Customer Reviews

Coward (Criminal, Vol. 1)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Ed Brubaker's writing has always had a kind of laconic grit to it. His best work, be it his autobio stuff or the more fantastical run he had on CATWOMAN, has always been down to earth and set in a modern, semi-urban environment. CRIMINAL is his return back to the crime genre, this time on the harder side of it, dealing with bad guys and bad consequences. Sean Phillips is an able collaborator, meeting Ed's no-nonsense script with a similarly straight-up artistic approach. Both men deal in only the most essential details, and that keeps this first volume in the series gripping from start to finish.

I'm a huge Brubaker fan and I was really interested in reading this volume of Criminal. I don't know what I was expecting but I think I was expecting more. This seemed like I was watching a movie panel by panel. That's not a bad thing but usually not my cup of tea. Phillips art works really well for this story style I just wished the storytelling wasn't as predictable. Just an okay read.

"Coward", a crime-oriented graphic novel, reunites writer Ed Brubaker and illustrator Sean Phillips, creators of the stunning superpowered spy saga, "Sleeper." I gotta say, I really like this creative team - Phillips really captures some intangible element of Brubaker's writing, and the results are quite delicious. The forlorn, downbeat (or beat-down) sensibilities of Brubaker's savvy antiheroes comes through in every panel, and the mood they set oozes out of the pages. I was thoroughly engrossed by this story, sorry to see it end so soon (and also sorry about the finality of this particular plotline...) Looking forward to "Criminal", v.2, though! (ReadThatAgain book reviews)

ED BRUBAKER comes highly recommended pertaining to anything he writes . thank gosh he wrote this way above average book . excellent illustration work as well by his collaborator on this series (CRIMINAL) . plunk down the cash already .

When you think of comics, I bet you think of superheroes in spandex. Nothing wrong with that. But there used to be a whole other realm when someone mentioned comics--horror, mystery, crime, and terror--in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Then, with the Comics Code Authority, much of what was in comics evaporated and the superheroes were neutered. Crime-focused comics fell under that knife and stayed dormant for decades. By the 1970s, when I began collecting comics, I don't even remember any crime comics out there. And I'm not including Detective Comics that long ago became just another vehicle for Batman. No, crime comics died and only rarely rose up to see what was going on. The only crime comic title I can think of before the 1990s was Max Allan Collins's "Ms. Tree."

The late 1980s saw the introduction of a newfound realism in comics. The emergence of the graphic novel as a medium proved that comic books were not just kids' stuff. DC Comics launched the Vertigo line of comics intended for mature readers and focused on subjects more intense than Superman trying to get the alien imp Mr. Mxyzptlk to say his own name backward (thus banishing him back to the Fifth Dimension). With this new attention being paid to comics as a storytelling medium, it was inevitable that crime comics would be re-born.

While the re-birth cannot be attributed to one person, there is one man who can take a large amount of credit for the revitalization of crime in comics. Ed Brubaker bounced around the comics' world, writing his own material that was usually crime-related and putting his own unique stamp on standard heroes like Batman, Catwoman, and the X-Men. In 2007, he and artist Sean Phillips launched a new title, "Criminal" that featured multi-issue story arcs. The first five issues have been collected in a trade paperback.

"Coward" tells the story of Leo, a pickpocket with a genius gift for planning heists. He got the gift from his dad and his dad's best pal, Ivan. Over the years, Leo has internalized his father's rules, one of which is always have more than one way out of a situation. Leo lives by these rules and he has survived. The fallout is that he knows when to bail--and does--and he's earned himself the reputation of being a coward. He's cool with that, however. As he tells one character, "My ego can take a few morons thinking they scared me." What Leo realizes (too late) is that his aloofness turns people away, even people who try to get close to him.

Leo's gone under the radar in the five years since the Salt Bay heist went belly up. He takes care of his dad's friend, Ivan, now a heroin addict with early onset Alzheimer's. But an old friend shows up asking for Leo's help in a heist. It's a big payday: an armored car full of trial evidence including $5 million in diamonds. Leo says no way. "I'm out of that line of work." Then his day nurse (the one looking after Ivan) quits. Greta, whose husband died on that botched Salt Bay job five years ago, shows up, cajoling Leo to help. She's a recovering addict with a kid who needs some medical bills paid. Suffice it to say, Leo agrees and sets out to plan the perfect heist. He's working with crooked cops and he knows he's going to be double-crossed. It's just a matter of time. But what he doesn't know is that the double-cross is going to allow him and a wounded Greta to get away with the real target in that evidence van. Only when he sees the prize he's stolen does he start to form another plan, a plan to get himself and Greta out from under the thumb of the guys looking for that briefcase, and, while he's at it, see about getting paid for his services.

"Coward" is a joy to read. Oh, it'll slap you in the face with its realism and it's language, but it's still a rush. The language surprised me. If filmed, this would only work as an HBO program as the language is riff with four-letter words. But that's how real criminals talk so no harm, no foul. The plot is tight. Brubaker plays his cards close to the vest, not revealing the true nature of Leo's actions and outlook on life until late in the book. The artwork is film noir on paper. Sean Phillips uses shadows and light exactly as a director did in the late 40s, giving "Coward" its visual tone that matches the bleak outlook of its text. This is a noir story, not necessarily hard-boiled. There is a bleakness to Leo's story that permeates most characters as they question their motivations.

In a nice touch, there is a story within a story. The characters all read the newspaper and most of them read a comic strip featuring Frank Kafka, Private Eye. Okay, you can start sniggering now. But the name Kafka and the story being depicted speak to Leo's story and vice versa. It's a style Alan Moore used brilliantly in "Watchmen"--except he used three stories.

I've been interested in crime comics for a little while now and decided to start with Brubaker's work. This will not be the last trade paperback I buy. Next up will be "Gotham Central," Brubaker's story of the Gotham City Police working under the shadow of Batman. " Coward" has merely whetted my appetite for more crime comics, modern as well as golden age. If you like crime fiction, there's more to it than just novels and short stories. Try the comics and start with Brubaker's work. Don't worry: they're so good, you won't have to hide them.

First of all, let me just say that if you want to experience Criminal to the fullest, you really have to buy the single/monthly issues. I know, it's tough. Suck it up. The monthly issues include the wonderful essays and reviews of noir films and books from industry giants and friends alike including Warren Ellis, Greg Rucka, Matt Fraction, Charles Ardai (Hard Case Crime) and of course, Patton Oswalt (who's taste in noir I like better than his comedy routine). There's more I'm forgetting too. There, I've stated the case for the monthly issues... I mean, aside from noting that monthly sales keep the book on the shelves at all!
If you're already a fan of Brubaker (or the Brubaker/Phillips creative team) then this book is a no-brainer and you should already own it and be buying copies for your friends! For someone who is new to the writing style of Ed Brubaker I will go into some detail, followed by some comments on Sean Phillips' art. This collection is begging to be read by fans of crime/noir fiction. If you like reading Richard Stark or James Ellroy or even Elmore Leonard, then this is right up your alley. Don't expect the humor you'd find in an Leonard novel though. This is a story peopled by flawed characters with the main focus centering on Leo "the coward". Leo is built up as a thief-planner with a knack for never getting caught. He gets tapped to help run an armored car job by a corrupt cop on a gangster's payroll.

Brubaker's captions and dialogue read like street vernacular that suggests he's actually walked these streets and ducked down these alleyways and spent some time in The Undertow Bar. There aren't any wasted words, it's very straightfoward and no-nonsense. There is that dry, clipped quality to the dialogue that speaks to the "don't waste my time" attitude of many of the characters. That attitude isn't exclusive to the characters though, it's the attitude of the entire landscape, the entire world (or underworld). The inner monologues, Leo thinking back on things and pondering his next move, also read with a level of authenticity that's almost unheard of in any medium, let alone mature audience comics. The tone of the story is personified by Leo's constant struggling with his obligations to his friends, to himself and the dilemma of a job gone wrong. He's constantly trying to get out from under and "figure things out" so to speak and as more and more time passes, there are less and less options. The story culminates when Leo actually makes a decision and acts on it (with bloody consequences). A brutal climax that leaves no one unscathed and no one escapes from. The people of Criminal are scraping by in a world that doesn't want them to succeed and punishes them at every turn. Brubaker brilliantly captures the essence of a low man doing the only thing he knows how to do. While perhaps Leo never gets caught, he has nothing to show for it beyond broken and burnt associations with the few people in his life ultimately. I can't praise Brubaker enough, really. I mean, how many words are in an average comic book? Brubaker gets it all across and then some despite favoring an internal narrative style; smartly relying on Sean Phillips to pick up all the subtext with his lovely illustrations and pacing.

Segue into the quick art review. Sean Phillips art is not what I would call "comic book art". No, "comic book art" is what I would call guys like Jim Lee and Marc Silvestri. I'm not knockin' those guys but stylistically they're on the other end of the spectrum from Phillips. His art completely compliments the subject matter. Lots of shadows and heavy black swathes for shading. The lighting he creates is EXACT. I can't say it any better than that. I think Phillips would be perfectly at home in a black and white medium. He excels at facial expressions as well which is something of a premium in comic book artists. Every background and environment has a dull, washed-out quality too as if the color has sort-of seeped out of this little corner of the city (of course, credit goes to Val Staples for the coloring but Phillips' designs probably make his job very easy). Phillips not only captures faces and gestures well but he's also adept at portraying action and brutally skilled when it comes to intense scenes of violence. Make no mistake, this book isn't for kids.
What more can I say? Buy this book; it's rectangular bound perfection.

The first book in writer Ed Brubaker and artist Sean Phillips' noir series "Criminal" gets off to a blistering start with the excellent "Coward". The story of a career criminal who started out as a pickpocket before moving onto heists, this man's trait is of surviving each time he gets confronted with danger and getting away. Is he a coward or just smart? He gets involved in a diamond heist with bent cops and shady past accomplices which inevitably goes awry leading to him going on the run with the stolen loot and his deceased best friend's wife until events cause him to confront who he is and what he has to do.

I thought this was a typical noir tale that would be told at a pedestrian pace with good art but Brubaker does a fantastic job of keeping up the action once it gets going and keeping it there, knocking it up a notch for the final showdown. Having read this creative duo's other effort, the more recent book "Incognito" and finding it somewhat lacking in substance, I was glad to find "Coward" was a lot better. It was more interesting with better characters, especially the lead, and even Phillips' artwork seemed better in this.

If the other books in the series are up to this standard then I can't wait to get started on them, but this is a series that has books that can be read as stand-alones, they aren't connected by an overarching storyline. And if you're looking for a noir thriller that's got plenty of action and pace to it, you can't go wrong with "Coward" for an excellent read.

I'd agree with the other positive reviews here... but since they've covered this in such detail I really have nothing left to add other than to agree with them :P .. good stuff ! It shows you don't have to have supernatural or sci-fi type elements to have a good comic :)

I started reading Ed Brubaker with the excellent Sleeper series from Wildstorm. When I heard he was going to reunite with his Sleeper teammate Sean Philips, I was very excited and let my expectations probably get a little too high.

I was not disappointed. Not in the least. Criminal is Brubaker's masterpiece. In the past, you could spot the influence of crime and thriller movies/books in his work, but almost always through a superhero filter.

This is Brubaker just throwing what he loves down the page. Also, Sean Philips pencils and Val Staples colors perfectly set the mood and enhance the story.

Every volume of Criminal is a peach, buy them all. trust me

I've never been that interested in crime stories told from the perspective of criminals. I only picked this trade paperback up because of the reputation for quality of its creative team. In particular, that of writer Ed Brubaker. He is becoming one of the biggest names in comic books. He's the man that killed Captain America. Sean Philips has the perfect gritty, yet simple style for a story like this.

Leo Patterson is a thief - and a good one. He has the ability to plan every heist like a chess game, always ensuring there is more than one way out, should things go horribly wrong. He isn't a violent criminal - in fact he refuses to be part of a heist that uses guns - believing them to both be unnecessary and a foolish risk, given the penalties associated with armed robbery.

Leo is recruited by two crooked cops to help them rob a police evidence van. Things of course go terribly wrong and Leo is on the run. His task is now to find a way to get out of this situation intact.

The story is certainly entertaining and interesting, but the real fascination is in the characters. Brubaker brings every character to life. "Coward" is a good read.