Soho, London. Childhood friends Timi, Sango, and Gbonka reunite on the eve of the British Museum's historic purchase of the works of Timi's father, the seminal Nigerian artist Adewale Balogun.
Timi has been invited as a "guest of honor," but what the Museum is heralding as a triumphant acquisition, the trio see as nothing short of brazen cultural theft. Emboldened by a night of drinking and shared outrage, they concoct a bold scheme... to steal back the artwork themselves!
But when they come into possession of a document called "the Register," outlining dozens of colonial-era stolen artifacts, their sights turn even higher more
Bronze Faces #1 is unlike any heist story you've read before. But that's what makes it great: the attention paid to the emotional undercurrent, not to mention its approach to reclaiming one's culture, results in a comic that must be read. Read Full Review
Flat colors, inset panels, and rapid fire dialogue give Bronze Faces #1 a solid flow with the entire comic fueled by righteous anger against colonialism and exploitation of artists from the Global South. Read Full Review
Tefenkgi crafts some beautiful art in the issue. The visuals are thrilling and engaging as the characters and environments drew me in as a reader. Read Full Review
Bronze Faces #1 delivers a compelling narrative that will leave you wanting to read where things go next. Shobo and Shof Coker accomplish this by taking a heist story and injecting personal investment of the three main characters. In the process they explore Nigerian culture in a way that is gets you invested in the journey that will be built off the foundation started in this debut issue. Read Full Review
Beneath the action and intrigue, there are layers of sexual tension and identity politics you’d normally find in cinematic storytelling. It sounds like a lot, but the Cokers weave it all together beautifully, like a multi-layered song.
The book opens with a chaotic robbery in Soho, London, then seamlessly transitions to a childhood memory in Benin City, Nigeria. We’re then dropped into a London gallery, a scene that will remind readers of Michael B. Jordan’s powerful moment in Black Panther, where he reclaims his own legacy in a similar British museum —a theme that echoes throughout this book.
© 2025
/1_medium.webp)
Prev
