THOUGHT BUBBLE MONTH 2026! Comics that reflect the disturbing times we live are not simply a desirable development. They’re a crucial one. Earlier this year at Broken Frontier I reviewed Nikesh Shukla and Camille Aubry’s first issue of Mad Villain, describing it as a comic that was “at its heart, a super-hero origin story. But it’s very much a mix of other things as well: a dark comedy, an exploration of the casually dehumanising realities of racism, and a pop cultural foray into the grimmest cracks and corners of this bleakest of timelines.” That its pre-publicity led with positioning it as a “Nazi-punching comic” was a definite bonus.
To recap our hero and central character is Sanjay, a man fearful of the effects that the dystopia we find ourselves living may have on his family and who, as a result, decides to join and Antifa group. In issue #2, subtitled ‘Initiation’, Sanjay is struggling to fit in with the group despite being accepted into their ranks with the codename “Mad Villain.” While he’s there to punch those ubiquitous Nazis his comrades are more concerned with de-escalation tactics, reminding him that “you don’t rebuild society by standing against things… but by standing for things.” While these allies are discussing their different perspectives on fighting the good fight, though, more nefarious players are consolidating their forces against them…
Shukla’s story is, in turns, both darkly funny and socially eloquent, mixing running jokes with more profound reflections on the realities of the world around Sanjay. Aubry’s cartooning continues to shine here with some fine comedic timing, sensitive visual characterisation, and a clever application of lettering effects to enhance mood, theme and the tempo of scenes. And for the second issue in a row we have the kind of cliffhanger that ensures our attention is grabbed for that upcoming third chapter.
Even if it only sits on its very peripheries at the moment, Mad Villain continues to find something genuinely different to do with the much played-out super-hero genre. If you’re in Harrogate for Thought Bubble picking up the first two issues (and the debuting third) will give you an introduction to a series that is highly entertaining yet also has something very important to say to its readership.
Nikesh Shukla (W), Camille Aubry (A) • Self-published, £4.00
Review by Andy Oliver
Nikesh Shukla and Camille Aubry are at Table C2b in the Redshirt Hall at Thought Bubble.
Thought Bubble 2026 runs from November 9th-15th with the convention weekend taking place on the 14th-15th. More details on the Thought Bubble site here.
Read all our Thought Bubble 2026 coverage so far in one place here.
Poster art by Núria Tamarit
