The last issue of BANG! (No. 3) was published in 2019. Ring any bells? Can you think of why that year might have been its death knell?
The dreaded virus that immediately followed dashed a lot of plans and smashed as many dreams. Klaas Verplancke‘s tabloid masterpiece appeared to be forever dashed and smashed … but it survived! And today, BANG! is back.
Why is this cause for celebration? BANG! is no less than a curated selection of Verplancke’s commissioned and published illustrations, compiled, art-directed and redesigned into a 24-page tabloid. But it is much more than a self-promo. Like the first three volumes, Verplancke invited an upcoming guest designer to interpret it—in this case, Broos Stoffels. The collaboration takes on a life of it own. It shows what can be achieved when the stars are aligned, the type is well-spaced, and the artwork makes the art director, in someone like me, just feel good.
You’ll get a bang out of BANG! No. 4. I can hear the percussion from here.
