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Bandette #2
Bandette, Volume 2: Stealers Keepers!
THEFT done well is not CRIME, it is ART!
Bandette returns to steal readers' hearts once again! The teenaged master burglar has thrown down the gauntlet with the Great Thieving Race, and friendly rival Monsieur has stepped in to take the challenge. This second charming collection of the Eisner Award-winning series sees the two competing to steal the most priceless artifacts from the criminal organization FINIS and turning over whatever they learn about its plans to the long-suffering Inspector B. D. Belgique. But FINIS's response could make this Bandette's final crime spree!
Collects the digital comics, Bandette #6-#9, plus a new prose tale, guest-drawn Urchin Stories, and more!
Bandette returns to steal readers' hearts once again! The teenaged master burglar has thrown down the gauntlet with the Great Thieving Race, and friendly rival Monsieur has stepped in to take the challenge. This second charming collection of the Eisner Award-winning series sees the two competing to steal the most priceless artifacts from the criminal organization FINIS and turning over whatever they learn about its plans to the long-suffering Inspector B. D. Belgique. But FINIS's response could make this Bandette's final crime spree!
Collects the digital comics, Bandette #6-#9, plus a new prose tale, guest-drawn Urchin Stories, and more!
136 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2014
4 people are currently reading
350 people want to read
About the author
Paul Tobin
933 books406 followersPaul Tobin is the Eisner-award winning, New York Times-bestselling author of Bandette, Colder, and many other comic books and graphic series.
Bandette, drawn by Colleen Coover, was awarded the Eisner Award for Best Digital Series in 2013, 2016, and 2017; and was a finalist for the Oregon Book Award for Graphic Literature in 2016. His original graphic novel I Was the Cat was nominated for an Eisner in 2015.
The Genius Factor: How to Capture an Invisible Cat , first in his five-book series of middle-grade books, came out in 2016 from Bloomsbury Kids. It was followed in 2017 by How To Outsmart A billion Robot Bees , and How To Tame A Human Tornado in March 2018.
Bandette, drawn by Colleen Coover, was awarded the Eisner Award for Best Digital Series in 2013, 2016, and 2017; and was a finalist for the Oregon Book Award for Graphic Literature in 2016. His original graphic novel I Was the Cat was nominated for an Eisner in 2015.
The Genius Factor: How to Capture an Invisible Cat , first in his five-book series of middle-grade books, came out in 2016 from Bloomsbury Kids. It was followed in 2017 by How To Outsmart A billion Robot Bees , and How To Tame A Human Tornado in March 2018.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 145 reviews
April 18, 2021
Full of 6o's kitsch, Bandette is clearly inspired by Audrey Hepburn. The story picks up directly from volume 1 as Absinthe sends out another hitman, The Strangler, to kill Bandette. At the same time, Bandette is competing with Monsieur to see who is the better thief. The art in these books is sooo good and the story so much fun. Every comic should strive to be as good as this.
December 26, 2025
12/26/25: Reread because i found the last couple volumes I had missed, and this review just seemed off to me, just mean, as I recall. Bad timing. And I was right, I liked it way more this time. Fun, not sacharine!! It's Audrey Hepburn and Audrey Tatou! And all the extras I acknowledged were there in this volume only made it better for me! I go from 2 to 4 stars!
Original review, 6/1115: Full disclosure: I read this right after I read Josh Simmons's disgusting post-apocalyptic horror porn and was in a bad mood from it. So you would think a light-hearted French bob cut girl bandit (no! bandette!) would cure me of these ills, but no, if that was too sour, I found this was a bit too saccharine for me. Colleen Coover's kicky 60's drawing color and style will be fun for many, I am sure, and it is, but the art was better than Tobin's stories and dialogue, sorry.
I guess if I were not so grumpy I would credit some of the extras of this volume that I appreciated as additions: design/conception influences (Coover has in mind Audrey Hepburn and Audrey Tatou for Bandette, natch; Cary Grant, Peter O'Toole, Herbert Lom, that kinda thing from the Golden era for the boys); some short stories written by Tobin (that are just okay, and not as well drawn by other artists), a list of what Bandette has stolen thus far, okay, cute, and an illustrated story (not a comics story) by Tobin and Coover is okay. They're all about the French film fantasy Paris and that comes through. Maybe a 2.5 for me, overall.
Original review, 6/1115: Full disclosure: I read this right after I read Josh Simmons's disgusting post-apocalyptic horror porn and was in a bad mood from it. So you would think a light-hearted French bob cut girl bandit (no! bandette!) would cure me of these ills, but no, if that was too sour, I found this was a bit too saccharine for me. Colleen Coover's kicky 60's drawing color and style will be fun for many, I am sure, and it is, but the art was better than Tobin's stories and dialogue, sorry.
I guess if I were not so grumpy I would credit some of the extras of this volume that I appreciated as additions: design/conception influences (Coover has in mind Audrey Hepburn and Audrey Tatou for Bandette, natch; Cary Grant, Peter O'Toole, Herbert Lom, that kinda thing from the Golden era for the boys); some short stories written by Tobin (that are just okay, and not as well drawn by other artists), a list of what Bandette has stolen thus far, okay, cute, and an illustrated story (not a comics story) by Tobin and Coover is okay. They're all about the French film fantasy Paris and that comes through. Maybe a 2.5 for me, overall.
November 23, 2015
The master thief Monsieur has a list of priceless objects belonging to the evil organisation, FINIS. He proposes a race to Bandette: whoever manages to nab the most items on the list will be the greatest thief in the world (with the added bonus of striking a blow against FINIS and its leader Absinthe)! But Absinthe has hired a dangerous new henchman to stop Bandette: Il Tredici, aka The Strangler. And so begins – The Great Thieving Race!
While I didn’t love this second volume as much as the first, Bandette, Volume 2: Stealers, Keepers! is still really good fun. Colleen Coover’s painted art is so completely seductive and Paul Tobin writes Bandette in such an adorable way that the comic won me over again effortlessly. It certainly helped that I read this after being worn out going through several grim/overly serious and definitely not enjoyable superhero comics!
This volume is only four issues long (lots of extras at the end add to the page count) so we don’t spend as much time with Bandette’s extended cast of the Urchins, Pimento (I love Pimento!), Inspector Belgique and Heloise, Daniel and the ballerinas, and as such there are fewer digressions in the plot. It’s a tighter read though in Bandette’s case that’s not necessarily a good thing as the looseness added to the free-flowing charm of the series.
Also, the story feels a little too familiar to the first book’s. The Strangler is the only new addition to Bandette’s world. Otherwise, it’s still Bandette and Monsieur stealing stuff and going after FINIS, Absinthe looking menacing, Belgique is still comically ineffective, Bandette and Daniel continue to court, and even a certain character makes a surprise return. It’s the second story arc and yet it feels much like the post-script of the first, if not a weaker facsimile. If Tobin/Coover keep Bandette in Paris, it’s going to be a very repetitive series with a lot of the same beats reappearing like a sitcom.
Despite my criticisms, I really enjoyed the book. It’s silly and delightful, imaginative and cute, and Bandette’s antics are too lovable not to bewitch. Coover’s art helps a lot with her expressive characters and unapologetically Francophile-influenced style though Tobin’s breezy dialogue has a lot to recommend it too. It isn’t the overwhelming burst of fresh air that the first book was but Bandette nonetheless continues to be an irresistibly brilliant all-ages comic.
While I didn’t love this second volume as much as the first, Bandette, Volume 2: Stealers, Keepers! is still really good fun. Colleen Coover’s painted art is so completely seductive and Paul Tobin writes Bandette in such an adorable way that the comic won me over again effortlessly. It certainly helped that I read this after being worn out going through several grim/overly serious and definitely not enjoyable superhero comics!
This volume is only four issues long (lots of extras at the end add to the page count) so we don’t spend as much time with Bandette’s extended cast of the Urchins, Pimento (I love Pimento!), Inspector Belgique and Heloise, Daniel and the ballerinas, and as such there are fewer digressions in the plot. It’s a tighter read though in Bandette’s case that’s not necessarily a good thing as the looseness added to the free-flowing charm of the series.
Also, the story feels a little too familiar to the first book’s. The Strangler is the only new addition to Bandette’s world. Otherwise, it’s still Bandette and Monsieur stealing stuff and going after FINIS, Absinthe looking menacing, Belgique is still comically ineffective, Bandette and Daniel continue to court, and even a certain character makes a surprise return. It’s the second story arc and yet it feels much like the post-script of the first, if not a weaker facsimile. If Tobin/Coover keep Bandette in Paris, it’s going to be a very repetitive series with a lot of the same beats reappearing like a sitcom.
Despite my criticisms, I really enjoyed the book. It’s silly and delightful, imaginative and cute, and Bandette’s antics are too lovable not to bewitch. Coover’s art helps a lot with her expressive characters and unapologetically Francophile-influenced style though Tobin’s breezy dialogue has a lot to recommend it too. It isn’t the overwhelming burst of fresh air that the first book was but Bandette nonetheless continues to be an irresistibly brilliant all-ages comic.
August 27, 2016
Tobin nails it in this second volume!
Stealers Keepers! is a fantastic follow up to Presto! and in my opinion, is far superior than the first volume.
I found the story line much stronger, the baddies (Absinthe and the nightmarish strangler that is Il Tredici) much more terrifying and the action cranked up to new heights. I loved the camp dialogue, the whole feel to it and Bandette in general - she is a wonderful creation, a fun-loving criminal who also aids the chain-smoking Inspector Belgique.
I defy anyone to read this graphic novel and not get swept up in its caped crusader shenanigans.
Reading Stealers Keepers! left me feeling euphoric! I feel like I can take on the world now. Okay, maybe not the world but definitely Absinthe and Il Tredici. *dons eye mask and cape*
Presto!
Stealers Keepers! is a fantastic follow up to Presto! and in my opinion, is far superior than the first volume.
I found the story line much stronger, the baddies (Absinthe and the nightmarish strangler that is Il Tredici) much more terrifying and the action cranked up to new heights. I loved the camp dialogue, the whole feel to it and Bandette in general - she is a wonderful creation, a fun-loving criminal who also aids the chain-smoking Inspector Belgique.
I defy anyone to read this graphic novel and not get swept up in its caped crusader shenanigans.
Reading Stealers Keepers! left me feeling euphoric! I feel like I can take on the world now. Okay, maybe not the world but definitely Absinthe and Il Tredici. *dons eye mask and cape*
Presto!
August 2, 2015
With the first volume, it took me some time to truly get into the story. I had to learn to roll with the tone. It never quite connected with me this time, though. Wrong book at the wrong time? Maybe. I just couldn't get into the spirit the same way as I had the first time around. Pity, I was really looking forward to this.
February 5, 2017
French Female Cat Burglar ...NOT for me...DNF!
March 1, 2017
Bandette is even sillier and cuter than in Vol 1, and I was happy to see some of the relationships progressing! I love the side characters in this series, but Bandette really steals the show.
June 24, 2015
Mit Bandette verhält es sich wie mit Zuckerwatte: so köstlich, so süß, man kann gar nicht genug davon bekommen. Und so hat mir der zweite Band mindestens so gut geschmeck / gefallen wie der erste. Ich neige nicht zu übertriebenen Ohs und Ahs, aber die Panels sind so skurril und liebenswert, dass ich schon ein steinernes Herz haben müsste, um mich ihrem Charm entziehen zu können. Bandette macht sich die Welt, wie sie ihr gefällt, sie ist eine anarchische Mischung aus Pipi Langstrumpf und Audrey Tautous Amelie. Bandette nimmt das Leben leicht, eine hohe Kunst, die spielerisch daher kommt, und kaum ein Panel bringt mich nicht zum Schmunzeln. Vielleicht bekommt man von zu viel Zuckerwatte Bauchschmerzen, aber das lasse ich drauf ankommen...
May 8, 2015
Bandette returns! There is something so silly and charming about Bandette. And so much wordplay!
As a side note, I love when comics have a lot of supplemental materials. In addition to the comic, this has a series of Bandette's Urchin Stories, a short story about Margot, influences for the character design, a piece about how it was written, and a little piece about all the stuff Bandette has stolen. I eat that stuff up.
As a side note, I love when comics have a lot of supplemental materials. In addition to the comic, this has a series of Bandette's Urchin Stories, a short story about Margot, influences for the character design, a piece about how it was written, and a little piece about all the stuff Bandette has stolen. I eat that stuff up.
October 9, 2023
Absolutely wonderful series! I was not aware that Bandette was modeled after Audrey Hepburn! Even better! In this volume, Bandette is trying to get Absinthe and the Strangler. As usual she is flawless in everything she does and someone we thought dead comes back to help our heroine out! Love the graphics as well.
October 30, 2016
Reading Bandette brings a welcome lightness to my day. Her carefree, witty, generous joie de vivre is infectious.
In this volume, I also enjoyed the return of extras such as "What's Bandette Stolen Now?" that offers brief detail on treasures mentioned in the panels and "Designing Bandette" that depicts the inspiration for Colleen Coover's excellent character stylings. These, as well as the supplementary comics and short story, enhance appreciation, allowing glimpses of elements that contribute marvelously to the overall appeal.
re-read: October 2016
In this volume, I also enjoyed the return of extras such as "What's Bandette Stolen Now?" that offers brief detail on treasures mentioned in the panels and "Designing Bandette" that depicts the inspiration for Colleen Coover's excellent character stylings. These, as well as the supplementary comics and short story, enhance appreciation, allowing glimpses of elements that contribute marvelously to the overall appeal.
re-read: October 2016
September 16, 2015
Bandette är tillbaka och är lika förtjusande härlig att läsa.
Precis som den första, men fortsätter också precis som den första. Den verkar inte fullt lika skarp och rolig när den mest fortsätter. Slå ihop albumen, så räcker min tidigare recension till beskrivning.
Precis som den första, men fortsätter också precis som den första. Den verkar inte fullt lika skarp och rolig när den mest fortsätter. Slå ihop albumen, så räcker min tidigare recension till beskrivning.
August 1, 2016
Still the same adorable, light-hearted and silly fun as was the first volume. Bandette continues to be absolutely delightful!
February 1, 2017
You just kind of have to love how cheerful and unworried Bandette always is (except when her friends are in danger--there was that one moment). What can I say? Another great installment.
December 20, 2017
Another fast yet fully satisfying read. I love the short stories at the end, too, what a fun feature!
September 22, 2017
Really just a fun read.
June 3, 2015
More of the same please!
Bandette was super fun in it's first arc. It did not take itself seriously, it was light and fluffy and reminded me of Sunday funnies and this is what we get more of (oh and a little world building):
World: I think the first thing, much like the last arc you notice is the art. Coover's art is amazing, it's bright, color, beautiful and just makes you feel happy. You can't help but smile when you read Bandette simply because the book oozes happiness and lightness and the art is there to show it. This time around there is a little bit for world building, but not a lot, but honestly it's not really all that important, the world is there simply for Bandette to exist.
Story: Same as the first arc, it is light and fun and something you can just dive into and enjoy. The story is straightforward enough and there is indeed a little bit more content to it this time around, but it still retains it's Bandette lightness. It's funny and ridiculous and that's the whole point.
Characters: There is also a little bit for development this time around. Characters from the first arc are here and we are slowly seeing more sides of these characters. These characters are still very basic and ridiculous and fun, but we are indeed seeing a little more. I like the focus on the Monsieur this time around as he offers a funny addition to the Bandette world. Good stuff!
Still the same stuff and that's awesome. I like how this book just asks nothing of me except for "relax". It's fun it's amusing and you will be grinning throughout the book.
Onward to the next book!
Bandette was super fun in it's first arc. It did not take itself seriously, it was light and fluffy and reminded me of Sunday funnies and this is what we get more of (oh and a little world building):
World: I think the first thing, much like the last arc you notice is the art. Coover's art is amazing, it's bright, color, beautiful and just makes you feel happy. You can't help but smile when you read Bandette simply because the book oozes happiness and lightness and the art is there to show it. This time around there is a little bit for world building, but not a lot, but honestly it's not really all that important, the world is there simply for Bandette to exist.
Story: Same as the first arc, it is light and fun and something you can just dive into and enjoy. The story is straightforward enough and there is indeed a little bit more content to it this time around, but it still retains it's Bandette lightness. It's funny and ridiculous and that's the whole point.
Characters: There is also a little bit for development this time around. Characters from the first arc are here and we are slowly seeing more sides of these characters. These characters are still very basic and ridiculous and fun, but we are indeed seeing a little more. I like the focus on the Monsieur this time around as he offers a funny addition to the Bandette world. Good stuff!
Still the same stuff and that's awesome. I like how this book just asks nothing of me except for "relax". It's fun it's amusing and you will be grinning throughout the book.
Onward to the next book!
March 25, 2016
As before, charming and delightful are the words that immediately spring to mind. If you liked the first one, as I did, you'll like this one too. I docked it a star because, for me, it encountered a problem: Bandette is awesome because she is perfect and insouciant and everything always goes her way. Which means that her success is a foregone conclusion, which meant that for me the plot didn't grip me the way the first one did.
Still, the humor, the art, the character and the supporting cast are all great. The small urchins stories are better than the ones in the first volume, and the prose story at the end is actually top-notch and fits in with the graphic story of the first two volumes in a most satisfying fashion.
I shall be back for more adventures of the World's Greatest Thief.
Still, the humor, the art, the character and the supporting cast are all great. The small urchins stories are better than the ones in the first volume, and the prose story at the end is actually top-notch and fits in with the graphic story of the first two volumes in a most satisfying fashion.
I shall be back for more adventures of the World's Greatest Thief.
December 5, 2018
With strong and witty female characters and a humorous narrative that includes some inferences to sex and violence without being graphic, this is a wonderful graphic novel for younger teens.
"This volume collects issues six through nine of the Monkeybrain comic book series Bandette." It also includes an extra short story, along with some notes by the author and illustrator.
interesting quotes:
"...there was a cake in the kitchen which I have appropriated as clear evidence of being delicious." (p. 64)
"Walking near him felt as though I were stupidly walking into a fog spilling from a panther's mouth. No, that's far too poetic." (p. 113)
"To a collector such as Absinthe, only the next jewel shines." (p. 114)
"" (p.)
"This volume collects issues six through nine of the Monkeybrain comic book series Bandette." It also includes an extra short story, along with some notes by the author and illustrator.
interesting quotes:
"...there was a cake in the kitchen which I have appropriated as clear evidence of being delicious." (p. 64)
"Walking near him felt as though I were stupidly walking into a fog spilling from a panther's mouth. No, that's far too poetic." (p. 113)
"To a collector such as Absinthe, only the next jewel shines." (p. 114)
"" (p.)
November 10, 2017
The characters continue to delight, and there are some points that make me giggle with glee, that said - the introduction of genuine danger and death made it feel like the light, flippant tone was... worrisome. This volume introduces a villain whose main gimmick is... strangling people. That's it. It made me uncomfortable to have quip-flinging merriment around a straight-out murderer.
Also the candy bar running gag is getting old. Can we just not throw candy bars in every issue?
BUT yes. I still want to read more and I love Bandette and Matadori and the mysterious Monsieur.
Also the candy bar running gag is getting old. Can we just not throw candy bars in every issue?
BUT yes. I still want to read more and I love Bandette and Matadori and the mysterious Monsieur.
October 21, 2015
The art is as gorgeous as with the first volume, there’s still some very fun shorts at the end done by guest artists, and great cultural references are still included in the story; however, I found Bandette’s trademark banter a tad too much the second time around. I get where the authors are going with it, but there is a fine line between quirky and annoying.
May 29, 2017
This installment was a step back from the first for me; what seemed like a breezy, funny joie de vivre in volume one felt more like a strained "Amelie" knockoff here, a forced attempt at whimsy. The art by Colleen Coover is still fresh and wonderful, but the dialogue and plotting is too transparently cute and affected. I hope volume three puts me back in Bandette's easy graces.
June 12, 2017
Didn't love this one as much as the first. Bandette is still charming and the art is fantastic, but the story didn't do it for me this time. I really appreciated the supplementary material at the end, and was delighted to see that Audrey Tatou as Amelie was an inspiration for Bandette's character because as I was reading I thought "This is like Amelie as a quirky master thief" :)
October 28, 2016
I was going to "only" give this one 4 stars, but the backmatter bumped it up to a 5! The Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, and Charade inspirations explain in part why I love this series so much -- I love all those things, too! James Coburn would have been perfectly cast as Il Tredici, too.
May 9, 2015
Delightful.
November 6, 2015
Bandette! So charming! So frothy! The gymnastics! The defying of gravity! The faux-French-ness! I love everything about these books.
September 12, 2015
I loved this comic to the last page. Even the "about the authors" page made me smile. I hope they write many more adventures starring this mischievous teenage thief.
January 2, 2016
Reading this graphic novel lifts my spirits and brightens my smile. It's joyous mischief in puzzle solving is a delight. Highly Recommended.
February 11, 2017
Wonderful comics with witty dialogue and charming characters, even the bad people.
April 20, 2021
More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/
Bandette 2 follows the same style and panache of book one: an exuberant and irrepressible female 'master thief' operating in a stylized 1960s milieu. It's Inspector Clouseau but with a wink instead of inept investigations. As such, expect fun, zeal, mopeds, and a lot of smirking.Story: Bandette is never daunted - even when a fearsome hitman is hired by master criminal Absinthe to take her out of the picture. It seems Bandette has been stealing from Absinthe and he isn't too pleased about the situation. Absinthe's girlfriend, Margot, on the other hand is done with her sexist boyfriend and wants out. Together with several heroes from the past, Bandette will save the day from the evil Absinthe.
All the verve is here and Bandette is silly but of course very likable. She'll make a pirate out of a pig while at the same time befriending every person on a plane trip. The overarching story in this volume is that Bandette has been stealing from the bad guys and they aren't too happy - apparently stealing from a thief is considered bad form. But it's no matter to Bandette as she traipses around and foils plots.
The artwork is as lovely as every - a perfect marriage to the story with its 1960s flair. So much of the charm of the story comes from the colorful and energetic artwork that creates the perfect characterizations.
There are several extras in the back of this volume: inspirations (e.g., Audrey Hepburn for Bandette), a novella about mobgal Margot, storyboards and layouts, and some shorts. In all, it makes for a nice complete story arc and then plenty more to enjoy after. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 145 reviews