Tag Archives: bad idea

Nuclear Family banner ad

Review: ENIAC #2

Posted on by Leave a comment

The mission to take out ENIAC really begins but how do you stop a computer that’s five steps ahead?

Story: Matt Kindt
Art: Doug Braithwaite, Doug Lapham
Color: Diego Rodriguez
Letterer: Dave Sharpe

Find a comic shop to get your copy

Or, buy your copy at the link below:

Zeus Comics

This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links and make a purchase, we’ll receive a percentage of the sale. Graphic Policy does purchase items from this site. Making purchases through these links helps support the site

Review: Tankers #1

Posted on by Leave a comment

An oil company decides that the dwindling supply can be fixed by traveling back in time and just making more! Tankers #1 kicks off a satirical action series.

Story: Robert Venditti
Art: Juan José Ryp, Jorge Monlongo
Color: Andrew Dalhouse
Letterer: Dave Sharpe, Jorge Monlongo

Find a comic shop to get your copy

Or, buy your copy at the link below:

Zeus Comics

This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links and make a purchase, we’ll receive a percentage of the sale. Graphic Policy does purchase items from this site. Making purchases through these links helps support the site

Review: Tankers #1

Posted on by Leave a comment
Tankers #1

There’s a lot to like about Tankers #1. The comic is both action and over-the-top satire. An oil company decides it wants to extend oil production by delaying the comet that killed the dinosaurs using time travel and a laser. It’s the type of sci-fi concept that could be a comedy played straight. And, Tankers #1 sort of does that. But, the comic has a lot of bump aspects that are hard to get past.

Robert Venditti nails so much with this debut. The concept of a Texas oil company doing this sort of plan is hilarious. The characters presented are such caricatures that they deliver laughs at the silliness of it all. The plan itself is funny and so extreme, it too deserves laughs. The fact the comic goes in a predictable direction that no one thought of is groan-worthy. It’s to a point that the comic wraps up with an end that’s something we’ve seen so many times before, it’s like when people in zombie or horror stories have clearly never seen a zombie or horror story. Tankers #1 is the Butterfly Effect plain and simple. And sadly that kills the creativity.

The fact the comic goes in the direction that’s expected is a killer. I had hoped the series would deliver something new or different. There’s so much leading up towards the end that would indicate that. The sci-fi satire nails so much right. The oil execs, the gung-ho soldiers, they all play to laughs at the ludicrousness of it all. Sadly, the comic winds up in a spot that’s not new and seen a mile away. For as creative as it opens, Tankers #1 closes exactly where you expect it to.

Juan José Ryp‘s art delivers an exaggeration that plays to Venditti’s story. There’s both seriousness and silliness to the design and characters. The action scenes would fit in the testosterone-fueled 80s and that’s where this comic belongs in many ways. Along with Andrew Dalhouse‘s colors, the art nails down the over-the-top satirical nature of it all. The soldiers are all alpha in their looks and attitudes. The dinosaurs splatter by raining blood everywhere. It’s so simple in the ridiculousness of it all. Dave Sharpe‘s lettering adds a macho flavor punctuating the cliched dialogue. It adds to the comedic feel of it all.

Venditti and artist Jorge Monlongo deliver a backup that feels like it fits the satirical nature of the main story. Involving President Lincoln, it’s best to experience the short which has a lot of potential to it. It’s bizarre and a direction that’s unexpected but quite welcoming.

Tankers #1 is an interesting comic. It has so much going right, it’s unfortunate that it doesn’t stick the landing. A great concept that skewers its subjects loses its impact with an ending that’s far to predictable. There’s something that can be read into that but the fact no one mentions the obvious direction feels like an opportunity lost. A few more lines, and the comic would have nailed the humor of it all. I’m hoping the second issue of Tankers surprises me by heading into a different direction but as is, this is a story we’ve seen before too many times.

Story: Robert Venditti Art: Juan José Ryp, Jorge Monlongo
Color: Andrew Dalhouse Letterer: Dave Sharpe, Jorge Monlongo
Story: 7.5 Art: 7.85 Overall: 7.5 Recommendation: Read

Purchase: Zeus Comics

Review: ENIAC #2

Posted on by Leave a comment
ENIAC #2

ENIAC delivered a solid debut with a story that mixed action and a bit of history. The combination felt like a story that came from the headlines but with a fantastical spin. ENIAC #2 delivers more of the same quality with an issue that features more history and a lot of action.

Matt Kindt does a nice balancing act of a story that feels like classic 80s action films. But, mixed in the clichés and explosions is some history and 90s paranoia. ENIAC #2 delivers a story about technology gone wrong. ENIAC is loose and counting down to something which has forced a crack squad to attempt to destroy the computer. What we learn is ENIAC is far more advanced than we first expected. The computer isn’t just toying with life but also delivering peace as well. It has created the balance and safety that social systems like Marxism promised. The computer has achieved what humans could not. But, at what price?

Kindt delivers a wrinkle in that way. The series could easily be a countdown to destruction, much like the latter half of Wargames. But, with this new bit of information we’re challenged to debate if ENIAC is all that bad. ENIAC #2 creates a bit of a gray area for our villain. It also throws up a huge question mark for readers to questions the motives surrounding its destruction. Is this computer really a threat? We assumed the countdown would lead to destruction. What if it would bring peace to the world instead? Isn’t that as much a threat to leaders?

Dough Braithwaite’s art continues to be top-notch. It dances between the past and present with a detail and look that’s fantastic. Diego Rodriguez delivers colors and Dave Sharpe the lettering. The look of the comic balances that action vibe with that of horror. ENIAC #2 really is an action-horror story. Numerous images deliver a shock while others increase the tension as you wonder who will survive or what might explode. The art nails down the tension that Kindt’s story sets up.

Kindt also delivers a backup story with artist David Lapham. “The Bloody Mess” feels like a solid Twilight Zone addition. The story is about a husband who crawls out of a shallow grave only to be accused of killing his wife. The mystery zigs and zags and leaves you guessing until the very end. Its punchline is a direction that’s unexpected. The only downside is the story doesn’t match in “tone” to the main feature creating a combination that’s a bit disjointed. They’re both quality stories though.

ENIAC #2 is a great second issue. The series is a hell of a start and high bar for new publisher Bad Idea. It mixes solid action with a techno-thriller mixed in with a little bit of horror. The combination is a fresh take on a classic concept. The series may be hard to get being limited to a couple hundred comic shops but it’s one that’s well worth seeking out.

Story: Matt Kindt Art: Doug Braithwaite, David Lapham
Color: Diego Rodriguez Letterer: Dave Sharpe
Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5 Recommendation: Buy

Purchase: Zeus Comics

Graphic Policy’s Top Comic Picks this Week!

Posted on by Leave a comment
ENIAC #2

Wednesdays (and now Tuesdays) are new comic book day! Each week hundreds of comics are released, and that can be pretty daunting to go over and choose what to buy. That’s where we come in

Each week our contributors choose what they can’t wait to read this week or just sounds interesting. In other words, this is what we’re looking forward to and think you should be taking a look at!

Find out what folks think below, and what comics you should be looking out for this week.

Avengers #44 (Marvel) – “Enter the Phoenix” wraps up and leads into “Heroes Reborn”!

Beasts of Burden: Occupied Territory #1 (Dark Horse) – An elder member of the occult-battling pack of Wise Dogs recalls a harrowing mission in U.S-occupied Japan after World War II. Yeah, we’re in for this.

Championess (Legendary Comics) – Based on the true story about female bare-knuckle boxers.

Batman #107 (DC Comics) – The series has really found its footing post-Future State and with the seeds being laid out for that fascist future, we want to see how it all plays out.

Crime and Punishment (Digital Manga Distribution) – We don’t know much about the publisher but the title and description caught our eyes. On the eve of the revolution a young student murders a pawnbroker but an innocent man is quickly arrested.

ENIAC #2 (Bad Idea) – The first issue about a computer gone mad was solid. We want to learn more.

Far Sector #11 (DC Comics/DC’s Young Animal) – The series is soon wrapping up and we want to see how it all comes together in this very socially relevant series.

Geiger #1 (Image Comics) – Geoff Johns and Gary Frank team again for this new series about the scavengers of a dying Earth post-nuclear war.

Green Lantern #1 (DC Comics) – We want to see what the future holds for this series as DC’s cosmic side of things attempts to get things in order.

The Impure #1 (Scout Comics) – Nero must stop his sister before she causes humanity’s downfall.

King in Black #5 (Marvel) – The event wraps up and looks like it’ll have some interesting ramifications on the Marvel Universe.

Magic #1 (BOOM! Studios) – Magic: The Gathering returns to comics!

Nocterra #2 (Image Comics) – The first issue of this world plunged in darkness was very entertaining and we want to see where it goes and how it uses the darkness to tell its story.

Nottingham #2 (Mad Cave Studios) – This new take on Robin Hood was fantastic in its debut and we’re expecting more quality.

Project Patron #1 (AfterShock) – Years ago a hero battled a beast as Earth’s protector. What the world doesn’t know is he died that day and was replaced.

The Rise #1 (Heavy Metal) – A prequel to the horror franchise Night of the Living Dead!

Sam & His Talking Gun #2 (Scout Comics) – It’s John Wick… but with a talking gun.

The Silver Coin #1 (Image Comics) – A new horror anthology with each issue telling a story in a shared supernatural world.

Suicide Squad #2 (DC Comics) – The first issue was pure action and fun plus the bodies already began to pile up. We’re excited to see what happens next as the jailbreak of Talon continues.

Tankers #1 (Bad Idea) – A time travel story about oil execs and dinosaurs.

Bad Idea in June 2021 includes Tankers #2 and ENIAC #4

Posted on by Leave a comment

TANKERS #2

Written by ROBERT VENDITTI
Art by JUAN JOSÉ RYP
Colors by ANDREW DALHOUSE
Cover by LEWIS LaROSA with LAURA MARTIN
PLUS: An All-New BAD IDEA B-SIDE
THREE ISSUES | BI-MONTHLY
$5.99 EACH  |  40 PGS.  |  RATED: T+  |  ON SALE JUNE 2, 2021

The CEO of global energy conglomerate Greenleaf Oil has just discovered a terrifying secret: the planet only has a decade or less of petroleum left before it’s gone forever. But he has a plan to make sure his great-great grandchildren can continue to generate maximum shareholder value – and secure his own legacy in the process. Rather than develop a game-changing renewable energy source through the power of corporate innovation, Greenleaf has perfected the next best thing – time travel (duh) – so that a team of six field-rat contractors armed to the teeth in individually customized mech suits can go back to the Cretaceous Period, tweak the trajectory of the meteor that killed the dinosaurs, and give mankind another 500 millennia worth of oil reserves. What could go wrong? Only all of human history, of course – because when Greenleaf’s team of Tankers come home, they’ll discover that not only did the dinosaurs never die out, they’ve kept evolving for another 60 million years…and they’re more pissed off than ever.

Bone-shredding destruction! Wanton corporate malfeasance! Reckless use of industrial machinery! And lots and lots of ammunition. Like a Saturday morning cartoon that’s run irresponsibly over-budget, New York Times best-selling writer Robert Venditti (Justice League), blockbuster artist Juan Jose Ryp (Wolverine), and colorist extraordinaire Andrew Dalhouse (The Multiversity Guidebook) are here to take all of our insecurities about mankind’s most self-destructive impulses and turn them up until the knob snaps off with the second of THREE MEGA-SIZED ISSUES SHIPPING BIMONTHLY (that means every other month, don’t look it up).

ENIAC #4

Written by  MATT KINDT
Art by DOUG BRAITHWAITE
Colors by DIEGO RODRIGUEZ
Cover by LEWIS LaROSA with DIEGO RODRIGUEZ
PLUS: An All-New HERO TRADE story as a BAD IDEA B-SIDE
FOUR ISSUES  |  MONTHLY  
$3.99 EACH  |  40 PGS.  |  RATED T+  |  ON SALE June 2, 2021

Seventy-seven years ago, the United States unlocked the key to defeating the Axis powers, but, in their desperation to end the war, accidentally created a far more powerful threat: ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer). Designed to be a cutting-edge breakthrough in supercomputing that could deliver a decisive victory to the Allies, ENIAC did just that…by ordering the bombing Nagasaki without human consent or approval. A fully autonomous A.I free from the bounds of programming or morality, ENIAC spent the decades since manipulating global superpowers from the shadows, secretly shaping everything we thought we knew about the history of the geopolitical order. And, throughout it all, one classified question has plagued presidents and prime ministers, generals and spymasters alike: “What is ENIAC planning next?”

Now, after years of silence, ENIAC has re-emerged with a 72-hour countdown until it unleashes every weapon in Earth’s atomic arsenal. Its motives? Unknowable to humankind. Its endgame? Destruction on an unthinkable scale. As ENIAC’s clock rockets toward zero, it’s down to two covert operatives to infiltrate a Russian black site and free the one man alive who knows how to kill the machine…before it erases mankind, once and for all.

Hank Howard, Pizza Detective in Caligula’s Safe… for 24 Hours Only

Posted on by Leave a comment

It was April Fools’ day yesterday so Bad Idea made an announcement that seemed like a joke but wasn’t. A new comic, Hank Howard, Pizza Detective in Caligula’s Safe will be released this May 12 for 24 hours only. The 16-page comic from Robert Venditti and David Lapham will be available for $1.

Every Bad Idea Destination Store will be set an amount of copies matching their full original allotment of ENIAC #1 (or Tankers #1 for the Wave 2 stores). The comic will have to be sold in 24 hours on Wednesday, May 12th.

They can sell in-store, off-the-shelf sales, and mail-order (which needs to be mailed the same day), phone order, and pre-orders. It just needs to be done in 24 hours.

Any unsold copies can not be sold once May 13th arrives and all unsold copies have to be returned to Bad Idea using materials they provide.

Hank Howard, Pizza Detective in Caligula's Safe

It’s Not a Bad Idea to be First and Get the Tankers #1 Pin

Posted on by Leave a comment

Tankers #1 – the double-sized, bi-monthly, dinosaur-battling, hyphen-invoking, much-anticipated spectacular from Robert Venditti, Juan José Ryp, and Andrew Dalhouse– will drop into select stores worldwide and finally give comics something other than ENIAC to talk about. But before Tankers bursts out of its comic book-sized muscle tee and melts your face with awesome

As part of the upcoming April 7th festivities, Bad Idea will send to each Destination Store location another mysterious and bewildering gold metallic pin. These pins are strictly to be awarded only to the first customer to purchase a copy of Tankers #1 at each BAD IDEA Destination store location. That’s right, the first customer to walk in during official store hours and pick up a copy – that includes early-bird Wednesday Warriors buying at the counter, someone picking up a pre-order, a random making a purchase, even the guy who really needs to use the restroom but then locks eyes with TANKERS – you just have to be the first.

These pins are badges of honor and should be worn proudly and with much pageantry! Each pin will arrive in a sweet (super not collectible so you better wear them!) pin backing that brandishes the BAD IDEA logo and is inscribed with the following:

If you manage to secure an illustrious pin make sure to post about it on social and tag @badideahello so that their crack social media team can amplify it and spread the word.

Tankers #1 pin

Review: ENIAC #1

Posted on by

It’s finally here! Bad Idea has launched with ENIAC #1. But, after so long, does it live up to hype and expectations? Here’s a hint… it does.

Story: Matt Kindt
Art: Doug Braithwaite, Doug Lapham
Color: Diego Rodriguez
Letterer: Dave Sharpe

Find a comic shop to get your copy or, buy your copy through Zeus Comics!

This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links and make a purchase, we’ll receive a percentage of the sale. Graphic Policy does purchase items from this site. Making purchases through these links helps support the site

Updated: At Least One Comic Shop Expelled from Bad Idea’s Distribution

Posted on by

This Wednesday saw the launch of Bad Idea with ENIAC #1. The publisher is going with a different distribution model selling directly to shops instead of going through traditional distribution channels.

The publisher has also limited the number of shops participating in the program. For a shop to join, they must accept certain rules. The two rules that directly impact customers are:

  1. One copy per person
  2. Shops must sell copies for cover price for 30 days from the street date

Bad Idea has announced that at least one store violated these rules by selling first issues over cover price. Based on social media, some individuals have also been able to get more than one copy, though it’s unknown if they purchased them from multiple stores or if stores broke the rule of one per person.

ENIAC #1 has been a hit causing prices to skyrocket on sites such as ebay.

It’s unknown exactly which shop has been expelled but there has been requests to identify the shop so customers will be able to find alternatives.

Update: Jesse James Comics of Glendale, Arizona was the store whose account was terminated. Copies of ENIAC #1 were listed above cover price on Facebook. A post on Facebook has since gone up apologizing for the mistake.

Bad Idea ban
« Older Entries