Cover Image: Billie Bang Bang

Billie Bang Bang

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Member Reviews

I really wanted to like this, but I just didn't. There's something pulling me between the idea that this is a children book...or is it? The poppy color and age of the main character seem to appeal to a younger audience, but the fast-pace topics and over the top humor seem to be reaching for more.
Sorry to say this read just wasn't for me. Neutral feelings.

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Kids' comic about a quippy brat who manages to find some alien critter in the woods one day, cue hysteria. Well, that's debatable – certainly the style here, of looking like a full-page yuck, when it can also be read as a continuous narrative, does indicate it's just here for the laughs. But I'm not sure who would really be finding this funny – the kid is too knowing, and that might not translate for the very young, who will only have the animal's larks to find humorous. Still, if it finds a fan or two it won't be a huge surprise.

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Mostly a standard comic - something halfway between a comic strip and a true narrative. Billie is a bit too aware and clever for a child character. And the slap scene certainly gives me pause.

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I really wanted to like this book. Part of it remind me both of Dennis the Menace and Calvin and Hobbes but just parts. Billy Bang Bang is a precocious little girl who doesn’t believe in princesses. Precocious might be too precious of a word. She’s a brat. And not in a Junie, B Jones way where she’s got a good heart underneath the sass. There are times it feels like Billy is making trouble to make trouble. She plays her parents against each other, purposely causes problems, makes jokes that are inappropriate etc. This is supposed to be a children’s comic but I find the actions to the children inside of it annoying most of the time. There are parts where you find the humanity within Billy that makes you really want to love them as a character but then it’s surrounded by blackmail and getting her parents fight. This type of thing sickens me and takes all enjoyment out of the read.

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'Billie Bang Bang' by Thea Rojzman with art by Steve Baker is a graphic novel about a young girl who finds an unusual pet.

Billie's parents take her to the park where she finds an unusual creature. She hides it from her family and takes it to school, where it and Billie create chaos and havoc.

This is an out of control child who runs her house. If this story is intended for children, this is probably not how children should act. If it's for older readers, it has it's moments.

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The first thing I thought when I started reading Billie Bang Bang! by Théa Rojzman Steve Baker was that this was somewhat in a similar style as the classic American comic strip Calvin and Hobbes, which is a big compliment in my book. The presentation follows one storyline where Billie has found a strange creature named Bonkers while camping with her family, but this is further broken down into small vignettes of a few pages each, thus why I think it has a similar feeling to a serialized comic strip. I'm sure that some people will find Billie insufferable due to her staunch rejection of just about any authority figure, but most of the humor relies on her going against the grain and everyone having to deal with her attitude.

While I was not the target audience for Billie Bang Bang!, I feel that pretty much anyone should be able to appreciate some of the humor she gets into as most of it plays into an exaggerated version of the whole parents vs. kids meme that has been going for centuries. The artwork is fun and vibrant, and the characters are funny. Overall, this was a great read and a perfect book for an older kid or perhaps a teenager. I've talked many times about how Europe Comics comes up with easily some of the better "kids comics" out there now simply by virtue of them having a bit of an edge to them over what gets published to kids domestically here in the US. If you are looking for a fun stocking stuffer for those fast approaching holidays, look no further!

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Fun graphic novel. My 12 year old enjoyed it but didn’t love it. Definitely will add to the collection. Illustrations are captivating and great at telling the story. Narrative was not as captivating.

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Billie Bang Bang is a Calvin and Hobbes-esque graphic novel about a young eight-year-old girl whose imagination runs wild. Billie finds a new friend in the forest while hiking and brings him home with her, but that is only the beginning of the chaos that Billie experiences. There is a lot of humor that is targeted at both younger audiences and adult audiences. For that reason, I would recommend this to middle grades and older. There is also an instance when Billies Father slaps her and while the humor plays it out as the parents being immediately remorseful they don't apologize to Billie or anything. They dismiss it altogether even when Billie brings it up at the party they are going to. So some of the levity feels off for some of the more significant issues addressed in the comic. Otherwise a pretty interesting read.
3.5/5

I received an electronic ARC from Europe Comics through NetGalley.

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The information says Billie is 8 years old. If that is the age this comic is designed for, then I disagree with letting them read it. Billie gets away with being obnoxious, telling adults lies, being mean and disobeying adults. I wouldn't want a child believing that this is acceptable behavior. If it is intended for older children who understand that it is just humor, then it is hilarious.

I received an ARC from Europe Comics through NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion or rating of this book. I am voluntarily submitting this review and am under no obligation to do so.

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Rating:
4 out of 5 stars

Summary:
Billie is a young child with two very annoying parents and a baby sibling, who gets all of the attention. During a hike in the woods with their family, Billie finds a new friend, some sort of monster-like creature. She decides to keep him and they go on many adventures together, in which Billie needs to avoid adults at all cost and she has one goal: have fun.

This comic has many small (max. 2 pages) stories about Billie and her new friend.

Review:
This book is funny, relatable, relaxing and interesting. Billie is the child every other child would like to be. She has annoying parents that she’s able to ignore and her new monster-friend is funny as well.
Billie is stubborn and does not care for others’ opinions, she is herself and she knows what she wants in life and that creates funny situations to read.
Moreover, the illustrations are beautifully made and ensure a nice reading experience, even if the young reader cannot read themselves already.

Conclusion:
I would certainly recommend this to all children (and, let’s be honest, anyone else, because this is a fun read for adults as well!).

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All 3 of my girls, aged 6, 9 and 11 really enjoyed this book and Billies antics. The older two read it more then once to my youngest as she found reading a cartoon style book a bit hard.
I found the parents relatable and Billie likeable. I would recommend this book to a variety of ages from 6 upwards.

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I really enjoyed reading this book. Bonkers is really cute. It was hard not to laugh reading Billie's dialogues. She is really a fun loving child. Father's reactions made me laugh a lot. This is really good!

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Billie and Bonkers' chaoticness is so fun to read and follow! The illustrations and colors are so eye-catching and adds to my enjoyment of the book. I am not a fan of Billie's parents, especially her dad, but it is what it is.

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Billie was so cute. I definitely recommend this book of you want to see how cute Billie is. Also the parents was a gem in this book

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Beautiful graphic novel for children that tells of the adventures of Billy, a brave little girl who always gets into trouble.
My favorite thing was the parents' reaction to their daughter's pranks, I found them true and representative of everyday life. They made me laugh out loud

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I received an electronic ARC from Europe Comics through NetGalley.
Readers of all ages will relate to Billy and her family. She and her best friend - an unusual creature she found in the forest - enjoy all sorts of adventures together. Most pages start a new short story told with dialogue and artwork. Families will connect with what happens at school, home and while out in town.I appreciate the character expressions and the witty dialogue. Adults will enjoy the humor on a deeper level too.

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