Bad Boy

by Frank Miller, Simon Bisley (Artist)

Dynamite Entertainment proudly presents a brand-new hardcover production of Bad Boy by Frank Miller and Simon Bisley!
Bad Boy features Jason, a little boy who comes to realize his parents aren't his parents, and that he's part of a sterile experimental community. Originally produced as a strip for the British Edition of GQ, Bad Boy is now a powerful piece of graphic fiction as only Miller and Bisley can produce!

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Comic Book, Graphic Novels Comics, Science Fiction, Dystopia

52 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Frank Miller is an American writer, artist and film director best known for his film noir-style comic book stories. He is one of the most widely-recognized and popular creators in comics, and is one of the most influential comics creators of his generation. His most notable works include Sin City, The Dark Knight Returns, Batman Year One and 300.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Frank Miller and Simon Bisley team up in this short graphic novella of a boy living in a loop. Where he runs away, is captured and wakes up knowing something is wrong with his parents until he runs away again. This could have done with a bit more fleshing out. We get very little sense of what is happening on a larger scope. Miller still manages to insert some of his political beliefs in this. Bisley's art is better than normal. It's a little more toned down and refined than the overly cartoony look his art often has.

[Drew Canole · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book has a fairly interesting premise. I liked comparing the viewpoints expressed here with what I know of Miller's political philosophy in general. I think we disagree in many areas, but here - concerning government control - I think we agree.

the book concerns a young boy who undergoes brainwashing to make him fit into some undisclosed government program that has the intent to create a perfect society. The boy becomes aware of the conspiracy and tries to escape the facilities.

During a flight into the city a speaker describes the city. Among other things it states that the city is "smoke-free". The boy, who has been craving a cigarette since the opening panel states "its weird how free always means you can't do something". We are only free if we have the freedom to fail (in this case by getting cancer).

I interpret this book as a commentary on how much control the people in power have over our interpretation of being, and how difficult it is to challenge that authority (and escape it). The child is told what is real, just like we are taught from an early age many essential "truths" - such as proper conduct, and the path to happiness. It takes balls to define our own existence.

It's sad that, at the end of the day, Miller's main contribution to political philosophy is (1) Creators should get to reap the profit of their creations, ie, Jack Kirby shouldn't have gotten so fucked; yet, Miller does allow that modern creators, with our better defined systems, are liable for whatever contracts they sign into. And, (2) comics shouldn't need to have a 'code'. Comics containing nudity and violence and so on have the right to not display any sort of warning on the cover.

The latter point was a very popular topic in his letter columns throughout his creator-owned 90s period. And it seems shallow. I don't think a comic needs any sort of censor. But, at the same time, I don't see the issue with a comicbook cover stating that it contains nudity/mature content (I furthermore hate that our society is super against children seeing nudity - like, get over it, I was a kid not too long ago and looooved nudity. It seems like we through a hissy fit if our kid sees a naked, sexy breast but we're content with him being subjected to advertisements on TV, or, more comparably, violence in movies). "Miller, you're comics aren't going to get any worse by warning comicbook shops that you're comic contains mature content" and "People that are bitching about this, The cover is pretty obvious about its content without the necessity of an explicit statement on how mature they are".

[Tomás · Rating 2 out of 5]

Obra menor de Frank Miller en la cual el dibujo es mucho mejor que el guión. Leí por ahí que la historia terminó sin tener que terminar y justamente esa es la sensación que queda cuando se terminan de leer las 40 y pico de páginas. Para fanáticos de Miller (me incluyo dentro de ese grupo). La premisa es interesante, el personaje principal se pudo haber desarrollado mucho más, aprovechando el tremendo dibujo de Bisley.No se puede decir mucho sobre el guión de este cómic porque parece que mientras el autor la estaba escribiendo alguien le dijo "Aguanta flaco, en dos páginas más esto lo tenés que terminar".
Para coleccionistas e incondicionales del autor. Lejos de ser una obra maestra. Por suerte Miller tiene otros tantos librazos que dejan a la sombra a "espacios en blanco" como este. Le doy un mísero "OK" por el dibujo.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

My only complaint is that it was too short. What happened to Rachel? What happens next?

[Z · Rating 1 out of 5]

Take a hard pass on this one and go read some real Frank Miller stuff.

[A David · Rating 1 out of 5]

Reads like a pilot episode Frank Miller lost interest in when it was half-baked. Probably for the best, since he's way too fixated on a prepubescent boy's libido for comfort.

[Robert Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

How to describe this? A kid (apparent kid) suspects that all is not what it seems, that his parents aren't really his parents, that the world in which he lives is all a lie. Searching for answers, he escapes, is captured, escapes again, captured again, and finally receiving some answers that only lead to greater questions, he flees again. This seems more like a prologue to an even greater story which I hope is to come, but I sadly doubt it. It is a teaser story, leaving the reader speculate and want answers that will never be revealed. It is fun though, as far as it goes.

[Johnny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great quick read by two masters of comic storytelling. Originally serialized in GQ Britain, it holds up well as a standalone graphic novel. Even though it ends where it should truly begin, there's a satisfying complete narrative in this story.

[Matt Piechocinski · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great stuff from Miller, which means he wrote it before he jumped the shark a couple years ago.

[Todd Glaeser · Rating 2 out of 5]

"shrug."

[Rick Ray · Rating 2 out of 5]

Frank Miller collabs with Simon Bisley in this slim graphic novella detailing a kid in a dystopian reality who seeks answers about his reality but is forced to escape, get captured, escape again, get captured again, and repeat. The enigmatic setup is elucidated shortly, but then so does the story itself which feels a bit like a prologue to something greater, though unfortunately this is all there is. Was prepared to really dislike this, but it was still a nice enough read. Bisley's artwork isn't as out there as one might hope, though you're still getting some of the frenetic energy one expects from a comic like this. A shame though - since Miller tends to get the most out of his artist collaborations (Darrow, Mazzuchelli, Sienkiewicz, etc.). This definitely feels lesser than the sum of its parts, though the core ingredients are strong enough to make this entertaining enough.

[Pietro Bellini · Rating 3 out of 5]

Erase / Rewind
Una storia che parte a bomba: gli autori non hanno nessun interesse nel fornire informazioni su personaggi e ambientazione, ma giocano a rivelare un po' alla volta i dettagli, lasciando intendere una cosa e, dopo poche pagine, sconvolgendo tutto... più e più volte. Un ottimo Bisley al servizio di un buon Miller.

[Mark Hetherington · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bisley's art is better than usual and Miller's writing is OK but it's very short book and if I hadn't got it in a sale for less than a third of the cover price I'd have been annoyed. Its basically a 2000AD Future Shock or a 70s Warren story that has been extended but without any real conclusion at the end.

[F. · Rating 1 out of 5]

Slim little volume that feels like a lazy rehashing of the same story from Miller over and over again (and I don't mean the loop storytelling device in this comic), with a "child" protagonist who is a very obvious vehicle for an adult's own self-projection as some kind of persecuted thought-minority in a world ruled by beautiful naked women.

[ComicNerdSam · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun little comic, one of the better Frank Miller ones. Feels very much like a companion comic to Hard Boiled. Kind of too short to really have a strong opinion on it.

[Juan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Correcto sin más.

[Zahirah · Rating 3 out of 5]

interesting premise, really pulled me in but the it ends :/

[Đenis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kresba 4/5
Příběh 2/5
Taková divná Millerovská jednohubky.

[Matt · Rating 2 out of 5]

"The skin on my face pulls tight as a condom on King Kong."

Half baked and boring.

[Tomáš · Rating 2 out of 5]

Darebák na mě vykouknul v knihovně ve velkém formátu a jakmile jsem zahlédl, že je od Franka Millera, tak už jsem ho tam nemohl nechat. Po přečtení ale moc nevím, co si myslet. Přišlo mi to jako jedna vytržená epizoda z Animatrixu. Akorát tady žádný kontext světa Matrixu není, stejně jako pokračování či vlastně nějaký smysl či pointa. Prostě jen jedna epizoda, zajímavá, ale bezvýznamná.

[Lukáš Gregor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hezky nepodbízivé, revoltující, svižné i úmyslně zacyklené. A ve velkém rozměru, v jakém to ComicsCentrum vydalo, výtečné na pokoukání.

[Halina Hetman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Комікс для дорослих про дистопічний світ та дитячий бунт, який допоможе згадати чому ми так любимо мотоцикли - і чому ми так не любимо книжки, які потребують продовження, але не мають його.

[Alex · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ehhhh....