I was craving a good heist story and was recommended the comic book series Bandette by Paul Tobin and Colleen Coover. It’s a creator-owned comic published by MonkeyBrain, and the first trade is out now. It features the world’s greatest thief, a teenage girl named Bandette, who steals from the bad people to give to the good people (while keeping a little back for herself). She’s also often called upon by the local police to assist with solving various crimes, though not even the police know her real identity. She’s like Batman if Batman also stole things and didn’t have all that angst over his dead parents.

Bandette herself is supremely confident (she proclaims she is the best thief, and does so without shame for believing it), but she also delights in finding a rival who is worthy of her. She flirts with her friend Daniel, who in turn goes starry-eyed over her. She’s always hanging upside down, grinning hugely while encouraging her friends to get in trouble with her. She loves being a thief and she does it because it’s fun for her, and because she’s good at it – and isn’t that what we all want out of our careers?

The first volume collects issues 1-5 and mainly deals with Bandette and her urchins (sidekicks) going after a crime syndicate as a favor to the local police. The crime syndicate is also going after her, having decided she’s been a thorn in their side for too long. She teams up with her biggest rival, simply named Monsieur, who has himself been recruited by a mysterious woman to steal from the aforementioned crime syndicate. Each issue builds upon the prior one, though there’s a handy recap at the beginning of each, and the story never really becomes all that complex (which is part of its charm).

The book is fun and whimsical and doesn’t take itself very seriously. One of Bandette’s main weapons is a bottle simply labeled “Knockout Spray.” No need to think too hard on it. The evil organization has the acronym FINIS and its principal villain is named Absinthe. Bandette’s main sidekick rides a motorbike called Rad Thai. Her library has one bookshelf for “First Editions: Purchased” and one for “First Editions: Liberated.” There’s subtle humor like this on practically every page, both in the dialogue and the art. The art is blessedly free of scantily-clad women and is a bit simpler and more painterly than traditional comic book art. It fits the mood of the story well – light-hearted and fun.

Long-time readers of this blog may know that I have a weakness for heist stories. I want an all-female Ocean’s 11 sort of book so badly. (Ally Carter’s Heist Society books probably come closest.) Bandette helps to satisfy this itch. It encapsulates so much of what I enjoy about heist stories: how clever the capers are, that the thieves are the good guys and they always win, the overall theme of sticking it to the man and getting rich at the same time, all the witty banter, the friendship between the thieves. It’s all good fun. This particular title is perfectly suitable for a YA audience and it’s a welcome addition to the growing collection of female-led books.

Personal copy.