The Banks Paperback – 1 Dec. 2019

Good read.

The book came completely damaged. The back cover and last 10 pages were completely bent.If Amazon didn’t mess around with fund and shipping so much I’d replace it, but the process isn’t even worth it. As far as Amazon’s part in this goes, totally disappointing.As far as the story itself goes. Totally worth it. It’s a captivating narrative, great art work, and an honest tone that makes this a compelling read for anyone. This would be easily enjoyed even by those not normally into graphic novel forms.

Read somewhat superficially, this is a fast-paced heist story focused on the relationship between three generations of headstrong women as they prepare to take on the biggest heist of their lives. It touches on all the tropes that make heist stories fun and engaging, and it uses them to great effect. Someone used the term 'popcorn-y' to describe it and I'm stealing it because it fits perfectly. It's the graphic novel version of a popcorn movie. You just sit and enjoy without thinking too much about it.If you're the kind of reader that likes characters to have fully-fleshed out existences with reasonings behind their actions, then this might not be the best book for you. If you look beyond the flash of the story, it feels like Gay had moments she wanted to hit and just patched the spots that connected them with superficial elements that don't always make a lot of sense. You can easily ignore that and just enjoy it as a fun story, but consider yourself warned.When it comes to the art, I also found it a tad wonky. It sometimes seems sketchy without it being intentional, and there were moments when I couldn't tell the characters apart. Even worse, there were times when the same character had a completely different body type from one panel to the next. It's somewhat jolting to suddenly have a female character with linebacker shoulders in one panel only to be rail-thin the next.All that said, I read this as a piece to enjoy so I'm rating it on the higher end. I'm aware of the issues with it, but I still had fun.

The Banks is an exceptional heist comic from Roxane Gay. Great dialogue and characters keep this comic moving at a very fast clip. The art is really well done and I love the different styles for the time periods. I can’t wait to see the adaptation that has been announced for this! Very enjoyable Robin Hood-esque read!

With works of genius like this, Gay will ALWAYS have a meaningful and lucrative career. This feels like a mix of Set It Off and Hustlers. But it’s a completely FRESH take on the story. The characters are so relatable and real. Ming Goyle COMPLETELY KILLED with these breathtaking illustrations. 5 stars all around.

This was a great look at a multi-generational family of liberators. They liberate things of value from people who have plenty.There are no real surprises in the story but it is a very enjoyable read anyway.