Brubaker and Phillips return to one of their beloved properties in a new monthly series from Image Comics!
Criminal 1
Written by Ed Brubaker
Pencils and Inks by Sean Phillips
Colors by Jacob Phillips
Over the last few years, Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips have become one of my favorite comic book creative teams, between THE FADE OUT and KILL OR BE KILLED. But one of the gaps in my comic book reading has always been the duo’s first big hit – CRIMINAL. After reading the first issue of the new series, I am definitely going to go back and read the preceding graphic novels.
Thankfully, the first issue of the new series is very new reader friendly. It started a story that stood on its own, with Teeg Lawless getting out of prison in the late-80s thanks to a fairly reckless act by his delinquent son. Ricky’s actions cause more problems for Teeg than he solved by bailing his father out, so Teeg has to work his contacts to find a heist to get himself out of it. The mission leads Teeg down memory lane a bit, as he learns the good ol’ days weren’t all that good.
It’s a fantastically accessible issue, which drops nuggets of history throughout the story to give new readers a taste of where these characters have been, while anyone familiar with the world of CRIMINAL has a sense of how things end up.
I am enthusiastically on board for this new run, and have now resolved to catch up on the books I’ve missed over the years.