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Bronze Faces
Celebrated authors Shobo & Shof (New Masters) draw from their Nigerian heritage for the heist of a lifetime in this timely, thrilling tale weaving together mythology, history, and the horrors of colonialism.
Soho, London. Childhood friends Timi, Sango, and Gbonka reunite on the eve of the British Museum's historic purchase of the works of Timi's father, the seminal Nigerian artist Adewale Balogun.
Timi has been invited as a "guest of honor," but what the Museum is heralding as a triumphant acquisition, the trio see as nothing short of brazen cultural theft. Emboldened by a night of drinking and shared outrage, they concoct a bold scheme... to steal back the artwork themselves!
Celebrated authors Shobo & Shof (New Masters) draw from their Nigerian heritage for the heist of a lifetime, joined by acclaimed artist Alexandre Tefenkgi (Once Upon a Time at the End of the World, The Good Asian).
Collects Bronze Faces #1-6.
Soho, London. Childhood friends Timi, Sango, and Gbonka reunite on the eve of the British Museum's historic purchase of the works of Timi's father, the seminal Nigerian artist Adewale Balogun.
Timi has been invited as a "guest of honor," but what the Museum is heralding as a triumphant acquisition, the trio see as nothing short of brazen cultural theft. Emboldened by a night of drinking and shared outrage, they concoct a bold scheme... to steal back the artwork themselves!
Celebrated authors Shobo & Shof (New Masters) draw from their Nigerian heritage for the heist of a lifetime, joined by acclaimed artist Alexandre Tefenkgi (Once Upon a Time at the End of the World, The Good Asian).
Collects Bronze Faces #1-6.
- GenresComicsGraphic Novels
160 pages, Paperback
First published March 31, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
September 12, 2026
In addition to ruining some poor sap's "signature groundnut stew" (with too much salt), a group of artifact repatriating vigilantes also breaks into secure safe-deposit vaults, infiltrates high-security museums, and orchestrates the theft of an underground auction. Culture, after all, is "a bounty to be shared," not hoarded.
BRONZE FACES can be read in two ways: The first is the complex echo of a long-muffled cry into the dark concerning the deliberate and calculated stockpiling of cultural artifacts. The second is a cynical, weary, end-stage complaint of the enduring curse of western capitalism, political dealmaking, and colonial arrogance. Altogether, when individuals take it upon themselves to steal back the bronze plates of Benin, and return them to their rightful Nigerian home, the self-styled heroic thieves must contest with their internal demons as well as outmaneuver regional policing authorities.
The needle this comic book attempts to thread is impressively narrow, but the creative team is undoubtedly successful. Nigerian mythology. Diverse and complex heist action. Bickering best friends with unburied grudges. BRONZE FACES knits these storytelling queues together with alacrity. An aspiring musician (Timi), a mid-level politician (Gbonka), and an architect (Sango) all agree the world would be better if the Benin bronze items pilfered by colonists were returned to where they belong. Setting up the crime ring to do so is the easy part. Getting away with intercontinental theft while ignoring past grievances? Not so much.
Readers looking for something different and something meaningful should enjoy this book through and through. The characters aren't predictable. The legal and political undercurrents aren't exhaustive. And the book's visual style is consistent and compelling. For example, Sango believes in Nigeria and its history, but she's also impossibly selfish, hates being told her plans don't work, and wants to choose who loves her. One might struggle to root for a protagonist who means well but constantly conflates ambition with mission, but Sango is a woman who is driven, plain and simple.
Tefenkgi on art duties carries the book with grace. Complex but easily navigable full-page or two-page spreads expose readers to sneaky and extended conversations on the perils of moralized thievery. Inset panels bordered by patterns and motifs native to Nigerian cultural intuition contrast high- or low-energy conflicts between those in it for the glory and those in it for the paradigm shift. Scenes are easy to overlook when the rhythm of the dialogue and the balance of colors and patterns feel so natural, but readers would be mistaken for believing the book's most comfortable visual elements correspond to the narrative's most facile moments.
BRONZE FACES relies on the determination of a woman who feels responsible for the kingdoms of the past, the presumptuousness of a police detective who must outrun recurring accusations of traitorship, and the incomplete, incidental loyalty of everyone else caught in the web of moral and legal superiority at the heart of cultural repatriation. Indeed, there are right and wrong positions to take, but the world rarely functions as if it cares.
BRONZE FACES can be read in two ways: The first is the complex echo of a long-muffled cry into the dark concerning the deliberate and calculated stockpiling of cultural artifacts. The second is a cynical, weary, end-stage complaint of the enduring curse of western capitalism, political dealmaking, and colonial arrogance. Altogether, when individuals take it upon themselves to steal back the bronze plates of Benin, and return them to their rightful Nigerian home, the self-styled heroic thieves must contest with their internal demons as well as outmaneuver regional policing authorities.
The needle this comic book attempts to thread is impressively narrow, but the creative team is undoubtedly successful. Nigerian mythology. Diverse and complex heist action. Bickering best friends with unburied grudges. BRONZE FACES knits these storytelling queues together with alacrity. An aspiring musician (Timi), a mid-level politician (Gbonka), and an architect (Sango) all agree the world would be better if the Benin bronze items pilfered by colonists were returned to where they belong. Setting up the crime ring to do so is the easy part. Getting away with intercontinental theft while ignoring past grievances? Not so much.
Readers looking for something different and something meaningful should enjoy this book through and through. The characters aren't predictable. The legal and political undercurrents aren't exhaustive. And the book's visual style is consistent and compelling. For example, Sango believes in Nigeria and its history, but she's also impossibly selfish, hates being told her plans don't work, and wants to choose who loves her. One might struggle to root for a protagonist who means well but constantly conflates ambition with mission, but Sango is a woman who is driven, plain and simple.
Tefenkgi on art duties carries the book with grace. Complex but easily navigable full-page or two-page spreads expose readers to sneaky and extended conversations on the perils of moralized thievery. Inset panels bordered by patterns and motifs native to Nigerian cultural intuition contrast high- or low-energy conflicts between those in it for the glory and those in it for the paradigm shift. Scenes are easy to overlook when the rhythm of the dialogue and the balance of colors and patterns feel so natural, but readers would be mistaken for believing the book's most comfortable visual elements correspond to the narrative's most facile moments.
BRONZE FACES relies on the determination of a woman who feels responsible for the kingdoms of the past, the presumptuousness of a police detective who must outrun recurring accusations of traitorship, and the incomplete, incidental loyalty of everyone else caught in the web of moral and legal superiority at the heart of cultural repatriation. Indeed, there are right and wrong positions to take, but the world rarely functions as if it cares.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I requested "Bronze Faces" to celebrate the Louvre Heist and ended up, very appropriately, reading it in February, so Happy Black History Month to all who celebrate.
I knew this was going to be absolutely amazing from the start, with how multifaceted all these characters were, and how their identities as Nigerians and Africans in the diaspora are treated. The politics are present in the world they live in, in the people they become, how they interact with each other, and the micro and macro aggressions on every page, in the subtext and upfront.
The book starts with the death of the great Nigerian artist Adewale, who was cognisant of his country's history under colonisation, but didn't bat an eye at having girls from poor families sent to stay with him so they could get an education, do all the housework for him and his son.
The girls went out to have great careers, but the only biological son followed in his father's footsteps and went into the arts. And got as much money out of it as his father. They all meet again when the British Museum (which is always at the scene of the crime) acquires all of his father's art and refuses to sell it back to Nigeria, so they decide to steal it. Once that is done, they decide that one museum isn't enough, and continue getting back their country's stolen artefacts.
The only unbelievable part in this book is that those three would, out of nowhere, be able to get away with multiple heists to some of the biggest museums in the world, with the law after them.
While Nigeria and African identity occupy a central theme in this book, I really appreciated that one of the main antagonists was Chinese, a country that has also had a lot of its art stolen, and how she was treated by the organisations she worked for and the world at large, in the midst of such a public investigation.
This is a book that does not hold your hand. The story is told through time jumps going back and forward, with characters that are never introduced, but that the story does a great job of characterising.
If you are not familiar with Nigerian slang, languages and folklore, you will struggle, because very little is explained and nothing is translated. Although that did harm my full understanding of the story, I really respect that artistic choice, which fit perfectly with the themes of the book, and helped make it as great as it was.
The art was absolutely gorgeous, and the ending? You are not prepared for the ending. You won't see that ending coming.
This was a book that I finished, and immediately wanted to start all over again. This deserves to be adapted. We deserve to see this story come to life and reach more people.
Thank you to NetGalley and BOOM! Studios for this DRC.
I knew this was going to be absolutely amazing from the start, with how multifaceted all these characters were, and how their identities as Nigerians and Africans in the diaspora are treated. The politics are present in the world they live in, in the people they become, how they interact with each other, and the micro and macro aggressions on every page, in the subtext and upfront.
The book starts with the death of the great Nigerian artist Adewale, who was cognisant of his country's history under colonisation, but didn't bat an eye at having girls from poor families sent to stay with him so they could get an education, do all the housework for him and his son.
The girls went out to have great careers, but the only biological son followed in his father's footsteps and went into the arts. And got as much money out of it as his father. They all meet again when the British Museum (which is always at the scene of the crime) acquires all of his father's art and refuses to sell it back to Nigeria, so they decide to steal it. Once that is done, they decide that one museum isn't enough, and continue getting back their country's stolen artefacts.
The only unbelievable part in this book is that those three would, out of nowhere, be able to get away with multiple heists to some of the biggest museums in the world, with the law after them.
While Nigeria and African identity occupy a central theme in this book, I really appreciated that one of the main antagonists was Chinese, a country that has also had a lot of its art stolen, and how she was treated by the organisations she worked for and the world at large, in the midst of such a public investigation.
This is a book that does not hold your hand. The story is told through time jumps going back and forward, with characters that are never introduced, but that the story does a great job of characterising.
If you are not familiar with Nigerian slang, languages and folklore, you will struggle, because very little is explained and nothing is translated. Although that did harm my full understanding of the story, I really respect that artistic choice, which fit perfectly with the themes of the book, and helped make it as great as it was.
The art was absolutely gorgeous, and the ending? You are not prepared for the ending. You won't see that ending coming.
This was a book that I finished, and immediately wanted to start all over again. This deserves to be adapted. We deserve to see this story come to life and reach more people.
Thank you to NetGalley and BOOM! Studios for this DRC.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Bronze Faces sweeps you from the hum of Soho, London into the heart of a cultural reckoning that feels both intimate and global. Childhood friends Timi, Sango, and Gbonka reunite on the eve of the British Museum’s “historic” acquisition of works by Timi’s father, the iconic Nigerian artist Adewale Balogun. Timi is invited as a guest of honor, but I know a performance when we see one because what the Museum calls celebration, these three immediately recognize as theft dressed up in prestige.
One night of drinking, memory, and shared outrage becomes the spark for a bold, beautifully chaotic plan:
steal the artwork back.
And in true heist fashion, one semi‑great idea tumbles into an even bigger calling—one rooted in legacy, loyalty, and the refusal to let history be rewritten by the wrong hands.
The narrative blends family history, communal responsibility, and current conversations about appropriation, ownership, and stolen art with a clarity that feels both timely and timeless. It’s a story that knows exactly what it’s saying and who it’s speaking to.
The illustrations are lush, intentional, and deeply rooted in Nigerian artistry. Every panel carries texture, symbolism, and cultural resonance. There’s so much happening visually that I often found myself flipping back—letting the images steep a little longer, catching details I missed the first time. It’s dense in the best way, rewarding readers who linger.
If your spirit stirred when Erik Killmonger asked in Black Panther: “You think they paid a fair price? Or did they take it, like they took everything else?” —then Bronze Faces belongs on your shelf.
One night of drinking, memory, and shared outrage becomes the spark for a bold, beautifully chaotic plan:
steal the artwork back.
And in true heist fashion, one semi‑great idea tumbles into an even bigger calling—one rooted in legacy, loyalty, and the refusal to let history be rewritten by the wrong hands.
The narrative blends family history, communal responsibility, and current conversations about appropriation, ownership, and stolen art with a clarity that feels both timely and timeless. It’s a story that knows exactly what it’s saying and who it’s speaking to.
The illustrations are lush, intentional, and deeply rooted in Nigerian artistry. Every panel carries texture, symbolism, and cultural resonance. There’s so much happening visually that I often found myself flipping back—letting the images steep a little longer, catching details I missed the first time. It’s dense in the best way, rewarding readers who linger.
If your spirit stirred when Erik Killmonger asked in Black Panther: “You think they paid a fair price? Or did they take it, like they took everything else?” —then Bronze Faces belongs on your shelf.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Three childhood friends, who were raised in Nigeria together, reunite on the eve of their "father's" death and hatch a plan. Their father's art has been sold to the British Museum, and it feels like a slap in the face of themselves and Nigeria. Together, they scheme to get both their fathers' art back and more culturally significant art via an international heist. The pacing jumps around a bit, with a lot of flashbacks to the past and a handful of time skips. The flashbacks are fine, as they usually tie into the current plot, but the time skips interrupt the flow of the plot a bit. At one point, they're working with a 3-person team, then a time skip happens, and bam, the crew has jumped to 7 people. You also don't get to learn much about the other teammates who join later on, just the bare bones of their personalities. I wish this graphic novel had a bit more space to breathe, so you could learn about all of the characters a bit more deeply. The entire premise of a heist is to take cultural artifacts to be very interesting. I think it would translate very well into a movie, something akin to Ocean's 11 or Inception. I also enjoyed that the characters are written as keeping their regional dialects! It made it more interesting when you could tell they were code-switching depending on who they were speaking to. I also really enjoyed the art, and the action scenes were great.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I love a heist, and I love mythology. Combining those things should have been an easy win, but this one just didn't work. The major issue is the way it's told. It's out of order and in random flashbacks or time jumps. Because of that, I had no clue what was happening most of the time.
Another major loss is the fact that we don't even see a heist! They end up doing multiple heists, but not once do we see it happen. I understand that the story is more about colonialism than anything else, but it's also about heists so let me see a damn heist.
There were also just too many characters. I could not remember who was who and got to a point where I didn't care. This holds the entire collection (I think?) at just 164 pages, and in order for this to be remotely good it needed to be twice as long so we actually got to see the heists and know the characters.
Thank you to BOOM!Studios and Netgalley for an early copy of this collection.
Another major loss is the fact that we don't even see a heist! They end up doing multiple heists, but not once do we see it happen. I understand that the story is more about colonialism than anything else, but it's also about heists so let me see a damn heist.
There were also just too many characters. I could not remember who was who and got to a point where I didn't care. This holds the entire collection (I think?) at just 164 pages, and in order for this to be remotely good it needed to be twice as long so we actually got to see the heists and know the characters.
Thank you to BOOM!Studios and Netgalley for an early copy of this collection.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
While the premises were promising, the story wasn't delivered well enough I am afraid.
The storyline was confusing. I usually don't mind with back-forward timeline, but in this book, those back-forward left many plot holes and made me so confused with the story. Worst of all, for me at least, was the ending. The ending was there but there was no explanations on how the ending ended like that.
I also found it difficult to like the characters. They were just there without any significant arc. Even Sango/Eben, the main character, had no redeeming qualities.
The illustrations were so good though. Full of details and helped the story a lot. The illustrations also gave the perfect vibe for the theme of this book.
Thank you to Shobo, Shof, BOOM! Studios, and NetGalley for the ARC.
P.S. Shout-out to Ms. Alya Kronsberg, the Marketing Manager of BOOM! Studios who so helpful to me getting another copy of this book even though it was my fault not to download the e-ARC on-time on NetGalley.
The storyline was confusing. I usually don't mind with back-forward timeline, but in this book, those back-forward left many plot holes and made me so confused with the story. Worst of all, for me at least, was the ending. The ending was there but there was no explanations on how the ending ended like that.
I also found it difficult to like the characters. They were just there without any significant arc. Even Sango/Eben, the main character, had no redeeming qualities.
The illustrations were so good though. Full of details and helped the story a lot. The illustrations also gave the perfect vibe for the theme of this book.
Thank you to Shobo, Shof, BOOM! Studios, and NetGalley for the ARC.
P.S. Shout-out to Ms. Alya Kronsberg, the Marketing Manager of BOOM! Studios who so helpful to me getting another copy of this book even though it was my fault not to download the e-ARC on-time on NetGalley.
August 15, 2026
2.5 sadly rounded down. Really about the people doing the heist than the heist if that makes sense. It's a tale of siblings not getting along yet working together. There's a real focus on the Nigerian experience and some ways it manifests especially if one becomes part of the African diaspora and finds a home elsewhere. I think that theme gets a bit muddy and hard to grasp what it's saying by the end though. That entire last issue is a thinker.
I'm super bummed this didn't vibe with me. I wanted to like it a lot but it fell flat. Maybe it's the lack of focus on the heists or how hard it felt to tell Sango and Gbonka apart. I knew one was an architect and was part of the diaspora while the other stayed in Nigeria and became parts of politics. And there was a little in there of how those in the community see who as “more Nigerian” with the architect using of Creole while the politician was seen as removed from true (i.e. everyday) Nigerians. But it was hard to tell which one went to which name and the rougher artstyle made it hard at times to differentiate visually as well.
I'm super bummed this didn't vibe with me. I wanted to like it a lot but it fell flat. Maybe it's the lack of focus on the heists or how hard it felt to tell Sango and Gbonka apart. I knew one was an architect and was part of the diaspora while the other stayed in Nigeria and became parts of politics. And there was a little in there of how those in the community see who as “more Nigerian” with the architect using of Creole while the politician was seen as removed from true (i.e. everyday) Nigerians. But it was hard to tell which one went to which name and the rougher artstyle made it hard at times to differentiate visually as well.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
"Bronze Faces" combines captivating artwork and Nigerian folklore with a suspenseful and engaging heist story. At the core of this book is an examination of the ongoing injustice behind Western institutions' possession of art that was seized from previously colonized parts of the world. Although the book digs deep into the topic as it revels in Nigerian cultural and history topics it should be accessible to readers who enjoy heist stories with relatable protagonists.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
A beautifully drawn, well written, multilingual and multicultural heist adventure that explores the ethics of museums in a world shaped by colonialism. The cultural ties to Yoruba mythology were so informative and beautifully presented. I hope these creators plan to continue the series, because they’ve got a returning reader in me!
June 7, 2026
Part "Ocean's Eleven", part essay on the theft of cultural artifacts by the western world. I have a hard time following Nigerian slang, so there were parts that were confusing for me. And the artwork sometimes added to that confusion. But I enjoyed the message and the various relationships among the characters.
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