SDCC 2018: Discover A Modern Day Austin Powers In Smooth Criminals From Boom! Studios

As San Diego Comic Con looms in the distance, Boom! Studios continues its parade of announcements. This time we’ve got a new series in the form of Smooth Criminals. The comic, written by screenwriter Kirsten “Kiwi” Smith and Kurt Lustgarten and illustrated by Leisha Riddel, sounds a bit like a modern day Austin Powers.

Smooth Criminals follows Brenda, a hacker used to finding things like money, secrets, and occasional pictures of cats. This time she finds a cryogenically frozen master thief named Mia from the ’60s. Mia represents everything Brenda is not. She’s cool, confident, and beautiful, not to mention completely unprepared for the digital age. Despite their differences, they’ll have to work together to find out what happened to Mia and pull off the heist of the century.
Writers Kiwi Smith & Kurt Lustgarten say:

With Smooth Criminals, we want to tell a female friendship story wrapped in a jewel heist  — a buddy comedy about a somewhat-out-of-touch cat burglar from the past who teams with a socially awkward tech savvy genius in 1999 that shows just how much times – and crimes –  have changed. We want to explore the idea that women era and different backgrounds can accomplish true change by working together in a world where anachronistic rules are meant to be broken. If you’re fan of James Bond or nostalgic for the 90s, you’ll love seeing these two team up to pull off the the heist of the century…if they can figure out how to be friends first.

Smooth Criminals #1 will feature a main cover by Audrey Mok and a variant cover by Chynna Clugston Flores.
Artist Leisha Riddel adds:

I’m very excited to work on Smooth Criminals, as someone who identifies as a woman of color, creating characters that are closer to who I am is always great. The story is a bit sci-fi, and a bit action, but still relatable as a coming of age which is a recipe for everything I’m all about. Brenda and Mia are super fun to draw and I can’t wait to draw all their escapades.

This is not the first time Smith and Lustgarten have worked together on a comic. They recently wrapped up Misfit City from Boom! Studios. If this comic has an ounce of the fun and heart that that one did, it will be a stellar read.

Shannon Watters, Senior Editor at Boom! Studios says:

Sometimes crime really does pay – in the form of finding your new best friend and hopefully getting super rich. Readers of Misfit City know that Kiwi and Kurt perfectly marry big thrills and even bigger friendships to create unforgettable adventures. Now they’re going to steal your heart once again with Leisha-Marie as their new partner in crime and we can’t wait for you to see what they’ve got planned.

Look for Smooth Criminals #1 in November 2018 at your local comic shops, at the BOOM! Studios webstore, or digitally through ComiXology.