team member. A member who disappeared years ago...presumed dead.
Reuniting New York Times bestselling author Matt Kindt (Mind MGMT) and illustrator Tyler Jenkins (Peter Panzerfaust) following their multiple Eisner Award-nominated series Grass Kings, Black Badge is a haunting look at foreign policy, culture wars, and isolationism through the lens of kids who know they must fix the world that adults have broken.
My Review - - - I read this in the individual issues:
BLACK BADGE #1 - 5 (BOOM! Studios, August - December 2018) Written by Matt Kindt. Illustrated by Tyler Jenkins. Colors by Hilary Jenkns. Lettered by Jim Campbell. Main covers by Matt Kindt & Tyler Jenkins.
The reviews and ratings for BLACK BADGE on the Goodreads website are all over the place, ranging from extreme love to extreme dislike.
I found this to be a fun and engaging book, with characters that seemed to act like young people would under these highly unusual circumstances. Perhaps I’m just used to the quirkiness of Matt Kindt’s creativity and have learned to appreciate it for what it is.
The main premise is that Boy Scouts with special skills are being selected to serve as spies and “black-ops” agents around the world. Their participation in Scouts makes an excellent cover, as Scouts are known for honor and integrity and would never be suspected of these kinds of activities. Underneath the surface is a deeper story, and the Scouts could be being used for a darker purpose. Later issues deal with this, but I don’t want to spoil things — just hint at the craziness yet to come.
ISSUE # 1:
I love the mix of characters, just four comprising this special squad: Kenny the group leader, who always seems to have the right supplies in his backpack; Cliff the security specialist and hand-to-hand combat expert; Mitz the weapons and disguise master who seems to have feminine features; and Willy the new and overweight recruit with communications expertise. Willy later learns he’s a replacement for Jimmy, gone missing on an earlier adventure.
While on a Scout trip to South Korea, the four take a canoe trip and get lost. They try to find their way back on foot, head in the wrong direction, and end up crossing over into North Korea. The mission begins but doesn’t end they way they anticipated. Suspicions begin to form.
Throughout the series, the various backgrounds of each character are told in two-tone flashbacks. Jenkins art style is very similar to Kindt’s, with a bit more detail and a flair for depicting landscapes and wide screen views.
ISSUE #2:
Moving on from Issue #1 to a Scout train trip through Russian Siberia where the group meet a quartet of young Canadian Mounties who seem to know more than they should. There’s a fun reference to Pippi Longstocking after Mitz’s flashback, and the whole series is peppered with references to pop culture as well as Kindt’s and Jenkin’s works on The Grass Kings, Mind Management and other series. There’s a prison extraction involved here that also concludes with unexpected results.
ISSUE #3:
On a mission to Afghanistan we learn what happened to the missing Jimmy, considered dead. The Afghan agent (looking like a Taliban member and also looking ridiculous in a Scoutmaster uniform) who leads them through their mission is suspicious and may be a traitor. They learn that Jimmy is alive and now part of an older squad.
ISSUE #4:
The Afghan mission concludes. Returning to training camp, the Black Badgers give a false mission report to their commander, Gottschalk, whom they no longer trust. They learn more of the reasons behind their selection, and are assigned to participate in a Rainbow Badge Jamboree on a private Hawaiian island in competition with other similar Scout packs: Blue Badges, White Badges, and Pink Badges.
ISSUE #5:
The island jamboree begins. Competition gets fierce and violent. The different squads share notes and doubts grow about their true purpose. The issue ends on a cliff-hanger, as this concludes the first volume of stories.
STORY: This is meant to be fun, so don’t think too hard about whether or not these situations are viable or you’ll end up disappointed. 2.5 POINTS.
ART: Initially the art seemed a little too simplistic for my tastes, but I warmed up to it. 2 POINTS
COVERS: Do an appropriate job of indicating what the contents have to offer. The back cover schematics are a blast to go over. 2 POINTS
READ AGAIN? It was fun to go back and read again in order to catch all the nuances. I had a better appreciation of this as well. 1 POINT.
RECOMMEND? For fans of a quirky story that entertains, yes. 1 POINT
TOTAL RATING: 8.5 OUT OF A POSSIBLE 10 POINTS. WELL ABOVE AVERAGE.
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