If you are anything like me, which you would have to be for this generalization to work, you might occasionally see an advertisement on Facebook for a subscription service called Comic Bento. For $20 plus shipping and handling (less if you get the three-month or twelve month plans), Comic Bento provides an assortment of graphic novels that revolve around a certain theme. This boxes theme is “Rewriting History.” Below we will list out the items we got in the box, and the price you can purchase them for on Amazon.
Mankind: The Story of All of Us – $14.99
Writer: Various Artist: Various
I like watching the History Channel, especially when I am laying in bed at night. MANKIND: THE STORY OF ALL OF US is a series of short stories detailing major events in human history from post-Ice Age through the Crusades.
Summary from Comixology: “From the producers of America the Story of Us comes the epic tale of the rise of civilization. The 12-hour series spans the first flourishing of civilization in Mesopotamia through the discovery of America. Groundbreaking production techniques bring to life the greatest landmarks and milestones of human achievement. CGI rebuilds lost worlds; large scale reenactments replay critical battles; innovative use of interactive maps dynamically illustrates the key factors that gave rise to civilization across the globe. MANKIND: The Story of All of Us emphasizes the simultaneity of the human adventure — how ancient Egypt thrived while Stonehenge was being built; China was at its zenith while Europe was plunged into the Dark Ages. HISTORY captures the danger, action, struggle, heroism, and adrenaline of MANKIND: The Story of All of Us!”
Chronos Commandos: Dawn Patrol Volume 1 – $16.46
Writer: Stuart Jennett Artist: Stuart Jennett
The back of this book shows Albert Einstein firing a machine gun, and flipping through I saw a dinosaur eating what looked like Nazi’s. Sold.
Summary from Comixology: “Nazis, dinosaurs, and a war for all time!
When the Nazis develop time travel technology, only the Sarge and his misfit band of Chronos Commandos can stand against them – with the Cretaceous as their battleground!
Fearsome raptors, giant spiders, and a towering Nazi nemesis: the commandos face many foes in the fight for the future. The body count is high – and few will make it back alive!
This collection of the stunning first series is packed with exclusive features – including declassified files, unseen sketches, and blueprints.”
Ivar, Timewalker Volume 1 – $9.99
Writer: Fred Van Lente Artist: Clayton Henry
This is a fantastic series. It’s definitely my favorite out of the books in this box. Make sure to check out our interview with Mr. Van Lente about his work on IVAR, TIMEWALKER and ARCHER & ARMSTRONG.
Summary from Comixology: “From the dawn of the dinosaurs…to the Battle of Trafalgar…to the end of time itself…the first century-spanning adventure of IVAR, TIMEWALKER starts here!
At this very moment in Geneva, Switzerland, history is being made. A thousand meters underground inside the Large Hadron Collider, researcher Neela Sethi is about to discover time travel – and jeopardize her life in the process. But she doesn’t know that yet. Ten minutes from now, every deadbeat chrononaut, wannabe conqueror, and misguided protector of the timestream will be banging down her door. Good thing that the legendary Ivar, Timewalker, got there first… right? Now it’s down to history’s most jaded, most tempestuous time traveler to stop the worst of everything that is, was, and will be… before time runs out!
New York Times best-selling creators Fred Van Lente (ARCHER & ARMSTRONG, Amazing Spider-Man) and Clayton Henry (HARBINGER, Incredible Hercules) begin a clock-stopping odyssey into the distant past, far future, and every moment in between right here with the first volume of Valiant’s latest epic – intro-priced at just $9.99 for new readers!”
X-Men: Days of Future Past – $12.09
Writer: Chris Clairemont Artist: John Byrne
This is probably the biggest book in the box. X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST is a classic that has been around since the Reagan administration. Summary from Comixology: “Collects Uncanny X-Men #138-143. Re-live the legendary first journey into the dystopian future of 2013 – where Sentinels stalk the Earth, and the X-Men are humanity’s only hope…until they die! Also featuring an appearance by Alpha Flight and the return of the Wendigo.”
Well there you have it. For $20 plus shipping and handling you get over $40 worth of books, so financially it is worth it. Here’s the thing, I know that you can do a lot of leg work, hit a bunch of comic stores, and probably walk away with the same four books at about the same price, but that’s not what makes subscription boxes so fun. The biggest selling point of the Comic Bento service is the randomness of the books provided. It’s a lot of fun opening the box and seeing what books they curated for you. Make sure to check out our unboxing video below!