Comic Bento is a subscription mystery box service from Blind Ferret that’ll run you from $20 (or less depending on how many you sign up for) plus shipping, with a different theme each month to give you an idea of what to expect. This is the second Bento I’ve received, and after really enjoying the first one back in September, I was curious to see how good the comics in this one would be.

Shipping on a monthly schedule with a different theme with each box, Comic Bento will set you back about $20 (for the standard month, but longer subscriptions are available at a lower cost per box) plus shipping costs (just over $12 to Canada, $5 to the US), which really isn’t too bad. Now, obviously, the type of graphic novels you receive may not all be your cup of tea, or you may love each and every one in the box but that’s often the risk you run with any of the numerous subscription boxes out there. That being said, however, the value of getting four books for $20 or less before shipping is hard to argue with. The theme for November was “Button Mash,” and I was pretty sure we’d get at least one or two video game based comics, and I wasn’t wrong.

So, what I’m sure you’re all wondering is what was in the box?
Included this month, along with a handy dandy card to give you all the info about the comics are, with all prices are listed in US dollars:

Marvel Superhero Contest Of Champions (Marvel) $7.99

Penny Arcade: Attack Of The Bacon Robots (Dark Horse) $12.95

Tomb Raider: Season Of The Witch (Dark Horse) $19.99

Sonic the Hedgehog/Mega Man: Worlds Collide (Archie) $11.99

The total value, based on the prices listed on the back, comes in at $52.92. Not too shabby for a $25 – $32 box, eh?

Now, monetarily the value is there if you look at the prices on the back of the comics, but these aren’t exactly brand new comics, either, although there are at least three I’m very interested in reading. The other? I’ll read it anyway because, well, why not?

How do those fit into the “Button Mash” theme? Well, that should be fairly obvious for three of the four, and the included card gives the reason for Contest Of Champions being included as an homage of sorts to the fighting game genre. I’ll not complain.

When it comes to the graphic novels within the box, I’m really happy with the Penny Arcade comic. It’s been awhile since I used to check their website regularly (but then again it’s been awhile since I was checking any videogame related website regularly), but the webcomics were always very interesting. The Tomb Raider comic looks pretty interesting, and I’m curious to delve into a series that I otherwise wouldn’t. The graphic novel I’m most excited for is the Contest Of Champions from Marvel. It’s a reprint of the 1982 mini series (this particular reprint is frm 2015) that’s a glimpse into the state of the Marvel Universe over thirty years ago. The comic ‘m least interested in also exemplifies the theme in the best way (for me at least) Sonic the Hedgehog/Mega Man features the character that I remember so clearly from my childhood; Sonic the Hedgehog. Although this is the one that holds the least interest for me, I have a feeling it’ll be one of the comics I enjoy the most.

If you’re looking to read full stories, or at least a full graphic novel or four each month rather than single issue comic books from your subscription mystery box, then Comic Bento is definitely something you should check out. The deadline to sign up for each box is around the middle of the month (the 15th), and the theme for December is “Throwbacks.” If you want to check out Comic Bento, click here and use promobento5 to save $5 on the single month, or promobento10 for $10 off the next level up.

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