4 Kids Walk Into a Bank #1

Writer: Matthew Rosenberg
Art/Design: Tyler Boss
Flatting: Clare Dezutti
Letterer: Thomas Mauer
Wallpaper Design: Courtney Menard
Publisher: Black Mask Studios

Review by David Hildebrand

4kidsAs far back as lunchtime I always wanted to be a gangster. What a great  way to start out a comic book! I am a fan already! To make it even better, it is typed out in a font that is a reflection of a Quentin Tarantino film, and that quote from Goodfellas changed so that it caters to the young characters in the book. We are off to an excellent start!

Our story begins with us being introduced to the main cast by their Role Playing game characters. They are all between 11 and 12 years old. There’s Paige, the obvious leader in the group. Stretch, her second in command. Berger, the mouthy kid, for whatever reason kinda reminded me of Chunk from The Goonies, and Walter, who is the quiet brainy one.

A group of unsavory characters busts into Paige’s house looking for her dad. Dad appears with a rifle in hand and orders the gang of thugs to leave and to not come back.  The next day, an incident with Paige getting into a fight with a boy is stopped when the same guys show up looking for Paige. They say want to apologize to her as well as her father and offers to take her home. She isn’t leaving without her friends of course and they all pile up into the car. They are dropped off and the leader of the thugs tells Paige to make sure she tells her dad that they all played nice. Things continue to develop and by the end of the issue, you find out that Dad might know more about what is going on than originally thought.

The art from Boss is expressive, with an 1980’s feel to it, as well as a washed out color palette. There are some really amazing double page spreads. One in particular is the hallway scene that showed the two groups facing off at each other inside Paige’s house when the gang first breaks in. There are also repeating panels showing only slight changes in facial expressions as the characters react to each other. Matt Rosenberg, known for We Can Never Go Home, sets up the narrative beautifully, and adds personality to each character and witty dialogue.

The Verdict
BUY IT!
I feel bad that I never even heard of this book until today. I walked into the local shop, saw the cover and was immediately drawn to it. I like crime stories and this is a fun story so far. The back and forth between the group of kids is humorous, and you have to check out the scene where they are all on a radio talking to each other. It is well written and the characters are likeable.  It is a five part mini series and I am already looking forward to the next issue!

 

Dave Hildebrand
sycotic_one1@hotmail.com
My name is Dave. I'm in love with all types of film. I enjoy comics, video games, and writing. I also love soccer. I love watching all competitions and I play goalkeeper as well. Hit me up on Twitter @sycotic

Leave a Reply