Andrews McMeel has made a pretty successful business publishing the best gag comics the internet has to offer, giving us the likes of The Oatmeal and Andrews McMeel has made a pretty successful business publishing the best gag comics the internet has to offer, giving us the likes of The Oatmeal and Sarah Andersen, along with some of the crummiest like Soppy and Man, I Hate Cursive. Fortunately, Ben Zaehringer’s Sorry I Ruined Your Childhood from berkeleymews.com is among their better titles.
The format is mostly the classic three panel strip and, while your mileage may vary given that everyone’s comedic tastes are different, I thought the majority of them were genuinely funny and really imaginative. The content largely references childhood movies and shows - anything somewhat nostalgic for adult readers today - but some of the best gags were separate from those subjects.
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Some of the funniest for me: a clown getting upset that his partner’s laughing while they’re having sex; God ripping out one of Adam’s ribs and drawing a face onto it with a pen; Santa eating weed cookies, forgetting to deliver presents and getting Taco Bell instead.
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Real life TMNT, Prince Charming looking through an app called Cinder, the waterbed shark, the terrible father (screaming when his kid tells him the floor is lava and making them cry; telling his son he owes him forty bucks after smoking his weed), the Independence Day ship turning out to be a giant alien Roomba. It goes on like this - there are too many bangers for me to list off.
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As expected, not all the gags were that good. The Superman parodies weren’t that funny, nor was the Sesame Street stuff and I’m pretty sure I’ve seen the mummy sat on the toilet using his bandages for toilet paper elsewhere. But there’s so many great, clever jokes here to make it worth checking out, particularly if you’re in need of a laugh or ten. Fans of Nicholas Gurewitch’s Perry Bible Fellowship will really like this. ...more
Set in 1997, Jacob is asked to chaperone his former mentor, comics legend Hal Crane, around a convention where he will be given a lifetime achievementSet in 1997, Jacob is asked to chaperone his former mentor, comics legend Hal Crane, around a convention where he will be given a lifetime achievement award. Sounds straightforward enough, eh? Except Hal is an embittered old drunken wreck whose increasingly reckless, unhinged behaviour lands him and Jacob in one sketchy situation after another! Will they get through the Bad Weekend in one piece?
Much to my, and other fans’, delight, Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips re-upped their five year exclusive deal with Image last December and their first project to emerge was a new monthly run of their signature series, Criminal. Bad Weekend collects issues 2 and 3 of this new run along with a clutch of previously cut pages to form the second Criminal “novella” (the first being last year’s My Heroes Have Always Been Junkies).
The 2019 run of Criminal (currently six issues long) has been absolutely superb though I’d say this storyline, while still good, was my least favourite so far. Except I surprisingly enjoyed reading it in collected form much better the second time around! Maybe because it doesn’t suffer from the comparison of the more exciting Lawless storyline that bookends it in the series or maybe it’s more rounded this way, as opposed to reading it serially – I have noticed how different an experience it can sometimes be to read a title monthly (or whatever the schedule is) and to read it in a collection.
The story is always entertaining. From the moment Jacob encounters Hal, it’s a rollercoaster of crazy: pistol-whipping colleagues in barroom toilets, planning a B&E with Ricky Lawless to get back artwork, and the funny awards show at the end. It’s never anything but an exciting and imaginative read, masterfully written and drawn.
What stood out more to me on this second read was Hal’s complex character – his unexpected moments of vulnerability counterbalancing his obnoxious behaviour, and the tragic story likely behind his destructive behaviour: a car crash back in 1955 with Hal’s old mentor, Archie Lewis. It adds another dimension to the otherwise overfamiliar and sordid tale of comics creators getting fucked over by their publishers. And that bittersweet ending is perfect.
I still don’t really like Jacob Phillips’ colours but it doesn’t detract from the book to give it anything less than the highest rating. Bad Weekend is utterly fantastic and a particularly wry accompaniment to con season! Brubaker and Phillips continue to shine as one of comics’ greatest creative teams – if this is any indication, I can’t wait to see what else they’ve got planned in the years ahead! ...more
Cruel Summer, Part Two shows us how Teeg Lawless and his lady Jane wound up in the bar where they crossed paths with skip tracer Dan Farraday from theCruel Summer, Part Two shows us how Teeg Lawless and his lady Jane wound up in the bar where they crossed paths with skip tracer Dan Farraday from the last ish. And, as always with Teeg, it’s a dark and sleazy tale!
Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips’ Criminal never fails to entertain me. It’s the mark of great art that, even if you think you’re not in the mood to read something like a crime comic, it grabs and completely holds your attention regardless.
Teeg is such an unpredictable lunatic that he’s always fun to read about. Brubaker unexpectedly takes a romance angle this time - given that this is the arc of Teeg’s death, I guess he might’ve felt like he owed him a last hurrah of happiness before offing him! - but it works given that Jane is as crazy as he is so they do some interesting stuff to make cash. Crazy not in an OTT way either, but in a very human way - that scene where she’s sat in the closet at night sobbing semi-consciously was a revealing moment.
It still feels like table-setting and I would’ve liked to see the story advance more rather than go back and take us up to the same point of the last issue. Some of Phillips’ art looks a bit rushed in places and I’m not as much a fan of Jacob Phillips’ colours as I was of the likes of previous Brubaker colourists Elizabeth Breitweiser or Dave Stewart - the colours here look splashed on somewhat carelessly.
Criminal #6 is still a fine comic though and another great addition to this wonderfully bleak series - fans won’t be disappointed. ...more
Four shorts make up Jason’s latest book, O Josephine!, most of which I really enjoyed.
The Wicklow Way is a kind of companion piece to his last book, Four shorts make up Jason’s latest book, O Josephine!, most of which I really enjoyed.
The Wicklow Way is a kind of companion piece to his last book, On the Camino, where Jason this time hikes the titular walk in Ireland. As a fellow hiker, I found myself relating to a lot of the scenes: the relief at seeing a sign telling you you’re on the right path (it IS like hi-fiving a friend!) and the sinking terror of realising you’ve been walking for miles in the wrong direction!
One of my criticisms of On the Camino was that it was too little material for too many pages (nearly 200) whereas The Wicklow Way is a much tighter and more compelling read at 49 pages. The pacing is snappier, there’s little fat to bog it down and, despite Jason’s minimalist art style, you got a good sense of Ireland’s rural beauty. This nonfiction piece was my favourite of the four shorts.
L. Cohen: A Life sounds like more nonfiction – and maybe some of it is; I don’t know Leonard Cohen’s biography at all! – though it definitely verges into daffy fiction towards the end. Did he really get into so many fights with other famous people? It’s interesting and funny nonetheless – my second favourite.
The Diamonds was the only one that went over my head. It’s a confusing family drama with meta crime elements – not boring, just unnecessarily convoluted and vague.
O Josephine! is classic Jason: an anachronistic story of Napoleon Bonaparte and his former lover Josephine who feud for years (centuries?) over an ornament. It’s wacky (why Napoleon??), mixing in real-life historical elements with the kind of scenes you’d expect to see in a Mission Impossible movie. That said, it’s not great and, even in this format, the material felt a bit stretched - but I didn’t dislike it either.
Overall, Jason fans won’t be disappointed with his latest collection – O Jason, you are a great cartoonist, sir! ...more
When is a banana not a banana? When you’re wearing a fake ‘tache and calling yourself Derek the former gay pornstar, smashed out of your mind on vodkaWhen is a banana not a banana? When you’re wearing a fake ‘tache and calling yourself Derek the former gay pornstar, smashed out of your mind on vodka and coke! So what is it if it’s not a banana? I have nay idea and David Lapham won’t tell me on the Twits. If anyone figures it out, please tell me!
Sunshine and Roses continues to rock - Part 4: The Salad Days is grand! I was wary about Lapham focusing on Beth’s bitch mom Annie again – she was ok though I kinda hoped we’d left her behind in the last book - but her story with Kretchmeyer as an unlikely semi-crippled Bonnie and Clyde looking for Kretch’s missing lil bro turned out to be the best part of the book! Their shootout in Kretch’s tiny hometown was hella exciting and really fun.
As always with Stray Bullets there’s both darkness and comedy galore. We see the story of how Kretch killed his parents and his little brother’s heroin habit on skid row, as well as how Beth and Spanish Scott almost hooked up and Orson’s bizarre misadventures as Derek. Beth, Orson and Nina continue their meandering journey on the lam but it feels like things are starting to wrap up now as they finally reach the west coast.
The Amy Racecar issue was meh – a wacky school story that wasn’t bad but wasn’t really that great either. I also didn’t get why Orson would leave Beth in San Diego – she’s told him to leave her plenty of times before, why would he do it now? I suppose we got to see the aftermath of their heist in Baltimore with a special PS for Chandra the stripper, which wasn’t a bad thing - it just felt contrived and a bit awkwardly shoe-horned in.
Other than that, it’s Stray Bullets – David Lapham can do no wrong with this series! ...more
Lois is a small-town doctor in Walesland wondering if she should become a partner in her practice - and then her estranged mother shows up after twentLois is a small-town doctor in Walesland wondering if she should become a partner in her practice - and then her estranged mother shows up after twenty years apart! Pobol y cym, wha she dooo?
I really liked Ian Williams’ The Lady Doctor. This dude’s a real life doctor AND this accomplished a cartoonist? Some people, eh?
Having been born and raised in Wales (Cardiff mostly but I’ve been to the valleys many times), I thought Williams captured small-town Welsh life perfectly. I appreciated the inside look at a doctor’s day-to-day though I’m also very familiar with the NHS.
The various patients Lois deals with were mostly interesting to read about. One older dude has a Pinocchio tattoo above his penis, which is, of course, the nose (“He doesn’t tell so many lies, nowadays” - HA!), another is addicted to diazepam and will do anything to get his scripts filled, and I laughed out loud when Lois had to do the Heimlich in a restaurant on a poor old lady who ended up shitting herself instead!
The drama with her mum was a bit predictable, a tad daytime TV movie-mawkish, and was the only real part of the book that I didn’t find as compelling. Lois’ occasional rants about “the patriarchy” were cringey and I don’t think those parts will age well.
Mostly though I was thoroughly entertained and impressed with this skilfully made and well-told story of a modern day country doctor. Da iawn, Ian! ...more
Comics creator Max Field is recruited by CIA operative Julia to be a spy – and that’s the “plot” of Cover! Because Brian Bendis’ characters are as oveComics creator Max Field is recruited by CIA operative Julia to be a spy – and that’s the “plot” of Cover! Because Brian Bendis’ characters are as overly chatty as ever, like in titles such as New Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy and All-New X-Men: waffle, waffle, waffle, oh shit, the book’s over and I forgot to add a story – classic Bendis!
And what’s worse is that quite a bit of the dialogue, in addition to being largely pointless (WAY too much on Jack Kirby – I get it, you’re a fan!), reads like writing as well as a lot of stream of consciousness. I get the impression Bendis doesn’t get much editorial interference over at DC. The lack of any real story only highlights how repetitive the structure of the book is: Max is at a comics convention, Julia chats him up, change the unimportant location and repeat.
The one part of the book that actually plays like a conventional spy thriller – Max tied to a chair getting whaled on by a thug for information – fizzles into nothingness. He passes out and is somehow rescued by Julia – no clue how. Did she kill or injure his torturer? No, because the torturer shows up later without a scratch! Wha happen…?
All of which sounds like I’m coming down on Cover – and actually I really enjoyed it! The dialogue is abundant but most of it is amusing and, because it’s mostly about the comics biz, something Bendis is extremely familiar with being one of comics’ top creators – at this point, of all time – a lot wisdom gets dropped on the subject of writing, creating, comics, and much more. A lot of it is inspiring and motivating for wannabe comics writers in much the same way as Stephen King’s On Writing is for aspiring novelists.
Max’s comic, Ninja Sword Odyssey, is very clearly a thinly veiled reflection of the main story running in parallel but it’s also entertaining in itself – David Mack wrote these parts of the book so hats off to him. And even though it’s not clear why comics creators are being used as geopolitical pawns in the first place (which does feel like Bendis/Mack being full of themselves – “let’s make the coolest people in the world comics creators – just like us!”) – I mean, are they really ideal candidates? – but it is an original setup and the end result is breezy and fun.
David Mack is such an accomplished artist and this book wonderfully showcases his skill and vision. His spare and elegant brushes for the comic within a comic, Ninja Sword Odyssey, are beautiful and I liked how he switched up his style for the childhood flashback sequence into unexpectedly avant-garde figures. The majority of the book is drawn in a more conventional – but no less impressive – way full of stunning painted art, and the layouts are imaginative and effective – I always love Mack’s art and, as expected, had no complaints with the visuals of Cover. Bill Sienkiewicz and Michael Avon Oeming also contribute pages for the other comics creators’ fictional comics and their art is excellent too.
Mack writes in his introduction that he’s been friends with Bendis since 1993 and they always intended to create their own comic one day. After Bendis nearly died at the end of 2017 without this happening, they decided to fast track the project after his recovery and Cover is the end result. 26 years in the making and I’d say it was worth it!
It might annoy more plot-driven readers, but I found Cover, Volume 1 to be an interesting, engaging and visually glorious book. Along with Scarlet, Bendis is doing his best work these days on his Jinxworld titles. ...more
A new story arc begins in Criminal #5, Cruel Summer (aka the death of Teeg Lawless), and it’s a great beginning to what looks to be another scorcher fA new story arc begins in Criminal #5, Cruel Summer (aka the death of Teeg Lawless), and it’s a great beginning to what looks to be another scorcher from Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips!
It’s June 1988 and private investigator Dan Farraday is hired by a wealthy businessman to track down his mistress Jane/Marina who’s stolen from him - a case that’ll send Farraday slap bang into the path of Teeg Lawless.
There’s a bit too much table-setting going on for my taste - I feel like the real story has barely begun - but Criminal #5 is still a fine comic. Farraday is an intriguing new character - a troubled dude with a dark past in Vietnam and a complex moral code - whose intricate tracking skills were interesting to see.
Once again, one of the finest creative teams in the biz have produced another cracking crime comic - it’s gonna be a fun summer! ...more
Someone killed Leo’s dad and his pal Ricky Lawless is gonna find the guys what dunit. He’s also been up for days, tweaked out of his mind, and is starSomeone killed Leo’s dad and his pal Ricky Lawless is gonna find the guys what dunit. He’s also been up for days, tweaked out of his mind, and is starting to see ghosts - so he’s definitely not gonna fuck anything up, right?
Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips’ superb new run of Criminal continues with the flawless fourth issue. The writing, the art, the perfectly plotted, well-paced and unpredictable storyline unfolding beautifully - it’s a comics masterclass by two of the best in the business. If you like crime fiction, there’s no better than this series and the story of Ricky Lawless is effortlessly compelling.
The death of Teeg Lawless, Ricky’s equally no-good pops, is tantalisingly hinted at again (the last time was in the first volume of Criminal) and, in his editorial, Brubaker says that Teeg’s fate will form the next story arc beginning in issue #5 - can’t wait!
Also, for anyone wondering when the next collected edition of Criminal will be out, Brubaker’s confirmed that issues #2 and #3 will be the next book - Bad Weekend - with extra pages that got cut from the original issues. So, length-wise, it’ll be like My Heroes Have Always Been Junkies and it’ll be out in July, appropriately in time for con season!
Meanwhile there’s the wonderfully sordid Lawless family saga to enjoy in Criminal #4 - another hit for this creative team. It’s a good time to be a fan of Brubaker/Phillips!...more
Long ago Bane broke Batman’s back; now Batman has broken Bane’s mind – or has he? After his latest stint in the Asylum, The Penguin breaks the shockinLong ago Bane broke Batman’s back; now Batman has broken Bane’s mind – or has he? After his latest stint in the Asylum, The Penguin breaks the shocking news to Batman: Bane is running all crime in Gotham from his cell in Arkham – news that sends Batman over the edge as he begins punching his way to the truth. And then there’s the other Batman lurking in the shadows…
It happens with long-running titles that you occasionally get Franken-books like this: Batman, Volume 9: The Tyrant Wing collects just three issues (#58-60) of Tom King’s main story and the rest is made up of a crappy anthology issue called Batman: Secret Files #1 and Batman Annual #3. Still, The Tyrant Wing is yet another stonkingly good Batman book in Tom King’s run of the title!
I loved the main story, seeing The Penguin being dragged into Batman and Bane’s demented 4D chess game. Not a whole lot really happens and yet it was deeply compelling to see how Bane has gotten into Batman’s head. Mikel Janin’s art is damn near flawless and Jorge Fornes’ pages looked like Year One-era David Mazzucchelli – definitely no bad thing! Oh, and that cliffhanger – I wish we’d had the next part of the story instead of the extraneous stuff that followed!
King’s short story in Secret Files #1, True Strength, is just ok, and that’s unfortunately the best of the bunch. A GCPD officer convalesces after a dose of Scarecrow’s fear gas, there’s a rubbish murder mystery about a drone, Batman’s hunting in the snow for some reason, and Batman and Detective Chimp team up in a follow-up to something that happened in the Metal tie-in, The Wild Hunt – none of it is worth reading.
Tom Taylor and Otto Schmidt’s Batman Annual #3 is pretty good though. The story is no great shakes but it’s more of a character piece on Alfred and Bruce’s relationship. If you like Alfred as much as I do it’ll give you the warm and fuzzies!
The Tyrant Wing is a really fun read – any Batman fan will get something out of it. Nine books into his Batman run and thankfully there’s no sign that Tom King’s letting up on the quality – if he keeps this up he might usurp Grant Morrison as the writer with the greatest Batman run ever! ...more
Somewhat confusingly, this is actually the third Scarlet book but it’s labelled “Volume 1” because… this is the first Scarlet book published at DC? EvSomewhat confusingly, this is actually the third Scarlet book but it’s labelled “Volume 1” because… this is the first Scarlet book published at DC? Even though they also get the first two books, as part of Brian Bendis’ move from Marvel to DC? A trilogy of one book – arf, tres Douglas Adams!
So it’s been a hot minute since we last saw Scarlet and things have gone pure cray. Portland, Oregon looks like a Third World warzone and a new revolution is taking place in America, headed up by Scarlet. The White House has sent a Special Forces envoy to negotiate – but why hasn’t she simply been drone-striked into oblivion?
Scarlet is one of the best things Bendis has ever written and I’m happy to say the third book continues that trend. If you’re new to the series, definitely check out the twobooks before this one as they’re even better than Volume “1”/really 3. Two critiques of this otherwise stonking book: I get that he wants to grab the reader from the opening scene – and it is effective – but it feels like too big a leap from where the second book left off.
There’s a brief flashback showing crowds of people and police rioting and Scarlet mentions a “final curfew” before she ordered the bridges destroyed but it still feels like this post-apocalyptic landscape came out of nowhere and Bendis is being lazy in glossing over a lot of vital detail. I mean, what happened to the police – were they killed, taken prisoner, recruited to the cause or ferried over before the bridge destruction? It’s not totally convincing how things got to this extreme point.
The other thing is that everything goes a little too smoothly for Scarlet. She’s facing very challenging obstacles but she basically breezes through everything effortlessly unscathed. Bendis is also writing both Superman titles at the mo yet Scarlet is more fantastical than anything in those books!
Then again: it doesn’t really matter given how entertaining the book actually is. We don’t need to see everything and Bendis is right to trust the reader to fill in the blanks. And this part of the story is a more interesting place to pick things up anyway. As far-fetched as it may seem, I do want to see what Bendis imagines a quasi-realistic modern-day revolution would look like and play out. He’s basically running with Founding Father, former president and author of the Declaration of Independence Thomas Jefferson’s comment that “a little rebellion now and then is a good thing” and it’s a fun thought experiment. And, who knows, it might inspire people towards addressing some of the current system’s injustices and make some real change happen.
The ending was a surprise, if, again, Scarlet once more sails through conflict easily. At least it makes the next arc look even more fun! Alex Maleev’s art looks great as always though visually the book looks a bit drab – often, the only colour on the page is Scarlet’s red hair. And I loved that awesome cover with the bullet lipstick.
Scarlet, Volume 1 is a brilliant addition to a fantastic series and Bendis’ best current title – I can’t wait to see where he and Maleev take Scarlet’s revolution next! ...more
Rather than start a new storyline like he’s done in the last two issues, Ed Brubaker concludes the second issue’s Bad Weekend story in Criminal #3 - wRather than start a new storyline like he’s done in the last two issues, Ed Brubaker concludes the second issue’s Bad Weekend story in Criminal #3 - which also unexpectedly ties into the first issue as well!
Jake decides to help his former mentor, embittered old cartoonist Hal Crane, regain some of his art from a collector with the assistance of roguish scumbag Ricky Lawless - but what will they find hidden away in the safe?
Like the last issue, my only real critique is that the material is a bit too inside baseball and I’m overly familiar with the crummy old comics world and its abundance of sad stories to really get swept up with anything here. That and the ending is a bit unsatisfying.
Otherwise, it’s another quality comic in this impressive new run. I liked how Brubaker unexpectedly tied Ricky Lawless into it, I thought the break-in went unpredictably and entertainingly and I also liked the anecdote on Robert Seymour, a real-life Victorian cartoonist who committed suicide after working with a young, then-unknown writer called Charles Dickens - I had no idea the lighthearted Pickwick Papers had such a dark background!
Great writing, storytelling and art from Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips, one of the most dependable creative teams in the business - Criminal #3 is yet another top notch comic! ...more
After being rejected by beautiful Goth princess Esther, Ed Gemmell’s been mending his broke heart (and ankles) with Amazonian Aussie babe Extreme SporAfter being rejected by beautiful Goth princess Esther, Ed Gemmell’s been mending his broke heart (and ankles) with Amazonian Aussie babe Extreme Sports Nina – and the two have fallen in love! So, irony of ironies, when Ess sees Ed and Neen together for the first time, she realises she’s in love with Ed too! Two drop-dead gorges chasing after you? Ed, mate: hi-fucking-five! And TEACH ME!
To cobble together the pennies for a plane ticket to visit Neen’s parents in Oz over the holidays (see the spin-off Chrimbo special for how that went), Ed goes to work at a pop-up Christmas Market - that’s definitely not a cult - with Daisy. And as Valenbrimes Day approaches, McGraw plays an unlikely cupid to Ess and a new beau while Daisy falls for a new car-crash student, Coralie.
Artist Max Sarin is back and so is Giant Days’ untouchable quality – Volume 11 is flawless. It’s corny but I love the will-they, won’t-they Ess/Ed thing. And I really like Neen too and I want her and Ed to be happy! So clearly an Ed Gemmell clone storyline, complete with jean jackets, must now happen to satisfy all. Daisy and Ed getting brainwashed by charismatic manipulator Cliff was so funny and the smash cuts from Ed storming into Cliff’s office to getting totally bamboozled made me laugh out loud twice.
They don’t really have a big part to play in this book but Susan and McGraw have become the warm gooey centre of Giant Days. Susan feeding McGraw lasagne on the floor and McGraw’s words to Susan on Valembrines Day were beyond adorbs. I love those guys so much! And I was happy to see Ess get some herself after doing the decent thing for Ed and Neen – her whirlwind romance looks like it’s going to be a fun future storyline.
11 volumes in and this series isn’t letting up on the goods – if anything, it’s getting better! Giant Days: if I could replace my blood with it, I would. ...more
So if you read the first issue and you’re reading the second, you’re gonna be wondering what the fuuuuck is this? Because Ed Brubaker totally ignores So if you read the first issue and you’re reading the second, you’re gonna be wondering what the fuuuuck is this? Because Ed Brubaker totally ignores the Lawless storyline set up in issue one and tells a completely new storyline in Criminal #2: Bad Weekend!
Instead, the protagonist is another recurring character, Jake, the cartoonist we last saw in Volume 4: Bad Night, who is tasked with chaperoning his former mentor, a sleazy old comics pro called Hal Crane, around a comics convention. Except old Hal is deep into some sordid fucked up shit and is dragging Jake along for the ride!
It’s another quality issue from Brubaker/Phillips - was there ever any doubt? The characters are sharply realised and compelling, the story is unpredictable and fun, the art is great. The only thing is that I’m fairly well versed in the unsavoury nature of the old comics business so I wasn’t as taken with, and a little weary of, a rehashing of stories about creators getting ripped off and becoming resentful and bitter in old age, etc.
Other than that though, Criminal #2 is another great issue in this brilliant new run of the series. I’m interested to see how this ties into the Lawless storyline - maybe Brubaker is going for a Pulp Fiction-style narrative structure, but more ambitious, set across years? - though, even if it doesn’t, it’s still a damn good time. ...more
Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips recently completed their five year exclusive deal with Image and - tremendous news for everyone - they’ve re-upped for aEd Brubaker and Sean Phillips recently completed their five year exclusive deal with Image and - tremendous news for everyone - they’ve re-upped for another five! And what better way to start their second five years at Image than with a new arc of their signature series, Criminal, featuring their recurring character, Teeg Lawless!
Teeg’s son Ricky rips off an old wrestler for his pop’s bail money - not realising who the man is or what he’s stolen. Now, to pay for this transgression, Teeg has to raise $25k in two weeks or his son’s dead. But for a perpetually broke lowlife like Teeg, where’s he gonna get that kinda cash so quick?
Criminal #1 is about as flawless a comic as you can get. I can’t poke holes in the writing or the art. The characters are brilliant, the story is great fun and the mini-stories about the characters’ dark pasts are exciting and compelling. It’s Brubaker/Phillips at their finest, producing crime comics of the highest calibre, and showing why they’re not just one of the best creative teams working in comics today but one of the best of all time.
Their first five years at Image produced The Fade Out, Kill or Be Killed and Criminal Volume 7; if this issue is anything to go by, we’ve got even more amazing stuff to come in the following years - and I can’t wait! Brubaker and Phillips absolutely kill it in this very welcome return. Criminal #1 is a must-read for fans of this genre and creative team. ...more
