Black Badge #2 from the Eisner-nominated team of Grass Kings – Matt Kindt, Tyler Jenkins, and Hilary Jenkins – swings into some dark territory by the end, especially considering that the heroes of this book are elite Boy Scouts.

These highly trained young teenagers are used by the US government to get into enemy hot zones, where kids won’t be looked upon as dangerous. In the first issue, they found themselves infiltrating North Korea, and now they’re taking a train into Russia. If you thought the Boy Scouts were the only ones who got to have a little fun, this time they are joined by the Young Canadian Mounties, also teenagers. Little by little, Kindt delves into who these characters are, making them far more clever than anyone has a right to be. It’s an absolutely ridiculous time that reminds me a great deal of a lot of ’80s movies and TV shows.

The first issue made me feel that maybe these kids were being used to do things they weren’t aware of, kind of like the Ender syndrome, but now they’re showing greater insight into the game than I first imagined. One reoccurring thread is that one of their ex-Black Badges, who supposedly died, did so under strange circumstances. Like us, the new recruit hasn’t found out, but the answer may clue us into why these kids may or may not trust the people they work for. Color me intrigued.

I’ve always been a fan of the kids-on-an-adventure-and-in-over-their-heads genre, like Goonies, Red Dawn, and Adventures in Babysitting. Sprinkle in some A-Team, and you’ve got Black Badge.

Creative Team: Matt Kindt (story), Tyler Jenkins (art), Hilary Jenkins (colors), Jim Campbell (letters), Eric Harburn (editor), Scott Newman (designer)
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
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