Criminal: Sinners #5

Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips story arc on their Eisner award winning series comes to an end this week as Tracy Lawless finds himself in the ultimate catch-22 with no tricks up his sleeve. Very vague I know but I don’t want to give anything away to new readers. Many have described “Criminal” as the best noir comic published ever even ranking higher than Frank Miller’s “Sin City” and the always wonderful “100 Bullets”. Channeling classic pulp writers like Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler, Brubaker is able to combine all the basic noir tenets with his own modern twist that makes this a fascinating page-turner.

Sean Phillips gritty and visceral artwork should also be mentioned; his hard lines and use of shadows create the perfect symbiosis with Ed Brubaker’s well crafted crime stories that makes them the one of the greatest teams working in the comic industry today.

Be sure to get the back issues of “Criminal Sinners” at your local comic book stores and while your at it, you might want to get the deluxe hardback edition of “Criminal” which collects the first 4 trades for only $30.

Powers #3

Another crime comic out this week, “Powers #3” is the latest chapter in the Nazi/super hero team storyline that gives us a glimpse of Officer Walker’s life in the ‘50s. Although “Powers” is my favorite Brian Bendis book on the stands, the inconsistency of its monthly delivery is really frustrating. I understand that Marvel keeps Bendis busy working on most of the bigger Marvel books, but I feel the delays fragment the story and recommend that instead of buying it issue by issue, readers are better suited waiting for the graphic novel. It’s a great read that blends super heroes comics with the mundane yet harsh realism that police TV shows aim for. There are12 trades available if you haven’t started reading, you can play catch up, it’s not like they’re coming out on time anyway