Black Badge #1

The cover of this BOOM! Studios collection sets the tone perfectly: a figure in a scout uniform — merit-badge sash and all — sports a skull-faced bolo tie and a fresh trickle of blood, hinting that these scouts earn their patches in decidedly darker ways than most. Each of the densely packed blue badges depicts its own unsettling little scene, from skulls and explosives to more ambiguous acts of covert mischief. Matt Kindt, Tyler Jenkins, and Hilary Jenkins bring their distinctive watercolor sensibility to a premise that feels both warmly nostalgic and genuinely unnerving — a great starting point for readers curious about this 2019 series.