This was sooo good. I love graphic novels and this is now one of my faves! This is the first time I have read a graphic novel about crime but I really really enjoyed it!

An autobiographical memoir of how the protagonist/author became a bank robber and later decided to turn his life around and use his writing skills to try to advocate for prison reform in Belgium.

Written by a former bank robber turned filmmaker, a fictionalized account of his life. Some of it was really interesting, but it did drag on too long and could have used an edit. The last 20 pages or so meandered over territory he already covered. The black and white art was a bit rough in places.

Not the most interesting of crime books, this black and white graphic starts with an allegedly semi-autobiographical life of a bank robber, before switching into a plea for a cushty life for the cons inside prison. Its 'what makes a man a bank robber?' side clearly isn't up to much, and the distanced, remote, emotionless telling of the heist planning and execution doesn't help the pages turn, either. With the 'but I never meant to hurt anyone' ideas it just feels like spin for the real-life ex-crook author.

'Bandit' by Francois Troukens with art by Alain Bardet is a graphic novel based on the life and crimes of the author.

Francois and his friends are armed robbers by trade. The lure of more money keeps pulling at them. An early stint in prison ends in a jailbreak, and leaves Francois wanting more crime. When Francois falls in love, the stakes get even higher. He intermittently talks about his childhood as we realize he is narrating this story to a prison psychologist.

I liked this story. Even though it is true, it seems to be a bit predictable. The art is black and white and feels a bit unfinished, but I liked it's rough nature.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Europe Comics and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

This was a nice, well-written and also well-drawn comic that made me read all other comics that I already ordered and owned. It has a nice and intriguing action, and a SUPER cool adventure. I loved this comic so much!

yeah this didn’t catch my interest at all. i didn’t like the illustrations nor the story. i wanted to dnf this halfway through but i kept going for netgalley’s sake.
i won’t post my review/rating on goodreads because i knew i probably wouldn’t like it before requesting it so that’s on me i guess

The art was really action oriented and propulsive and the overall themes (of redemption, prison reform, and lying to oneself to maintain one's worldview) were good, but the plot seemed action movie-standard and the focus on the crimes was way over-emphasized (and therefore overshadowed) the redemption.

"Well, the rain exploded with a mighty crash
As we fell into the sun,
And the first one said to the second one there
I hope you're having fun.
Band on the run, band on the run.
And the jailer man and sailor Sam
Were searching every one
For the band on the run,"
(Band on the Run by Paul McCartney)

Paul McCartney's lyrics have a way of capturing essence of this book which is about the life of a man on the run.
François Troukens was a famous armed robber who set up a number of successful heists and he was wanted by the police for many years. This graphic novel tells the story of his life and crimes in pictures.

The black and white drawings provide a dark and gritty feel as they tell the story of Trouken's unconventional childhood and adolescence, his bold and cunning crimes and his life in jail.

His first stint in jail failed to reformed him and instead it hardened him, turning him into a master criminal who then went on to commit a number of successful robberies. His life changed as his son grew older and he was eventually caught and imprisoned for twenty years. It was this second stretch of jail time that led to him studying and on release from prison he became a writer, a film director and set up a charity called Chrysalibre which reflects on the prison system and the rehabilitation of prisoners.

Troukens is obviously a talented man. This graphic novel tells the story of his childhood, his crimes but also his love for his family. It is a fascinating graphic novel which is fast paced and gripping, and also shocking when you remember that these armed robberies actually took place. I didn't know anything about Troukens before and so I found this comic to be educational as well as kind of shocking. It certainly packs a punch as it shows what it is to live life on the run.

Copy provided by Europe Comics in exchange for an unbiased review.

The only suspense in this story is finding the point of it all. Describing action is good, but the suspense is lacking. I also prefer clear timelines, and this random jumping back in time seems disturbing. If you tell your friends a story, would you jump around in time?
A few details are missing in the story, like what happened with the first armored car?
The panels are very good, but I like even more accuracy in details.

Super disappointed I couldn’t open this to read it. I will look for it at the library. The cover looks super cute and the story sound really good.

Bandit is a stark black and white ink drawn graphic novel. It tells a story with childhood flashbacks of an armed bank robber, his affairs, his dreams, his imprisonments. Really enjoyed this European crime fiction graphic novel. The art was great even without the coloring. The story made sense and was easy to follow. Surprisingly, it is actually the story of writer/ film director Francois Troukens, a former armed robber in Brussels turned film director who may be better known to a Western European audience.