It’s back, baby! Writer and Deadliest Man in Comics, Rylend Grant‘s sophmore title BANJAX – the book that garnered four Ringo Award nominations – has new life! The Hollywood screenwriter is heading to Kickstarter with BANJAX: SYDNEY! If I remember correctly, this will be a one-shot issue/side story expanding the universe of the breakout hit.
Here’s a throwback for you… a quick look at a promo/shout-out I put together, with some legendary talent’s help, while at PopCultHQ to commemorate BANJAX’s four Ringo Award nominations, just prior to the ceremony at Baltimore Comic-Con in 2020.
And that got me thinking… I should re-publish my spoiler-free comic book reviews I conducted from over six years ago! The review was published at PopCultHQ – a pop culture media site I worked at for 10+ years. I had received an advance review copy of BANJAX Season One TPB from Action Lab Entertainment‘s Danger Zone imprint. The trade paperback collected the four-issue miniseries and was originally released on Wednesday, November 13th, 2019. The creative team for this collected edition featured writing from Rylend Grant, art from Fábio Alves, colors by Edson Ferreira, and lettering from HdE.
Here’s Comics Bodega’s spoiler-free review of…
BANJAX Season One TPB
Written by Rylend Grant
Art by Fábio Alves
Colors by Edson Ferreira
Letters by HdE
Cover Artists:
Fábio Alves (Artist)
Edson Ferreira (Colorist)
160 pgs./ M / FC
SRP: $14.99
Collects BANJAX Season One issues #1-4
A disgraced, terminally ill former superhero launches a violent and misguided Death Wish-like campaign to purge the city of supervillains before he dies. His former protégé, currently the public’s point-and-wink superhero ideal, is tasked with bringing him in. The Rub? He isn’t remotely up to it.
Comics Bodega’s Comic Book Review:
BANJAX Season One TPB
I remember when Netflix debuted the first season of Daredevil. It was such a rush witnessing an intense episode, filled with action and shocking moments, and the excitement knowing I could see what happens next immediately by going to the next episode. When it came to the final episode of the season, the intensity was high, the drama fierce, and everything played out brilliantly. And then there’s that moment where the final scenes of the season present a twist to blow your mind, leaving you dumbfounded at what just transpired, and that feeling of shock that makes you scream inside, “NO! You CAN’T leave me hanging like that!”
This is what you will experience reading BANJAX Season One.
There’s a reason writer Rylend Grant scored a Ringo Award and nominations this year for his debut series ABERRANT. BANJAX, his sophomore outing, continues on the intelligent design he’s created for himself and his creative team. Grant knows how to deliver maximum output with his page count, stuffing an immense amount of value into the price of a comic book. Consistently. He also is great with allowing the other creators show off their talent to make the book come alive.
Rylend’s background in screenwriting notably strengthens each issue. There’s such a fun dynamic with Grant’s intertwining of the two protagonists’ viewpoints. The cinematic vibe felt in ABERRANT from Rylend’s writing is prevalent from the first few pages of BANJAX. While reading, you can’t help but feel this was made for the big screen. I think even Martin Scorsese would change his tune. Here’s to hoping this becomes a reality.
Preview pages of BANJAX Season One #1
As incredible as Rylend’s script is, Fábio Alves gives a stellar performance with his illustrations in BANJAX. Impressive character stylings, such detail in his backgrounds, and just some wicked action sequences really put this series over the top. His work here could very well catapult him to another level in this industry. For comic fans’ sake, I certainly hope so. I, for one, would love to see more of Fábio’s work in the mainstream.
Preview pages of BANJAX Season One #2
Edson Ferreira crushes it in BANJAX Season One. His colors truly define the look to this wickedly dark tale. The grit, the seediness, the criminal, the deadly, all captured impressively thanks to Edson’s touch. And the reds! There are flashback moments in black and white that sometimes feature splashes of a stunning crimson, reminiscent of 300. Ferreira’s color art really stands out, all while keeping the look subdued to not take away from Fabio’s illustrations. Just really nice work.
Preview pages of BANJAX Season One #3
In just a four-issue miniseries, HdE showcased a wide spectrum of lettering skills. His balloons are perfect; proper tails, wonderful spacing, great use of butting & joining balloons, and placements. Caption boxes are on-point, dialogue is sharp, and he provided some remarkable sound effects and fonts. HdE proves he is a true asset to any comic book.
Preview pages of BANJAX Season One #4
Intense. Powerful. Exhilarating. BANJAX evokes those and countless other words associated with what one might hope to feel from an action/adventure or superhero title. But Grant, Alves, Ferreira, and HdE give 150% in EVERY issue of the miniseries. Take any one of these creators out of the equation and I’m not sure it would shine as it does. You definitely get the sense that this is a cohesive creative team and a true group effort. The trade paperback is an ideal way to give BANJAX a look if you missed the single issues. You won’t find a better value for a collected edition trade this year. I thoroughly expect to see this title wind up on awards lists next year.
Be sure to follow the BANJAX: SYDNEY #1 campaign
to be notified when it’s live on Monday, March 2nd!
About Rylend Grant:
Creator Rylend Grant has worked for 15+ years in Hollywood, writing film and television projects for folks like JJ Abrams, Ridley Scott, John Woo, Luc Beson, and Justin Lin. His film STATE OF CONSCIOUSNESS was the #2 movie on Peacock last summer… and his latest film – a collaboration with Matt Dillon and Academy Award-winning Director Fernando Trueba titled HAUNTED HEART – is in theaters now.
About Half Evil Comics:
HALF EVIL COMICS has been publishing Award-winning, face-melting actiontainment since 2018, bringing you Kickstarter hits like THE PEACEKEEPERS, THE JUMP, THE BREACH, and FA SHENG: ORIGINS and comic shop sensations like ABERRANT, BANJAX, and SUICIDE JOCKEYS.