We're Taking Everyone Down With Us

We're Taking Everyone Down With Us #1-6

by Matthew Rosenberg, Stefano Landini (illustrator), Jason Wordie (Colorist)

“One of the most beautiful and intriguing new books of 2025." —Geoff Johns (Geiger, Flashpoint)
James Bond meets The Island of Doctor Moreau in this graphic novel about a young girl who discovers her father isn’t the hero she believed, but one of the most dangerous super-spy villains on the planet.
After her mad-scientist father is killed by the world’s greatest spy, 13-year-old Annalise is left all alone in the world. Sort of. Her dead dad’s robot bodyguard won't stop following her around for some reason. Now Annalise has a try to lead a normal life for the first time ever…or seek revenge and maybe overthrow the world order in the process.
Embark on a journey of regret and retribution, super spies and pseudoscience, growing up and global domination from brilliant artist STEFANO LANDINI (Prodigy, Hellblazer) and okay writer MATTHEW ROSENBERG (What’s the Furthest Place From Here?, Uncanny X-Men)
Collects all 6 issues.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Science Fiction, Fiction, Family, Comic Book, Thriller

256 pages, Paperback

First published December 9, 2025

About the author

Librarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name

"I haven’t always been a writer. My parents are writers and my brother is a writer, and I resisted that as long as I could. When I was 17, I hopped in a band’s van and I went on tour for a summer, and that was it, that was what I wanted to do. I ran a record label for 10 years, a small indie punk label. I did everything in music that you can do that doesn’t involve having musical ability. Eventually the music business, probably in a similar way to comics, will just start to break your heart, and I realized one day that I kind of hated music. I was resigned to thinking, if I’m going to be involved in music forever, I’m going to hate it for the rest of my life. I just stopped. I stopped having any sort of business with music, any involvement.

I read comics my whole life, so I just naturally fell back into another medium that is marginalized and hard to make a living in."

Source: http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles...

Writer of comics WE CAN NEVER GO HOME, SECRET WARS JOURNAL, OUR WORK FILLS THE PEWS, 12 REASONS TO DIE, & MENU.

Reviews

[Dana · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was fine. We're Taking Everyone Down With Us follows a fairly conventional revenge plot, and it does so okay-ishly. The whole spy stuff is whatever, the worldbuilding and characters not really interesting, but I generally enjoyed the robot-father stuff and the dynamic between Annalise and her android (?). The final reveal was kinda cool in theory and worked for the bigger story, but might also imply that Tsarina was actually raped cause she had sex with someone who pretended to be someone else, which I'm not sure was intentional, so I don't know how to feel about this.
I do think that some ideas/concepts were pretty interesting (memories and personhood, for example) and could've been explored much more to make We're Taking Everyone Down With Us more original. Also, the comic book is VERY tame for its us-against-the-world title, which implies teeth the narrative simply doesn't have. The characters were far too flat and neither showed any sign of the Last of Us II-esque (self-)destructive drive I was expecting nor palpable disillusionment or rage.

Ultimately, I was entertained pretty well for the hour or so I took to read this, but I won't think about We're Taking Everyone Down With Us ever again I think.

- ARC provided by NetGalley -

[Rod Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

A slam-bang satire of spy thrillers from the perspective of a girl who happens to be the daughter of a mad scientist out to rule the world that a James Bond-type is determined to take down.

Twisty and violent fun.


Disclosure: I received access to a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.com.


FOR REFERENCE:

Contains material originally published in single magazine form as We're Taking Everyone Down With Us #1-6.

[Jeremy Fowler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spy Technology & Murderous Mayhem!

Matthew Rosenberg’s We’re Taking Everyone Down With Us is a chaotic blast of spy drama, killer robots, and emotional baggage, all wrapped in slick retro sci-fi vibes. This story follows Annalise, a 13-year-old faced with a terrible tragedy and a robot bodyguard, as she decides whether to live a normal life or torch everything in her path. You will not see how the progression of this story winds up. There are twists and turns and murderous mayhem around every panel. The story is fast, sharp, and full of heart. It masterfully balances a thrilling revenge plot, navigates grief through the eyes of a little girl, and has nifty spy technology that 007 fans are going to love. It’s weird, wild, and totally worth the ride.

[Anna Quilter · Rating 4 out of 5]

An anti James Bond spy story....where we bond with the daughter of a supposed Super-Villain.
The story evolves with engaging twists and turns...worth your time...innit?

[Lashaan Balasingam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spies, robots, and complex father-daugher relationship. This turned out to be a very refreshing revenge plot that kept the action going and the story moving forward. The artwork also helped convey the unpredictable tone of the plot. Even more impressive is how the pacing just kept on improving as the mystery unraveled.

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Topsy-turvy James Bond, where we're following the daughter of the mad scientist villain who, despite her general goodness, seems to be following in her father's (and mother's) footsteps. And of course, there's a James Bond type here too, though he's far too intoxicated to be much of an opponent. And yet, he keep everyone (including the government) on their toes.

Pure silly fun from front to back, if light on world-building. The whirlwind nature of the story makes it hard to keep up sometimes (does that explosion matter? if so, why?), but the core humanity in the storytelling draws you right back in. This really is the daughter's story as she simply tries to make her way through all these insane scenarios.

Art is sufficient for the explosive narrative, and I'm definitely overall intrigued for more. Basically a very dark, inverted Incredibles.

[James DeSantis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, what an insane ride.

Rosenberg relies on insane plotting here that really helps elevate this story. The plot quickly becomes a completely unhinged objective when Frank's Grand Plan is revealed, promising massive public destruction and truly shifting the stakes. This insane plotting, complete with unpredictable twists like The First Betrayal and the chaotic Midpoint Escalation, ensures the story never lets up.

But the core essence is our main character and her relationship with her insane father. Together, their connection is driven through the whole story, even the last few pages. This relationship is why the dark and insane storyline only gets more fucked up, especially as Anna's struggle forces her to choose between sanity and loyalty. This connection ultimately drives the dark final choice she makes, solidifying their terrible legacy.

Luckily, thanks to the excellent art, and snappy dialogue, and some really funny moments. The bizarre levity helps this storyline never gets TOO dark you can't laugh. But when you really sit back and think about it, the twist and turns it takes, this is not a happy ending.

But maybe that's good. Chances make a story stick more, and this one will stick with me.

Sometimes too much yapping hurt this story's pacing a bit, but overall this is a nice return to form for Rosenberg. A 4 out of 5.

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Selling Pitch:
The Boys meets the Kingsman Secret Service in an absolute romp of a graphic novel.

Pre-reading:
Love this cover. It reminds me of that painterly American Psycho fanart.

(obviously potential spoilers from here on)
Thick of it:
The voice for each character is so good!

Supervillains reproduce too lol

Does she have a cock pillow? Lmao!

This is very Kingsman camp, and it’s making me laugh.

Aw, Willy no! This would make a fab TV show. It’s kinda The Boys-y.

I love this!

You want to WHAT my father. Oh, this book is so funny!

If you like Nimona, you’ll love this.

Did he clone Willhem into Willy? I love this series so much.

Your honor, I love them. Oh, I’m giddy.

The you fuck my parents gag is not getting old. Please more. It’s so funny.

Delivered everything it should’ve and then some. Gimme the sequel.

Post-reading:
It’s fucking funny. It’s well-paced. It taps into nostalgia. The dialogue is top tier. Everyone’s charismatic and has chemistry. You get attached to the characters so quickly. Frankly, my only complaint is that there's not more of it, and I can't even be that sore about it because it gives you a solid standalone story arc. This is made for TV. It’s violent and a little sexy while still having that familial heart of gold. It's so much fun. Pick this up. You are missing out if you don't.

Who should read this:
The Boys fans
Nimona fans
Campy thriller fans

Ideal reading time:
Anytime

Do I want to reread this:
Yes!

Would I buy this:
Absolutely!

Similar books:
* Nimona by N. D. Stevenson-urban fantasy, revenge, found family
* Spy Family by Tatsuya Endo-campy, spy thriller, found family
* Damsel from D.I.S.T.R.E.S.S. by Andrew Clemson-campy fantasy revenge thriller, family drama
* Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots-campy, urban fantasy satire, revenge, found family
* The Blonde Who Came in from the Cold by Ally Carter-spy thriller romance, enemies to lovers
* Big Hard Sex Criminals by Matt Fraction-campy, urban fantasy satire, romance
* The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy by Brigette Knightly-fantasy romance, thriller, enemies to lovers
* When the Wolf Comes Home by Nat Cassidy-campy horror, family drama
* Long Live Evil by Sarah Rees Brennan-campy fantasy romance, meta fiction, revenge

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Luke Ridge · Rating 5 out of 5]

On a distant island, one incredible scientist and his group of self built robots (mandroids) guards his work and the one thing most precious to him, his darling daughter. He is Dr Alderman, also known as Vitruvian. She, is Annalise. Life is simple but also wildly secretive. Annalise only wants her father to be a father figure. Dr Alderman sees only the ones and zeros of his work, choosing secrecy as the best way to protect what he loves most. But all this begins to dissolve as his past finally finds him. Annalise has to quickly adapt and understand who her father really is and what the world (one she’s been shielded from) has in store for her.

‘We’re taking everyone down with us’ is an absolute fever dream. A twisted, dark, clever and funny adventure through the eyes of a young girl and her unstable family. The book sugarcoats nothing. Sex, drugs, violence, all mixed in to a world of undercover organisations fighting for power and supremacy. The design is beautiful, full of nods to classic 70s sci-fi from the robots to the cars to the fashion. It twists espionage and political struggles with kings and queens vying for position. It has me laughing and pondering in equal measure, the writing is superb.

Every so often a graphic novel comes along that completely grabs me and makes me want more. This is one of them, I cannot wait for the sequel. More of this please.

10/10

[Dione Basseri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Annalise grew up on an island with her father, his manservant, and several devoted robot men. Her father is a good man. A great man. No matter what that guy she just found tied up in the dungeon (they have a dungeon?) says.

The morning after, Annalise’s world is torn apart. Quite literally. Her father dies, the island explodes, and all she has left in the world is one robot man who is making pretty liberal decisions around his programming, all to keep her safe. But Annalise doesn’t want to be safe. She wants vengeance.

I’d call this “elevated spy pulp.” There’s so much here that calls back to the 1970s and 80’s Bond-era movies and magazines, but with the addition or, more accurately, subtraction of the Comics Code Authority. The blood and injuries are gratuitous, but the sex is mostly off-screen, with bodies splayed about in the aftermath. Much like in the aftermath of the battles. Blood for shock, sex for humor, and I think the humor is done well.

The world is actually pretty well-grounded. It’s not what I’d call a “superhero” story, and certainly not fantasy. The “science” is fairly impossible, but it does still feel like the writing is trying to make it plausible in-world. This is more a James Bond situation, not a Marvel or DC situation. This actually makes the finale quite satisfying, as the world becomes even more grounded in the plausible.

The plot drags a little in the middle as Annalise makes her way to her target, but the beginning and ending are captivating. Keep yourself in the book through that slow middle and you could easily finish this in one sitting.

The book ends with a VERY Bond-esque poster teasing the return of one of the spies, in what seems to be his own adventure, without Annalise. I honestly can’t tell if that was a joke or if there will be a sequel! I’d definitely love to read a second book, though!

Advanced reader copy provided by the publisher.

[Sara]

Y will remmber what i draw for thee
what escape from
fire will come from the past
crack my castle
around play behind me murder robort
far from island i run
miss father i dream whith
buttle by hard past
explode the unfuny thing at my road
i run behind sun
its graphic of survive
princes to be me
sound of free

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read as single issues

[Books Over People · Rating 5 out of 5]

So…this is not for everyone but it is most certainly for me. Way to not pull any punches.

Also, Rook is Burt Reynolds for some reason. I don’t understand why, but I love it.

[Dan P · Rating 4 out of 5]

Action and intrigue balanced well with spoofy pulp. Hitting with the best of the indies at its high points. Little rambly hear the end but lands comfortably.

[iamjacsmusings · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pacing. Plot. Protagonists. Pictures.

I'm down with it.

[David Dalton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Turns James Bond upside down. Hard to tell who the good guys are! I enjoyed it very much.

[Alex Sarll]

Well, this is an odd one. There's the Vitruvian, a Doctor Doom/Reed Richards mad scientist, semi-retired to his island of robot minions and killer apes to raise his daughter Annalise, except that he often still ends up neglecting her in favour of his research on ways to save the world, or as others would say, rule it. And theoretically he's in an alliance with other super/Bond villain types, though obviously they don't remotely trust each other. But their declared enemy is spy agency V.E.I.L., and in particular top agent Alistair Rook, who I think makes most sense if you parse him as a spoof of UK spies as perceived in US-led popular culture, like someone hired Danny Dyer for an Austin Powers reboot, and he thought it would be funnier to not correct the times the script's British swearing is slightly off, or correct a reference from 'Home Office' to 'the Home Office' (speaking of nests of improbable villainy...). For the most part this is genuinely amusing, but woven through it is the daddy-daughter story that verges on outright traumatic in places, and then gets a further wrinkle once the island is attacked, the Vitruvian seemingly killed, and Annalise goes on the run with a robot that blatantly has her dad's mind uploaded but isn't admitting as much. Yet somehow what could be a jarring mixture of moods, and often has been in the work that frequently put me off Rosenberg since his impressive arrival, does work – except occasionally, when it really doesn't. Similarly, the art from Landini, Titov and Wordie is characterful, sells the comedy, makes the spy-fi excitement and volcano base confrontations work – and then every now and then completely fails to get across what's happening in a crucial moment of action. Those little fumbles are so frustrating, but sod it, it's a quarter of a century since we had a decent Bond film, I'm inclined to be forgiving of anyone making half-decent work in that space. And how can I resist a villain who gets pissy because he can't do a big entrance in his cloak after he got fondue on it, again.

(Netgalley ARC)

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overextension is the most common yet least prepared for consequence of great power competition. So too is affection the desideratum most desired yet least acquired corollary of internal conflicts gone awry. Annalise is the preteen daughter of a brilliant scientist; she is not a normal child.

WE'RE TAKING EVERYONE DOWN WITH US is darkly punctual: purveyors of intelligence and technology succumb to twisting egos for the self-made promise of worldly betterment and authoritarian control. The comic book is also a showcase of the perils of political spectacle, as well as the grandeur and force of preadolescent reasoning. This is a funny book, but not because it's characters necessarily say or do humorous things (although they surely do); this is a funny book because the dangerous, pissy arrogance each character wields is inevitably undercut by the ignorance, immaturity, or irresponsibility of every other character.

Dante Alderman is holed up on a private island somewhere in the South China Sea, running wild experiments on primates, torturing prisoners, and perfecting memory transfer to highly sophisticated guard robots. Readers will require multiple issues before conjuring the appropriate agathokakological moniker for such a character, but such is the creative team's genius, because Dr. Alderman isn't the focus, his daughter (Annalise) is more important. When the good and negligent mad scientist's fortunes turn sour, and his island goes up in flames, Annalise escapes with the last guard robot.

And what's a brilliant young girl with a knack for cursing (who is twelve and three-quarters years old) and a somewhat-reliable guard robot (prone to lecturing and moralizing) supposed to do next? The nastiest of the criminal underworld and the nastiest of the proper and upright European intelligence community are after them. To survive, Annalise and her robot must fight off kidnappers, accidental reunions, missiles, secret agents, and a whole lot of dumb henchmen.

The beauty of comics like WE'RE TAKING EVERYONE DOWN WITH US rests in the creative team's full and unabashed freedom to wield whatever format is necessary, whatever dialogue is best, and whatever character dynamics are optimal to tell the story however it must be told. No two issues possess the same structure, visual layout, pacing, color theory, and so forth. That's where the book's humor, originality, and entertainment come from.

For example, special agent Rook has all of the resources of the western empire at his disposal, but he's an "insufferable twat," according to his own colleagues, and the guy never ceases to screw up his assignments. Rook's resourcefulness in the field is somehow always counter-managed by his preponderous ego. He's no hero secret agent, he's just an asshole.

Similarly, Nina Pavlovna, known among the ranks of the underworld as Tsarina Plague, wields her past relationship with Dr. Alderman as the reason to pull Annalise under her wing. Pavlovna rules some random tiny country with an iron fist. She's also convinced herself that Annalise will be grateful for the opportunity to partake in her legacy. Too bad for Pavlovna, Annalise is a child whose singular focus on revenge, aching hunger for independence, and penchant for snagging arguments she has no business winning tend to upend all such well-crafted plans.

Annalise is a bitter preteen because her father doesn't give a shit about her, and the robots who care for her are intellectually rudimentary and lack personality. And yet, these fractured sounding boards are all she has. If her father dies, she'll want revenge. If her robot gets blasted to bits, she'll pick up an assault rifle and go to town. Annalise doesn't fully understand how she, the daughter of geniuses, can intuit how to pick locks, fire weapons, learn languages without studying, and kill without mercy. But right now, she doesn't need to. Survival doesn't demand understanding, it only requires motive.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

My thanks to NetGalley and Image comics for an advance copy of this new graphic novel which tells the heartwarming story of a daughter, the father who loved her, the robot that has become her guardian, and lot of ultraviolence, and a superspy who looks quite familiar if one is a fan of 70's movies.

I have loved comics since birth, and following their progress has been amazing. The changes in story, the changes in art, how they are presented and even how they are sold always amaze me. Even though comics were a children's medium, comics really can't do children well in story telling sense. Few capture that amazement of growing up, of being aware that things aren't what your parents tell you. Or that feeling of what happens when a child is left with only a robot to guide her on a path of savage destruction. We're Taking Everyone Down With Us is written by Matthew Rosenberg with Stefano Landini and Jason Worie illustrating, and tells the story of a young woman who must find her way in a world she doesn't know, against enemies she never knew she had, with only a robot to protect her and help her reload as she slaughters as many people as she can.

Annalise is 13-years old, can't really remember her mother, has no friends except robots to play hide-and-seek with, nor knows a life off the island she has always been on. Annalise knows that her father is a great man, a smart man, who wants to change the world, but seems to see her as a burden. The real world comes crashing in with the intrusion of a fisherman who tells Annalise that things with her father aren't what they seem. Soon the island is attacked, her father killed, and everything Annalise has ever known is gone. Except for an overly-sentimental, protective robot who is steadily losing parts keeping her alive. The more Annalise learns, the weirder things get, super villains, mad geniuses, spies who look like 70's box office stars. And the the uncomfortable feeling that Annalise is starting to enjoy the violence, is quite good at it, and does not know how or why.

A big comic with lots of ideas, a big cast, and surprisingly a lot of heart. Sure many hearts wind up on the floor, torn from dissected bodies, but heart none-the-less. Rosenberg is a very good writer, able to take a familiar idea that has been used a few times, and yet make it new and different. And funny. The humor here is actually good, rare in comics. Not Beavis nor Butt-Head, though it strays close, but some actual laugh out loud moments, usually involving the spy who looks a lot like, well I won't ruin it. Let's just say fans of the movie Gator will be happy. The art is real good. A mix or realism, a slight sense of whimsy for childhood and fantasy, and superviolent when needed. Really beautiful stuff, especially the coloring. The story wants you to skip ahead, but the art slows things down, as readers just want to take in the details, and how things are portrayed.

A really good fast paced story, one that wraps up here, but can continue if the public demands. I hope they do, as I would really enjoy seeing more. Fun, funny, heartwarming, and blood thirsty. And a good read.

[mrglasswillbreak · Rating 5 out of 5]

On a private, undisclosed island lives a 12-year-old, foul-mouthed, ill-mannered girl named Annalise, her genius scientist/villain father, Dante, his loyal assistant, Willy, and their many helper/security robots. The girl was raised on the island and only ever had the robots to socialize with, so when her dad finally decides to take a break from science and play hide-and-seek with her, she hides in his off-limits secret basement. In there, she finds a man chained up who tries to get her to free him and activate a homing beacon device by promising to tell her about her dead mother, but her dad shows up and kills the guy, explaining to her that the man worked for a global government organization called Veil, who are responsible for her mother's death, and that he killed the man to protect her.

It turns out Annalise had accidentally pressed the device which alerted Veil's top agent, Alistair Rook who immediately launches a full-scale assault on the island. A huge explosion from the assault buries Annalise under rubble but she’s saved by one of the robots who now somehow sounds exactly like her dad. We see a group of 5 villains Annalise’s dad used to work with and they decide to try to help him, but ultimately don’t since their actions require a unanimous vote, and one of them decides against interfering. The robots start killing Veil foot soldiers to protect Annalise, then she picks up an AK and kills one of them herself. She finds Willy, and her dad’s dead body, and Willy stays back and blows up the entire island so she and the robot can escape on a life raft, where she is found by Lord Mortus, one of her dad's former villain friends who decided to come over anyway.

We see that Dante had managed to somehow transfer his memories into the robot before he died from his fatal injuries. Rook is told by his operatives that someone escaped the island on a raft after Dante’s death, and the Tsarina, the lady who voted not to interfere, is told by her own operative that Dante escaped the island assault but was killed by Lord Mortus. Rook's bosses at Veil gave him shit for not managing to get whatever Dante had been working on for years on the island, despite using up a lot of resources, so they cut him off. Lord Mortus keeps Annalise and her robot prisoner on his train, until they escape and Annalise uses some unusual offensive technical know-how to brutally take down a guard. They both decide to stop Mortus since he actually wanted to kill her dad. Mortus calls a meeting with the other members of Dante’s old villain league to discuss Dante’s death, but Annalise and the robot break in, and she proceeds to beat Mortus to death with the robot's severed hand while the others watch on screens. The Tsarina announces that she has sent a missile at Mortus’ train because she thinks he killed Dante, but is shocked to see Anna, whom she seems to know.

[Katharine · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wild ride that is reminiscent of 1970s spy thrillers with hints of dark comedy. I fully enjoyed myself within this story, and it had me hooked from chapter one. It follows Anna, the daughter of a scientist who has been living isolated from the world while he works on his "great project". She is accompanied by several of her father's robots, but seeks out her father. While she goes to look for him, she finds a strange person in her basement, which leads her to slowly learning the truth. It's hard to talk about this book without spoiling it. The entire plot line is sort of crazy, but perfectly in line with a spy thriller from the 1970s, though there were several moments that reminded me of the movie "Casino Royale" from 1967. The story leads you on a very bombastic journey about learning the truth of Annalise and her father's past, while managing to add in some comedy. The comedic aspects lean hard towards dark comedy, but several of them are pretty raunchy. A few jokes caught me off guard, and I did have to put the comic down cause I was giggling too much to keep reading. There are a few twists that I did NOT see coming, so I was pretty satisfied with those. I normally can guess a twist from a mile away, but these surprised me. The ending was a bit abrupt. I feel like it could have ended a little smoother. Though it is teased that there will be another volume, so I guess they had to make it a cliffhanger. The art style is purely American, again with that 1970s style. It appeared that the style changed somewhat with certain chapters, but I couldn't tell if it was the style or because the line weight kept changing.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

[Theediscerning · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ungainly adventure comic, where we start with a young daughter to a single man – a scientific genius, mis-maligned, yadda-yadda – struggling with her being brought up with no real attention, other than from the humanoid robots her dad's built. We have no firm idea what the bloke is up to, beyond talk of cannibalistic vampire apes, and a torture chamber – all that usual sub-Frankenstein, pseudo-Moreau stuff. But when the girl goofs, the hideaway comes to the attention of first one other dodgy bloke, and then a whole Kingsmen-sized troupe of agents. What seemed to be a teen-friendly character piece is suddenly a C-bomb-dropping slaughterthon.

And just as you slowly see the cussing increase, you slowly realise this wants to be humorous. Insulting Zherman accent? Ja! Not vuhn, but – oh, dammit – not one but two sides facing off against each other? Baddies with desperate abeyance to rules about voting quorums? A genius girl completely unable to realise the bleedin' obvious?

This ends up being teen-friendly anyway – or at least with an appeal to a kind of cyborg fanboy teenaged mind. There's smut, there're drugs, there are bots, there are Hit-Girl flavours, and this could well be the closest think to a Mark Millar comic without his name on it. And it just about manages to rein in its excess, it's "I'll-do-anything-cos-I-can-and-I-wanna" attitude (borne by the author as well as his characters), to make it moderately enjoyable. Whether it's memorable enough to make the next, impending volume one of note remains to be seen. In the meantime, this is three and a half stars.

[Book Club of One · Rating 4 out of 5]

What starts as The Island of Doctor Moreau meets James Bond quickly changes pace to revenge thriller that would fit in the extended world of The Venture Bros. Annalise is almost 13 and lives a quiet, sheltered life on the island of her mad-scientist father. His attention is a high priced commodity so much of her day to day interactions are with his robot helpers. When she finally convinces him to play hide and seek, she discovers a man chained in a locked section of her basement. Quickly in over her head, this reveal ends Annalise's idyllic island life and places in her danger from both a very British global spy agency to a sinister cartel known as La Coterie de Sept.

Rosenberg has a talent for creating wonderful worlds with excellent titles (see also What's the Furthest Place From Here.). However, unlike that series, We're Taking Everyone Down With Us is much more fast paced with the bloody path balanced out with a lot of humor and overly series buffoons getting their comeuppance. It is a 6 issue mini series that is a lot of fun, and hopefully will move beyond this first story arc!

Recommended to readers of sci-fi spy thrillers, stories of revenge or the complicated legacy of parents on an offspring.

I received a free digital version of this book via NetGalley thanks to the publisher.

[James · Rating 2 out of 5]

"We're Taking Everyone Down With Us" offers an over-the-top spy and supervillain spoof that felt more familiar than funny.

Our focus here is Annalise, the pre-teen daughter of the Vitruvian, a genius supervillain in a High Evolutionary mode. Father and daughter have spent most of her life hiding out on a remote island in the South Pacific, with robot henchmen serving as Annalise's babysitters and playmates.

But after she inadvertently summons this Earth's equivalent of the MI6, she's forced to go on the run with a protective bot caregiver, with hijinks and graphic violence ensuing.

Written by Matthew Rosenberg, with generally compelling art from Stefano Landini, the series just didn't work from me. I'm too old to be captivated by a swear-y, machine-gunning kid in a "Hit-Girl" vein. I found myself rolling my eyes instead of enjoying the absurdity. There weren't enough surprises for a straight narrative, and the story wasn't funny enough to be a spoof, and so it fell somewhere in the middle, overloaded with a skeevy James Bond stand-in.

While the art was generally good, with plenty of action and detailed super-villain tech, there were also some rough full-page spreads that detracted from the effect. If this is your sort of thing, I think you'll find it credibly well done, but it did not turn out to be mine.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Analise is your typical eye-rolling, know-it-all 13-year-old. Her family…anything but typical. Her dad is a brilliant scientist, but a horrible father. Because, as he has explained, her mother died, he has had to raise her by himself. Actually, she seems to have been raised by his robots while he works in his lab. And then a James Bond-esque super spy (who looks so much like Burt Reynolds) with a penchant for standing completely nude (yes, he is shown in all his glory) in front of people kills her father.

Her not so normal adolescence is about to get really unhinged. And it is over-the-top, obnoxious, and glorious. There are so many moments that will make you laugh in this graphic novel. But, as I said before, Matthew Roesnberg’s work does put the “graphic” in graphic novel. From language, violence, and nudity, this proves to not to be for children even Analise’s age.

At the end, we are promised one of the main characters is returning in “In Good Hands With Bad Company”. I’m not sure if this is just an ode to the end credits of James Bond movies or if a sequel is truly coming. If so, bring on the absurdity.

I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review.

[Lukasz · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5

Now this is how you open a comic. We’re Taking Everyone Down With Us starts with a mad scientist dad, a lonely but brilliant daughter, and a robot bodyguard. Within a few pages, everything blows up. Literally and emotionally. From there it’s all non-stop action, chaos, and lots of violence.

I loved how the story pokes fun at every spy trope in sight. It’s funny, brutal, and absurd enough to make you grin when things get nasty. Annalise is unstoppable and she tears through her adversaries like a feral creature. Together with her robot companion, they make one hell of a revenge road trip.

Stefano Landini’s art hits the sweet spot between slick and grimy. Every punch lands, every explosion pops, and every expression carries weight. The colors, split between Roman Titov and Jason Wordie, give the whole thing a nostalgic vibe, like you’re watching some lost pulp classic restored in 4K.

And it moves. No filler, no dragging exposition. The pacing is breakneck, and it makes you realize you’ve been holding your breath since page three. It’s over-the-top in all the right ways. You know the vibe - big feelings, bigger guns, and chaos all around, including an exploding volcano.

In short, it's stylish, savage, and stupidly fun.

[Thomas Kiley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Annalise lives on a remote island with her mad-scientist father. An attack from an international spy agency leaves her alone with a robot bodyguard and a mission to stay alive and fight back against those who caused her father's death. Meanwhile Agent Rook, the premiere super-spy, is on his own hunt full of drugs, sex, and intrigue as he searches for an international crime syndicate. Both of these characters go on a thrilling international adventure full of revenge and violence.

We're Taking Everyone Down With Us was an exciting balance of a spy story and a father daugher journey. Matthew Rosenberg builds out his own James Bond style world but does a great job to shift the focus of the narrative to the daughter of the traditional supervillain. There are multiple interesting thematic avenues about personhood and identity through the lens of 70s sci-fi and spy thrillers. I hope for a sequel but this is a really fun initial ride in this universe.

Thank you to Image Comics and NetGalley for a copy of We're Taking Everyone Down With Us in exchange for an honest review.

[Allen Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

"We're Taking Everyone Down With Us" is a fun and original riff on the spy genre that balances action and humor really well. The world feels very lived-in and fleshed out, with plenty of room to explore additional corners of the universe in future comics. Rosenberg does a great job of playing with narrative expectations, with twists that manage to feel both earned and yet still unexpected. Stefano Landini's art has a kinetic energy to it that fits the narrative perfectly. When characters fight, you can practically see their movements on the page. Between the two of them, Rosenberg and Landini manage to carve out their own little corner of the genre that feels distinctly theirs. I look forward to see how the two of them further explore this world moving forward.

[Lucsbooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

I downloaded "We're Taking Everyone Down With Us" because I thought the synopsis sounded zany, and it ended up being a lot darker than I expected.

The ending surprised me, but it shouldn't have. This is what happens when both your parents are manipulative PoS, and you are their child.

There were a few aspects in the story that I enjoyed such as how much the art reminded me of classic comics, the plot twists were good, particularly the very last one which was the reason for an entire star in this rating, but the fact that there were barely any women in this story and the way most of them were treated by the plot, left a bad taste in my mouth.

Thank you to Edelweiss, Image Comics and Simon & Schuster for this DRC.

[Dane Pope · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was on my radar when it released in issues but I wasn't able to pick it up unfortunately. Now in trade I am glad I finally got a chance to read in. Thanks NetGalley and Image. This is very old school sci-fi/spycraft wrapped in hard hitting action and humor that hits most of the time. Over the top but not to the corny level, lots of emotional damage, and solid art to carry it all. Some of the characters are a bit over the top on almost a Venture Bros level but this is more serious in nature than Venture Bros. Solid overall and I am excited to see what else comes out of this world and where the next stories take us.