The Paybacks, Vol. 1: Payback's a Bitch

The Paybacks (2015) #1-4

by Donny Cates, Eliot Rahal, Geoff Shaw (Illustrator)

Heroism doesn't come cheap, so when superheroes borrow money to finance their genetic enhancements, robotic suits, or crime-fighting supercomputers, their debts make student loans look like I.O.U.'s. Enter the Paybacks, a repo squad composed of bankrupt former heroes like Night Knight and Miss Adventure, here to foreclose on everybody's secret lairs. But now the Paybacks have discovered a fate far worse than a murderer is on the loose . . . and it just may be one of their own. This volume collects issues #1 - #4 ofThe Paybacks, the Dark Horse superhero comedy series from the team that delivered the acclaimed comics series, Buzzkill!

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Superheroes, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics

104 pages, Paperback

First published May 3, 2016

Reviews

[James DeSantis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set in the same world and Buzzkill, Paybacks is basically the suicide squad of this universe.

So we get a bunch of heroes, or maybe more villains, but they are working for the government and doing their bidding. However, if they don't do whatever they are commanded they are set to die. So when heroes get out of line or something goes bad they begin recruiting. This is basically a giant book of parody but a pretty damn fun one.

Good: The dialog is once again pretty damn funny. Donny has a knack for these things. I also enjoyed the art still, as I did with Buzzkill. I thought the characters were all pretty interesting too.

Bad: The story went so quick it felt uncompleted. I guess I wanted more and I don't know if we will ever get that. I also thought it took itself a bit too serious at times and worked better as commentary.

Overall a fun story, made me laugh quite a few times, but it wasn't enough to be very memorable. Donny crafts a fun story but his other work is usually stronger. A 3 out of 5.

[Zedsdead · Rating 4 out of 5]

Superheroes are prone to taking large, ill-advised loans from a shadowy, Sauron-ish figure in Donny Cates's Marvel-like world. When they fall behind on payment, The Paybacks step in to repossess the secret lairs and Batmobiles and whatnot, and then conscript the delinquent heroes until their debts are paid (ensuring good behavior with remote controlled bomb bracelets). One day the heroes begin turning up freshly dead every time the Paybacks arrive to collect. To the Mystery Machine!

It's a solid satire, with a fair number of deep cut references to Marvel, Watchmen, even cult movie favorite They Live. It's a pop-culture nerd's delight. And it's pleasingly grimdark--metahuman repo work is dangerous and casualties are frequent, as they probably should be when all players fling cars and brandish giant energy weapons without a lot of restraint. But there's just enough humor to balance the edge. A good blend.

[Derek Royal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't read this series last year when it was first released, although I remember making a mental note of it as a curious spin on the superhero genre. But since we discuss the first issue of the new Paybacks series from Heavy Metal on the podcast (http://comicsalternative.com/episode-...), I wanted to make sure to read this to get a context. Glad that I did, and sorry I didn't get on board sooner. Cates and Rahal's story is clever and sharp, and Shaw's art is a real standout. Highly recommended!

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Collects The Paybacks issues #1-4 and material from Dark Horse Presents issue #11

The characters and conceit of the story draw you in right away, and I continued to be interested from start to finish.

SPOILERS:

I started reading this series because of its connections to Donny Cate's new series, "Crossover."

[Jeremy DeBottis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let me start simply by saying everything about this is wonderful.

Okay, moving on.

Superhero comics have gotten somewhat generic with time. That's not something I necessarily have an issue with it. This is, however, something completely different.

For starters there's a definite degree of not knowing who are the "good guys" and "bad guys." There's protagonists, but are they necessarily doing the right thing? I don't know. I do know that somehow over a course of four issues a group of characters is created and developed that somehow earn as much appreciation from the reader as characters that have been around from major publishers for decades.

The story starts off as a silly premise. People take out loans to become superheroes, and when they can't payback the loans they become part of the repo team sent to collect on the loans. Fun? Yes.

Then it starts getting intense. The plot gets deep and complicated and sometimes dark. Somehow it maintains its sense of humor and fun, which is the mark of an incredible story.

There's also the art. Easily good enough to carry a story not even close as to as quality on its own. It's not just the line work that impresses as the coloring is wonderful.

This is one heck of a creative team making one heck of a comic. I remember contacting Dark Horse after the 4th issue initially came out and was potentially the last. I'm glad it's back again and look forward to seeing what's next. Hopefully Heavy Metal will publish the trades as well.

[Alan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good solid and entertaining read, but not as dark as Cates' Buzzkill (which is set in the same universe). Unfortunately despite an excellent premise, the series ended after four issue with the creative team saying they plan to continue to tell more stories about the Paybacks.

The concept is that superheroes and villains have to get the money for all of those wonderful toys from somewhere, and what happens if the lender is essentially a loan shark. It means that the lender has leg breakers/repo men, aka The Paybacks.

Every Payback is working off a debt to the lender, or no it isn't explained what the debt is (which might have improved the story some). I think Cates purposefully kept the team as generic characters, or if you will, NPCs from a role playing game, as this is a story, not a character driven tale.

Recommended for those who like the superheroes in real world concept (PS238, as a much lighter all ages example)

[47Time · Rating 2 out of 5]

The cast tries to not be boring by having several - I dare say too many - colorful characters. The author claims they have superpowers. I didn't notice any. The covers have quotes saying the comic is funny. Somehow I managed to not even crack a smile through the whole thing. The artwork may be the funniest thing here. Funny as in 'strange', not 'ha-ha.' I guess I'm made of stone or something. The final 2 pages and the promise that the second volume is just as short are the only reason I'll continue to read this comic. I can't leave it on that cliffhanger.

The Paybacks are a team of superheroes tasked with recovering money that superheroes used for their equipment. The members of the team are also in debt to their boss Mr. Pierce, so basically they are screwed for life. They recover the stuff from a few heroes while a mysterious party is killing several of them. It feels more and more like an inside job.

It's one of theirs, Miss Adventure or someone using the name at least. She is working for a woman named Veronica who has amassed an army to destroy Mr. Pierce and his shady, but strangely not-illegal loansharking. This is the only thing that matters in the whole thing. Not the boring heroes, not the maybe-promising repo thing, not the completely-missing relationships. I couldn't care less whether any of these guys lived or died. In fact, I hope more die in the next volume.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Paybacks is a clever, and at least to me, original take on the antihero, superhero genre. From some mysterious benefactor, superheroes can obtain much needed loans - apparently the superhero business doesn't pay too well. If the debtor defaults, no ordinary collection agency is going to be very successful, the debtors being superheroes and all, so that's where the paybacks come in. They are the collection agents for our mysterious lenders. When a superhero can't pay the debt, that superhero becomes an indentured servant and works off the debt collecting from other superheroes , I.e. The paybacks.

There are four members our story concentrates on and if there is a failing here, it's that their stories are not very well de eloped. We don't really get to know these characters that well or get a good understanding of their motivations. At least one payback has. a hidden agenda involving the murder of teammates and others again with little to,understand the motivations.. Still the story was fun, original , the banter was good and the action sequence satisfying. Artwork while indistinct at times, did not detract from the storyline.
I was given an advance reading copy by Edelweiss and the publisher in exchange for an honest review and I thank them for that.

[Anchorpete · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every so often, there is a book that takes common super hero book tropes, and character archetypes and adds a slight twist. That twist is enough to make the book original. You feel like you are reading a Marvel or DC book, but there is one difference that sends everything in a different direction. Here are some great examples:

Invincible by Robert Kirkman
Secret Identities by Jay Faeber
Irredeemable by Mark Waid

There are tons of other examples. You can feel the love that the creators have for the comics they are mimicking, and specifically the time period in comics they love.

this book has a definite 90s vibe, that I dig, especially the character Blood bag, which is a clear throwback to the creations of Rob Liefeld. Those three books I mentioned before, those are three of my favorite comics of all time. I want to read a little more of Paybacks, see where the story goes, see if it holds its weight with the rest of those titles. It definitely was a fun read.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

Once again, a good idea that is insufficiently developed. These guys are a makeshift team of heroes who all owe a debt to a mysterious benefactor (for the purchase of their hero equipment, duds, etc.) and are stuck on the team until they pay it off. Basically the Suicide Squad, if you will (and they each wear a "leash" that can explode and take them out if they get too far afield). This is set in the same universe as Cates' Buzzkill, with the same weird sense of humor and the same underdeveloped storyline (and the same rather sketchy artist!).

[Subham · Rating 3 out of 5]

We join a tema of heroes known as the paybacks who have to work for a man named Mr Pierce to pay off the loans they accumulated while super-heroing and now act as loan sharks. Their first target Night Knight. The book is so weird and so fun and like is so practical, where do the heroes get the money from to keep superheroing? Is a fun read and has great art from Geoff and the humor is amazing. My favorite is Emory (vampire) and she is the team leader and then we also have Command(JL) and its leader High Guard (Superman) vs the team and mysteries regarding Miss Adventures?

[Stanley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun little comic with a ton if comic book in jokes and plays on famous Marvel/DC characters.

I like the idea of the superhero repo team.

I thought the art was OK and overall enjoyed the fun issue.

They have allot of room for growth here, and I hope that the story ends up working out.

[William Dale · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great comic! Hilariously funny! Puns and clever word play abound. The concept of a debt collection company collecting on superheroes is new to me but makes total sense in this case. Lots of great action and it ends on a surprise cliffhanger! Can't wait for the next volume!

[Paul Spence · Rating 4 out of 5]

The idea that indebted superheroes are forced to pay off their debts by acting as repo men for some anonymous superhero banker is pretty clever and opens up lots of possibilities. This volume collects the first four issues of the Paybacks series, and it accomplishes a good bit.

Characters drift in and out of the story. We have our main group of repo men, (see the cover), other repo men who come in and out, superheroes who are being foreclosed upon, and then other characters who belong to an overarching story arc that is just hinted at in this volume. We get to follow the team through a couple of assignments, we learn more about their home base, we encounter the "magical" van that transports them from job to job, and we get bits and pieces of the primary characters' backstories. As I say, lots going on.

I appreciated the fact that this isn't just a "comedy" series. Wisecracks and banter only go so far, and you need some sort of story and forward progress to keep a reader's attention. This series felt like it was going somewhere and the characters were just as interesting as the more mainstream and familiar superheroes. Indeed, there are a fair number of inside jokes and mocks at the expense of standard issue superheroes, which helped keep this fresh and lively. And the banter and cross-talk is often satisfyingly clever and sharp.

[Tommy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the idea of this book (organization makes loans to super heroes to fund things like tech, secret lairs, etc. and when they can't pay they have to work off their debt as super hero repo men/women) and I love Cates general style of writing. He's very exuberant and boisterous and shows true excitement for his characters like he's one of the Image founders in the early 90s blazing his own trail.

That being said, it's pretty clear that this is one of his early works. It's pretty rough around the edges. Seems rushed at times and also like he's trying to do too much and develop too many characters at times. Because of this a lot of the moments don't seem earned. Apparently Bloodpouch and Skisquatch were really close? Didn't really have any idea until one of them died. And there were several moments like that. I think this could have been solved by either stretching things out across more issues or trying to pursue fewer storylines.

It was still a fun read but not really polished.

[Beelzefuzz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too much parody not enough substance. 4 issues. Issue 1 is Watchman. Issue 2 is Suicide Squad. Issue 3 continues Suicide Squad but has a slight Dark Knight or Year One diversion. Issue 4 is a mess and continues Suicide Squad as far as you can take that parody. Little winks are peppered throughout to remind you of when he made fun of Watchman in issue 1. Was it really even making fun of it if it is just a copy? Also is that a Doctor Who reference with the van, or something else?
DC and Marvel characters intermix in the lampoon pool to no real purpose. The only think I thought was funny was a single panel of a character making fun of Rob Liefeld types in the '90s. Shatterstar with a pouch over his eye for no reason and a huge Cable style gun that was bigger than himself.

[Daryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting premise. When super-heroes (and villains) need money to fund their activities, they borrow it from a mysterious source. When they can't pay back their loans, a group of super-powered characters arrive to repo their stuff and bring them into their organization, the Paybacks. In a direct lift from DC's Suicide Squad, they get slapped with a cuff that blows up and kills them if they don't cooperate. But this first volume doesn't go beyond that initial premise. There are lots of super-powered characters, with interesting names and powers, but no personalities. No one really stands out or draws the reader into the story. Much like the story, the art by Geoff Shaw is sketchy and a bit angular. It's not bad but it doesn't stand out. The whole effort draws a big "meh."

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

First, I saw Donny Cates on the cover. Then I saw the title The Paybacks and remembered that this was the title he'd talked about at the book signing I'd met him at. This is the best Dollar Sale present I've ever gotten.

Easily one of the most fun reads I've had this year. And yeah, when you read it and look at all the "hidden" references in the panels...you can't help but wonder how they didn't get sued over so much in this book. But, I'm so glad they got to publish.

The writing is fun and well paced while the art is energetic and attractive.

So good.

[Nate]

Spinning out of Buzzkill, The Paybacks sees a repo team of delinquent heroes complete missions for their shady lender. This one’s all about the character interactions. I laughed out loud once or twice, especially at Night Knight. But as with Buzzkill, the story goes by in a flash at only four issues, leaving characters and scenes underdeveloped. Call it forgettable fun.

[RubiGiráldez RubiGiráldez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liberándose del dramatismo sin demasiado efecto de Buzzkill, The Paybacks presenta al super grupo más improbable hasta el momento en el mundillo del cómic de superhéroes. Uno encargado de cobrar los préstamos que muchos héroes de este Universo que quedan a deber por el misterioso benefactor que por el momento sigue en la sombra. Queda patente que el tono general de la obra es de puro cachondeo (aunque tiene sus buenas dosis de emoción). Suponiendo una lectura bastante divertida.

[Emmett Spain · Rating 3 out of 5]

A silly little comic that is basically The Suicide Squad, but with the twist that the Squad’s main job is to repo stuff from superheroes. It uses familiar comic archetypes to some mild comedic effect, and introduces way too many characters to really keep track of or care about. Overall I found this to be scattershot and unfocused, which is a far cry from Donny Cates’s Venom run, which would make his name with a wide audience. I can see why it didn’t catch on. 2.5 Stars.

[Kerowyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Au début j'étais pas sûre d'apprécier... j'étais moyennement emballée. Des héros qui finalement n'en sont pas/plus, qui travaillent pour le "mauvais côté " ça n'allait pas. Mais en fait, je l'ai trouvé très drôle ! J'ai vraiment beaucoup ris. Et les références ! J'ai adoré.
C'est crossover qui m'a donné envie d'aller lire un peu de Donny Cates. Et je crois que je vais en lire d'autres !

[Jemiah Jefferson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Silly, delightful, hyperviolent, great characters - not the most engaging art I've ever seen, but it doesn't really matter in a book like this where the quips shoot out like pips from a tommy gun, or something like that.

[Matthew Mole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommended part of the alternative take on the superhero genre. Noting as violent as The Boys but with a similar level of cynicism. I hope they do more as the four book series sets up a great ongoing potential for future stories.

[Jason Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had no expectations going in, and I was pleasantly surprised. It parodies some existing tropes and characters. It's genuinely interesting. I'd read volume 2.

[Leif · Rating 3 out of 5]

Novel premise and great art.

Actually pretty funny.

Worth checking out if you enjoy the reinterpretation of super-hero tropes.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fun one-off type story. Wish it would have gone on to another volume

[David Finger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great introduction to the series. Really loved the concept and the characters.

[Online Eccentric Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/

It must be nearly impossible to come up with a new spin on the superhero genre - certainly, the anti-hero movement begun with Batman Year One and The Watchmen is almost old hat now. But The Paybacks is a thoroughly modern but decidedly unique take on the everyman superhero. A four issue long ode to anarchy, it is interesting and yet oddly inert. Stronger characterizations would have gone a long way to actually caring about these people as they are casually killed one by one.

Story: Even superheroes need loans - and there is a mysterious satanic-like benefactor always ready to throw some money at them. But if they don't pay back on time, they find themselves captured and indentured - forced to work off the money through deadly deeds. They are called the paybacks - and they spend most of their time tracking down other deadbeat superheroes - most of whom will do whatever it takes to not get caught. But there is one among their number with a hidden agenda - and that person isn't afraid to start knocking off teammates from the inside to accomplish her goals.

On the surface, this is about a pretty amoral bunch of characters (several of whom are hinted as being altruistic before indenturing) whose reasons for going into debt aren't really explained. They all also have rather odd and random 'powers' or weapons that also remain fairly undescribed. Obviously, the story was written to be callous and to only give us the barest surface observations of the teammates. But it makes for a very disaffecting story.

By the end, I was admittedly wishing that we had at least one strong POV and followed that through teammate transitions, deaths, and experiences. The narrative, illustrations, characters, and plot were just too nebulously defined. There needed to be a beating heart somewhere rather than the endless mayhem, deaths, and hopelessness.

So although this is definitely a unique take, it is also a very disenfranchising. Perhaps that is the statement the author/illustrator meant to achieve, though. 2015 through the lens of the detached and alienated reader. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

[Pop Bop · Rating 4 out of 5]

More Than Just A Comedy Superhero Series

The idea that indebted superheroes are forced to pay off their debts by acting as repo men for some anonymous superhero banker is pretty clever and opens up lots of possibilities. This volume collects the first four issues of the Paybacks series, and it accomplishes a good bit.

Characters drift in and out of the story. We have our main group of repo men, (see the cover), other repo men who come in and out, superheroes who are being foreclosed upon, and then other characters who belong to an overarching story arc that is just hinted at in this volume. We get to follow the team through a couple of assignments, we learn more about their home base, we encounter the "magical" van that transports them from job to job, and we get bits and pieces of the primary characters' backstories. As I say, lots going on.

I appreciated the fact that this isn't just a "comedy" series. Wisecracks and banter only go so far, and you need some sort of story and forward progress to keep a reader's attention. This series felt like it was going somewhere and the characters were just as interesting as the more mainstream and familiar superheroes. Indeed, there are a fair number of inside jokes and mocks at the expense of standard issue superheroes, which helped keep this fresh and lively. And the banter and cross-talk is often satisfyingly clever and sharp.

The drawing is fine, although sometimes a bit crowded and busy in the large scale action sequences. It isn't the series' best feature, but it didn't get in the way either.

So, a nice series with some oddball appeal that I'd call a nice find. (Please note that I received a free advance will-self-destruct-in-x-days Adobe Digital copy of this book in exchange for a candid review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)