“Comic Bento” is Delicious Fun

Until now I have avoided succumbing to the monthly subscription box mania that is sweeping the geekosystem. I have seen the goodies unwrapped and applauded from multiple websites, Youtube videos, and blogs, but for the most part it looked like a lot more clutter I didn’t need in my life. Especially since you don’t have any idea what will be in the box! I realize this is half the fun, but I guess I don’t like surprises that I have to pay annual fees for.

But… when I heard that one monthly subscription service called Comic Bento was doing “Feminine Mystique” as their February theme, and that every month I would receive a box of comic books introducing me to new writers and artists, I caved. I am a newbie comic book reader with a limited collection, and I wanted, nay, needed the “Feminine Mystique” box.

In the interest of full disclosure, I was quite happy to find out that Comic Bento works with bloggers and will provide us with a $10.00 commission from anyone who subscribes to their service after reading our review on them. In case you find yourself interested, here is the link. In addition to the potential for commission, we were also given this first box free.

Luckily I signed up just in time to still receive the February box that I so desired.

So here I am, one month later, opening my belated February Comic Bento box. BTW, if you don’t know the origins of the word “bento”, it is a Japanese word for lunchbox, and like everything in Japan, it’s way cooler than our version of a lunch box.

I have to admit, when I saw the Comic Bento had arrived at Her Story Arc’s PO Box I began to understand why people love signing up for these things so much. I couldn’t wait to finish doing my errands and crack this baby open! The very first item to catch my eye made me very happy indeed. It’s like Comic Bento had taken a sneak peak at my Amazon wishlist. Ms. Marvel Volume 1 is definitely going to be the first one I read. You can be sure I will be writing posts in the coming weeks reviewing my newly acquired comics!

I was under the impression there would only be single issues in the box, so I am very happy to discover that each of these is a volume one edition, meaning that the first five comics of the series are bound together into one book. But do these four volumes add up to the “$60 value” they claim on their site? Here is how it broke down according to Amazon prices:

• Miss Fury = $13.36
• Ms. Marvel = $13.07
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer = $8.69
• Shutter = $8.53

So the total of $43.65 is less than $60, but it is still pretty darn good considering the monthly subscription works out to be $17.50 – $20 per month depending on which plan you choose. They have the option of of 1, 3 and 6 month plans.

Here are the box themes from 2015 so far:

• January: The Perfect Crime
• February: Feminine Mystique
• March: Secret Agents & Espionage
• April: Mix Tape Anthologies

I’m super intrigued by April’s theme. How exactly does one translate mix tape anthologies to comic books? According to the website “this month’s box will be packed to the brim with 4 genre-spanning books, featuring 40+ stories, by 70+ creators such as Mike Mignola, Evan Dorkin, Jock, Alan Grant, Joe Casey, Jim Mahfood and more!”

Comic Bento is a great solution for someone like myself who is still testing the comic book waters to find out what they like and don’t like. I look forward to seeing what else they introduce me to in the upcoming months. Check out the Comic Bento website and their Twitter feed for more comic book fun! もっと コミック弁当お願いします!

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