A comiXologist Recommends
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Kids Walk Into A Bank #2 (@blackmaskstudios)
Art/Design – Tyler Boss
Writing – Matthew Rosenberg
What should you do if you suspect that your dad is in cahoots with a bunch of criminals? You should definitely take matters into your own hands! That is an entirely reasonable course of action for an eleven-year-old kid! What could possibly go wrong with this bank heist?
In the second issue of a five-part miniseries, we haven’t quite gotten to the heist yet. And to be fair, other than the fact that they’re kids, so far there’s not much to suggest things would go south because Paige and her trusty nerd friends seem fairly competent compared to the adults involved in the situation. Paige breaks a bully’s nose with a pizza, gets arrested, hacks police records, seriously considers stabbing a dude in the junk, and generally causes no small amount of calculated mayhem in her pursuit to discover what her dad and these thugs are up to. Paige’s tough personality is balanced out by her friends, who are capable in their respective mouthy, awkward, brainy ways.
4 Kids Walk Into A Bank manages to be sweet and funny and profane and violent all at once, described as “Wes Anderson remaking Reservoir Dogs.” I also get kind of a Guy Ritchie vibe. Scenes play out over many smaller panels, giving an aesthetic of quippy dialogue and fast cuts. There are a lot of visual clues embedded into the artwork. For an obvious example, each issue so far opens on the children’s conversation happening via their game avatars (D&D for issue one, a video game for this issue), providing insight into some aspect of their personalities. These referential details are a great complement to the narrative that happens through dialogue, rounding out the storytelling and context.
I would be remiss if I didn’t also point out the stylish patterns and wallpapers throughout, designed by Courtney Menard. The strong graphic motifs and thoughtful color palettes add a stylish touch to this very fun book.
Tia Vasiliou is a digital editor at comiXology and a frequent guest on the comiXologist podcast (where her nickname is apparently Auntie Lou). You can also catch her on the I Read Comic Books podcast, where she does not yet have a confusing nickname.