A Criminal Blog

Fatale #2 -- and the Reprint of #1 -- In Stores Now.

2012-02-01T21:40:00.000-05:00

I picked a really interesting day to try to post a massive set of updates to the blog. More's coming, but it suffices to remind readers that Fatale is in stores today. We have second printing of last month's debut, and we have the second issue, complete with a back-up essay on Edgar Allen Poe by Jess Nevins.

Get it while it's hot.

Fatale #1 an Immediate Sell Out and a USA Today Feature.

2012-01-04T21:40:00.002-05:00

Image Comics announced today that Fatale #1 has already sold out.

This much-anticipated new series has already sold out at distribution level, despite a generous overprinting. A second printing is now underway and will arrive back on shelves next month, appearing alongside the second issue.

"The overwhelming positive response to FATALE from retailers and fans has been a bit shocking, but a great way to start the new year," said Brubaker. "Keep it up, and we'll keep putting out the best book we can."

Readers should note that the press release is only about the distribution level. Well-stocked retailers may yet have copies available for a little while longer.

The second printing of issue #1 will be out on February 1st, along with the second issue. This is the first time a Brubaker/Phillips collaboration has required a second printing since Incognito #1, first published three years ago this month.

At Bleeding Cool, Rich Johnston reports that the "Beast" variant cover (Cover B) is about half as common as the "Beauty" cover, for those interested in rarity.

On Twitter, Brubaker writes, "If you're already planning to get Fatale, please don't read the reviews or interviews. It's best if you encounter it blind."

But there is a new interview worth reading, a quick profile of Fatale at USA Today, with a few words from Brubaker and Phillips -- and a link to a short preview that includes the cover art to issue #3, from sketches to pencils to the final artwork.

Edited January 6, to include Incognito reference and a reminder that Fatale #1 may still be in retailers.

Fatale #1: In Stores Tomorrow, Seven-Page Preview Available Now.

2012-01-03T22:30:00.001-05:00

The gripping debut of Brubaker and Phillips' Fatale is out tomorrow, and yesterday Comic Book Resources released an exclusive seven-page preview of the eerie first issue.

On Twitter, Brubaker teases, "they don't even get to the good parts of the issue. We saved it for you."

Indeed they have. While retaining the classic tropes like the reckless reporter and the crooked cop, the issue plunges ever deeper into a sinister world that we've only begun to glimpse.

Apart from the Image Comics logo, the book is consistent with the Icon works of Criminal and Incognito: no apparent outside editorial influence with credits just for three people -- Dave Stewart providing colors, as he did halfway into "Last of the Innocent" -- an extra-long story uninterrupted by ads, Brubaker's personal communication to the readers, and another guest essay.

(There's also a great ad pulling together the collections of Brubaker and Phillips' collaborative work, which we'll reprint later.)

In the issue, Brubaker reveals these essays "aren't reprinted in our trades or in the digital versions of the comics, they're a bonus for you, the people who make our books possible by supporting the single issues as they come out. A thanks for not waiting on the trade."

As with Incognito, Jess Nevins provides the essay, this time looking at (as Brubaker put it) "the dark dark world of H.P. Lovecraft, godfather of pretty much all modern horror in one way or another."

Lovecraft's influence is all over this first issue, and accompanying the essay is a suitably creepy piece of art that Sean Phillips featured at his blog and which we reprint above.

In late November, Phillips responded to popular demand and began offering poster reproductions of the work at his Cafe Press store.

(Direct link here as the website's been flaky.)

Best as I can tell, it's the first poster of any of his "essay art," and it's the first poster reproduction since the cover art for Criminal: The Sinners.

All around, if the first issue is any indication, we're in for a dark ride.

ADD Reviews Fatale #1 by Brubaler and Phillips

2011-12-31T11:00:00.004-05:00

"And just like that, we’re immersed in a new world of darkness and wonder."

Click over to our sister blog Trouble With Comics to read Alan David Doane's review of Fatale #1, created by Criminal's Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips.

Bullets: Looking Back and Looking Ahead.

2011-12-26T21:30:00.002-05:00

Been a while for hail of bullets, but we have a few news items as we wrap up the year.

Looking Back, Part I: Flashmob Fridays Discuss Criminal. The thought-provoking writers at Flashmob Fridays tackled "Last of the Innocent" this past week. Our own Alan David Doane introduced their collection of reviews and essays, and I had the honor of being a guest contributor. The essays are as provocative as the mini-series that inspired them, and I highly recommend them.
Looking Ahead, Part I: Brubaker and Phillips Discuss Fatale. Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips' Fatale debuts the first week of the new year -- January 4th, specifically, with two different covers for this first issue -- and last week both creators spoke with Newsarama about the horror noir comic they're publishing through Image Comics.

Brubaker mentions that the book's origins trace back to before Criminal, but even now he's experimenting with the book's structure. As is usually the case with his collaborations with Brubaker, Phillips doesn't know where the story's going. He notes that the genres of horror and noir are right in his wheelhouse, and he discusses the difficulty in drawing a woman who's sexy and charismatic, at least more so than his typically realistic characters.

(I think the women he's drawn are often quite stunning already.)

The interview confirms that Fatale will run at least twelve issues; a couple days later, Brubaker wrote that the series will run "probably 15 or 16 issues."
Looking Back, Part II: Phillips and Criterion. It's been a great year for fans of crime fiction. There's Darwyn Cooke's "Martini Edition" of his Parker adaptations, reviewed here. The University of Chicago Press published another five Parker novels and announced the publication of some of Richard Stark's Grofield novels for next year. And after a year hiatus, Hard Case Crime returned with four books in two months, including its first hardcover.

It's also been a pretty good year for Sean Phillips fans, even beyond Criminal. We reported that he had created the cover art for the Criterion Collection's February release of Sweet Smell of Success, and we highlighted the creation of that artwork, but we completely missed his work for the November release of the classic courtroom drama, Twelve Angry Men.

At his blog, Phillips posted the original painting, the subsequent cover, and a detail of the painting.

As Phillips later highlighted, the film made Vanity Fair's Holiday Design and Technology Guide.

If you got a gift card for Christmas, you know what you can do with it.
Looking Ahead, Part II: Phillips on Conan. It hasn't been published too frequently, but I get a real kick reading Robert E. Howard's Savage Sword, an anthology series by Dark Horse, featuring all sorts of characters created by the pulp giant. Scheduled for a late March release, the fourth issue has Sean Phillips drawing Howard's most famous creation, Conan. All through October, Phillips posted artwork, including thumbnails, pencils, details, and works-in-progress.

In the coming weeks, we'll link to the end-of-the-year lists that recommend Criminal, and we'll pass on previews, interviews, and reviews to the next big thing from Brubaker and Phillips, Fatale.

New in Stores: a Criminal Trade and a Fatale Preview.

2011-12-07T22:45:00.001-05:00

The trade paperback for Criminal: The Last of the Innocent is out today, and that's not the only noteworthy material in stores today. In the back of Chew #22, we find the three-page "trailer" of Fatale along with the "Beauty" cover art to the first issue.

Cross promotion between Layman and Guillory's offbeat crime comedy and Brubaker and Phillips' upcoming horror noir is a good thing: both are being published by Image Comics, and I believe they both appeal to the same sort of twisted but sophisticated reader.

The preview may appear in other comics this month, but fans should check out Chew if they want a print copy of the teaser that's already appeared online, and the book's main event is well worth reading, too.

"Coward" Being Adapted for Film, Brubaker to Write.

2011-10-25T22:10:00.001-04:00

The big announcement is pretty much everywhere: Ed Brubaker's Twitter feed, Sean Phillips' blog, and the major comics news sites.

This afternoon, Variety announced that the first Criminal arc, "Coward," is being adapted for film.

The film already has a studio and financial backing. The director will be David Slade (30 Days of Night, Twilight: Eclipse), and the writer is Ed Brubaker himself.

Buried in this huge, HUGE news is confirmation that the sequel to "Coward" is in the works -- presumably after Fatale -- and I'm guessing we'll here more about this sooner rather than later, probably the next time Brubaker's interviewed.

Regardless, we will, of course, update the blog as more information becomes available.

Fatale, January 2012.

2011-10-16T22:00:00.003-04:00

In the back pages of the conclusion to "The Last of the Innocent," Ed Brubaker announced the next Brubaker-Phillips collaboration, Fatale, to debut in January and run "at least 12 issues."

He introduced the work as "something new" -- "an epic noir/horror story that takes place from the 1930s to the present."

We now have a lot more information -- including artwork for the debut issue's two covers, "Beauty" and the "Beast."

The first formal announcement for Fatale came just two days ago, at the New York Comic Con. The biggest surprise is that the comic book is being released by Image Comics, publisher of Chew and The Walking Dead.

In addition to the cover art above, iFanboy has provided Ed Brubaker's amusing NYCC video announcement...

...and info from the solicitation.

FATALE #1
story ED BRUBAKER
art & cover SEAN PHILLIPS
colors DAVE STEWART
JANUARY 4
32 PAGES / FC / M
$3.50

GUNS! SEX! SECRET CULTS! AND MONSTERS!

Nothing the BEST-SELLING and AWARD-WINNING creators of SLEEPER, CRIMINAL and INCOGNITO have done so far will prepare you for the explosive debut of FATALE!

A reporter in 2012 stumbles on a secret that leads him down the darkest path imaginable… to a seductive woman who’s been on the run since 1935, a mobster who may be an immortal demon monster, and the stories of all the doomed men who’ve been caught in their decades-long struggle.

FATALE blends noir and horror to tell a riveting epic unlike anything you’ve seen before.

Meanwhile, Comic Book Resources has published an interview with Brubaker and a three-page "trailer" that echoes earlier previews of Criminal and Incognito.

All the artwork is also on display at Sean Phillips' blog.

Criminal is straight-up noir, Incognito is "apocalyptic pulp noir," and now Fatale is Lovecraftian horror noir -- or "noirror," as iFanboy put it. In addition to H.P. Lovecraft, Brubaker mentions being inspired by James M. Cain, Neil Gaiman, Stephen King, and Joe Hill. He says that he doesn't watch slasher movies but loves The Omen, Hellboy, and Guillermo del Toro movies.

Other items of note from the news stories:

Brubaker relays that this horror story was a long time coming, as was a project with Image, but "I love my relationship with Marvel, and I'll do more books at Icon for sure."
The Image series will maintain the traditional $3.50 cover price for 32 pages of content.
Missing from the solicitation is any hint of the extra essays that have become a staple of the pair's monthly work for Icon.
Also missing is long-time colorist Val Staples. Dave Stewart colored the last two issues of Criminal, and Brubaker says that he's "now our colorist," returning to working with Brubaker and Phillips after their first collaboration, Batman: Gotham Noir.
At least the first twelve issues will include 50/50 covers: the project is planned for a 12-issue run, but "it might get bigger."
In the lull between Criminal and Fatale, Sean Phillips has been working on a "European graphic novel."
Longtime readers can guess what would have been -- and may still be -- the next Criminal story arc, as Brubaker alludes to "some prison break story."

The tagline for the teaser is simply this:

EVERY BLESSING IS A CURSE

I wouldn't go so far as to apply that line to Fatale itself, but I gather that there will be at least fifteen months between issues of Criminal (October 2011 to December 2012), and that's going to be a long wait for my all-time favorite comic.

In the meantime, the new year brings a new name in horror: FATALE.

Criminal: Last of the Innocent TPB Coming in December

2011-09-29T05:33:00.004-04:00

As I recently said on Twitter, "Criminal: Last of the Innocent #4 wrapped up the best arc of the series in fine fashion." If you missed out on the storyline, which immerses itself in a world of treachery, murder and regret while paying tribute to some of writer Ed Brubaker's favourite characters, Marvel/Icon will release the collected edition this December. Make sure you tell your retailer you want to order CRIMINAL: LAST OF THE INNOCENT. Here is all the info:

CRIMINAL vol. 6: The Last of the Innocent TPB
By Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips

THE BEST-REVIEWED COMIC OF THE YEAR COLLECTED JUST IN TIME FOR X-MAS!

Obsession, sex, money, and nostalgia for days long past all collide in THE LAST OF THE INNOCENT

Riley Richards got it all...The hottest girl in school and a ticket to the big time. So why isn't he happy now? Why can't he forget the life he left behind in small town Brookview? And why is he plotting a murder?

COMICS BULLETIN says this ambitious CRIMINAL story does for kids comics "what Alan Moore did for superheroes with WATCHMEN" and now is your chance to read the comic everyone's been talking about.

Introduction by best-selling author, actor, and stand-up comic Patton Oswalt.

112 PGS./ Mature Content ... $14.99

Order Criminal Vol. 6: Last of the Innocent from Amazon.com.

Innocent #3, In Stores Tomorrow.

2011-08-09T22:05:00.000-04:00

Online listings line up with the theory we posted a few weeks back, and this afternoon I was able to confirm it personally: Criminal: The Last of the Innocent #3 is in stores tomorrow, a mere fortnight since the second issue.

Don't be the last square on the block to get your copy of the crime comic so good, it oughta be illegal.

The Last of the Innocent #2: The Reviews.

2011-08-09T22:00:00.000-04:00

Over at Comics Alliance, a webcomic was recently posted, on how lapsed readers could be brought back to comics. A couple images of sophisticated, modern comics include all three of Brubaker and Phillips' major collaborations.

We have Criminal, Incognito, and even Sleeper alongside some of my other favorite works, all crime comics of one flavor or another: Brubaker and Rucka's Gotham Central, Chew, and Darwyn Cooke's Parker books.

We found this webcomic as reviews have been released for the second issue of Criminal: The Last of the Innocent. In the back pages, Brubaker notes that the first issue received "the best press and reviews of anything we've ever done," and he hopes that the rest of the arc "lives up to the hype."

I haven't found as many reviews as last time -- as before, I'll update this post with more reviews as I find them -- but so far, so good.

--

IGN: "Criminal: The Last of the Innocent is quickly becoming the high point of the franchise. Both Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips are firing on all cylinders with this latest story, which manages to be more ambitious and more artistically and tonally diverse than any Criminal tale before it." 9.0 out of ten.

Comic Book Resources: "This arc of 'Criminal' is gearing up to be the best one yet. While this second issue isn’t quite as good as the smashing debut, it is better at the game of comics than nearly every other rag that drops this week." Four-and-a-half stars out of five.

Innocent #2, In Stores Tomorrow.

2011-07-26T22:25:00.001-04:00

I'm in the middle of wrapping up a huge grad-school project, but I'm taking the time to post that the second issue of Criminal: The Last of the Innocent is out tomorrow.

Hectic schedule be damned, I'll be sure to grab a copy (or two!) and catch the latest chapter in this dark look at nostalgia before calling it a night. If anything, I'm anticipating this next issue even more than the first.

This Week, Noir Reprints, New and Old.

2011-07-11T20:00:00.005-04:00

If one were to attempt collecting all the work created, individually, by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips, he would have to hunt down over twenty years' worth of work for each. Altogether, the two have produced on the order of a thousand comic books.

Their collaborative work is much more manageable. The two have worked together, off and on, for over a decade, to produce what I would consider to be four (correction: five -- no, six!) major works:

Batman: Gotham Noir (DC, 2001) - A single-issue, prestige-format Elseworlds comic.
Sleeper (WildStorm, 2003-2005) - Two 12-issue "seasons" of the super-powered espionage thriller.
"The Black Bird" (DC, 2004) - A single-issue story found in Hawkman Volume 4 #27, dated June 2004, since republished in last year's Brightest Day: 100-Page Spectacular.
"Only Takes a Night" (DC, 2004) - A single issue story found in Catwoman Volume 3 #32, dated August 2004, republished nowhere, so far as I know.
Criminal (Icon, 2006-present) - Twenty-three issues thus far, counting last month's debut of "The Last of the Innocent," plus two short-story "emissions" have been published in anthology collections.
Incognito (Icon, 2009-2011) - Two mini-series for this modern take on pulp, totaling 11 issues, so far.

(Update, August 20th. Originally overlooked the Hawkman issue, the reprint of which we noted only very briefly last year.)

(Update, December 30th. Also originally overlooked the Catwoman issue: I just discovered the story and tracked down the back issue, only over the last couple months.)

There are two works that I would consider "minor" collaborations, NOT because the work isn't great (it is), but because neither are emphatically Brubaker-Phillips creations.

First, way back in 1999, Sean Phillips inked Michael Lark's pencils for the last three chapters of Ed Brubaker's four-issue Vertigo mini-series, Scene of the Crime. The story, "A Little Piece of Goodnight," was then collected in a trade paperback.

Then, in 2005, Sean Phillips began creating cover art for DC's Gotham Central, starting with issue #33 and "Dead Robin." That was the last story arc Ed Brubaker worked on, and Phillips continued creating the covers for stories by Brubaker's co-writer, Greg Rucka, until the series' end in 2006. Gotham Central has been collected a couple times, and the complete 40-issue run has been released in hardcover and is being re-released this year, in trade-paperback format.

Brubaker and Phillips' collaborative work is relatively easy to hunt down, especially in collected editions. I've checked a couple of retailer lists -- through The Savage Critics and the home page for Great Escape Comics -- and they confirm two more arrivals this week.

First, we have the trade paperback for Incognito: Bad Influences, collecting the second story arc, which wrapped up earlier this year.

Second, we have Batman: Gotham Noir, being republished (for the first time!) as DC Comics Presents Batman: Gotham Noir #1. I believe the book will be a one-shot collecting the entire story -- and the official site lists a second story by Brubaker and artist Scott McDaniel, from Batman #604 (2002).

So, we have Gotham Noir, and we have what Brubaker has described as Apocalyptic Pulp Noir. We have a reprint of Brubaker and Phillips' first major collaboration, and we have the collection for their latest work.

This is going to be a good week for those who want to see how the pair's work has developed over the years.

Slight Delay for Innocent #2.

2011-07-07T20:15:00.002-04:00

From his Twitter page, Ed Brubaker relays that the second issue of Criminal: Last of the Innocent, has been delayed slightly. The issue was due this week, but a "scheduling mishap" means that it will arrive just two weeks before issue #3.

I contacted the fine folks at Great Escape Comics in Marietta, Georgia, and they relay that the second issue is now scheduled for July 27th, so the third issue should reach stores around August 10th.

I should be done with my massive final project for graduate school by then, and I'll have time to flesh out some recent thoughts on the crime comic. In the meantime, there are plenty of reviews for the excellent first issue of the latest mini-series.

The Last of the Last of the Innocent, Out in September.

2011-06-18T10:00:00.001-04:00

Solicitations always run a few months ahead, and so we have Marvel's September solicitations, including the finale to Criminal: The Last of the Innocent.

It's the big finale of CRIMINAL's most ground-breaking storyline yet! Riley Richards has committed crime after crime to get what he wants... Now what will he have to do to keep all the things he's killed for? It's a twisted look at crime, comics, nostalgia, and obsession... all in the award-winning CRIMINAL style. And remember, every issue of CRIMINAL has articles and illustrations that are only available in the single printed single issues, making it the best bargain on the shelves!

Ed Brubaker has a point in complaining about solicitations that reveal too much, but here we have a good-but-vague idea of what's coming, all without being given a four-word description like we see for September issues of Chew and Walking Dead.

Issue #4 of the four-part story is scheduled to be released on September 7th.

In the meantime, Brubaker fans should check out his Twitter feed, where he's been providing #noirlessons.

The Last of the Innocent #1: The Reviews (and Another Interview).

2011-06-01T19:30:00.006-04:00

The reviews are coming in. I don't believe we have a sort of Rotten Tomatoes or MetaCritic for comic books, so I'll take the opportunity to compile the reviews that I find for at least this first issue of "The Last of the Innocent," starting with the advance review we mentioned yesterday.

I'll update this entry as my very limited time permits. I tip my hat to the tweets and retweets at Ed Brubaker's page -- and to any one who lists any I miss in the comments.

--

IGN: "It's too early to tell how The Last of the Innocent will compare to past Criminal stories, but it is clear this tale has potential to outshine them all." 9.0 out of ten.

Comic Book Resources: "This book is a study of our view of the past, both our own and a culturally ubiquitous one, as well as the start of the best noir tale you’ll find in any medium." 5 stars out of five.

cxPulp: "This is an excellent jumping on point for new readers, so if you’ve never read a Criminal comic before, why not start here?" 4.5 out of five.

Comics Alliance: "Brubaker and Phillips have managed to crank out five volumes of Criminal over the past few years, and The Last of the Innocent is off to a fantastic start that's comfortably above the already high bar set for the series. In fact, it has a good chance of being the best arc yet."

--

An MTV print interview with Ed Brubaker includes its own quick review:

"...without spoilers, we’ll say that it’s probably our favorite kick-off to a Criminal series yet. Steeped in comic book minutiae, but without losing any of the blisteringly whip-smart noir feel of previous series, Last of The Innocent would definitely be on our 'do-not-miss' list for this next week, even if we weren’t lucky enough to snag a copy from Brubaker himself."

More to come, as I find additional reviews.

--

[Update, June 5]

A few more reviews:

Best Shots Rapid Reviews, Newsarama: "It’s without a doubt writer Brubaker’s most personal work, and the direct and palpable emotion of it all just makes the book a compelling read from start to finish. Artwise, from cover to back Sean Phillips makes the book sing, with his lurid, pulpy painted cover and gleefully retro Archie-like flashbacks as he switches styles to portray the protagonist’s earlier years. Hands down, this was the best book I read all week and is strongly recommended."

The Buy Pile, CBR: "The idea, it seems, was to show the discordance between the characters in their youth and their much more rough hewn adulthoods, but it didn't quite connect." Honorable Mention / "Read Pile"

Fresh Ink video review: "This may be the best one yet... It makes my heart weep that something this good might be overlooked because you gotta buy a bunch of [event] tie-ins. So, if you only buy one comic this week, oh my God, make it Criminal. This is such good stuff." Pick of the Week.

--

[Update, June 6]

And a few more reviews:

Best Shots Review, Newsarama: "If you're going to keep on creating and reading these kind of dark, twisted crime stories, eventually you need to find some humor in the situation... The dark humor of Riley Richards' life is a welcome treat in this latest story of crime and murder."

Savage Critics: "Is it a form of innocence to pine for something evil? Or is it a sign of corruption? I think this book is going to address this stuff (god, I really hope so), but the first issue didn’t really deliver on that for me. It’s still GOOD, mind you — well-written and lovely as hell, but [from the pre-release interviews] I’d been primed for something great."

--

There were three reviews at Comics Bulletin, in their Firing Squad's Sunday Slugfest:

Morgan Davis: "Brubaker and Phillips work is so strong [] that even if they were to unfold this story in a way we've seen before the book would still be a powerful if clichéd effort. But given the experiments in form that Brubaker and Phillips are conducting and the track record of these two, it's likely that we'll be the fortunate receivers of yet another groundbreaking piece of crime lit that plays with our sense of nostalgia for a time when noir was new." 5 bullets out of five.

Rafael Gaitan: "Criminal is a masterclass in how to do crime in comic form, and Last of the Innocent is perhaps the zenith of Brubaker, Phillips and Staples' efforts. Easily the best issue of the week and perhaps the year, there's nothing that packs a simultaneous punch to the jaw and a blow to the heart as much as Criminal." 5 out of five.

Danny Djeljosevic: "The character work is so strong and Brubaker's script so thought-provoking that I can read this issue without feeling unsatisfied and can write about it without dropping the usual mitigating first issue review stock phrases like "this is all setup, so I'll reserve final judgment for future issues." It's a meaty first issue that doesn't feel like it needs to satisfy some well-worn genre formula, so I don't have to reserve judgment. I'll call it now and risk pulling a reverse-Pauline-Kael-on-Star-Wars: Criminal: The Last of the Innocent will be an instant classic." 5 out of five.

The book was chosen as the "Pick of the Week" at iFanboy. Conor Kilpatrick raves about the issue in a print review and, with his colleagues, he lauds the issue in an audio podcast.

Not to review the reviews, but I've really been getting a kick out of all this commentary. It's great to see Criminal praised from so many corners, especially for a storytelling approach that was challenging and risky, but it's also nice to share the experience of enjoying a good work of art with others and find a greater appreciation for the work from their analysis.

For all of these reviews, I've been excerpting only the "bottom line," but I STRONGLY recommend that our readers check out the links, especially from Comics Alliance and Comics Bulletin.

--

[Update, June 11]

And one more review...

Living Between Wednesdays: "[I]t was the best comic I read last week... Last Of The Innocent isn’t one of those wretched re-examinations of beloved comics characters that wallows in postmodernism by simply recasting old favourites as drug addicts, wife beaters, and fascists (although one of the thinly-veiled Riverdale gang is now saddled with a substance abuse problem). Brubaker and Phillips actually have something to say about the dangers of viewing the past through rose-coloured glasses, and their Archie pastiche provides an entertaining and insightful storytelling device with which to deliver it."

--

[Update, July 7]

And a late entry...

AV Club's Comics Panel: "The pairing of Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips may not have reached legendary status yet, but Criminal: The Last Of The Innocent #1 (Icon) solidifies their position in the golden pantheon of comic-book creative teams."

In the comments, the author, Oliver Sava, reveals that AV Club will soon publish an interview with Ed Brubaker, including an "enlightening" discussion of Criminal.

Early Review of This Week's Issue, and A Look Ahead.

2011-05-31T23:30:00.000-04:00

After a hiatus of nearly fifteen months, our favorite crime comic returns. The first issue of Criminal: The Last of the Innocent is in stores this week. I believe it reaches stores Wednesday for most retailers, and IGN has an advance review, giving the issue 9.0 out of 10 and writing that this arc could outshine all that has come before it.

Comics Alliance includes the series in a list of top noir comics, alongside Brubaker and Phillips' Batman: Gotham Noir (reprinted this July), Gotham Central, and Darwyn Cooke's Parker adaptations.

Looking forward, we already have a good bit of information about the rest of the series. Marvel's August solicitations include the third issue of the mini-series, with an August 3rd release date. The issue is third of apparently four issues, and Sean Phillips has posted cover art for what is presumably the finale, as a sketch, pencils, an in-progress painting, and as the final cover.

And did we mention the return of Teeg Lawless?

We previously reported Ed Brubaker's criticism of too much info being out there too soon, but everything I've seen for "The Last of the Innocent" has whet the appetite without spoiling anything.

The trade for Incognito: Bad Influences is due later this month, and with the reprint of Batman: Gotham Noir, it's a fairly big couple of months for Brubaker/Phillips fans.

Ed Brubaker Interviewed at The Comics Reporter

2011-05-29T06:30:00.002-04:00

The always-excellent Tom Spurgeon got a sneak peak at the first issue of Criminal: Last of the Innocent #1, which arrives in stores this week, and takes the occasion to discuss the new story-arc (and other matters) with writer Ed Brubaker. It's a good, longish piece that is perfect for Sunday reading. So go read it.

Criminal Previews... and a Brubaker/Phillips Rarity.

2011-04-19T18:15:00.001-04:00

We're moving ever closer to the return of our favorite crime comic, as Sean Phillips has begun posting preview images from Criminal: The Last of the Innocent. The almost invisible narration from the first preview reminds this reader of Tim Buckley's "Song to the Siren."

There are things in this city...
...that pull me in..
...like a siren...
...calling to a sailor...
...lost at sea.

And, the most recent image shows us a little more of the nostalgic, Archie-esque style that was briefly seen in the two-page teaser.

The July solicitations are already out, and Marvel's list includes the second issue, complete with cover art, reprinted above. The solicitation, also available at Sean's blog, mentions murder and a double cross -- would we expect anything less? -- and Marvel lists a July 6th release date.

Last Tuesday, Ed Brubaker wrote a bit about how fans may be getting too much information, too soon (e.g., here), but on the other hand, the Friday before he let drop this little tidbit.

Got a page from @seanpphillips today, and it had Teeg Lawless on it.

With Teeg in the picture, we know things are gonna get ugly.

And, on the subject of solicitations, there's a quite happy coincidence with Jason's excellent blog entry from earlier today. In DC's July solicitations we see a "DC Presents" reprint of Brubaker and Phillips' Batman: Gotham Noir, scheduled to be released on July 13th.

Originally published as a prestige-format comic, the story has NEVER been reprinted and isn't the easiest book to find. Not counting his inkwork on Michael Lark's pencils for most of the issues of Scene of the Cirme, the 2001 comic marks the very first collaboration between Brubaker and Phillips.

The reprint includes a single issue (#604) from Brubaker's Batman run, which hasn't seen many reprints beyond the recent "DC Presents" comics. Even without this bonus issue, the comic is a must-have for Criminal fans.

Criminal, Comics and Criminology

2011-04-19T09:05:00.007-04:00

Writer Ed Brubaker and artist Sean Phillips have really touched a nerve when it comes to their popular comic book series Criminal. When I read the book and see how convincingly they depict the criminal underworld, I am fascinated by the level of detail that must go into their work. As a result of reading Criminal, I have gone on to investigate other areas of Criminology, read non-fiction Criminology texts by such experts as John Douglas, and even thought about taking out payday loans in order to get my masters degree courses in Criminology.

Perhaps the most interesting meeting of Brubaker and Phillips's talents and real-world Criminology practices occurred in their early joint graphic novel effort Batman: Gotham Noir. This "Elseworlds" (out of mainstream DC continuity) story pre-figured Criminal in some ways and pointed the way to the future of the Brubaker/Phillips creative collaboration. The lead character is James Gordon, and the narrative focuses on his efforts to bring down a complex criminal conspiracy while all odds are stacked against him. Every comic book Brubaker and Phillips have created together is worth reading and far above the industry average, but for fans of Criminal (the series) and/or Criminology (the field of study), Gotham Noir is absolutely must-reading.

With the next Criminal series (Criminal: Last of the Innocent) arriving in comic book stores soon, I feel like I am more prepared than ever, as a result of my research, to delve into the intriguing world Brubaker and Phillips have created, and I'm eager to learn more about the ins and outs of Criminology, both in the real world and in the fiction I have come to love so much.

Brubaker Podcast and Assorted Bullets.

2011-04-06T23:15:00.002-04:00

Out yesterday: the latest Word Balloon podcast to feature Ed Brubaker. I haven't had the chance to give it a listen, but, along with recent developments in his mainstream Marvel work, Brubaker discusses both Criminal and Incognito, the new story for the former and the just-completed story for the latter.

I have a few other noteworthy links, from Ed's Twitter, Sean's blog, and elsewhere on the web.

Incognito Reviews. The second mini-series concluded to somewhat mixed reviews: CBR describes Bad Influences as a "good comic that suffers for being a sequel to a great comic," giving the fifth issue a 3-star review, out of five. IGN awards a 7.5/10, writing that, even when the series succeeds, the writer feels that "it has yet to deliver as satisfying an experience as Criminal's dark noir fare."
Gotham Central Reviews. Five years after its conclusion -- and after a subsequent 2007 review that's worth a late look -- Comics Alliance remembers Ed Brubaker and Greg Rucka's Gotham Central. John Parker compares the series to the Velvet Underground, whose work was critically praised while being largely ignored by the general public. With the complete series now available in a four-volume hardcover set (which is in the midst of a softcover re-release), this is no better opportunity for Criminal fans to see what the fuss is all about.
French Award for the Sinners. The Marvel press release mentioned it, but it's worth noting that Criminal: The Sinners has won the 2011 award for Best Crime Comic at the International Noir Fest in Lyon: the announcement, in French, appears to be online.
Brubaker Blurb on Captain America. There's been a lot of recent press about changes in his more traditional titles, and Ed Brubaker joined artist Steve McNiven in an interview with Newsarama, to discuss the soon-to-be-relaunched Captain America.
Sunset Comic. Finally, LA Times Magazine has published a short comic by crime writer Don Winslow with arresting artwork by Sean Phillips (previewed at his blog) -- a comic whose layout works surprisingly well, both in print or in a single webpage: SUNSET ON SUNSET.

Buy Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips comics from Amazon.com

Incognito: Bad Influences #5 In Stores Now.

2011-03-30T19:45:00.001-04:00

At my local comic shop, I confirmed the arrival of the fifth and final issue of Incognito: Bad Influences. The postscript includes a small reproduction of the cover art to Criminal: The Last of the Innocent, and Ed Brubaker points the reader online for the two-page preview, which I hope will find its way to print before June.

A few news sites have posted the preview and bits of the press release posted at Marvel.com. Alongside the conclusion to the Incognito sequel, the press release is worth reading in its own right -- and it raises an subject or two that might be worth further discussion in the next few days.

Criminal: Last of the Innocent Preview

2011-03-29T06:19:00.005-04:00

Criminal: The Last of the Innocent #1 arrives in comic book stores in June.

CRIMINAL: THE LAST OF THE INNOCENT!

2011-03-27T21:10:00.003-04:00

Ed Brubaker said it himself:

"http://criminalcomic.blogspot.com/ is always a good place to check out for Criminal-related news."

We have a reputation to maintain, so here's what we know about Criminal: The Last of The Innocent, starting with the gorgeous cover art to the first issue.

This issue will be released in June, the same month as the trade paperback for Incognito: Bad Influences -- the same day, as a matter of fact.

Ed Brubaker is encouraging comics news sites to update their June solicitations, and Marvel's official site has already published pages for both the return of Criminal and the second Incognito trade. The former has a June 1st release date listed, the latter has June 22nd, and I'm inclined to believe that we'll see both on June 22nd.

It's going to be "a few more days," but a two-page teaser will be released for "The Last of the Innocent."

In the meantime, Sean Phillips has published the solicitation, including the first look at the striking cover art, which we've reprinted above.

CRIMINAL: The Last of the Innocent #1
By Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips with Val Staples on colors

The best-selling crime comic finally returns, and with their most ambitious story yet. Obsession, sex, money, murder, and nostalgia for days long past all collide in THE LAST OF THE INNOCENT.

Riley Richards got it all… The hottest girl in school and a ticket to the big time… so why isn’t he happy now? Why is he getting involved in gambling and drugs and shady characters in the city? Why can’t he forget the life he left behind in small town Brookview? And why is he suddenly plotting murder?

And as always, each issue of Criminal contains unique back-up features, articles and artwork, which are only available in the single issues.

32 PGS/Mature Content… $3.50

It's not what I was expecting -- late last year, the sequel to the first arc "Coward" seemed likely to be the next story to be told -- but I'm quite intrigued by what we already know about this upcoming arc.

Brubaker and Phillips seem to do their very best work whenever they really push the boundaries of their Criminal universe -- as with the trio of stories that would become "The Dead and the Dying" and the very twisted "Bad Night."

I can't wait to see where this is going, and we'll be there to cover the new arc from the teaser to preview art, to the reviews and the trade collection.

CRIMINAL: THE LAST OF THE INNOCENT?

2011-03-10T23:30:00.001-05:00

Just today, Sean Phillips posted a photo of what's on his drawing board:

From the details, it appears to be the first page of a teaser for Criminal: The Last of the Innocent.

Apparently we aren't the only ones eager to return to the Criminal universe.

Gotham Noir and Gotham Central, In Stores Now, More or Less.

2011-03-09T22:10:00.002-05:00

I've seen a few more reviews for the latest issue of Incognito: Bad Influences #4 than I have for the last few issues: specifically, IGN and Comic Book Resources have both posted fairly positive reviews.

Looking to older material for a moment, on Monday Sean Phillips announced that his Amazon store was offering "a few copies" of his first major collaboration with Ed Brubaker, the prestige-format Elseworlds story, Batman: Gotham Noir, published in 2000.

(I say "major" because, the year before, Phillips inked Michael Lark's pencils for the last three issues of Brubaker and Lark's regretfully short-lived Vertigo series, Scene of the Crime. All four issues and a rare short story are available in a trade paperback.)

It wasn't there yesterday, but it's there now. I wouldn't bet on its being available for long, because the pulpy mystery has never been republished. I was lucky to find a copy at Dragon*Con a year or two back, and I recommend die-hard fans to check it out.

Easier to find this week is Gotham Central, Brubaker's acclaimed collaboration with Greg Rucka. The fourth and final hardcover collection reached retailer shelves today, along with a softcover reprint of Gotham Central Book 1, collecting the first ten issues.

Gotham Central Book 4: Corrigan (an unfortunate title) features the last nine issues of the title's forty-issue run. Ed Brubaker left before the end of the series, but this volume includes the excellent "Dead Robin," his last collaboration. Starting with that arc and issue #33, Sean Phillips created the cover art for all but one issue, and this artwork should be included in the collection.

It's Coming...

2011-03-01T23:35:00.002-05:00

Along with the latest issue of Chew and (finally!) the last issue of DC's First Wave, the fourth and penultimate issue of Incognito: Bad Influences is in stores this week. At least, it's arrived at the Brubaker residence, has a March 2nd release date listed at Marvel.com, and is included in Brian Hibbs' weekly list of books arriving in San Francisco's Comix Experience.

I think the mini-series is picking up steam, and the last issue's vignettes were thought-provoking in suggesting that a person may be defined, in part, by how he diagnoses life's problems.

Still, I crave more Criminal. We've seen only five full-length issues of the pure noir series since 2009, and I'm happy to document some more rumblings of the title's eminent return.

From his Twitter account, Ed Brubaker confirmed -- twice -- that more Criminal is on its way.

"Yes, Criminal in June."

As of last week, at least preliminary work on the mini-series has already begun.

"I can't wait until we can show you all the new Criminal cover."

Over at his blog, Sean Phillips notes that he completed the last issue of "Bad Influences" Monday.

"Got another little project to do for the next couple of weeks, and then back to Criminal."

Tor.com Looks at Criminal Vol. 1: Coward

2011-02-17T10:46:00.001-05:00

Tor.com's Stephen Aryan has posted a review of Criminal Vol. 1: Coward.

The creators of this comic are huge noir fans and the writer, Ed Brubaker, knows all of the character archetypes and storytelling techniques that are common to the genre. He takes these elements and uses them to create something new, interesting and most of all unpredictable that leaves you guessing right up to the end. You don’t have to be a fan of noir or crime films to enjoy the comic, but if you generally like gritty crime stories then I think Criminal will definitely appeal. Recent TV touchstones in the same style include The Shield, The Wire, and The Sopranos. Criminal shares common elements with these shows, including organized crime, crooked cops, and uncompromising storytelling.

Much more in the link.

Incognito Out This Week (and More Soon), and Interesting Links.

2011-02-08T16:45:00.003-05:00

Both Great Escape Comics in Marietta, Georgia, and San Francisco's Comix Experience confirm that Incognito: Bad Influences #3 is in stores tomorrow, February 9th.

Ed Brubaker has relayed the same news, adding that Issue #4 is already at the printers.

And, along with more sketches for the following issues, Sean Phillips has posted a two-page preview of tomorrow's release. Frankly, it's the best two pages I've seen from this mini-series, and I can't wait for the new issue.

But wait we must, and while we do, Brubaker's Twitter page has highlighted a couple worthwhile destinations on the World Wide Web.

PopMatters features a review of "Bad Influences." I think it stretches credibility to tie the appeal of pulp to a particular decade's political context, but Michael Stewart is right to note that the heroes in the Incognito universe are presented as consistently brutal and cynical, all the way back to the older generation's origins. Unlike the mainstream books, here we have a super-powered universe with depth and history, but we see no softening from being subjected to the now-defunct Comics Code.

Over on Vimeo, we have two trailers for In the Dark, a short film written and directed by Brubaker and starring Wil Wheaton. The film is a production of "Basement Gang, Inc.," Brubaker's company that also owns the rights to Incognito. (Check the copyright.) This is the same short film that premiered at last year's Seattle International Film Festival.

Finally, Eric Skillman, the graphic designer for the Criterion Collection, highlights the process for creating the cover to Sweet Smell of Success. As we reported in November, Sean Phillips created the cover art, and Skillman's blog post features quite a bit of Phillips' work. We find sketches, partial work, the complete and unadorned painting, and one of two bonus paintings to be included in the February 22nd release.

Incognito: Bad Influences #2 Out Now... Sorta.

2010-12-22T23:55:00.001-05:00

After a brief delay caused by "a shit couple of months with family stuff" for both creators, Sean Phillips relays that the next issue of Incognito: Bad Influences is out today.

Elsewhere, Ed Brubaker explains that the issue isn't out in all markets. It has reached West Coast stores, evidently including Chris Hibb's Comix Experience in San Francisco.

The issue wasn't available at my store, Great Escape Comics in Marietta, Georgia; I haven't seen any previews online; and Marvel's official site still lists a December 29th release date.

It suffices to say that the new issue should be in stores everywhere by next Wednesday, during the last week of 2010.

Bullets: Incognito Reviews and More.

2010-11-25T12:15:00.000-05:00

Lots of links from the past few weeks.

A Criminal Comeback, Part 1. From my point of view, the best thing about the Newsarama interview that ADD highlighted earlier is the eminent return of Criminal.

Ed Brubaker relayed that we will soon see the story that might still be titled "Coward's Way Out" -- and even that story might not the last we'll see of Leo.
"Depending on how I feel by the time I finish Issue #5 of Bad Influences, we may do an Incognito Annual first, before we go back to Criminal, but we'll be going back to Criminal as the next thing. Right now, it's looking like it's going to be the sequel to Coward, which is Leo in prison. But until I actually sit down to write it, it could change. I've had that mapped out since before I wrote Coward. I've had the idea for three stories with that character."
Brubaker reiterates this plan on his Twitter page, telling Brad Meltzer that Criminal will return "As soon as Incognito is done."

I really like Incognito, and along with titles like Chew and Scott Morse's Strange Science Fantasy, it's a book I look forward to reading every month, but it's no Criminal, and I wish Brubaker and Phillips didn't have to choose between the two titles. Their straight-up crime comic is like a pure, uncut narcotic, and I've been having withdrawal symptoms for far too long.
Bad Influences, Mostly Good Reviews. Quite a few reviews have been posted for the debut of Incognito: Bad Influences, and the ones I've seen have been mostly positive, but not without reservations.

The most enthusiastic review I've seen is at A Comic Book Blog, where John Barringer admits that he would pay double for the issue.

Comics Alliance lauds the issue as "a great read that's a welcome return to a well written, beautifully drawn and colored series." The critic notes the emerging similarities with Sleeper but trusts that the story will stand on its own.

At IGN, the issue is given an "impressive" 8.0 review: compared to previous collaborations, the story "doesn't quite sing as loudly or as beautifully," but the issue "succeeds largely because Brubaker and Phillips again compliment each other so wonderfully."

The Comics Panel at The A.V. Club gives the issue a solid B: "In spite of the rehashed plot elements, Incognito: Bad Influences has enough of its own identity to set itself apart from its predecessors, and looks to be the start of another memorable Brubaker-Phillips partnership."

In their "Best Shots" reviews, Newsarama praises the artwork of Sean Phillips and the "seedy, subversive" colors of Val Staples while noting the issue's relative inaccessibility to new readers.

And, Comic Book Resources gives the issue only two-and-a-half stars, praising it as "skillfully constructed" but describing its plot as mostly set-up and exposition.

Even at our sister blog, Trouble With Comics, Christopher Allen praised the book as "better than a lot of what’s out there," but he still couldn't shake the similarities to earlier work.
An Award Nod, a Feature Article, and Preview Art. A few more miscellaneous links regarding Incognito, things I noticed from following Brubaker's Twitter posts and Sean Phillips' blog.

First, the original mini-series has been included in the Official Selection for Angoulême 2011, a French award from the world's largest comic-book convention. Other noteworthy nominees are Asterios Polyp, The Walking Dead, and Darwyn Cooke's The Hunter. Awards will be presented at the end of January.

Prompted by the sequel "Bad Influences," Comics Alliance posted an article listing some of the more notable instances of comic-book villains becoming heroes.

And, while Incognito: Bad Influences was absent from Marvel's February solicitations, Sean Phillips has already posted the striking cover art to the fifth and presumably final issue.
Phillips Art for the Criterion Collection. As he did for Blast of Silence, Sean Phillips has created the cover art for another release from the Criterion Collection: Sweet Smell of Success, a 1957 film starring Burt Lancaster and Tony Curtis. The Blu-Ray and the two-disc DVD will be released, separately, on February 22nd.
A Criminal Comeback, Part 2. Finally, Hard Case Crime is back on track, with new material on the way. Its original publishers ceased production of mass-market paperbacks this year, but the imprint will be published through Titan Books, beginning in the fall of 2011.

As before, The Violent World of Parker has the details, first with the breaking news, then with the full text of the newsletter email. Reading further down the latter, it seems that new material will be released as trade paperbacks, possibly with a MMPB reprint to follow.

More Criminal and more Hard Case Crime? It looks like 2011 is shaping up to be a great year for crime fiction.

Buy Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips comics from Amazon.com

Newsarama Talks to Ed Brubaker

2010-11-03T06:18:00.003-04:00

With Incognito: Bad Influences #1 now available, Newsarama's Vaneta Rogers spoke to writer Ed Brubaker about the book, and being back at work with his Criminal/Incognito/Sleeper creative partner, artist Sean Phillips:

"There was a period a few years ago where I was working with Steve Epting and Michael Lark and Sean Phillips, and I felt like all of them could pretty much read my mind in terms of what we were creating. Hopefully I'll work with Steve and Michael again soon, but Sean's probably the most important one I've got going now. With Sean, for the longest time, our relationship has been creating new stuff and doing our own thing. We've only done one or two projects together that were company-owned things. It's always been stuff where we just made up our own stuff. I always know what I'm going to get from Sean, and I always know how to write for him. It's a really simple relationship that way. We try to keep each other excited about the working process and I'm always excited to see pages."

Much more at Newsarama.

INCOGNITO: BAD INFLUENCES #1 in Stores Today.

2010-10-27T06:10:00.000-04:00

The first issue of the Incognito sequel reaches stores today, and MTV.com has an exclusive interview with writer Ed Brubaker, along with an eight-page preview of the issue.

In the interview, Brubaker had no further details regarding a change in writers for the Sleeper adaptation, but he did relay that the film adaptation for Incognito is "full steam ahead so far." He also explains that the comic-book sequel features the collision of the central themes of the two stories -- a good guy corrupted by working undercover with the bad guys, and a bad guy growing a conscience working with the good guys.

Conclusion to Word Balloon Interview, Cooke's Parker, and Liberty Comics.

2010-10-07T20:45:00.002-04:00

Very quickly, Ed Brubaker's Word Balloon interview concludes -- here, here, and here -- in a 70-minute podcast, out this week.

Also out this week? Darwyn Cooke's second adaptation of Richard Stark's Parker; Comics Alliance has a very lengthy interview with Cooke, about The Outfit.

And, the 2010 edition of Liberty Comics was released yesterday. Liberty Annual 2010 benefits the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, and while this issue lacks any contributions from Brubaker and Phillips (unlke the inaugural 2008 release), the book features a Who's Who of writers and artists.

A Preview, An Interview, and More.

2010-09-29T22:25:00.001-04:00

Big news yesterday -- a preview for Incognito: Bad Influences. Featuring four final pages of interior art, the preview is available at Newsarama, Comic Book Resources, and Comics Alliance. This first issue is currently scheduled to reach stores on October 20th.

Fans looking for more should bookmark Sean Phillips' blog, where he has recently posted the sketch and final artwork for the latest pulp essay by Jess Nevins, to be included in the back of the first issue.

December solicitations for the major publishers have recently been released, and Marvel's solicitations lack any reference to Incognito; the strong implication is that we'll see at most three issues of the pulp mini-series in 2010. However, at year's end we'll have new issues from Ed Brubaker's Secret Avengers and Captain America.

Meanwhile, DC's solicitations continue to include noteworthy reprints, most notably a collection of another four issues of Brubaker's Batman run from 2000-2002. Beginning in October, DC Comics will publish several extra-sized reprints (96 pages for 8 bucks) that might appeal to fans of Criminal and Incognito:

OCTOBER TO DECEMBER
DC Presents: Batman #1-3 - collects Batman #582-585, and 591-598, all written by Ed Brubaker
OCTOBER
DC Presents: Brightest Day #1 - includes a one-shot Hawkman crime story by Brubaker and Phillips
NOVEMBER
WildStorm Presents #1 - features various writers, including Ed Brubaker
DECEMBER
Vertigo Resurrected: Winter's Edge #1 - features various artists, including Sean Phillips

DC's solicitations also feature what we now know to be the final issues published under the WildStorm imprint. CBR posted a summary of the early news surrounding the imprint's end, and Newsarama asked comic creators -- including Ed Brubaker -- for their comments.

On Twitter, Brubaker recommends that interested readers purchase WildStorm's Sleeper (and I would add Point Blank) while the trade paperbacks are still readily available. It's the same warning that Charles Ardai gave when his Hard Case Crime imprint lost its paperback publisher. It's my hope that Sleeper will remain in print for the foreseeable future: set in the WildStorm universe, the story is still remarkably self-contained, it was the work of two creators who are -- individually and collaboratively -- held in high esteem by both fans and critics, and it is still on track to be adapted into a major motion picture. Still, it's better to be safe than sorry, and I would strongly recommend Sleeper in any case.

There's news about a different adaptation -- the Incognito movie, which was first announced in May -- and it can be found in a lengthy audio interview with Ed Brubaker. It is the first installment of a two-part Word Balloon interview, and the two-hour conversation can be found at iFanboy and two sites dedicated to the podcast, the blog and an archive with a direct mp3 download.

I'll post a link to the second part of the interview when it has been made available.

Updates and News: Incognito Variant Cover, Call for Brubaker Interview Questions.

2010-09-11T11:45:00.001-04:00

In my last post, I noted an uncertain future for the paperback crime imprint Hard Case Crime. That future is beginning to brighten: along with reprinting the relevant newsletter email from publisher Charles Ardai, The Violent World of Parker highlighted the news that Subterranean Press will be publishing the first HCC hardcover, scheduled to be published in the first half of next year. The book will collect two early Lawrence Block novels, printed back-to-back: this 69th book in the line wasn't announced earlier and is proof that the imprint still has some life in it.

(The site, devoted to the Richard Stark's brutal creation Parker, also reported that the University of Chicago Press has secured the publishing rights for the Parker books up through Firebreak. That's the twentieth book of the series, and the U of C press will publish books 16, 17, and 18 this March. Fans of Criminal and Darwyn Cooke's Parker adaptations should definitely look into these trade paperbacks.)

While Hard Case Crime fans will have to wait a while for the next release, the wait has finally ended for the conclusion to the first arc for Stumptown, a detective comic that deliberately evokes shows like The Rockford Files. The fourth issue was released just last week, just over four months after the publication of issue #3. Over at his blog, writer Greg Rucka -- Brubaker's co-writer on Gotham Central -- announced that this sort of delay won't be repeated. Subsequent story arcs won't be solicited until it's clear that the entire arc can be released on time.

Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips' Incognito will also see a short delay. On Twitter, Brubaker relayed that the release has been pushed back from the original release date of September 15th. Marvel.com currently lists the release date as October 6th.

The "apocalyptic pulp noir" is definitely on its way. Starting in late August and throughout September, Sean Phillips has been posting plenty of work from Incognito on his blog, including thumbnails, pencils, and completed inks.

Most interesting is the artwork featured here, what has been announced as a variant cover for the first issue of Incognito: Bad Influences. I believe this is the first variant cover for any Brubaker and Phillips collaboration, not counting the second printing for the debut issue of Incognito, and Brubaker explains that it is "a nod" to the title's pulp origins. The cover is featured in a 1:10 variant edition, offered to retailers at the same price as the regular edition.

Finally, Brubaker recently publicized an opportunity to submit questions for an upcoming Word Balloon podcast with John Siuntres. The deadline for questions is this Monday evening.

Buy Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips comics from Amazon.com

Bullets: Awards, Solicitations, and Hard Case Crime.

2010-08-21T16:25:00.001-04:00

My life offline has been quite busy, as I'm now the happy and grateful father of a healthy baby girl, but we're less than a month out from Incognito: Bad Influences, and we're long overdue for an update.

Eisner Awards for Brubaker. The 2010 Eisner Awards were announced just a few days after my last post in late July, and Ed Brubaker won two awards, one for the best single issue (Captain America #601) and one for best writer. This is the third time Brubaker has been given the prestigious Best Writer award, and this year's award is for his work on Criminal, Incognito, and his mainstream Marvel titles.

Other noteworthy winners were Darwyn Cooke's Parker for Best Adaptation and Chew for Best New Series.
Sean Phillips Spotlight from San Diego. While attending San Diego's Comic-Con International, where the Eisners were announced, Sean Phillips and artist and friend Duncan Fegredo conducted a panel spotlighting Phillips' work. Comic Book Resources has published an article summarizing the panel, and from the article I've learned that Phillips created the cover art for an issue of Star Wars: Chewbacca -- one of the more striking Star Wars covers in the last decade.
Brubaker/Phillips Reprint from DC Comics. On the subject of older work that I'm still stumbling across, Ed Brubaker noted on Twitter that DC Presents: Brightest Day #1 features the reprint of a single-issue crime story -- with Hawkman, no less -- by Brubaker and Phillips.

(As I noted last time, DC Presents: Batman #1 features a complete four-issue arc by Brubaker, from 2000.)

The large-scale collaborations -- Sleeper and Criminal and Incognito -- naturally receive the most attention, but I've found that Brubaker and Phillips' older, "minor" works are worth checking out, books such as Scene of the Crime and the prestige-formatted Batman: Gotham Noir.
Late Fall Solicitations for Incognito. In the time since my last post, Marvel has released two sets of solicitations, one for October and one for November. Both feature issues for the sequel to Incognito. Issue #2 for "Bad Influences" is due on October 20th, and Issue #3 is due on November 17th.

Sean Phillips has posted the full cover art for the third issue. Most interestingly, I don't believe there has been ANY indication of just how many issues will be released for this presumed mini-series.
Uncertain Future for Hard Case Crime. Finally, on the subject of open questions in publishing, on August 6th, Publishers Weekly reported that Dorchester Publishing is immediately halting its publication of mass-market paperbacks in favor of e-books and printing on-demand.

The Wall Street Journal subsequently explained the relevance for readers of A Criminal Blog: Dorchester has been publishing Hard Case Crime, the fantastic mass-market imprint of hard-boiled crime fiction.

Having just published its 66th book in six years, Hard Case Crime has featured both new works and long-forgotten reprints from authors such as Donald E. Westlake, Max Allan Collins, Lawrence Block, and Mickey Spillane. It published The Colorado Kid, the short Stephen King novel on which the new cable series Haven is loosely (very loosely) based, and it has also featured books by "John Lange" (Google the psuedonym) and one A.C. Doyle.

Moreover, HCC owner Charles Ardai and Ed Brubaker did "ad swaps" when Criminal debuted: in the back pages of their respective works, Brubaker ran an advertisement for the crime books, and Ardai ran ads for the crime comic. Since then, Brubaker published an interview with Ardai in the back pages of Criminal.

In the WSJ article, Ardai relays that he may move HCC to another publisher. In an August 8th message to the HCC mailing list, Ardai assures fans that everything will be sorted out, and that they're already working on two books that haven't yet been announced.

"After that? Well, you won't be seeing a new book every month, but I expect you'll continue to see a handful of new Hard Case Crime titles each year, and rest assured they'll be good ones."

I've already devoured about half of HCC's pulp novels, and this hiatus -- and doubtless late nights with my daughter -- might give me a chance to catch up. Regardless, I hope that, as with Criminal, new releases from Hard Case Crime aren't too far away.

A Few Brief Notes.

2010-07-22T20:20:00.001-04:00

I was hoping to make note of a few interesting new arrivals last week, but things have been hectic. The moving finger writes and, having writ, moves on!

While Ed Brubaker has announced that he's too busy to attend any more conventions this year, Sean Phillips is in San Diego this weekend, on panels Friday afternoon and Sunday afternoon.

(Apologies for not pointing to his schedule sooner.)

Also at his blog, Phillips highlighted the cover art for the second issue of Incognito: Bad Influences and announced the sale of personalized copies of the trade paperback for Criminal: The Sinners.

More recently, Brubaker discussed an upcoming story arc for his Captain America title, in both a press release at Marvel.com and an interview on Newsarama. "The Trial of Captain America" begins in October.

October also sees the publication of DC Comics Presents: Batman #1, collecting a four-issue arc from 2000, written by Ed Brubaker with art by Scott McDaniel. That month, Image Comics also publishes the third annual issue of Liberty Comics, to benefit the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.

Finally, the A.V. Club recently praised Criminal: The Sinners, calling it "one of the best arcs to date in what’s already an outstanding series."

So, what were the comic books I liked from last week? The latest issue of Chew, featuring Poyo, the Mobutu Sese Seko Kuku Ngbendu waza Banga; the evocative if overpriced Strange Science Fantasy #1, a pulp comic that should appeal to fans of Incognito; and The Man with the Getaway Face, the over-sized, budget-priced preview of Darwyn Cooke's next Parker adaptation.

Bullets: Criminal, Incognito, & Gotham Central.

2010-06-17T18:55:00.001-04:00

I was hoping to blog before yesterday, but it's been another busy week, so another Thursday post will have to do.

Criminal Trade Paperback. Buying a copy from my local comic shop yesterday, I confirmed Ed Brubaker's announcement that the trade paperback of Criminal: The Sinners is now in stores. The story improves with every reading, and this fifth volume includes the cover art for the five monthly issues and an introduction by crime novelist Ian Rankin.
Incognito Sequel in Monthly Issues. September solicitations for the major publishers are rolling out, and those who share Brubaker's enthusiasm for the recent trend of one-dollar reprints will be happy to know that Dark Horse is jumping on the bandwagon. The first set was announced for August, and their "1 for 1" program continues in September with licensed properties like Star Wars, Buffy, and Serenity.

More importantly, those who have been waiting for more from Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips should be very interested to know that the debut issue of Incognito: Bad Influences has finally been solicited.
One of the biggest Hollywood options of the year, nominated for THREE Eisner Awards, INCOGNITO is finally back for more! It’s apocalyptic pulp noir at its finest!

It’s been over a year since Zack Overkill came out of Witness Protection to build a new life. But working for the government isn’t that different from being controlled by them, and his new secret identity is becoming more trouble than it’s worth... So what will Zack do when tasked with a mission that sends him on a hunt into darkest corners of the super-criminal underworld where he was raised? Also returning with Incognito are the exclusive Pulp magazine essays by Jess Nevins, Professor of pulp history, only available in the single issues of Incognito.
The first issue is scheduled for a September 15th release date.
Gotham Central Hardcover. Finally, with the third volume just hitting stores, it appears that the final hardcover collection of Ed Brubaker and Greg Rucka's DC police procedural may be released early next year.

On June 3rd, the blog Collected Editions posted a list of advance solicitations for DC collections, for early 2011. The list includes Gotham Central Book Four: Corrigan and a trade paperback release for Book One: In The Line of Duty. The story links to an Amazon page currently listing a February 8th release date for the hardcover, and the current Wikipedia page for the critically acclaimed series claims (without attribution) that the book will complete the 40-issue collection and even include excerpts from Infinite Crisis and 52.

Whether a complete collection of the series ought to include those excerpts is a subject for another time. For now, there's Gotham Central Book Four and Criminal Volume 5.

Buy Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips comics from Amazon.com

Gotham Central Volume 3, In Stores Now.

2010-06-10T20:20:00.001-04:00

I had forgotten that it was scheduled for a June 9th release, but the third hardcover collection of Gotham Central was released just yesterday.

I confirmed that the solicitation was mistaken -- and the listing at DCcomics.com is still inaccurate -- in suggesting that the story "Dead Robin" is being collected in this volume. That arc, from issues #33-36, will presumably be found in the final hardcover that I would expect to see next year.

This book continues the complete reproduction of the award-winning series, as it collects issues #23-31. Greg Rucka now has top billing, as I believe Ed Brubaker contributes only one two-part story, "On the Freak Beat," which fittingly features Catwoman.

The series was one of my favorite ongoing series from the "Big Two" superhero universes, and so I continue to recommend the hardcover collections.

Bullets: Incognito Cover Art, Secret Avengers, 7 Psychos, etc.

2010-05-29T13:00:00.002-04:00

Since a rough of the cover art had already been released, I expected that we would soon see at least an advance solicit for Incognito: Bad Influences, but the title is nowhere to be found in the August solicitations. If the title is still scheduled for a September debut, we'll likely see its solicit info next month.

In the meantime, Sean Phillips has revealed the final cover art for the first issue, with the title corrected.

And, we have a few other highlights from Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips.

Other Recent Releases. It seems that Brubaker has at least two or three mainstream Marvel titles coming out every month, and Phillips continues releasing new material -- his first contribution to Stephen King's Gunslinger comic book came out last week -- but this week has been especially noteworthy.

Phillips' Seven Psychopaths has finally reached American markets this week. Comic Book Resources released an exclusive, seven-page preview followed by a four-star review. It's not the only positive review online, as Newsarama also gives the first issue high marks.

Brubaker's Secret Avengers also debuted this week, and Newsarama has an extensive interview with Brubaker, about this new ongoing series. CBR has a six-page preview and a four-star review, and Newsarama cover the title in its rapid-fire reviews.

Most noteworthy is an article and interview about Secret Avengers in USA Today. The article reiterates what we've already reported, that Brubaker's "creator-owned crime title Incognito has been optioned by 20th Century Fox as a movie and has a sequel coming out in the fall."
Brubaker Film and Best-of Highlights. Ed Brubaker's been busy outside the comics world with In the Dark, a short film that recently premiered at this year's Seattle International Film Festival.

I gather that this eight-minute film is Brubaker's directorial debut; he wrote the screenplay, and his wife Melanie Tomlin edited and co-produced the crime story.

Back in funny pages, Comic Book Resources recently highlighted "the greatest Brubaker stories ever told" as part of a series for the month of May. CBR readers cast their votes, and Sleeper: Season One got top marks. Individual story arcs from his major collaborations with Sean Phillips -- Sleeper, Criminal, and Incognito -- took seven of the list's fifteen slots.
Original Artwork and Badges. At his blog, Sean Phillips has relayed that more original artwork is available for purchase at Splash Page Art, and Criminal and Incognito badges are now available, free with any purchase at his Amazon store.
Parker Preview and Dollar Reprints. The graphic novel I'm most looking forward to is Darwyn Cooke's The Outfit, his second adaptation of Richard Stark's Parker novels. We've already reported that the book is due in October, preceded in July with a $2.00 preview of the mini-adaptation of "The Man with the Getaway Face."

Newsarama recently published a preview of The Outfit, further stoking my interest.

Finally, on the subject of inexpensive previews, on Twitter this month, Ed Brubaker wrote that "not enough is being said about the awesome one dollar comic reprints marvel and dc are putting out."

Indeed: I can't even find a complete checklist anywhere online.

With the release of the Watchmen movie early last year, DC had the uncharacteristically good sense of publishing $1.00 previews of other works that might appeal to people who are just entering the world of comic books -- specifically, full first issues of DC, WildStorm, and Vertigo titles that are already available in collected editions.

In a way, this marketing campaign has proven to be more successful than the movie that prompted it. The series of previews was originally branded "After Watchmen... What's Next?" and was timed to coincide with the movie's release in theaters and then in DVD. The initiative has been extended at least into 2010 and has been re-branded simply "What's Next?"

Marvel and Image have followed suit this year with "Marvel's Greatest Comics" and "Image Firsts."

Over the last two years, and between the three companies, we've seen about 40 one-dollar previews for significant, recent works. I've been collecting the previews, since it's a cheap way to satiate the irrational need for collectin. They highlight how much I really haven't yet read, and they give me an opportunity to give high-profile titles a thorough preview before deciding what to explore next.

In an era flush with questionable business decisions on the part of the major comics publishers, it's good to see a smart move becoming a popular move.

INCOGNITO: Bad Influence(s).

2010-05-13T23:40:00.002-04:00

Other than a probable debut in September -- noted last time -- little information has been released about the upcoming sequel to Incognito. That changed today, as Sean Phillips has posted what appears to be the cover art for the first issue of Incognito: Bad Influence, and Ed Brubaker has clarified that the sequel's title is in the plural, "Bad Influences."

Going by the usual patterns of the last few months, I expect Marvel's August solicitations to be out in the next week or two. It's probably more than a little likely that this cover art and the corresponding issue will be featured, either for an August release date or as an advance solicitation. We'll post more info about this mini-series as it becomes available.

Bullets: Previews... and Movie News.

2010-05-02T20:55:00.001-04:00

And here I thought it was going to be a slow week.

Previews of Upcoming Projects. Apart from Icon publications like Criminal, we haven't made a habit of linking to every preview of new work from Ed Brubaker or Sean Phillips, but I think it's worth highlighting a first look at new upcoming projects.

First up is a preview of the debut issues for The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger - The Journey Begins. Sean Phillips joins Richard Isanove on art duties, and the issue is scheduled for a May 19th release.

Next is Ed Brubaker's new ongoing Marvel series, Secret Avengers. A preview of its debut issue was released late this week. From Twitter Brubaker writes that readers have barely seen anything; the issue is scheduled to hit stores on May 26th.
Brubaker Interview I: Captain America Backlash. The comics site io9 recently conducted an interview with Ed Brubaker about a variety of subjects, including Secret Avengers. Two issues stand out as very noteworthy.

First, Brubaker relays that the recent, politically charged criticism of his work on Captain America has led to death threats sent through email, prompting him to close his more public account.

Most of what I've had to say on the issue, I've said before, and I might add a couple more thoughts later, in the comments section.

For now, it suffices for me to say that I don't think violence and intimidation are unique to the American right or even prominent in the "Tea Party" movement, but hardly any group is wholly free from bullies and thugs. Those who would send threatening emails to people who disagree with them are despicable, and Ed Brubaker should consider reporting any serious threat to the FBI.
Brubaker Interview II: Sleeper Movie Update. Second, and on a brighter note, Brubaker relays that Warner Bros. is still working on the film adaptation of Brubaker and Phillips' first major collaboration, WildStorm's Sleeper.

His comment suggests that pre-production might have been on hold but is now back on track, and Ed Brubaker confirms that Tom Cruise is still attached to the project.
Incognito Film Rights Sold to Fox. The really big news this week is about another possible film adaptation. Followed by a few of the major comics news sites, Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips both pointed to a story at Deadline.com, which exclusively reports that that Twentieth Century Fox has purchased the film rights to Incognito.

Mike Fleming reports, "Robert Schenkkan, the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright of The Kentucky Cycle, will write the screenplay. Peter Chernin and his Chernin Entertainment will produce with Circle of Confusion’s David Engel...

"Schenkkan most recently wrote Anabasis, the period epic drama which will be directed by District 13 helmer Patrick Allesandrin."

In a follow-up comment on Twitter, Ed Brubaker relays that Incognito is "coming back in September with the sequel."

Criminal fans who haven't already read these other books are encouraged to check them out. Sleeper is now available in two "season-long" trade editions (and a prelude called Point Blank), and Incognito is also available as a trade paperback.

Bullets: Digital Editions, Interviews, Conventions, and More.

2010-04-22T17:05:00.000-04:00

The oddest bit of recent news is that, though the online preview doesn't indicate it, Ed Brubaker is heavily featured as a character in Marvel's self-parody comic, Captain America: Who Won't Wield The Shield?

The debut issue of Criminal also makes a cameo appearance, in a lengthy scene set in a real-world comic shop.

On to more important items.

Digital Editions for Criminal and Incognito. Recently on Twitter, Ed Brubaker has been relaying his experience with the iPad and digital comics, and his doing so has served as an obvious prelude to his announcement on April 17th -- beginning here -- that comics printed under Marvel's Icon banner are being re-released in a digital format.

Newsarama covered the story Tuesday, with comments from both Brubaker and Sean Phillips. Brubaker apparently led the charge, and he and Phillips both seem pleased with the results.

Chris Arrant reports, "The plan, as revealed this weekend at C2E2, sees both series serialized on the iTunes and PSP platform with the first issue of Incognito and first two issues of Criminal debuted Saturday for $1.99 each. Future issues are tentatively scheduled to be released on a weekly schedule with these digital versions catching up to its print counterparts by the end of the summer."

Both titles appear to be available in multiple digital-comic applications, including Comixology, Iverse and Panelfly.
Brubaker Interviews on Marvel Projects. There's little other news on the Icon front, but with convention season upon us, Ed Brubaker has given a couple interviews for some upcoming projects for Marvel, both involving Steve Rogers, the original Captain America.

Last Friday, Newsarama published an interview about the four-issue mini-series, Steve Rogers: Super-Soldier. Then on Sunday, Comic Book Resources published an interview about Brubaker's new ongoing series, Secret Avengers.
Phillips Projects and Books Sales. Over at his blog, Sean Phillips announced a project titled 7 Psychopaths, to debut in May, published by Boom! Studios.

Details of the project were made clear in a subsequent Newsarama interview with Phillips: the book is a reprint of a 2007 French comic, drawn by Phillips and written by Fabien Vehlmann, now being translated for American audiences. Originally published in an over-sized album, it appears the English version will be released (at least at first) as a three-issue mini-series.

The book tells the story of seven madmen on an impossible mission to assassinate Adolph Hitler during the height of World War II: the solicitation is frank about its being "In the vein of Inglorious Basterds, with art by the critically acclaimed Sean Phillips."

In the interview, Phillips also revealed, "I'm working with the same editor and colourist again at the moment on a sci-fi book for Delcourt."

Back at his blog, Phillips announced cover duties for The Calling: Cthulhu Chronicles, also by Boom! Studios, to debut in July.

He has continued to add books to his Amazon page, and each book purchased from that page includes an original sketch by the artist.
Greg Rucka and DC. The most surprising news of the early convention season is probably Greg Rucka's announcement, made at WonderCon at the beginning of this month, that he has left DC comics. He has set aside plans to complete the third arc in a twelve-issue run focusing on the (relatively) new Batwoman, to devote his energies to creator-owned work, such as a Queen and Country novel that might lead to a relaunch of the espionage comic. He notes, "I haven't been able to work on a lot of the projects that I've wanted to do," and at his website he reassures fans that there is no "drama" behind the scenes.

It appears that Batwoman is moving from a headlining stint in Detective Comics to an ongoing series of her own, to be co-written by J.H. Williams III, whose critically acclaimed artwork for Rucka's first Batwoman arc garnered multiple Eisner nominations. Newsarama has an interview with Williams about the new title.

Hopefully, Rucka's departure will not affect DC's plans to collect in hardcover editions Gotham Central, which he co-wrote with Ed Brubaker. The third of what I presume will be four volumes, released annually, is still scheduled for a June 9th release, but its contents remain unclear.
Cooke, Ardai, and Parker. Comic Book Resources covered Darwyn Cooke's "spotlight panel" at WonderCon. There, Cooke relayed how he fought with Ed Brubaker (and won) to improve the finale of their four-issue arc in Catwoman, and he notes the striking visual similarity between their prelude story and his current work adapting Donald Westlake's Parker novels.

The second adaptation, The Outfit, is due in October, but WonderCon attendees were treated with an advance preview, titled "The Man with the Getaway Face." The "prelude" contains an entire chapter from the upcoming book, and it covers the key events from the novel of the same name, bridging the novels The Hunter and The Outfit. The preview comic will be available nationwide in July, at the same low price of $2.00, and in the same over-sized 8-by-12-inch format.

(The blog at The Violent World of Parker may have the first look at the cover art for Cooke's The Outfit, from the back cover of the WonderCon preview.)

Cooke isn't the only one with Parker on the brain. Hard Case Crime editor Charles Ardai was interviewed about Parker by The Chicago Blog, of the University of Chicago Press. He discussed working with Donald Westlake (a/k/a Richard Stark), who passed away at the beginning of 2009.

Readers might remember Brubaker's interview with Ardai in Criminal Volume 2, Issue #4, which had the first chapter of "Bad Night." His crime fiction imprint Hard Case Crime is now publishing Memory, Westlake's final novel, a noir story that Ardai describes as "a heartbreaking, beautiful book" that was too existential to find a publisher in the 1960's.

Meanwhile, the University of Chicago Press is republishing the Parker novels, and it is in the process of releasing its fourth set of three books.
4thLetter Podcast on Criminal and Parker. The very worthwhile blog 4thLetter has a "fourcast" devoted entirely to Criminal: The Sinners and the WonderCon preview for The Outfit. I need to get around to commenting on the discussion: they contrast Tracy's patronizing approach to protecting women and Parker's willingness to kill without any regard for the person's sex.
July Solicitations. Finally, we've recently seen the release of a few solicitations for July, and there are some noteworthy books coming out in the middle of the summer. From Newsarama, we see that Dark Horse is releasing the first two volumes of a newly redesigned third edition of Sin City, and IDW lists the Parker preview among its July releases.

(A careful eye might note that the solicited image has IDW's new logo, while the advance release for WonderCon has the older "lightbulb" logo. The difference might eventually matter to collectors.)

Between the two of them, Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips have six books in Marvel's solicitations, but there are no collaborations listed, and nothing from the Icon imprint.

The trade collection for Criminal: The Sinners was announced for a June release, but that won't be followed up immediately by the sequel to Incognito.

The digital editions of Criminal and Incognito are to be released weekly, "with these digital versions catching up to its print counterparts by the end of the summer."

I hope it's not too much to infer that this means that Brubaker and Phillips' Icon work will resume by then as well.

Buy Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips comics from Amazon.com

Eisner Nominations for Brubaker, Phillips, and Incognito.

2010-04-08T15:50:00.001-04:00

Nominees for the 2010 Eisner Awards were just announced -- hat-tip to CBR -- and we have numerous reasons to congratulate Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips.

In addition to a nomination for Best Single Issue (for Captain America #601), Brubaker has been nominated for Best Writer for his work on Cap, Daredevil, The Marvels Project, Criminal, and Incognito.

Phillips has been nominated for Best Cover Artist for the two Icon titles and 28 Days Later.

And, Incognito has been nominated for Best Limited Series.

This makes the fourth consecutive year for recognition by the Eisner Awards. In 2007, Criminal won Best New Series while Brubaker won Best Writer, an award he won again in 2008. In 2009, Val Staples was nominated for Best Colorist.

The winners of the 2010 Eisner Awards will be announced Friday, July 23rd, at Comic-Con International.

Bullets: Sinners Reviews, Trade Solicitation, and More.

2010-03-24T11:55:00.000-04:00

A few noteworthy items since the conclusion of Criminal: The Sinners earlier this month:

Reviews for The Sinners. Alongside our discussion here [SPOILERS], I've read two quite positive reviews of the conclusion to Criminal: The Sinners.

In Newsarama's "Best Shots" reviews, Brendan McGuirk praises the story arc as the series' most ambitious to-date. At IGN, Dan Phillips gave the final issue a 9/10, praising Sean Phillips for his atmospheric art and Ed Brubaker for his grasp of noir and for the inevitability of the story's tragic conclusion. Like me, Dan Phillips is anguished over the title's upcoming hiatus.
Details on Sinners Trade Paperback. Marvel's June solicitations were released this week, and while the return of Incognito was nowhere to be seen, the trade collection for "The Sinners" was finally announced.

The single-volume collection of Criminal: The Sinners will include an introduction by crime novelist Ian Rankin, and it is scheduled for a June 16th release date, with an MSRP of $15.99.
Personalized Books from Sean Phillips. As our own ADD mentioned this morning, Sean Phillips has reposted the cover art for "The Sinners" trade paperback.

Visiting Sean's blog is strongly encouraged: he's recently opened his own Amazon (UK) shop, and lately he's been posting custom sketches that he's drawn in the front of individual books purchased through this site, including the Incognito paperback and the Criminal hardcover. If only this shop were opened earlier...
The Best of 2009 Meta-List. Finally, thanks to Marc Sobel at our sister blog, Trouble with Comics, I came across a "meta-list" for the best comics of 2009, collating the selections from 130 individual lists into a ranking of 100 titles. Criminal and Incognito both made the list, the former having done so every year since its 2006 debut. One bit of the compiler's commentary is worth repeating:

"Where's Marvel? Two of Marvel's top three comic books are creator-owned: Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips's Incognito (#39) and Brubaker and Phillips's Criminal (#48). Not until Daredevil (#43) do you see a Marvel-owned property, and that too was written by Brubaker for the majority of the year. Note to Marvel: don't fire Ed Brubaker."

An update accounting for an additional 15 lists rendered the analysis somewhat obsolete, but it's still the case that Ed Brubaker has been involved in quite a few of Marvel's most acclaimed works in the past year or so.

I imagine that news will be light at least until new issues of Incognito are announced, probably no sooner than mid-April, but we'll be here through this upcoming quiet spell and the return of the pulp-superhero hybrid, all the way to the return of Criminal -- and beyond.

Buy Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips comics from Amazon.com

Sean Phillips Posts Sinners TPB Cover Art

2010-03-24T09:54:00.004-04:00

At right you can see the cover art to the new Criminal: The Sinners collection, which arrives in comic shops in June.

With more Incognito on the way as well as other assignments, Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips aren't planning more Criminal for about a year, so The Sinners is your last chance to immerse yourself in that world for quite some time to come. It's the fifth trade paperback collection in the series. Brubaker and Phillips also released a hardcover collection Criminal: The Deluxe Edition last year, which includes the comics from the first three paperback collections. You can find out more and purchase these and other Brubaker/Phillips comics by clicking on the affiliate ads in the sidebar (note that Amazon has the cover image to Criminal Vol. 5 wrong).

To see a larger scan of the cover art to The Sinners, click over to Sean Phillips's blog.

The Sinners Finale in Stores Tomorrow.

2010-03-09T20:55:00.000-05:00

Along with the retailer sites I check from week to week, Ed Brubaker confirms that Criminal: The Sinners #5 is in comic shops this week -- tomorrow for most retailers.

I haven't been able to find any online previews of the story's finale, but I'll update this entry if that changes.

Dark Tower for Phillips in May, Incognito in "July or August."

2010-02-17T10:55:00.001-05:00

As I noted earlier, Marvel's solicitations for March and April include no Icon material from Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips. The publisher's May solicitations, published this week at Newsarama and elsewhere, continue that trend.

In addition to the beginning of the "Heroic Age" for Brubaker's Captain America and the debut of his Secret Avengers, the solicitations mention a project that Sean Phillips also announced at his own blog -- Dark Tower: The Gunslinger #1.

"Join Robin Furth, Peter David and Richard Isanove as they welcome superstar artist Sean Phillips (INCOGNITO) into the ka-tet of creators entrusted by Stephen King himself to bring the adult adventures of his most personal creation to life!"

Phillips joins Richard Isanove in creating the interior art and the cover for the debut issue, and he will presumably work on the entire five-part mini-series.

On his Twitter page, Phillips responds to a fan's inquiry about potential delays for Incognito and posts the first clear announcement about what's next for Ed and Sean.

"Incognito returns in July or August"

On his own Twitter page, Ed Brubaker confirms that more of Incognito is "coming soon."

The trade paperback for Criminal: The Sinners hasn't yet found its way to Marvel's solicitations. Trade collections for Brubaker and Phillips' Icon work have historically been released only a month or two after the story arc's last monthly issue, and this delay might be intended to encourage readers to collect the monthly issues, to tie the trade to the return of Incognito, or both. Sean Phillips has already posted work on the cover art (a subdued recoloring of the first issue's cover) and so I'm guessing that the trade paperback will reach stores sooner rather than later -- July, August, probably before the return of Incognito.

The more important thing to note is this.

Going by past trends, the follow-up to Incognito will probably run five or six issues, released no more frequently than once a month, so I figure that the mini-series will run to about the end of the year.

Except for maybe another short-story "emission," the fifth and final issue of Criminal: The Sinners, due in just a few weeks, will almost certainly be the last new material for Criminal until 2011.

To be clear, I quite enjoy Incognito, but the "apocalyptic pulp noir" doesn't have quite the punch of Criminal, and so I'll be anxiously waiting for its return.

Buy Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips comics from Amazon.com

Bullets: Incognito, Interviews... and Politics.

2010-02-11T20:30:00.000-05:00

Note: Following the list of bullet items this week are my personal thoughts on a recent controversy involving politics. This marks the first time I've broached that subject here, in a blog where politics largely has no place, and though I do not think I've written anything controversial, I want to make clear that the views I express in this commentary are my own. I want to make doubly clear that this disclaimer is entirely my own doing.

It's been a busy couple weeks since the release of the penultimate issue to Criminal: The Sinners -- and we are not without some controversy, as you will see.

Criminal in March. First, Marvel's official website now lists a a March 10th release date for Criminal: The Sinners #6, the "action-packed and twist-filled finale." This is a very slight delay from its original, solicited release date: I would have been surprised to see two issues released in the same month.
Personalized Trades from Sean Phillips. Last week, Sean Phillips announced that he's selling a few copies of the Incognito trade paperback, each with an original character sketch of the customer's choice. In the comments in a subsequent post featuring a sample sketch of Fu Manchu, he implies that the sale also includes a personalized sketch in each copy of Criminal: The Deluxe Edition, and he writes that there are still "plenty of both" for interested parties.

If only this were announced when the books first came out...
First Hints of the Incognito Sequel. While we're on the subject, Sean Phillips also recently revealed "doodles" from brainstorming about "the next Incognito series covers."

That description and the rough sketches suggest that "Incognito" might be the title for the overarching story rather than just the first six-issue mini-series. More importantly, Sean relays in the comments that the follow-up might be next but not immediately.

"I think we're doing Incognito next. Up to Ed though. I've got a new project to do first though to give Ed some breathing space. Should be announced soon..."

We'll post updates on the sequel and Sean Phillips' other project, as they are made available.
Brubaker Interviews on Mainstream Marvel Work. Earlier this week, Newsarama posted two interviews with Ed Brubaker about his upcoming work in the Marvel Universe. Brubaker will be writing a new ongoing title, Secret Avengers, which is now being promoted through some rather cryptic teaser images.

And, Ed Brubaker will continue writing for Captain America, but Butch Guice will now be joining him as the regular artist. Bucky Barnes will continue to "wield the shield," and he'll face a new antagonist in Baron Zemo.
Controversy in Captain America #602. Finally, I would be remiss if I didn't mention a controversy about possible political commentary in the pages of the most recent issue of Captain America. Fox News spoke with Ed Brubaker about protest scenes in the issue, and he explained that he did not write the content of a sign alluding to the Tea Party movement.

"I don't know who did it, probably someone who thought it was funny... I didn't think so, personally. That's the sign being changed to something more generic for the trade reprint, because I and my editor were both shocked to see it."

Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada also discussed the issue with Comic Book Resources, assuring readers, "Our books are no one’s soapbox."

As a matter of full disclosure, I don't believe I see eye-to-eye with Ed Brubaker or our own Alan David Doane, at least in terms of political beliefs.

And I don't keep up with even Brubaker's work in the mainstream Marvel universe. I've been pulling away from more mainstream superhero titles, even those featuring Batman. Still, I'm hoping to get one of Sean Phillips' art books for my birthday, and I've been slowly making my way through Brubaker's older work -- Scene of the Crime, Catwoman, Dark Horse Presents, even Dead Enders -- so I might make my way to his Marvel work at some point. His writing for Daredevil seems especially suited to my interests in his noir work, and I've heard enough great things about Captain America to make me reconsider my reluctance to get into a series that might hip-deep in Civil War and every other mega-crossover event.

Though I have only a passing familiarity with his writing for Marvel's mainstream superheroes, I did quickly read through that issue in the shop this week, and I can see reasons to object even beyond the protest signs that were filled in without the writer's and editor's oversight. And I can think of a couple reasons to question Quesada's claim that the publishers avoid all political grandstanding.

But, for the most part, I'm just reticent about any sort of overt political commentary in fictional entertainment.

For one thing, it's just too easy to be coy about the political commentary, to condone taking the commentary seriously only when people agree with it. The writer can share a figurative high-five with those who cheer the content but still dismiss substantive disagreement. It's only a TV show; I'm only a comedian; or, it's only a comic book.

More than that, it's too easy to engage in blunt caricature when the issues usually require much more care than that.

I certainly don't think comics and politics must not mix. Editorial cartooning is a powerful form of expression, and beyond that, I certainly think serious ideas can be discussed in the medium of long-form comics, as one can see in The Cartoon Guide to Physics or in Action Philosophers. There's nothing preventing a comic book from describing political theory with wit and even humor, and I imagine one could use the medium to persuasively advocate for a specific philosophy or policy.

But attempting that in the context of a fictional narrative would either grind the story to a halt or gloss over difficult issues with glib generalizations. And, either way, the reader would probably be pulled out of the story -- the suspension of disbelief and the story's "flow" -- to be lectured by the writer.

The writer's certainly free to do it, but that doesn't mean he should. It's not always good art when he does, and it's almost certainly heavy-handed when it's tried.

One of the things I most appreciate in Brubaker and Phillips' collaborative work is that it's quite understated and even subtle. For instance, there's a page in "Coward" that conveys a great deal of brutal violence after the fact, but it does so very carefully and without any undue extravagance. I would hate for that "spell" to be broken for needless political commentary.

I think that there's a lot that could be drawn from Criminal that is political, philosophical, and even theological, but I think it should be left to the readers to draw their own conclusions. Barring that, I would actually love to see some thoughtful analysis along those lines where they would really belong: in the essays in the back of the monthly issues.

I just hope that we never have to deal with controversies like this in Brubaker and Phillips' work in Icon Comics.

...And Looking Ahead to 2010.

2010-01-29T22:45:00.004-05:00

There's only so much public information about what's coming in the next few months, but I'll review what's already known and what's likely.

First -- and most immediately -- issue #4 of Criminal: The Sinners is in stores February 3rd, and yesterday Comic Book Resources posted a six-page preview of the story's penultimate issue, which resolves last issue's cliffhanger with a little violence and a surprising amount of humor.

It's worth noting that the second and third pages -- presumably facing pages -- break somewhat from the series' familiar three-row pattern. This is only the second time that page layout has changed, the first being in the first page in "Second Chance in Hell," from Volume #2, Issue #1.

After that?

The fifth and final issue of Criminal: The Sinners should be released in just a few more weeks. As of the time of this writing, Marvel.com has the issue still scheduled for its original solicitation date of February 24th, and Sean Phillips is already working on the finale.

Marvel's solicitations for March and April mention no new Icon material from Brubaker and Phillips. If history is any guide, we should still see the trade collection for "The Sinners" sooner rather than later -- May would be my guess.

The next arc after "The Sinners" may well be the sequel to Incognito, if plans haven't changed from interviews Brubaker gave last April and August. Brubaker may have alluded to this sequel in the afterward to the mini-series' trade paperback, apparently written this past October.

"If you like Incognito, you'll be pleased to hear there's more coming next year. Hopefully a lot more, because I've got quite a few ideas that I want to get in this little pulp world we created."

A five- or six-issue sequel that is published monthly and begins in April or May will get us to fall.

Beyond that, who knows? I do hope that Criminal isn't eclipsed by the Incognito universe, and I hope that we're still going to see "Coward's Way Out," the story of Leo's prison break, which was, according to Brubaker, pushed back in favor of "The Sinners."

What I find really interesting is DC's April solicitations [link corrected Feb 16], which provide an advance solicitation for the third hardcover collection for Ed Brubaker's Gotham Central.

GOTHAM CENTRAL BOOK 3: ON THE FREAK BEAT HC
Advance-solicited • On sale JUNE 9 • 224 pg, FC $29.99 US
Written by GREG RUCKA & ED BRUBAKER
Art by MICHAEL LARK, JASON ALEXANDER & others
Cover by CLIFF CHIANG

Detective Renee Montoya investigates the disappearance of evidence amid a gang war and travels to Keystone City in an attempt to unveil the truth about a fellow officer’s strange mutation in this collection featuring issues #23-31 of the award-winning series. Plus, the dead body of Robin, the Boy Wonder, is found on the streets, forcing the detectives to solve the case while dealing with Batman and The Teen Titans.

The first two volumes collected ten issues and twelve issues, so if the entire, 40-issue series is going to be collected in hardcover editions, one would expect the third collection and the final collection each to contain nine issues. This solicitation meets that expectation.

Even though this book contains fewer issues, its retail price is still $29.99, but the price didn't go up for the twelve-issue second volume, either. If all forty issues are released in four volumes at this price, then the MSRP is essentially $3.00 an issue, which isn't bad considering the series' original cover price of $2.50.

What's really odd, though, is that the solicitation mentions "issues #23-31" but clearly alludes to the story, "Dead Robin," found in issues #33-36. Presently the official site has the same discrepancy, but I suspect that these hardcover collections will contain the entire run -- as the softcover volumes did not -- and that the "Dead Robin" arc will be left for the final nine-issue volume.

(Leaving "Dead Robin" to the last collection makes sense in terms of trade dress, anyway: it's Brubaker's last arc on the series, so saving it for Book Four will allow all the covers to give the same prominent attribution to both Ed Brubaker and Greg Rucka.)

I'll update the blog if and when the discrepancy is addressed -- or, in the worst case, when I buy and open my copy of the book.

In the meantime, Criminal: The Sinners #4 is in stores this upcoming Wednesday.

Looking Back on 2009...

2010-01-29T17:00:00.001-05:00

I never did get around to one last post to wrap up the year, and A Criminal Blog has been pretty quiet since. I've found a couple new items worth a remark or two, but first, 2009 deserves a quick review as possibly the most successful year so far for Brubaker and Phillips' collaborative work.

We saw 2008 end with the conclusion of "Bad Night," a story that was twisted and intricately plotted even for Criminal, and its trade paperback collection was published at the end of January, 2009.

But the year really began with Incognito, the "apocalyptic pulp noir" whose first issue reached stores over New Year's. It tweaked the visual style of Criminal and told a story that reversed the undercover premise of Sleeper, all while introducing a new super-powered universe that we should visit again soon.

Like Ed Brubaker's Captain America: Reborn, which began later in the year, Incognito was originally a five-issue mini-series and ended up expanding into a sixth issue. The title was surprisingly successful commercially, leading to a reprint of issue #1 and the "must-have one shot" collecting the first two issues -- both a first for Brubaker and Phillips' work at Icon.

Over the course of the summer, DC Comics republished the complete Sleeper, Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips' first major collaboration. They first released a new trade paperback edition of the prelude story Point Blank, featuring new cover art by Sean Phillips, and then DC released a complete twelve-issue collection for each of the two "seasons" of Sleeper. These last two trades are less expensively priced than the earlier four-volume set, and the second trade includes a prologue story that has never been collected before.

Incognito reached its violent conclusion in September, kicking off a very busy fall season. Along with the final Sleeper collection, DC published the second hardcover collection for Ed Brubaker and Greg Rucka's Gotham Central, the critically acclaimed series that would eventually feature cover art by Sean Phillips.

Icon published the trade paperback collection for Incognito, where Brubaker explained in the afterward that Jess Nevins' essay on the "zeppelin pulps" wasn't entirely rooted in history.

And then there was Criminal: The Deluxe Edition. Along with the stories from the first three trade collections, the beautiful oversized hardcover includes some 70 pages of extra content, pretty much everything a fan would want:

all of Sean Phillips' cover art for the individual issues and the trades
all of Phillps' art for the supplemental essays, along with the essays Ed Brubaker wrote himself
the five-page "trailer" that introduced the series to the world
the Criminal prose story "Caught in the Undertow" from the very first issue
the Criminal "emission" called "No One Rides for Free," from Liberty Comics #1
and a brief glimpse behind the scenes, showing Phillips' process for creating the cover and for translating the script to the page

To say that this book is a "must-have" is a gross understatement.

Fall wasn't just a busy time for reprints, as October finally saw the return of Criminal, first in the debut issue of Criminal: The Sinners, and then in the twisted black-and-white short story "21st Century Noir," found in the Dark Horse anthology Noir: A Collection of Crime Comics.

The third issue of "The Sinners" reached stores the week before Christmas. The five-issue arc features the return of Tracy Lawless, who is hunting down a killer for mob boss Sebastian Hyde, all while he is being hunted for going AWOL. Surprisingly, the mini-series revealed at least part of the mystery in the very first issue, but we're entering the new year still waiting for all the pieces to fit together.

Incredibly, almost everything Brubaker and Phillips have ever produced together was released or republished in 2009, from Sleeper to Criminal to Incognito.

(A complete compilation of their collaborative work would include 1999's Scene of the Crime, where, for the last three issues, Phillips did the inks over Michael Lark's pencils; Gotham Central, where Phillips began cover art work in issue #33, before Brubaker left with issue #36; and the prestige-format Elseworlds story, Batman: Gotham Noir. I found a copy of this book at last year's Dragon*Con in Atlanta, but I don't believe this book has ever been republished. From 2001, this book is, I believe, the first work that could really be considered a comic book by Brubaker and Phillips.)

Sleeper and Incognito are easy enough to collect with three trade paperbacks -- four, if you count Point Blank.

Criminal, on the other hand, debuted in late 2006, is in the middle of its fifth arc, and has had two short-story "emissions" released in separate anthologies. Still, one can collect the entire Criminal canon up to this point with 2009 releases: Criminal: The Deluxe Edition, the "Bad Night" trade paperback, the Dark Horse Noir anthology, and the first three issues of Criminal: The Sinners.

It's been a busy year for Ed Brubaker. In mainstream comics, Brubaker wrapped up his acclaimed run on Daredevil, and he began Captain America: Reborn and The Marvels Project. Perhaps more interestingly, his live-action mini-series Angel of Death debuted online, was shown on Spike TV, and was released on DVD.

It's also been a good year in general for crime, noir, and pulp comics.

We saw the finale of 100 Bullets and the debut of the surprise hit Chew -- a twisted comic that I find to be the perfect complement to Criminal.

Marvel introduced its series of "Noir" stories riffing on traditional Marvel characters; DC released the first comic book in a pulp universe guided by Brian Azzarello and featuring Doc Savage, the Spirit, and "the Batman;" Dark Horse published the afore-mentioned Noir anthology; and Vertigo debuted its series of original graphic novels, Vertigo Crime.

Boom Studios began its 24-issue maxi-series illustrating Philip K. Dick's neo-noir, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

And, last but certainly not least, Darwyn Cooke released his first adaptation of Richard Stark's Parker, in the beautiful but brutal hardcover, The Hunter.

The Sleeper adaptation, currently attached to Tom Cruise, may eventually move from development to the theaters, or -- who knows? -- Criminal might eventually become a live-action mini-series on HBO.

But until then, fans should look back on 2009 as a high-water mark, as a very good year indeed.

Criminal: The Sinners #3 Preview.

2009-12-22T15:55:00.000-05:00

I hope to have a "bullets" post up before New Year's, but very briefly, the next issue of Criminal: The Sinners will be in stores tomorrow. Comic Book Resources has a five-page preview, here.

A Criminal Blog wishes everyone a very safe and merry Christmas.

2009-11-26T22:00:00.000-05:00

On the letters page in this week's new issue of Criminal: The Sinners, Ed Brubaker mentions "family health issues" in explaining the short delay. I for one appreciate his occasional note acknowledging that not every issue comes out precisely as scheduled, but there are far more important things than the timely release of a comic book, even when the book as is consistently enjoyable as this one.

We hope that the health issue is nothing serious, and our thoughts and prayers are with the Brubaker family this Thanksgiving.

Bullets: New Criminal and Incognito Trade This Week, and More.

2009-11-23T21:40:00.003-05:00

A quick list of bullets for the week of Thanksgiving.

New Releases This Week. The big fall quarter is wrapping up this week, with only a few minor delays from the schedule I assembled a few months back. I've checked my two regular sources for weekly release info -- San Francisco's Comix Experience and my local shop, Great Escape Comics in Marietta, Georgia -- and at least the West Coast shop confirms the arrival of two books for fans of Brubaker and Phillips. It's not yet clear that the books will make East Coast stores before the holiday.

UPDATE, NOVEMBER 24. A quick call to Great Escape this afternoon confirmed the new arrivals, which appear to be available nationwide this week.

Available in at least some stores this week, and everywhere next week, is the trade paperback collection for Incognito and the second issue of Criminal: The Sinners. Comic Book Resources has a five-page preview of the new issue, featuring the return of Jen Waters, who we last saw in "Coward." While the military begins to close in on the AWOL Tracy Lawless, it seems that he'll have a run-in with Jen, as they both investigate the same crime scene, for crime boss Sebastian Hyde and for the city police, respectively.

Next month is shaping up to be pretty quiet, but late in December we should see the third issue of "The Sinners."
Criminal: The Deluxe Edition in the NY Times. Looking back to this month's biggest release, Ed Brubaker links to the New York Times' Christmas gift guide. Its list of graphic novels includes Criminal: The Deluxe Edition, which is in stores now.
Sinners Finale in February Solicitations. Looking ahead, Newsarama has posted Marvel's full solicitations for February, 2010. The listings include Criminal: The Sinners #5, scheduled for a February 24th release.
It’s the action-packed and twist-filled finale of THE SINNERS as TRACY LAWLESS finds himself trapped between hardened killers who want to torture and kill him, and a tough Military Investigator who wants to bring him back to the Army in chains.

All the intrigue you’ve come to expect from Criminal, plus more exclusive back-up features and interviews.
My guess is that we can expect anything with the ending, except for a happy ending.
Miscellany Regarding Other Comics. Earlier this month, Newsarama also featured an interview with Ed Brubaker, about Captain America Reborn...

Fans of the pulp universe in Incognito should check out this month's Batman / Doc Savage Special, which introduces DC's pulp universe and features preview sketches that are also found at DC's blog...

And fans of Criminal and other noir comics should check out this month's debut issue of Stumptown by Gotham Central co-creator Greg Rucka, who also wrote Whiteout and Queen & Country, and who's currently making waves with Batwoman in Detective Comics. 4thletter! has a good review of the first issue, describing the title as the law-and-order flipside of Criminal. CBR's first review makes comparisons to Gotham Central's artist Michael Lark and to The Big Sleep; and a new column focusing on women in comics debuts with a review that applauds both the writing and the artwork. Ed Brubaker strongly recommends the book: "Go buy it, people. Great work from Rucka and Southworth."

Here's hoping that everyone has a good Thanksgiving -- a far happier and safer holiday than the typical Criminal storyline.

CRIMINAL: DELUXE IN STORES THIS WEEK.

2009-11-03T18:00:00.000-05:00

Big news: Over at the Savage Critic(s), Brian Hibbs reports that Criminal: The Deluxe Edition will be arriving in San Francisco's Comix Experience this week. By glancing at the upcoming titles at their website and making a quick phone call, I confirmed that my local shop -- Great Escape Comics in Marietta, Georgia -- received the hardcover this afternoon, to go on-sale tomorrow.

For Criminal fans, Christmas comes early, as pretty much everything we've reported so far -- from its first official confirmation and solicitation in June, to the Amazon.com description we noted last week -- suggests that the 432-page hardcover will be worth every penny of its $49.99 MSRP.

Bullets: News on Upcoming Releases, &c.

2009-10-29T23:00:00.001-04:00

The second issue of Criminal: The Sinners was originally solicited to be released this week, and it is currently delayed only by a couple weeks, to November 18th. The mini-series should still be on track for a December release for issue #3, and a January release for issue #4 -- about which I have more to say, shortly.

Update on Incognito "Bookplate" Edition. As I relayed in an update to the previous entry, I confirmed that the limited "bookplate" edition of Incognito will be available to customers outside the UK. For more details, see the blog for Gosh! Comics in London.
IGN Review of The Sinners #1. In addition to CBR's excellent review, we have stumbled across a review at IGN, here, for the first issue of Criminal: The Sinners. I frankly agree with its assessment that, compared to earlier arcs, the new story "just doesn't burst out of the gates" with its first issue, but Dan Phillips is right that -- between the story and the extra content -- the series continues to be "the best bang for your buck out of any monthly on the stands."
January Solicitations. The next two issues should be out before the end of the year, but after that? Newsarama has published Marvel's January solicitations, which includes Criminal: The Sinners #4. The description reads as follows:
The Award-Winning crime series continues! Tracy Lawless is getting close to finding the killers he's been searching for... but before he can put all the pieces together, he finds himself in their crosshairs in Chinatown, with enemies all around him. This can't end well, or wouldn't be an issue of Criminal, would it?
The issue is scheduled for a January 27th release.
Cover Art for The Sinners #5. Meanwhile, Sean Phillips is already posting cover art previews for Criminal: The Sinners #5. Along with interior art, presumably of the next issue, in various stages of completion, Sean has posted the sketch, the inks, and the final artwork for the brutal, moody cover -- where things aren't looking good for Tracy Lawless.
Criminal Hardcover, at the Printers. The hardcover collection is also on its way, and over on his Twitter page, Ed Brubaker reports that Criminal: The Deluxe Edition is now apparently being published. He's seen a printed copy, "and it looks great."

Brubaker links to Amazon's listing for the book -- blog readers are welcome to visit Amazon through our links -- and the listing includes the first detailed description I've seen.
A fantastically-designed and printed book showcasing the Eisner and Harvey Award-Winning crime comics from the creators of Sleeper and Incognito, this oversized, deluxe hardback edition features Criminal books 1 thru 3 - Cowards, Lawless, and The Dead and the Dying. Also features many extras, including a Criminal short story and the never-before-printed five page "movie trailer in comics form" that Brubaker and Phillips created to announce the series online, plus illustrations, selected articles, behind-the-scenes glimpses, painted covers, and much more! Features an introduction by comics legend and Watchmen artist Dave Gibbons. Collects Criminal (2006) #1-10 and Criminal (2008) #1-7.
We reported earlier that it appears the "selected articles" are only ones that Brubaker himself wrote.

The "Criminal short story" might be "No One Rides for Free" from Liberty Comics #1, or it could the prose story for the very first issue, or the hardcover may well include both.

And, strictly speaking, the "movie trailer in comics form" was previously published, in Walking Dead #30, which our own Alan David Doane predicts will become "the Holy Grail" for Criminal fans.

The page also has a publication date of December 2nd, when the book was solicited for November, but I'm not sure that that date reflects when the book will reach the direct market.
More Details about DC's Pulp Comics. Finally, in an update to earlier news about a new DC Comics continuity for pulp heroes like Doc Savage and "The" Batman, Dan DiDio provided a few more details to Newsarama: after November's (The) Batman/Doc Savage Special, the universe will be kick-started in March with a mini-series now officially titled First Wave.

After that, we'll see new ongoing titles for Doc Savage and The Spirit, with a title for The Batman "under consideration." The Spirit monthly will be a genuinely new ongoing title, to be written by Mark Shultz, to replace the series that apparently concluded in August.

This collection of new titles might not be as interesting as Incognito, but -- as with Marvel's reimagined Noir books for its mainstream superheroes -- a successful pulp line from DC might really help broaden the base for Brubaker and Phillips' creator-owned projects.

Buy Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips comics from Amazon.com

Bullets: Criminal in Dark Horse Noir, Reviews, Previews, & More.

2009-10-17T09:20:00.001-04:00

Our own Alan David Doane highlighted A Criminal Blog at a very new group blog, Comic Book Galaxy's Trouble With Comics. Check it out, for more than just its links to an old-school Batman comic that came with an action figure from Kenner's Super Powers and a track-by-track guide to They Might Be Giants' Flood, which is celebrating its twentieth(!) anniversary.

Of course, we have our own interesting links here...

Criminal-related comics out this week. Fans should be on the lookout for two different books that were released this past Wednesday. First up is Liberty Comics #2, which we first mentioned in July. The comic book is published by Image Comics to benefit The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.

Last year's first issue of Liberty Comics featured "No One Rides for Free," a Criminal "emission" featuring Tracy Lawless. While Ed Brubaker, Sean Phillips, and Val Staples didn't contribute to this second issue, the issue includes contributions by Dave Gibbons, Paul Pope, and Neil Gaiman with Jim Lee. The proceeds of the book go to a worthy cause, so everyone should consider buying two copies -- one with cover art by Tim Sale, the other with a "Kick Ass" cover by John Romita, Jr.

Second is Dark Horse Noir -- or, more precisely, Noir: A Collection of Crime Comics by Dark Horse Comics. Those who have been anticipating this book (as we have for some time) might notice that the cover art has changed since the book was first listed. I believe the new cover (on the right) is a dramatic improvement from the plain artwork that we originally saw, as it subtly features an essential "character" to most noir: the city at night.

The small, relatively inexpensive paperback (MSRP $12.95) is a 120-page, black-and-white anthology of new crime stories by creators such as Brian Azzarello and David Lapham. Most importantly, it features a new CRIMINAL "emission" by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips. It's not clear how (or whether) the short story, "21st Century Noir," fits into the larger Criminal universe. Sean posted preview art of the story across four separate entries back in April -- including the completed artwork for the first full page, here -- but there was no indication of just how dark the story would get in its six brief pages. While last week's first chapter of "The Sinners" was well worth reading, this story delivers a far more brutal punch to the gut, and every Criminal fan should track down this book immediately.
Criminal Review and Preview Art. On the subject of Criminal: The Sinners, Comic Book Resources has a five-star review of the first issue. Greg McElhatton notes that there is no real status quo for the title's setting, that the series "has always been a moving target when it comes to its stories; you may stop for a second, but it's forever marching forward and changing things up."

That's absolutely right: in every story so far, the protagonist's world is irrevocably changed, and so far it's always been for the worst. While characters do find even years of relative stability tending bar or picking pockets, the stories focus on the events that turn their worlds upside-down, often framed in the context of a personal history that makes the tragedy seem inevitable. For those who want to follow the title beyond each self-contained arc, this tendency makes each story absolutely essential.

What also makes each story essential to the Criminal fan is the interconnectedness of the characters. As Ed Brubaker promised, we're already begging to see in the new arc the "Easter eggs" that reward faithful readers. The first chapter of "The Sinners" found Tracy visiting the Blue Fly Diner, which was a significant locale in "Bad Night." And, the issue reveals that Tracy holds in contempt gamblers who cannot pay back their debts, a very interesting look into his psyche, given his father's motivations in the three stories collected in "The Dead and the Dying."

Over at his blog, Sean Phillips continues to post preview art of upcoming issues, in various stages of completion. (He also indicates the subject matter of an upcoming essay.) One page -- posted as thumbnails, then pencils, and finally inks -- shows the return of "Genuine Jen" Waters. An old friend of Leo and Tracy, she now works in the city police's Internal Affairs Division and is something of a pariah wherever she goes. She made one brief appearance in the fourth part of "Coward" -- Volume 1, Issue 4, from early 2007 -- where she filled Leo in on the crooked cops who double-crossed him. The Gotham Central fan in me finds her to be one of the more intriguing secondary characters, and I'm quite happy to see her return.
Limited "Bookplate" Edition of Incognito. Also at his blog, Sean highlighted the sale of a limited edition of the Incognito trade paperback at a London comic shop called Gosh! The store is taking orders for an exclusive "bookplate" edition, which (the site explains) is the regular trade paperback with an extra feature: toward the front is glued a card signed by both Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips.

I'm not sure whether this book is available only to British customers, but I'm making inquiries and will update this blog entry if and when I find out.

UPDATE, OCT 22. Both by email and through comments at their blog, Gosh! confirms that U.S. residents will be able to order the bookplate edition of Incognito. They only accept payment in British pounds, but using PayPal or credit card should handle the conversion. Check out the link for contact info.
Doc Savage, The Spirit, and The Batman in DC Pulp Comics. Finally, there's a couple other bits of comic news that I might document in the comments for my own sake, but there's one announcement that Incognito fans might find particularly interesting: in a news story at Comic Book Resources, Brian Azzarello reveals that we'll soon see a new pulp universe from DC Comics.

The writer of 100 Bullets explains that this new universe will have plenty of villains and heroes but no superpowers, and everything kicks off with November's "Batman/Doc Savage Special," to be followed next year by a six-part prestige-format mini-series called "First Wave." After that, there will be new ongoing titles for Doc Savage and The Spirit. Hopefully -- almost presumably, given how well even mediocre Bat-titles sell -- we'll see an ongoing title for "the Batman," the gun-toting crimefighter who is closer to the hero's original pulp roots.

Read the story for more info on who's in, who's not, and some significant differences between the characters in this setting and those in the main DC continuity.

As someone who's become increasingly disinterested in that main continuity, and who thinks Doc Savage makes no sense in that continuity, I like this news. As someone who's becoming more interested in classic pulp -- in part because of modern works like Incognito, the Gabriel Hunt books from the editor of Hard Case Crime, and Pixar's enchanting movie Up -- I think this might be the best news out of DC in the last three years or so.

I might have more to say later, about the short story in what will probably be colloquially known as Dark Horse Noir. For now I reiterate that Criminal fans should seek out this trade paperback at their local retailers.

Buy Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips comics from Amazon.com

Zombies Portraits by Sean Phillips

2009-10-12T14:32:00.015-04:00

At his blog, Sean Phillips has been posting some amazing character portraits in his Marvel Zombies style. Take a look at how gorgeous these are!

If you ask me, Marvel was crazy to ever let anyone else draw the Marvel Zombies series.

Bullets: Criminal's Return, Sleeper's Conclusion, Essays and Reviews.

2009-10-07T19:55:00.001-04:00

It's a big week, as Criminal has finally (finally!) returned with a new arc.

The Sinners #1 In Stores Now. After a nine-month hiatus, Criminal has returned with new issues, and with a new format where issues will be numbered by mini-series rather than as an ongoing title.

Issue #1 of Criminal: The Sinners hit stores today. In addition to the main feature -- the second story arc for Tracy Lawless -- the issue features an essay by Michael Stradford on Sam Peckinpah's 1975 crime film, The Killer Elite. The issue also includes excerpts of a lengthy interview that Tom Spurgeon conducted with Ed Brubaker; the two talked with Darwyn Cooke about his adaptation of Richard Stark's The Hunter, and the complete interview (which we mentioned in May) can still be found online at The Comics Reporter.

It's worth reiterating what we reported last month, that Sean Phillips posted a five-page preview of this first issue of "The Sinners."
Sleeper: Season Two. DC has been publishing new trade collections for Sleeper over the summer, and the final collection reached stores last week. The series, a twisted espionage story set in the super-powered WildStorm universe, was Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips' first major collaboration, and it remains one of my favorite series all-time.

The trade paperback collects material from two compilations released in 2005, "A Crooked Line" and "The Long Way Home," but it does so with an MSRP of nearly $8.00 less. The material appears to be mostly unchanged, with slightly better paper quality, different cover pages, and slight revisions to the introduction of "what has come before."

The most important change is something I mentioned earlier: the inclusion of a prelude story from WildStorm's "Coup D'Etat: Afterword." The six-page story begins this collection and serves as a bridge from the shocking conclusion of the first 12-issue "season" to the next twelve issues in the second and final season.

Fans of Criminal and Incognito should check out Sleeper if they haven't already.
Brubaker Essay on Philip K. Dick. Brubaker and Phillips' monthly work for Icon is uniquely attractive to readers in part because of the additional material that isn't collected in the trades, primarily essays about crime fiction. Boom Studios using a similar draw for their illustrated edition of Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

The 24-issue maxi-series is apparently including literally every word of the novel on which Blade Runner was based: as the Boom CEO put it, "It's the full novel, fully illustrated." That sounds precisely like the sort of project for which I would wait for the trade -- a collection that would ultimately fit nicely alongside Steve Niles and Elman Brown's adaptation of I Am Legend -- but the title is drawing monthly readers with additional backmatter: the first three issues include essays by Warren Ellis, Matt Fraction, and Rockne S. O'Bannon, respectively.

Issue #4 came out last week, and it includes an essay on Philip K. Dick by our own Ed Brubaker. The essay notes that Dick often made corporations the villain, and he did so -- correctly -- for their lack of empathy, but I would add that public bureaucracies can be as cold as their private-sector counterparts, and that their incentive structures are different but often no less imperfect. Though neither writer is my north star by any means, in some respects Heinlein and Dick make a good pair of well-balanced skepticism toward authority in its many guises.

Brubaker also writes that, with Blade Runner, Hollywood missed the "small details" that make Dick's work so rewarding. If there's anything that makes me wary of any adaptations of Criminal -- even compared to the superhero noir of Sleeper and Incognito -- it's that: it's the details and the careful characterization that allow the book to soar above what could easily become hard-boiled cliche.
Christopher Allen Reviews Angel of Death. Finally, I meant to write about this much sooner, but a couple weeks ago, Christopher Allen -- who contributes to the excellent new blog Trouble With Comics at Comic Book Galaxy -- posted a brief review of Ed Brubaker's Angel of Death, now available on DVD.

Allen writes that he hopes the project leads to bigger and better things for all involved, and that hope may reflect its final place in Brubaker's body of work: it's almost certainly a minor work, but hopefully one that will end up being seen as the prelude of things to come.

I'll link to any interesting reviews of "The Sinners" as I find them, and I'll cover the other crime comics that are soon to be released, including Dark Horse Noir, which features a short-story Criminal "emission."

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Scheduling Update.

2009-09-28T23:45:00.002-04:00

Very briefly, last week was the original scheduled release date for both the final Sleeper trade and the return of Criminal. Obviously, neither came out, but they're due very soon.

Alongside upcoming arrival lists from Great Escape Comics (Marietta, GA) and Comix Experience (San Francisco), DC's official site confirms that Sleeper: Season Two is in stores this week, Wednesday, September 30th.

And, in a comment for a blog entry announcing a NEW POSTER of the upcoming issue's cover art, Sean Phillips corroborates the listing at Marvel.com: the first issue of Criminal: The Sinners will reach stores next week, October 7th.

The second issue is still currently scheduled for October 28th, but since the third issue has been solicited for December 23rd, I wouldn't be surprised if this second issue gets pushed just a few weeks, to mid-to-late November.

The return of Criminal is just around the corner.

Cover Art, Solicitations, and Interviews.

2009-09-24T19:00:00.001-04:00

Sean Phillips has already posted the cover art for the fourth issue of the upcoming Criminal arc, "The Sinners:" the preliminary rough, the in-progress pencils, and the final cover, above.

Marvel's December solicitations have been released, and the third issue of "The Sinners" is initially scheduled for a December 23rd release.

And, at his Twitter page, Ed Brubaker highlights a couple recent interviews. First is a text interview at IGN, where he discusses how his past informs the ideas in Criminal. What I find most interesting is a vague allusion to what may be the series' final arc:

"There will eventually be a story in which we see almost the entire cast in one big story. I'm hoping to get to more stories before then, but I do have this story in mind that's sort of a mid-eighties period piece where our main characters are all teenagers and their parents are the main characters. That's the duel-tiered story I've been sketching out in my notebook. But that's at least a few Criminal stories away, because that'll be the biggest thing page count wise that we're going to tackle. I need to keep building up the fan base before we do that."

This sounds like more information about a story that Brubaker already mentioned, for instance, in a CBR interview we mentioned last year.

On the release of the trade paperback for "The Dead and The Dying," Brubaker was asked about subsequent flashback stories. He relayed that we'd probably see more such stories, but that they were not currently in the planning stages. The interview's final paragraph documents one notable exception.

"Although there is one big story that will probably end up being the longest story we do in the book. It will be about Leo and Tracy and Ricky's parents' gang and about them as teenagers. It's basically the story of how Leo's screw up ended up fucking up everyone's life. If we ever decide to end the book that will probably be the last story we tell." [emphasis mine]

It's entirely possible that I'm reading too much into these two interviews. Though it seems clear that both interviews allude to the same lengthy flashback story, that story may no longer be -- and may never have really been -- the planned finale.

The line, "I'm hoping to get to more stories before then," doesn't help things: one can very easily read into these statements the possibility, at least, that while the conclusion to Criminal remains on the definite but far horizon, it may be approaching sooner rather than later.

And, second, is the first segment of a two-part Word Balloon podcast interview with John Siuntres at Newsarama. The 100-plus-minute mp3 file includes talk about Criminal and Incognito, along with Captain America Reborn, The Marvels Project, and Brubaker's take on the Marvel/Disney deal.

In the long chat about Criminal [2:00-36:30], Brubaker reveals that the next arc was going to be "Coward's Way Out," about Leo's prison break, but that's been pushed back in favor of "The Sinners."

This new arc is planned to cover five issues -- then again, so was Incognito -- and, like all the previous arcs, it will push out the boundaries of what the creators and the series can do, this time by having a much larger scope in terms of characters and locations in the nameless city.

Those who are purchasing Criminal: The Deluxe Edition should take note that, although there appears to be enough room, Brubaker confirms that the hardcover will not contain all of the essays published for the periodical "crime magazine" version of Criminal. The hardcover will only include essays that Brubaker himself wrote, including -- presumably -- the prose story written from Gnarly's perspective, found in the debut issue. Other essays, such as Patton Oswalt's essay on Blast of Silence, will remain exclusive to the monthly issues, at least for the moment.

(He did mention that, in the far future, he may end up publishing all of the essays in an art book, something like "The Criminal Guide to Noir.")

Brubaker also discusses the pleasure of serialized crime fiction and the sources of inspiration for some of the comic book's heists.

About Incognito [36:30-42:30, briefly at 19:30], he discusses the thematic overlap between his Icon mini-series, the Marvels Project, and Alan Moore's Tom Strong -- and the unique approach Incognito takes, in combining elements of both Doc Savage and of Black Mask to create a modern, apocalyptic pulp noir. He confirms that he owns the characters in the series and that they are not in the public domain.

About the Icon imprint [46:30 - 51:00], Brubaker relays his hope that the Disney-Marvel deal will increase the visibility of the "creator-driven" line which helps Marvel by giving creators room to take a break from mainstream titles to work on their own projects.

And, in both interviews, he highlights the most recent Criminal arc -- the intricately plotted "Bad Night" -- as one of the best things he's ever written.

Bullets: Auction, Interview, Preview, & Gotham Central.

2009-09-10T18:00:00.001-04:00

Busy week.

Update on Criminal Auction for Ostrander. The auction we mentioned Monday wrapped up the next day, selling three opportunities to have a Criminal corpse named after you, to benefit comics writer John Ostrander as he struggles with very serious medical bills.

I wonder if the auction's short span over the Labor Day weekend kept it from raising even more, but the three eBay listings -- here, here, and here -- raised $2,240. It appears the auction was quite successful, and Ed Brubaker has relayed his thanks to everyone who bid.
Criminal Interview and Preview. We've begun to see some promotional work for the return of Criminal, as late last week Comic Book Resources published an interview with Ed Brubaker on "The Sinners."

The interview seems to confirm a suspicion I had in May, that the title will no longer be numbered as an ongoing monthly.
"Criminal: The Sinners" marks the beginning of a new publishing model for the series. Instead of an ongoing series with continuous numbering, the book will now operate similar to "Hellboy" in that it will become an ongoing series of miniseries. "The idea is we’ll do 'Criminal' and then another project, the next one being a follow up to 'Incognito.' Then we'll do another 'Criminal' story and after that something else," Brubaker explained. "That way we can keep changing things up. Doing different projects helps revitalize us, and keep us excited about bring good stories to our readers. I always joke that our books are like public radio, in that we’re reader-supported, but it really is true. So we always want to make sure we’re giving our all to the people who are making our collaborations possible."
This quote also suggests that Criminal will alternate with other projects rather than be interrupted only occasionally. This approach heightens risks that I outlined in December, that creator interest and reader interest might wane if the title shares too much of the spotlight with other works, with the end result being that fewer Criminal stories are told. I continue to hope that these risks are worth the reward.

On a more immediate subject, Brubaker relays that "The Sinners" will provide a wider view of the comic's universe, including reappearances of Sebastian Hyde, his muscle Chester, and even Gnarly and the Undertow. As with previous arcs, the story is self-contained, but it rewards faithful readers: "You can grab 'The Sinners' and just start from there and hopefully it will be the kind of thing where if you’ve read all the 'Criminal' stories you’ll find Easters [sic] eggs here and there."

The interview includes a five-page preview of the new issue -- a preview that's also available at Sean Phillips' blog -- that may already show some of the subtle ties to earlier stories.

Tracy Lawless has proven to be an inconsistent hitman for Hyde, deciding to kill only those he deems deserving of death. We're told, "Tracy wouldn't just erase a guy who stood in the way of some real estate deal," which may be an allusion to the same shady deal that drove "No One Rides for Free," the Criminal short story in Liberty Comics #1.

But the narrator also notes that Tracy has no qualms about killing "a scumbag, a degenerate gambler who wouldn't pay." That's a potentially revealing detail into Tracy's inner psychology, considering the gambling debt that motivated the brutal actions of his father Teeg Lawless, in the trio of stories under "The Dead and the Dying".

And, I believe the interview gives us the first look at the full cover art for issue #3, complete with the title branding. Earlier Sean showed us a preview sketch and the completed artwork, and the new image -- posted above -- confirms that issue #3 has its title in a more traditional location.
Second Gotham Central hardcover, in stores now. I had first noticed this in April but failed to add it to the extensive fall schedule, which I'll update shortly: the second hardcover collection of Gotham Central is hitting comic stores this week.

The forty-issue series was written by Ed Brubaker and Greg Rucka, illustrated primarily by Michael Lark, and eventual had cover art by Sean Phillips. It focused on Gotham's Major Crimes Unit and its difficult cases dealing with the city's infamous psychopaths and caped vigilantes. My first extensive encounter with noir comics, Gotham Central served as a "gateway drug" of sorts, leading me from traditional superhero fare to work like Criminal, Sleeper, and Greg Rucka's Queen & Country.

Gotham Central is probably the main reason I was so eager for Criminal. (For what it's worth, subsequent stories involving some of its originally down-to-earth main characters is a big reason I've largely soured on the "DC Universe.")

This volume -- Book Two: Jokers and Madmen (no relation to the lackluster Batman Confidential arc, "Lovers and Madmen") -- collects issues #11-22, complete with cover art and an introduction by Duane Swierczynski. In addition to "Soft Targets," a Joker story that may well have informed The Dark Knight, the book includes four issues that haven't been previously collected, including a personal favorite, Ed Brubaker's quiet stand-alone story, "Daydreams and Believers."

I got my copy last night, and I confirmed that it corrected a problem with the trade paperback collection, "Unresolved Targets," where there was a page where almost all the dialogue is missing. In a thread at the Comic Bloc forums, Greg Rucka explained that the problem affected the entire run, and another forum member provided a .jpg file of the original issue's dialogue.

With that issue resolved, I could not recommend this book more highly. Hopefully the rest of the series will be collected in another volume or two over the next couple years.

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NEWS FLASH! Criminal Auction for John Ostrander.

2009-09-07T21:30:00.001-04:00

As Newsarama reported this weekend, Ed Brubaker is auctioning off three opportunities to be "killed off" in an upcoming issue of Criminal, to benefit the extensive medical costs for legendary writer John Ostrander.

Here are the details, from one of the eBay listings.

"The eagerly anticipated upcoming story in CRIMINAL features three dead mobsters. Each of the three winning bidders will not only be donating to this great cause, but will have their name (or the name of their choice) given to one of the dead mobsters in the comic itself! Ed will also create a 'mobster nickname' for each winning bidder, making this one of the most fun and rare comic-related items ever auctioned!

"Finally, winning bidders will receive a copy of the issue that their dead mobster appears in, autographed and personalized by Ed Brubaker himself!"

As of the writing of this blog entry, there's just over 15 hours left to bid.

Blog and Twitter Updates: Black Sails?

2009-09-02T22:00:00.002-04:00

I spoke too soon. Since my post yesterday, both Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips have reminded readers that the extra-long finale to Incognito is in stores now.

(Just read it this afternoon, and the overall story now strikes me as an unfolding, epic riff on the "origin stories" from Sleeper, and I mean that as quite high praise.)

Brubaker appears to be focusing on his Twitter page rather than his Myspace blog, and today he has several noteworthy tweets. He asked readers to spread the word that the new issue is out, and he announced that Bill Hader is writing the introduction to the trade collection of the series. He explained to a curious fan that Marvel doesn't actually get any revenue from his Icon work, and he answered a fan who (like me) was wondering if the late release of this last issue will cause a delay for Criminal, relaying that the first issue of the new arc "goes to print soon."

Most interestingly, Brubaker highlighted an "expanded version" of Jess Nevins' essay on "The Zeppelin Pulps," which graces the few pages of this week's Incognito #6. Nevins writes, "this may be the single thing I’m most proud of having written, if only because doing research on the zeppelin pulps and the background to Complete Zeppelin Stories was such a challenge."

(N.B. This isn't the first time an official source has published a version of an essay found in the back of Brubaker and Phillips' Icon work. We reported last year that Patton Oswalt's essay on Blast of Silence was also available online, but the link now appears to be broken.)

Also this week, our own Alan David Doane has published his third eBook, a free book in PDF format that features nearly 50 comics-related interviews. Ed Brubaker was interviewed in 2004 and again in 2006, and both interviews are published here. Also included is a 2004 interview with Sean Phillips, where Phillips mentions a Brubaker collaboration that's completely new to me: a project called Black Sails.

A quick search revealed that, in September 2004 -- before I really kept up with comic news sites -- Newsarama published a press release about the project, along with a brief interview with Brubaker. The project was a three-issue horror mini-series about vampire pirates manning the ship on which Dracula sailed.

From the interview and subsequent forum comments from Brubaker and Phillips, we can see some ideas that have almost certainly stuck around in some form.

Ed Brubaker: "As for why horror, it's probably because I've been working out a longer project that Sean and I are going to do with IDW after this, that has elements of all kinds of pulp -- horror, crime, adventure, mystery, even some sci-fi -- and because of that, I'd been reading more old pulp horror, and this idea just hit me. So I thought, okay, before we jump into an epic, lets do something shorter, for a break, and to establish ourselves as a team outside of Sleeper."

Sean Phillips: "The format is going to be 32 pages of STORY per issue. I'll be painting the pages and taking care of the lettering and design as well. One of the only things I asked of IDW was total artistic control."

Arguably, we're seeing "all kinds of pulp" with the Icon work, where the two work to provide cover-to-cover content in every issue, and where Sean Phillips is really responsible for the entire art design.

But where is Black Sails?

Obviously the project never saw completion. The press release explains that the horror comic was to be published by IDW in the spring of 2005, but that February Marvel announced its exclusive contract with Brubaker, beginning with Captain America. Criminal debuted the following year.

When the exclusive contract was announced, Brubaker mentioned having "unprecedented freedom to finish all [his] prior commitments and to do creator-owned work, either at Marvel or elsewhere."

That apparently didn't include Black Sails, but that raises the question of the project's current status and ultimate fate. Has the comic been started or even completed? Must the comic be published by IDW, and is that company waiting for the exclusive contract with Marvel to run its course?

Or could we see the mini-series published by Icon, as an interlude between their crime and pulp titles?

(For that matter, was Phillips really "painting" the comic?)

If I can get any answers to these questions, I'll report them here.

UPDATE, Sept 3rd: I had a little more time to do some digging this morning, and over at Brian Michael Bendis' JinxWorld forum, I found a June, 2007, thread where people were asking what happened to Black Sails.

Ed Brubaker briefly replied:

"Here's the deal. It came down to a few things, partly contract stuff with the publisher we were talking to, and partly that suddenly there were two other pirate vampire ideas announced right at the same time. Then Sean and I just decided we wanted to do a crime book, instead.

"Maybe someday I'll do it somehow. I have the whole outline."

Some preliminary work has already been completed, and we might see the comic eventually, but it's probably not part of the foreseeable future. If I ever come across more information about this unfinished collaboration -- particularly any rumblings that the vampire comic might actually see the light the day -- I'll be sure to let everyone know.

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Incognito #6 In Stores Wednesday.

2009-09-01T17:00:00.003-04:00

The fantastic fall begins, as the final, extra-length issue of Incognito hits stores this week.

I haven't seen much online about it -- either at the personal sites for Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips [UPDATE: never mind], or in the major comics news sites -- but Marvel.com still lists tomorrow as the issue's on-sale date.

Over at Savage Critic, Brian Hibbs lists the issue among the products arriving tomorrow at his store, San Francisco's Comix Experience.

(Hibbs also lists the fourth issue of Chew, the breakout comic of the summer. Ed Brubaker has already praised the darkly comic police procedural, and I'm finding it to be the perfect, off-kilter complement to the Brubaker and Phillips' work. A preview of Chew #4 is available at CBR, and in an IGN interview with writer and creator John Layman, Dan Phillips brilliantly describes the book as "Chuck Palahniuk by way of Chuck Jones.")

Most importantly, this afternoon, I called the good folks at my local comic shop -- Great Escape Comics in Marietta, Georgia -- and confirmed that today's shipment for tomorrow's new books includes the latest issue of Incognito (and the latest issue of Chew).

It looks like Incognito #6 should be in stores nationwide this week. I know what I'll be reading tomorrow night.

Update on Upcoming Incognito & Criminal.

2009-08-19T22:30:00.001-04:00

There are a few things I've noticed over the last week or so.

Glancing at the world of crime comics in general, I see that the first two entries of Vertigo Crime are reaching stores today. (I already have my copy of each book.) Recently, DC's November solicitations have revealed that the next entry in the series -- The Chill, by Hard Case Crime regular Jason Starr -- is due to be released on January 6th.

Our own Ed Brubaker finishes his run on Daredevil with the landmark issue #500 this week, and Marvel's November solicitations give us hints about future issues in his high-profile mini-series, Captain America: Reborn and The Marvels Project.

Most importantly for fans of Brubaker and Phillips, we have a little more information about their upcoming collaborations.

First, Sean Phillips reports that he has finished work on the last issue of Incognito. On his Twitter page, Ed Brubaker confirms the additional pages that Phillips told us about a couple weeks ago, writing that the finale is "practically double-sized."

On the heels of the mini-series, Marvel's November solicitations confirm that the trade paperback is scheduled to go on sale on November 25th, Thanksgiving Eve. After that? Again on Twitter, Brubaker writes, "yes, INCOGNITO will return next year, after CRIMINAL: THE SINNERS. But only if you all buy CRIMINAL, too."

Second, while we're on the subject of Criminal, Sean Phillips relays that work has begun on the first issue of "The Sinners." We're given a very slight preview of the first page, the first two lines of dark but funny dialogue that is, appropriately enough for Tracy Lawless, told in the third person.

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Upcoming Schedule, Fall 2009.

2009-08-04T14:00:00.002-04:00

Over at his blog, Sean Phillips has been posting artwork for the upcoming conclusion to Incognito, and he's also been posting "old stuff" such as art from his book Blow Up, because he can't really show preview work for the last, presumably crucial pages of the final issue.

It still might be a few weeks before this last issue reaches stores, as Marvel.com currently lists the release date of Incognito #6 as September 2nd, a late enough date that it might push back the release of "The Sinners," the upcoming Criminal arc.

(UPDATE, Aug 5: Sean explains in the comments below that the book has been pushed back a couple weeks because it's become presumably an extra long issue: Incognito #6 "contains 32 pages of story rather than the usual 23, and of course, those extra pages take time to draw...")

So, for fans of Phillips' excellent collaborations with Ed Brubaker, August will be a very quiet month in terms of new releases, but it's only the calm before the storm, as we'll see new releases for Criminal, Incognito, and even Sleeper in the months that follow.

Though all dates are, of course, subject to change, here's the upcoming schedule for the next few months, including a few other releases that I've mentioned previously.

August 19
Vertigo Crime debuts
- Filthy Rich by Brian Azzarello and Victor Santos
- Dark Entries by Ian Rankin and Werther Dell'Edera

September 2
The conclusion of Incognito
- Incognito #6 by Brubaker and Phillips

RECENTLY ADDED: September 9
Second hardcover of Gotham Central
- Gotham Central Book 2: Jokers and Madmen by Ed Brubaker, Greg Rucka, and Michael Lark [see update]

September 23
Sleeper re-release, Criminal returns
- Sleeper: Season Two by Brubaker and Phillips
- Criminal: The Sinners #1 by Brubaker and Phillips

October 14
Crime anthology with a Criminal short story, Liberty Comics return
- Noir from Dark Horse Comics
- Liberty Comics #2, from Image Comics

October 28
Criminal continues
- Criminal: The Sinners #2 by Brubaker and Phillips

RECENTLY ADDED: November 25
Incognito trade
- Incognito by Brubaker and Phillips

November
The Criminal hardcover
- Criminal: The Deluxe Edition by Brubaker and Phillips

Dark Horse's Noir anthology was originally scheduled for September 30th and has only recently been pushed back a couple weeks. I wouldn't be surprised if the first two issues of "The Sinners" is also delayed in light of the late release for the final issue of Incognito.

Criminal: The Deluxe Edition was advance-solicited, and I haven't been able to find a specific release date. Very soon after the hardcover was announced, Ed Brubaker relayed that it would be released in November.

[We've seen the cover art for the Incognito trade collection, but the trade hasn't been solicited, and I guess it will be released no earlier than November. UPDATE, Aug 19: Marvel's November solicitations now confirm a November 25th release date.]

And, we haven't seen any additional solicitations for "The Sinners," but another issue or two of Criminal might make it to stores before the end of the year.

So.

In the span of about three months, we'll see [UPDATED] the first two Vertigo Crime books and the second Liberty Comics; we'll have the final new trade collection for Sleeper and the second hardcover for Gotham Central; and we'll have the Incognito finale and its trade collection.

Last but not least, we'll have a Criminal short story in Dark Horse Noir, the return of the main series with at least two issues of "The Sinners," and the hardcover Criminal: The Deluxe Edition.

It's going to be a busy fall, leading right into the Christmas shopping season.

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Bullets: Brubaker on Marvels Project, Criminal Deluxe Page Count, Liberty Comics.

2009-07-30T16:10:00.001-04:00

A few more things I forgot to mention earlier this week or have seen since.

Marvels Project Interview. Ed Brubaker continues to be involved with high-profile work at Marvel, and yesterday Newsarama published an interview with Brubaker about the Marvels Project, a "Year One" sort of mini-series that debuts in just a couple weeks.
Update on Eisner Nod for Staples. As we reported in April, our own Val Staples was nominated for an Eisner Award for his coloring work on Criminal and Incognito. As the blog The Beat reminded me, the winners were announced this weekend at the San Diego Comic-Con, and the award went to Dave Stewart for his work on eight different titles, including Hellboy, The Umbrella Academy, and Captain America: White.
Criminal Deluxe Page Count. Earlier I relayed that Sean Phillips had announced his finishing the art design for Criminal: The Deluxe Edition. What I failed to mention was that the page count appears to be more than the 400 pages that was originally solicited.

At his blog, Phillips implied that the hardcover has 432 pages. The first three trade paperbacks contained only the story arcs with no extra content, and from online retailers I gather that they have a combined page count of about 360 pages.

That now leaves about 72 pages of extra content, more than enough to include the approximately forty pages of essays that were in the original monthly issues. With that much extra space, I wouldn't be surprised to see the Criminal "emission" from last year's Liberty Comics #1.
Liberty Comics #2. Finally, while I'm on the subject, Comic Book Resources has an article on this year's second issue of Liberty Comics. The issue is once again published by Image Comics to benefit the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, and it includes contributions from Gail Simone, Paul Pope, Mike Allred, Dave Gibbons, and Jimmy Palmiotti. The book promises to have a noteworthy collaboration between Neil Gaiman and Jim Lee, and it will feature two covers, one by John Romita, Jr., and one by Tim Sale (with coloring by Dave Stewart).

I don't believe any of the Criminal creators are contributing to this issue. The next "emission" is the black-and-white "21st Century Noir" for Dark Horse Noir, scheduled for September 30th.

Still, this second issue promises to follow in the footsteps of the first issue, as a good comic for a good cause. Liberty Comics #2 is scheduled to be released on October 14th.

Brubaker's interview above focused solely on the Marvel Project, but I imagine we might hear more from him about the Icon titles as Incognito draws to a close and Criminal makes its triumphant return.

Buy Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips comics from Amazon.com

Bullets: October Solicitation, Incognito Trade Cover, and More.

2009-07-28T16:40:00.002-04:00

It continues to be good times for fans of crime comics, and of Brubaker and Phillips' work in particular.

Solicitation for "The Sinners," Part Two. Marvel's October solicitations were released last week, and among the titles listed is the second installment of "The Sinners," the new story arc for Criminal.

Made men are turning up dead in what appear to be mob-style hits, and since criminals don’t go to the cops for justice, TRACY LAWLESS has been appointed the defacto “sheriff” of the criminal underworld by his boss, Crimelord Sebastian Hyde. But Tracy is the ultimate outsider, and the cons, murderers, and thieves don’t like or trust him any more than the police do.

Sounds like there could be shades of a modern-day Western, mixed with a murder mystery, all with the brutal noir that we've come to expect from Criminal. The 40-page issue is scheduled to be released the Wednesday before Halloween.
Cover Art for the Incognito Trade. I half expected a solicitation for the trade paperback for Incognito, but it looks like we'll be waiting for that until November at the earliest. In the meantime, Sean Phillips has shown us what is apparently the cover art for the trade collection. The orientation is more traditional than the preliminary image we noted in April, but the art direction is still quite unconventional for a comic book trade collection.
Incognito Review. We're now beginning to discuss the trade collection, but the monthly installments of Incognito still haven't wrapped up. The penultimate issue was released almost two weeks ago now, and last week Comic Book Resources posted a glowing review of the issue.

The review, which awarded the issue a full five stars, praised in particular the deliberate pace in which the story's larger universe unfolds, which is -- come to think of it -- perhaps the biggest difference between this series and Sleeper. The earlier WildStorm title was set in an established universe, so while there were plenty of surprises for the main characters, the setting itself wasn't a mystery. Here, Brubaker and Phillips have their first real opportunity to create a new super-powered fictional universe, and they take their time unveiling the story's setting. The pulp origins of the Incognito universe are becoming more clear only in hindsight, and only now do we really see the relevance of the issues' additional material, essays by Jess Nevins about classic pulp characters like the Shadow and Fu Manchu.
Crime Comics: Vertigo Crime. The latest issue of Incognito isn't the only new release worth mentioning for fans of crime comics. Following the one-dollar "After Watchmen" previews that DC Comics continues to offer, DC's Vertigo imprint has begun selling inexpensive previews of its high-profile titles, such as Bill Willingham's Fables. Last week, Vertigo released a one-dollar preview of 100 Bullets. The preview not only features the first full issue of Azzarello and Risso's recently completed series, it also features previews of the first two graphic novels for Vertigo Crime, about which we first reported in February. The first two entries of this upcoming series of smaller, black-and-white hardcovers will apparently be released simultaneously, this August.
Crime Comics: Parker. From previews of new crime stories, we turn to an adaptation of a classic: as I reported last time, Darwyn Cooke's adaptation of Richard Stark's The Hunter has just been released. My copy of the hardcover arrived last week, and, having finished the book, I cannot recommend the comic more highly.

Even at a glance, the book is obviously a work of craft. Its smaller size would make it a better fit alongside novels rather than graphic novels, and beneath its dust jacket -- which features a blurb from our own Ed Brubaker -- is a traditional hardcover binding that makes it look like it was published from the novel's setting of New York City, 1962.

Within its perfect presentation is a damn near perfect story, a brutal and hard-boiled tale -- conveyed in a sparse fashion that rewards careful reading -- that should appeal to any fan of Criminal or the Hard Case Crime paperback imprint. The Violent World of Parker fansite pointed out a very good review and analysis at Comixology. The review conveys that the comic stands as its own work while remaining quite faithful to the original novel -- which is still in my daunting stack of books to-read. The review nails the comic's monochrome blue as "handpainted steel," and it highlights the story's tension between romantic love and an almost mechanical professionalism, a tension that's echoed in one of my favorite films, Michael Mann's Heat.

This is apparently the first and only time that the late Donald Westlake (under the pseudonym Richard Stark) allowed the name "Parker" to be used in any adaptation of his work, and it's an adaptation that honors the character, who Brubaker describes in his blurb as "the most iconic criminal ever created."
Donald Westlake in Hard Case Crime. While I'm on the subject, Parker fans should take note that Donald E. Westlake's final, never-before-published novel Memory will be published next April by the acclaimed paperback imprint Hard Case Crime. Ed Brubaker strongly recommended the imprint, which publishes a new or classic crime novel about once a month. I've already read about two dozen of the fifty-plus books, and I recommend them as very taut and enjoyable weekend reads.

In the meantime, the early Parker books are being released by the University of Chicago Press, which is why The Hunter is waiting for me on my shelf. The third group of three books should be out in August.
Flashback: Brubaker Essay on Critics. I hadn't seen this before, and I don't know where else to document this, but it appears that, around August of 2001, Ed Brubaker wrote an online essay for the launch of a comic site called The Fourth Rail, whose doors closed in 2006. It's an interesting essay about how otherwise useless critics can become a "necessary evil" in the marketplace, by pointing the audience toward good work and away from garbage.

I wonder if Brubaker's opinion of online comic critics has changed over the last eight years. It's certainly true that good work is getting noticed in terms of sales, but the best-sellers continue to be precisely what you would expect them to be.
Angel of Death on DVD. Finally Angel of Death, Ed Brubaker's online live-action mini-series starring Zoe Bell, has been repackaged as a full-length movie. It was screened at the San Diego Comic Con this past weekend and was broadcast on Spike TV, but if anybody else missed it like I did, it is now on-sale as a DVD, complete with bonus features.

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Bullets: Incognito in Stores This Week, Criminal Art, Crime Comics.

2009-07-14T15:00:00.000-04:00

What may be appropriate for this site, a drive-by blogging.

Release of Incognito #5. Marvel's website hasn't had complete and up-to-date information about Incognito for some time, and I've been altogether unable to find its listing for issue #5, but the Savage Critic reports that issue #5 should be in stores tomorrow, July 15th.

Also in stores this week is Cooke's Hunter, covered below.
Criminal artwork. While Incognito continues to rumble toward its inevitably brutal conclusion, Sean Phillips continues to highlight artwork for the Criminal releases that are soon to follow. Alongside preview art of Incognito -- and of his cat Florence -- Phillips' blog has been showcasing the inks and completed cover art for the second chapter of "The Sinners," and interior designs and behind-the-scenes extras in the deluxe hardcover volume that we first reported in June.

Just today, Phillips reports that he has finished the art design for the hardcover, and he posted a large image of the completed cover art, a striking cover about which I have more to say, in another post.
Captain America: Reborn. The first issue of Ed Brubaker's Reborn mini-series is now in stores, and in case anyone missed it, Newsarama reports that Marvel.com is featuring an online "prelude" to the mini-series, and the news site also features an interview with Brubaker, following the release of the first issue.
Other Crime Comics. Finally, as we mentioned above, the Savage Critic relays that this week also sees the release of The Hunter. The book is Darwyn Cooke's first adaptation of Richard Stark's character Parker, and we pointed out a preview of the hardcover last May.

And, from Twitter, Ed Brubaker highly recommended Chew, an eccentric crime comic which debuted last month, and whose second issue came out two weeks ago. It appears that both the first issue and the second issue have sold incredibly well, so it might already be hard to find. I recommend the dark comedy very highly: there are previews online for the first two issues here and here at Comic Book Resources, and Newsarama reports that the first issue will be reprinted in the back of Walking Dead #63, which ALSO appears to be reaching stores this week.

Between Incognito, Hunter, and the Chew reprint in Walking Dead, it's a good week for crime comics. Chew's appearance in Walking Dead reminds me of another comic which was helped early on by Robert Kirkman's zombie comic... a comic whose return I couldn't anticipate more highly.

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Cover Art for Criminal Deluxe.

2009-06-17T23:00:00.005-04:00

Briefly, I just noticed this afternoon, that over on his fairly new Twitter account, Ed Brubaker pointed out the cover art to the Criminal omnibus at Comic Book Resources, art that has now been added to Marvel's September solicitations at CBR.

It's impressive: it looks more like an art book than does your typical comic book hardcover. It uses a white background on the spine, just like the trade paperbacks. The spine features a detail of the cover for Criminal #9 -- the apparently popular Tracy Lawless at his family's gravesite -- and the front features the part of the painting for the cover for Volume 2, #2.

That painting -- which I think is the best cover art we've seen for this series so far -- is not only striking in its brutal beauty, it features the man who is, in some ways, a key character in the three arcs included in this volume: the sociopath, Teeg Lawless.

The edition isn't listed as "Volume 1," but since "Bad Night wasn't included and "The Sinners" is already on its way, presumably this isn't the only "deluxe" hardcover we'll ever see from this series.

Finally, it wasn't listed in the solicitation, but the artwork indicates an introduction by Dave Gibbons, the artist and writer who's best known for his art on Watchmen.

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Sleeper and Incognito, In Stores Today.

2009-06-17T15:55:00.001-04:00

This is just a reminder that the Sleeper: Season One trade paperback collection and Incognito #4 are both in stores today.

Upon the release the new edition of Point Blank -- the prelude to Sleeper -- I mentioned that I would provide an update "if there is any new material worth mentioning." The changes to the new release are extremely minor, and I documented them in an update to that original blog entry.

I haven't yet received my copy of Sleeper: Season One, but I'll relay what changes have been made after it comes in.

In the meantime, DC's WildStorm blog has an entry featuring drafts of Sean Phillips' cover art, which we highlighted earlier this year, and the official listing for the new trade paperback features a PDF preview of the first four pages.

What I haven't been able to find -- for the first time in a while, at least since early in the "Bad Night" arc for Criminal -- is an online preview for the latest monthly issue, not at the usual comic news sites, and not even in Marvel's official list of comics released this week.

I did pick up Incognito #4 today, and it's a doozy. In the back pages, Ed Brubaker describes the issue as one of his favorite so far in this series, an issue "where the knife just keeps twisting."

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September Solicitations: Sinners and Criminal Deluxe.

2009-06-16T17:25:00.002-04:00

Marvel's solicitations for September, 2009, have been released today and can be found on both Comic Book Resources and Newsarama, and we finally have more details about the big news items we've announced over the last couple weeks, the return of Criminal with a new story arc in a monthly format and the Criminal hardcover that Ed Brubaker confirmed early last week.

CRIMINAL: THE SINNERS #1
By Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips

FROM THE CREATORS OF INCOGNITO -- THE AWARD-WINNING SERIES RETURNS!
"THE BEST CRIME COMIC EVER PUBLISHED..." – Comic Book Resources

One of the most award-winning and acclaimed comics series of the last several years returns to the shelves this September with a perfect new jumping-on point for new readers -- or those who’ve gotten hooked on Brubaker and Phillips hit series INCOGNITO and are craving more!

CRIMINAL’s most popular character, TRACY LAWLESS returns in THE SINNERS. It’s been a year since Tracy was forced into working for the bad guys, and now made men are turning up dead all over the city, in what appears to be mob-style hits. But since criminals don’t go to the cops for justice... only Tracy can solve this crime.

40 PGS/Mature Content/No ads.... $3.50

FINAL ORDER CUT-OFF 9/3, (ON-SALE 9/23/09)

CRIMINAL: THE DELUXE EDITION
By Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips

This oversized deluxe hardback edition features CRIMINAL books 1 thru 3 -- COWARD, LAWLESS, and THE DEAD AND THE DYING. A fantastically-designed and printed book showcasing the Eisner and Harvey Award-Winning crime comics from the creators of SLEEPER and INCOGNITO.

Also features many extras – including a Criminal short story and the never-before-printed five page “movie trailer in comics form” that Brubaker and Phillips created to announce the series online... illustrations, selected articles, behind the scenes looks, painted covers... and much much more!

A true collector’s edition spectacular from two of the hottest creators in comics, and a must-have for any fan!

400 pages/Mature Content... $49.99

There's a lot worth noting.

Release dates. Newsarama lists September 23rd as the expected on-sale date for "The Sinners #1", but neither site lists a sale date for the hardcover collection. When he confirmed the hardcover, Brubaker relayed, "it will come out in November."
Cover art. Both sites display the cover art for "The Sinners #1," which we've already featured from Sean Phillips' blog, but neither have the cover art for the early-solicited hardcover, artwork which will presumably be released closer to the actual publication.
De-emphasized numbering for Criminal. The next issue of the monthly title is referenced as simply Criminal: The Sinners #1. The issue may still be listed as "Volume 2, Issue 9" on the copyright page, but Sean Phillips' preview art did suggest that the monthly title would no longer list this number on the cover. This is probably being done -- wisely in my opinion -- to help draw new readers after the conclusion of Incognito and with the beginning of each new, largely self-contained arc.
"One year later." The last chapter of "Lawless," set on Christmas Eve, was released in November, 2007. I've been speculating -- quite out of nowhere -- that each present-day arc roughly corresponded to the release date, but if "The Sinners" does take place a year later, that speculation clearly was presumptuous.
Oversized hardcover. The "deluxe" collection isn't just a hardcover, it's listed as an "oversized" hardcover. My guess is that it might be 11.3 x 7.6 inches, like many Marvel hardcovers.
Extra content. I believe the first three trade paperbacks contain 128 pages, 128 pages, and 104 pages, respectively. This leaves a hefty forty pages of additional content.

That content will apparently include the "preview trailer" that has been featured here, and I believe it has only been previously published in any official capacity in the back pages of Kirkman's Walking Dead #30.

The "Criminal short story" might be the prose story, "Caught in the Undertow," written from Gnarly's point of view and included in the premiere issue -- or it might be "No One Rides for Free," the Criminal "emission" from Liberty Comics #1.

In addition to the essays that are beautifully illustrated by Sean Phillips, the extra material in the monthly issues includes ads for friends of Criminal, like Hard Case Crime; Brubaker's personal page, which was eventually titled "The Secret Ingredient is Crime;" and an excerpt of an interview with Brubaker conducted by Daniel Robert Epstein before the journalist's death. Not including all that, I count FORTY PAGES of essays in the first thirteen issues, so unless some of these essays are reformatted, I suspect that this hardcover might only collect some of these essays as "selected articles."

Even so, it appears that this collection really will be the rare instance of a book to meet its claim of being a "must-have."

As always, we'll relay more information about both the monthly comic and the hardcover collection as it becomes available. In particular, I'll work to update the blog as quickly as possible with any details about the Deluxe Edition's November release date, cover art, and bonus material.

UPDATE, June 17: The solicitation has been updated with the cover art; details here.

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Bullets: Reborn, Interviews, and Preview Art.

2009-06-16T16:15:00.002-04:00

Bigger news is coming later today, but first, a quick survey of other stuff I've seen online, all about Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips.

Details on Reborn. There have been some significant complaints about the planned timing of this announcement -- see, for instance, Brian Hibbs' criticism in multiple parts, starting here -- but Marvel has now announced that Ed Brubaker's upcoming Reborn miniseries will feature the return of Steve Rogers, Captain America.

I have not yet seen any interviews with Brubaker, but the news is getting extensive coverage at comic-book news sites and is even being mentioned in mainstream news outlets. In addition to providing a press release from Marvel, Newsarama reports that the New York Daily News first broke the story. The site also highlights a blog entry at the LA Times that features a six-page preview of Captain America: Reborn #1.

The story apparently begins in Captain America #600, in stores this week, and the five-part Reborn miniseries will debut on July 1st.
Brubaker Podcast: Criminal Film Rights? I missed catching this earlier, but around April 16th, iFanboy released a podcast interview with Ed Brubaker, who discusses Incognito, Angel of Death, and his current work in the Marvel universe. The entire 40-minute interview is worth a listen, for details about how Brubaker uses notebooks to plan his stories (and how he plays with his dog while he brainstorms), and how he transitioned from doing work as a comic artist to focusing on writing.

He mentions that there is already talks about a sequel to Angel of Death, but what I found most interesting is what Brubaker revealed about Criminal at the seven-minute mark, while discussing how Angel of Death came about.

"John Norris, the producer on Angel of Death, was approaching me to see about getting the rights to Criminal to do for an Internet series. I was already in negotiations with a variety of people on some of those books, so I couldn't do that and wasn't sure I'd want to anyway." [emphasis mine]

Very interesting.
Brubaker, Phillips, and New Technology. Ed Brubaker was also briefly interviewed by Newsarama, alongside others in the comics industry, on the subject of how technology might change the industry.

"For my money, nothing beats printed comics and graphic novels, but the new technology offers one big advantage that makes it very appealing... the direct distribution of content to the reader/viewer. I don't think print is dead, or any of those old saws, and I don't think that ecomics or motion comics will ever give a reader the same experience as print does, but it's hard to argue the impact they'll have on the market in the coming years."

The topic reminds of a Slate article by Jacob Weisberg on the effect Kindle and similar readers might have on the publishing industry. He theorizes that physical books may "decline as useful objects" but then "flourish as design objects." In comics, we might see fewer physical monthly titles, but a greater number of high-quality "Absolute" editions of major works. I'm not sure that could sustain specialty retailers, but I do hope it can.

On the subject of how technology will change printed media, the June 1st issue of The New Yorker features cover art that was created on a iPhone app. The Unofficial Apple Weblog has a story that features the artwork and provides links both to an interview with the artist and to a video showing the creation of the cover art in-progress.

Sean Phillips has used a similar paint application with a Nintendo DS he was given in early 2008, and he has posted on his blog some quite impressive work, including sketches of his son Jake and some Viking jewelry. He has also posted movies, here and here, of two nudes that he presumably drew during a life drawing class.
Preview art for Incognito and Criminal. I don't believe Sean has posted much DS art recently. For May and June, his blog has been dominated by work for Incognito and Criminal.

For Incognito, Phillips has posted quite a few thumbnails, sketches, partial inks, and completed inks. Highlights include the sketch and final artwork for Jess Nevins' essay on Operator 5, presumably for Incognito #4, in stores tomorrow. Just today, he has posted a sketch for what I gather is the artwork for Nevins' essay for issue #5, on Fu Manchu.

As we reported earlier, Criminal is about to make its return, and so Phillips has posted the sketch, the inks, and the colors for the cover art for part one of "The Sinners." We have also been treated to the sketch of the cover art for part two. As before, the issue number -- issue #9 of volume 2 -- appears to be omitted. More, the sketch suggests a striking and possibly deliberate contrast to the cover for issue #9 of the first volume.

The final cover art has not yet been posted.

The bigger news on the Criminal front is coming shortly.

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CRIMINAL DELUXE HARDCOVER, SCHEDULED FOR NOVEMBER.

2009-06-09T18:15:00.000-04:00

At both the BendisBoard forum at JinxWorld and at the blog Mah Two Cents, comic readers have recently noticed a "Criminal Omnibus" listed in this month's Previews, scheduled for a November release. The Discount Comic Book Service has a listing for the same product, with an "expected in-store date" of November 4th and apparent retail price of $49.99.

Lying in the Gutters, at its new home of Bleeding Cool, reported late yesterday that Ed Brubaker has confirmed the upcoming hardcover release.

Sneaking into Diamond Comics Distribution order sheets, but not the solicitations, themselves, the CRIMINAL OMNIBUS HC has been a strange anomaly for the last couple of weeks in certain Marvel Comics listings.

In response to enquiries my Little Bleeders, Brubaker confirmed that it was an early technical solicitation, and you can look forward to being able to order the title from the next Previews.

This will be the first creator owned Omnibus HC title from Marvel. And, of course, quite handy to defend yourself if an actual criminal breaks in. Just drop it on his head in self defence.

In the comment thread for this announcement, Ed Brubaker relays more information about the title, but declines to answer a question about how many issues the volume will contain.

"The book is actually going to be called the Criminal Deluxe edition, and it will come out in November. You'll see information in the September solicits because we're advance soliciting it."

"You'll have to wait for the official release to get the details, sorry. I'm sure you can wait a week or so for the online solicits."

A deluxe hardcover collection of Criminal is great news, and we'll relay more information as it becomes available.

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Was Incognito an Advertisement for Criminal?

2009-05-30T00:54:00.004-04:00

That's the question asked by retailer/good comics advocate Christopher Butcher as he writes about Incognito's final-issue solicitation in the new Diamond Previews catalog:

So it looks like it’s the end for INCOGNITO (p.79) with issue #6… and I couldn’t be happier! I’m always happy when stories have endings, that this is going to be a great book for the bookshelf and a strong seller for us. Hopefully it gooses the sales on CRIMINAL as well, which should start up again soon. I kind of wonder if, on some level (not the only level obv.), INCOGNITO was a six-issue advertisement for CRIMINAL… You know, all these guys reading Marvel comics, hanging out on message boards, they probably hear how great CRIMINAL is but, let’s face it, they only ever read the superhero books. So even though it’s published by Marvel, even though it got relaunched with a new #1 issue, they’re probably going to pass. But you take all the bits that make up a great CRIMINAL story-arc, and you put superhero-masks on all of the characters, and maybe that’s enough for them, to meet them half way so they realize “Hey this is pretty good!” I mean, the Marvel: Noir stuff sort of dilutes the brand, but really, our INCOGNITO sales are great, higher even than CRIMINAL, and I’m hoping… not just hoping but banking actually… that when CRIMINAL comes back in a month or two, we’ll see higher sales across the board. And we’ve got 4 trade paperbacks to sell them too.

I certainly hope Butcher is right that Incognito boosts sales for Criminal, although this logic seems to suggest to me that Sleeper should have enjoyed better sales than it did, since it was set in a superhero universe and featured the same sort of paranoid crime comics stylings Incognito presents. In any case, it says little good about the mind of the average superhero comics fan, that they would need to be wooed into reading excellent comics by masks and superpowers, as if the lure of excellent comics (something promised anytime Brubaker or Phillips is involved, but especially when they both are) is somehow not enough in and of itself.

THE SINNERS: The Return of Criminal.

2009-05-20T22:05:00.001-04:00

By my count, this is the 100th blog entry published here at A Criminal Blog. What better way to mark the occasion than with this?

Sean Phillips has just published what he has since explained to be a "sketch" of the wraparound cover art for the next issue of Criminal.

(As I told Sean in reply, if that's just a sketch, I can't wait to see the final version. Even in its rough state, it's more striking than most of what you see on the shelves.)

The full image and a link to a full-size version are available at his blog.

It is just a preliminary work, but some brief analysis may be in order.

The image filename -- "CRIM02.8d_cvr.jpg" -- confirms that this is the draft art (which would explain the "d") for Volume 2, Issue 8, but this issue number is missing from the sketch that otherwise contains a lot of what one would expect from the final image: the title, the Icon logo, the price, and white space for the UPC barcode. It's possible that, particularly in light of the surprise success of Incognito, the issue number will be downplayed on the cover, in favor of the numbering for the individual story arc.

This decision would be the inverse of what Dark Horse Comics did with the title that was eventually known as Star Wars Republic. For its first two arcs, Prelude to Rebellion and Outlander, the cover only listed the numbering for the individual story arc in the upper left corner, as if each arc was a separate mini-series. With the third arc, the cover listed both the story-arc numbering (1 of 6) and the monthly numbering (13), and the former disappeared from the cover altogether with the "Republic" rebranding at issue 46.

If Criminal does drop the numbering of the ongoing title, or at least remove the numbering from the cover, it may be in an attempt to attract new readers who would otherwise be reluctant to jump into a series at issue #8 or so. It would be a reflection of the fact that the title is ultimately a series of interconnecting but really self-contained story arcs.
In the top left corner of what will be the front cover, we have a small version of the Criminal title above the logo for the Icon imprint. Keeping the title in this location would allow Sean Phillips to move the large title further down, as he does here, while making the issue easy to spot on comic book racks and in longboxes of back issues. I would expect to see Phillips incorporate the title into the cover art in more interesting ways -- as he did occasionally with Sleeper, especially Season 2, Issue 2.
This preliminary art has been released just a few days after Marvel's August solicitations. From following his blog over the last few years, I gather that Sean's first completed work for any issue is usually the cover art, to be included in the solicitation: he showcased the final cover art for the previous issue in late June 2008, about a month before it was solicited. I doubt that this new issue would be added to Marvel's August 2009 solicitations -- I'm not even sure it's possible to add it after the fact -- and I doubt the cover art is being completed now for the October solicitations, which we would expect to be released in two months. So, I strongly suspect that this issue will be scheduled for a September release.
Finally, as rough as this first sketch might be, I think it's clear confirmation of what Ed Brubaker relayed way back in September: the return of Criminal will also mark the return of Tracy Lawless.

I really dig the twisted spy story of Sleeper and the "Apocalyptic Pulp Noir" of Incognito, but since it hasn't been "stepped on" and diluted with superhero tropes, Criminal is the purest form of the heavy narcotic that Brubaker and Phillips produce. I can't wait for my next fix, and I'm ecstatic to see confirmation that it's on its way.

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Short Essay on Criminal, in Great Escape Comics Newsletter.

2009-05-20T16:45:00.001-04:00

I've occasionally mentioned my friendly neighborhood comics retailer, Great Escape Comics in Marietta, Georgia. The good folks there have begun publishing a shop newsletter: the premiere issue is now available online in PDF format, and on page 5 is an essay I contributed to the issue. Excerpted below, the essay is a brief introduction to my favorite comic book series.

Criminal features a series of self-contained but interlocking crime stories, where a tightly constructed plot is driven by one of a growing number of engrossing characters: the master thief whose ability to survive has earned him a reputation for cowardice; the troubled soldier who, when enlisting to avoid prison, abandoned his now-murdered younger brother; and the insomniac who is drawn into his old life of forgery, in part because he compared himself to the hard-boiled detective in the comic strip he draws. Their stories are effective thrillers, but they are also tragic character studies, where the readers slowly learn that their defeats and pyrrhic victories are often the result of their own deeply-rooted flaws.

Each story arc in Criminal can be thoroughly understood and enjoyed in isolation, but together they are creating a sprawling city with decades of history. Themes recur time and again, the most significant theme being family, the responsibility of caring for your family and the scars that can be caused by those who cared for you. Though he hasn’t been featured as a central character in any single issue, we discover why the man who took his father’s place as the city’s mob boss would tell the fugitive solider that "family is a trap."

That last observation concerns Sebastian Hyde: the story that is slowly revealed in the flashback tales in The Dead and The Dying adds a new layer of meaning to his later conversation with Tracy Lawless, seen at the end of the previous arc.

As usual, I see where my prose could be improved, and the essay that was written a few months ago now seems somewhat out of date: it now appears that Criminal will not return in June or July -- its return will be no earlier than August, probably September -- and I'm rethinking the Bat-related titles in my pull list, in light of Battle for the Cowl, which brought to a close Paul Dini's consistently enjoyable run on Detective Comics.

All that said, I think it's a good introduction to Criminal for Great Escape customers and others. (And if any of our readers lives near Marietta, I recommend Great Escape Comics without reservation.)

For those Criminal fans who want an easy way to introduce the title to their friends, I recommend these links which I've posted before. They're links to free previews of the first two story arcs, each covering a full issue's worth of material.

Criminal Volume 1, Issue 1: Part One of "Coward"
http://tinyurl.com/2a9jle

Criminal Volume 1, Issue 6: Part One of "Lawless"
http://tinyurl.com/2cctg4

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New Editions of Sleeper: Prelude on Sale Now, Final Volume Out in September.

2009-05-19T15:40:00.003-04:00

The first of the new trade paperback collections of Ed Brubaker's Sleeper story for WildStorm comics is now in stores, and it has just been revealed that the final collection will hit stores in late September.

First, as we reported earlier, the new edition of Point Blank was scheduled for a May 6 release, and it appears that it was released on time.

Point Blank is a five-issue mini-series that was originally published in late 2002 and early 2003. Written by Ed Brubaker and illustrated by Colin Wilson, it focuses on Cole Cash -- better known in the WildStorm universe as Grifter -- and his investigation into the shooting of spymaster John Lynch. The story leads directly into Sleeper, Brubaker's first major collaboration with Sean Phillips, a series that began immediately after the conclusion of Point Blank.

The two titles are sufficiently self-contained to be read and enjoyed separately, but they really belong together, and combined they tell the really twisted and quite epic story of a spy who loses his bearings infiltrating an international criminal organization, working all the way up to its virtual heart of darkness. Probably in light of Brubaker and Phillips' well-earned success, DC Comics is reprinting the trade collections: the company is officially branding Point Blank as a "prelude" to Sleeper; to make the connection even more emphatic, DC has also given this edition new cover art by Sean Phillips.

It appears that the new trade of Point Blank is already on sale. As soon as I get my own copy, I'll post an update if there is any new material worth mentioning. In the meantime, DC has a six-page PDF preview of the trade collection at the book's official listing. (H/t Jog)

The proper story of Sleeper was told over the course of 24 issues, split into two "seasons," and originally collected in four volumes. For the new editions, the story is being collected into two volumes whose total cost is less expensive than the original collections. The first season's volume is scheduled to be released on June 17th, and DC's August solicitations now reveal an advance-solicited sale date of September 23rd for the second and final volume.

In addition to the 12 issues of Season Two, this final collection will inclued "the never-before-collected prequel story from COUP D’ETAT: AFTERWORD."

Coup D'Etat was a four-issue mini-series that shook up the WildStorm universe, and one issue featured a Sleeper story written by Ed Brubaker, but I have never found that this story, also available in trade paperback, really added to the story that Brubaker and Phillips were telling: I don't remember that it was even referenced in Sleeper, and so it's entirely inessential to that story. This "afterward" story, however, appears to be the season-two prequel that Brubaker mentioned last year. Despite its inclusion in a comic book with the "Coup D'Etat" branding, this story might add another wrinkle to the Sleeper collections.

Marvel's August solicitations were also released this week, and I see that no Icon books have been included: no trade collection for Incognito and -- more importantly -- no new issue of Criminal. I still estimate that the latter will return around late August or early September, and it looks like September is more likely.

We'll still have a lot to look out for this summer: the two new collections of Sleeper and the last three issues of Incognito.

Particularly if you haven't read Sleeper before, I strongly recommend that you get all three of the new trade paperbacks, as the story is definitely worth reading.

UPDATE, June 17: Above I wrote that I would provide an update about Point Blank "if there is any new material worth mentioning."

I never did provide that follow-up, because that book contained no significant changes, other than the new cover art by Sean Phillips. The book's paper is very slightly different, and the colors are almost imperceptibly brighter. The cover's spine includes the Sleeper icon to match the two season collections coming out this summer, and the cover includes two new blurbs. The back cover has a different image from inside the book, but almost identical text.

(The text mentions Criminal and Incognito in reference to Ed Brubaker, making it clear precisely who DC is targeting, and the text mentions that the book "serves as a prequel" to Sleeper. That last bit annoys me, because I think, strictly speaking, prequels come out after a work to relay earlier events. Because Point Blank was published first, it's more properly a "prelude" as the front cover describes it.)

Inside, the title page and copyright information are updated slightly, and the back page has a new advertisement for other WildStorm collections, including the upcoming Sleeper season-long trades. Everything else, including the actual story and Brubaker's original afterword, seems completely unchanged, down to a small typo on page two of part two.

If you already have Point Blank, this isn't an essential purchase, but I do strongly recommend the story for anyone else. Even those wholly unfamiliar with the WildStorm universe should find this book to tell a compelling, self-contained tale that is an excellent companion to the proper story of Sleeper.

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Bullets: Double-Issue Incognito, Brubaker Interviews, Parker Preview, &c.

2009-05-13T23:45:00.003-04:00

Here's the latest news from the world of Criminal and Incognito, with a little extra information regarding some of Ed Brubaker's other work, a couple interviews, and more.

Incognito Must-Have One-Shot. The Incognito double-issue "one-shot," which we announced earlier, has been released today, as scheduled.

For those who haven't picked it up yet, it's the first time a Brubaker/Phillips comic from Icon does not feature a wrap-around cover: the back cover displays half-sized versions of the cover art for the first printing of the first two issues. Inside, the $4.99 issue includes little more than the first two chapters of the story of Zack Overkill. It omits Ed Brubaker's notes page and Jess Nevins' first two essays on pulp heroes, leaving only enough room for an ad for Criminal and an announcement that the third issue of Incognito is already in stores "because the sick fun is just beginning!"

I would consider this issue necessary only for true completists; the more new readers can catch up with the story, the better.
Ed Brubaker's Marvel Solicitations. A couple weeks ago, Marvel released its full solicitations for July, and I've already noted the solicitation and scheduled release date for the conclusion to Incognito. What I didn't note was that the first comic listed is "Reborn #1," the first part of a five-issue mini-series written by Brubaker and drawn by Bryan Hitch, with covers by Hitch, Alex Ross, and John Cassaday. The solicitation contains no further information, and I haven't seen much else about the comic beyond reader speculation.

This week, Comic Book Resources posted an image related to June's issue of Captain America, where the series reverts to the original numbering (#600 instead of #51). Brubaker has mentioned a big summer event for Marvel that has, thus far, remained mostly a secret. The project is apparently "Reborn," and this image related to Captain America might also have something to do with the upcoming mini-series.

[UPDATE, May 14: In a CBR interview posted today, Captain America editor Tom Brevoort reveals that the teaser image we briefly mentioned in April is almost certainly tied to "Reborn." Asked about the ad, Brevoort responds with information that coincides with what little was available from the solicitation: "It's written by Ed, drawn by Bryan Hitch, and will be of immediate interest to anybody reading Marvel Comics."]
Brubaker Interviews, Preview of Darwyn Cooke's Parker. I've come across two online interviews with Ed Brubaker, and both are worth a mention. First, a couple months ago, Chris Mautner posted a lengthy interview, conducted around the time of the debut of Incognito. (Hat-tip to Robot 6.)

Brubaker discusses the story's themes of identity and how they tie to Zack's being a twin, the inherent tragedy of noir, and the hard edge of classic pulp. He talks about working on multiple series with Sean Phillips, the success of Criminal in both monthly and trade formats, and the differences between his creator-owned work and his work for-hire for DC and Marvel.

More recently, Brubaker was a "special guest" for a Comics Reporter interview of Darwyn Cooke, focusing on the Cooke's upcoming comic adaptation of the first Parker novel, written by Donald Westlake under the psuedonym Richard Stark.

(The page may take quite a while to load: it consistently loads slowly for me, because, I suspect, the page is waiting for files from a very sluggish ad site.)

The interview, conducted by Tom Spurgeon, is something of a long love letter to the crime fiction of the late Westlake, who passed away just a few months ago, but it also covers Brubaker and Cooke's collaborative work on Catwoman, Cooke's praise for Criminal, and the moral code that guides each protagonist in the series.

Perhaps most notably, the interview points to a lengthy, 21-page PDF preview of the first Parker adaptation, The Hunter. With its monochrome art and thirteen consecutive pages without almost any dialogue, the book is very, very striking. It's scheduled to be released by IDW this July, and I know I'm ordering a copy.
Preview Art at Sean Phillips' Blog. Brubaker isn't the only one who's been busy. Sean Phillips continues to feature preview art at his blog, both for the upcoming Criminal short story for Dark Horse Noir, and for Incognito. Highlights include the first look at the sexually deviant husband for the short story, "21st Century Noir," and a first look at Professor Zeppelin.

Phillips' fans should also check out a sketch of a zombie Sentry, drawn at the Bristol Comic Expo.
A Question of Copyright. Finally, speaking of Phillips' blog, during the course of a conversation in the comments, I noticed that Criminal and Incognito do not have the same copyright notice.

Everywhere I've seen Criminal published, the copyright is for Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips, but Incognito has a copyright of "Basement Gang, Inc.," which appears to be a small company owned by Ed Brubaker and his wife, independent filmmaker Melanie Tomlin. I'm curious to know if anyone knows the reason behind the different copyrights.

In addition to reading Incognito, I've been watching baseball and keeping up with Hard Case Crime and the definitive editions of Greg Rucka's Queen & Country, but I'll keep an eye peeled for more news and previews.

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Bullets: Criminal "Emission" for Dark Horse Noir, Incognito Solicitation, Second Volume of Gotham Central.

2009-04-21T16:40:00.000-04:00

There have been a few updates which I would like to highlight, and there is news about a reprint that has (finally) been announced.

Confirmed: Criminal "Emission" for Dark Horse Noir. Sean Phillips himself commented about my recent summary of other interesting crime comics. As I explained in the update, Sean confirmed that his collaboration with Ed Brubaker for the upcoming Dark Horse Noir anthology collection will be a Criminal short story. This would be the second such story outside the pages of the Icon series -- the first one being in last year's Liberty Comics -- and Sean relays that Val Staples will not be adding his color work to this story, making it the first black-and-white Criminal story.

(I pointed out Dark Horse's page for the collection earlier, but I missed that its format is explicitly black-and-white.)

Last year's short story was titled "No One Rides for Free," a "Criminal emission" whereas each issue and trade collection is presented as a "Criminal edition." If the preview art that Sean just posted is any indication, this new "emission" will be called "21st Century Noir."

The first page of preview art suggests that, along with a suitably twisted tale of romance (possibly featuring new characters), the story might obliquely address the way technology changes noir fiction. Noir from fifty years ago features phone booths and large American cars, in a culture where most men were suits and hats and where everybody smoked; now it's all cell phones, hybrids, tee-shirts and bottled water. The core tragedy of human life hasn't changed, but how technology affects it certainly has, and this story might explore that. The trade paperback anthology is scheduled for a Sept 30th release.
July Solicitation and Release Date for Incognito #6. As I explained in the update to the original blog entry, Marvel has just released its July solicitations, providing the description and release date for the final issue of Incognito. The issue is currently scheduled for a July 15th release -- which is earlier than I guessed -- and its story's focus has apparently expanded to include a global threat, where Zack Overkill is "the one man left who can save the world."
Gotham Central Volume 2 Hardcover. Finally, some new information regarding the hardcover collections for Gotham Central, which began with Ed Brubaker as co-writer and concluded with cover art from Sean Phillips. In DC's July solicitations, the second volume is advance-solicited for a September 9th sale date -- not too long before the Dark Horse Noir collection. Titled "Jokers & Madmen," the book collects the next twelve issues in the award-winning series, and it will retail for $29.99, the same price as the first, ten-issue collection.

If it's consistent with the first volume, this collection will be subtitled "Book Two" and will contain the cover art for the collected issues -- which would be a good sign that the final volume will collect Sean Phillips' cover art. And, since the first hardcover collection was released in September, 2008, I'm guessing that subsequent volumes to collect the last of the series' forty issues will be published annually.

Even though I had read his work for the main Batman titles, it was Gotham Central that made me really notice the particular writing of Ed Brubaker and Greg Rucka. For me it has served as a "gateway drug" to Rucka's Queen & Country, and to Brubaker and Phillips's Sleeper and, now, Criminal and Incognito. Fans of Brubaker and Michael Lark's work on Daredevil should definitely check out this title, which is a kind of NYPD Blue under the shadow of the Batman and his dangerous enemies.

This volume should be particularly enjoyable. It collects, for the first time, "Daydreams & Believers" and "Life is Full of Disappointments," two low-key stories that provide some of the best character moments of the series. And, it reprints "Soft Targets," a story where the Joker terrorizes Gotham during the Christmas season; it wouldn't surprise me at all if this story was read by the writers of The Dark Knight.

Since this is my fourth entry in just under a week, I've probably made up for the quiet month before that. It's been a busy week, and I'll keep y'all posted with more news, previews, and commentary as it comes.

Updated Schedule for Incognito, and What Lies Beyond.

2009-04-16T16:15:00.001-04:00

Since the debut of Criminal in October 2006, there has been the occasional delay in Brubaker and Phillip's Icon comics, usually a delay of only a week or two from the original solicitation date, sometimes a little bit more. Because I so look forward to new issues, the delay can feel unbearable, but I cannot stress how minor these delays really are.

Even the occasional one-month delay is nothing in comparison to other books, even high-profile projects involving DC and Marvel's most popular characters. Funnybook Babylon has an interesting summary of how the rest of the Marvel universe kept moving during the 25-issue run of Whedon and Cassaday's Astonishing X-Men. If their collaboration had a somewhat overstated reputation for delays -- they ended up releasing the book every two months, on average -- the same cannot be said for Action Comics' "Last Son" arc from Johns, Donner, and Kubert, a fiasco which FBB also documents in all its gory detail. And All-Star Batman & Robin's delays have become a punchline in their own league.

Beyond that, with Criminal and Incognito, we're dealing with a creator-owned title by guys who are juggling other projects. I wouldn't want their work to be rushed, and fill-in work makes no sense whatsoever. For such a well-made labor of love, the delays are not only minor, they're understandable and even desirable compared to any realistic alternatives.

I say all that to say this: I like Ed Brubaker's personal page or two of notes and letters in the back of every issue, and I really appreciate his apology for the one-month delay, opening the notes page in this week's issue. It wasn't necessary, but it's appreciated as a small recognition of the connection between the creators and the readers.

In this week's issue, Brubaker also writes, "from here on in, we should be monthly for the rest of the series and then we're going right into the next run of Criminal, with no break this time."

I'm looking forward to it, and I have some details for our readers here.

As an update to yesterday's news, I see that Marvel has corrected its announcement and confirmed my initial suspicion that the double-issue reprint is scheduled to go on sale on May 13th.

Yesterday, I talked with one of my good friends working at Great Escape Comics, and he found that the March 25th Diamond Dateline -- the weekly newsletter for Diamond customers -- listed updates for the next two issues of Incognito. Though issue #4 was originally scheduled for April 22nd, and issue #5 was originally scheduled for May 27th, Diamond reported that the issues have been rescheduled for May 20th and June 17th, respectively.

I have not found a page for issue #5 yet at Marvel.com, but the official site now lists a release date of May 27th for issue #4. Since that issue has been delayed one more week, I'm guessing issue #5 will also be released a week later than Diamond's update -- that is, June 24th.

The sixth and final issue was not included in the June solicitations, so I imagine a release no earlier than late July.

Taking these dates and adding info from the original solicitations and press releases along with some final cover art from Sean's blog, I would say that this is, essentially, the current schedule for the remaining issues of Incognito.

INCOGNITO MUST-HAVE ONE SHOT: May 13

Marvel is pleased to announce that INCOGNITO #1 & #2, which quickly sold out of both their first and second printings*, are collected in the all-new INCOGNITO MUST-HAVE ONE SHOT. From the Eisner-winning, noir dream team of Ed "The Man Who Killed Captain America" Brubaker, Sean Phillips and Val Staples, INCOGNITO presents the gripping story of a former super villain in the witness protection program. But when he starts using his powers once more, does this spell the end of his rehabilitation…and his very life? Collecting the first two issues of the acclaimed limited series, INCOGNITO MUST-HAVE ONE SHOT is the perfect jumping on point for the book that critics and fans agree is a hit! Plus, this collection features a new cover by Phillips!

(* - Completists and other collectors should note that I do NOT believe issue #2 had a second printing.)
INCOGNITO #4: May 27th

THE MOST TWISTED SUPER-VILLAIN TALE OF ALL TIME TAKES A SHARP RIGHT TURN... AS THE HEROES FINALLY ARRIVE! Zack's masked mayhem hasn't gone unnoticed by the authorities or the bad guys he's been in hiding from. Now, Zoey Zeppelin [sic], granddaughter of the legendary Professor Zeppelin is here to find out just which side he's on -- even if she has to kill him to be sure. (cover art)
INCOGNITO #5: probably June 24th

Doc Lester is the mad scientist's mad scientist, and he may just be the only person who knows the truth about Zack Overkill and his twin brother...A truth that Zack will soon have to kill for, as all sides are closing in on him. (cover art)
INCOGNITO #6: late July, possibly July 29th

A description has not yet been made available. (cover art)

UPDATE, Apr 21: Newsarama has just posted Marvel's full solicitations for July, including a description for issue #6, which is scheduled to go on sale July 15th.

THE HARD-HITTING CONCLUSION TO THE MOST TWISTED SUPER-VILLAIN STORY EVER! It all ends here. All of Zack Overkill's planning and scheming has brought him face-to-face with his own past, and now he's the one man left who can save the world... but does he care enough to even try?

The later dates are my best guesses, and, of course, all dates are subject to change. Since Brubaker mentioned a return to Criminal without any further delay, I would guess that the series will return in late August or early September.

Depending on how long that next arc is, I also imagine that the sequel to Incognito that I mentioned yesterday will probably reach stores around the beginning of next year.

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Notes on Other Crime Comics.

2009-04-16T12:25:00.003-04:00

As I just wrote yesterday, I plan to continue focusing on Brubaker and Phillips' collaborative work: their Wildstorm comic Sleeper, and especially their recent work under Marvel's Icon imprint. I'll briefly note their other projects as time permits and as events warrant it, and -- as I did in February -- I'll occasionally make note of other crime comics, which are the subject of this brief blog entry.

First, alongside issue #3 of Incognito, the final issue of 100 Bullets was released Wednesday. The award-winning Vertigo series by Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso concludes with issue #100. I couldn't find any online previews, but CBR and IGN have already posted very positive, spoiler-filled reviews.

There have been some developments for the upcoming projects I mentioned earlier. First, a website devoted to the criminal character Parker, created by Donald Westlake (as Richard Stark), has pointed out some new images of Darwyn Cooke's first Parker adaptation, and the site also highlighted a brief introduction to Parker and Cooke. The first graphic-novel adaptation, Parker: The Hunter, appears to be scheduled for a July 14th release.

And, Dark Horse's Noir trade paperback is now listed at the official website. The listing features apparent cover art and a link to pre-order the book, which is scheduled to be released on September 30th. The anthology will include work from both Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips, but it's still not yet clear whether they will be working together, much less whether we'll have another "Criminal emission" as we did with Liberty Comics.

[UPDATE, Apr 20: Sean Phillips added a comment to this blog entry, confirming that Dark Horse Noir WILL include a "Criminal emission," a black-and-white short story, without colors from Val Staples. (Thanks, Sean!)]

(As a brief aside, issue #1 of Liberty Comics, featuring a short Criminal story starring Tracy Lawless, went to a second printing with new cover art, and it's available for sale here, to benefit the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. Though they mistakenly include this second printing's cover art, Newsarama recently reported that a second issue is scheduled to be released in October. This new anthology comic will accompany The CBLDF Liberty Series, "a series of high-end variant covers featuring Image's strongest titles with exclusive artwork not available anywhere else.")

It's a good time to read crime comics, and if I come across any other projects that might interest Criminal readers, I'll point them out.

Bullets: Eisner Nomination, Interviews, and Incognito Previews & Reprint.

2009-04-14T17:45:00.005-04:00

It's been quiet around here, but the Criminal creators are keeping busy. Ed Brubaker's Angel of Death, the online live-action mini-series starring Zoe Bell, debuted at Crackle over the first few weeks of March. Meanwhile at his blog, Sean Phillips has been showcasing preview art for "The Brothers MacKenzie," which Sean explains is "a cowboy story for Outlaw Territory written by Pete Doree," and which he first mentioned in early February.

If I had the time, I would consider providing more regular coverage of all the other great work that the guys are doing, especially Ed Brubaker's many high-profile projects for some of Marvel's most popular characters.

But, if I had that kind of time, I wouldn't try to cram a month's worth of updates into a single blog entry. As it is, I'll continue to focus on Brubaker and Phillips' collaborations, and I'll catch up with a "bullet" list.

Eisner nod for Val Staples.First, the 2009 Eisner Award nominations were announced, and Val Staples was nominated for Best Coloring for his work on both Criminal and Incognito. (h/t Newsarama)

Criminal won the Eisner for Best New Series in 2007, and Ed Brubaker won Best Writer that same year -- and again in 2008 -- in part for his work on the Icon series. Though I think his work on the recent Age of the Sentry "throwback" mini-series was good, his work on Criminal and Incognito has been exceptional. I personally think the coloring for "Bad Night" is particularly striking, and we congratulate Val for the well-deserved nomination. The awards will be announced at the San Diego Comic-Con on Friday, July 24th.
Brubaker interviews reveal an Incognito sequel. I've caught a few recent interviews with Ed Brubaker, focusing on other topics but revealing new information about his creator-owned titles. First, two of the big comic news sites interviewed Brubaker in early March, focusing on Angel of Death. Newsarama asked about adapting his comic books to other media, and Ed relayed that he has "several deals in the works in various stages out there." While one cannot count on these projects coming to completion, Brubaker assures us that comics is still his life: "I want to work more in film, and I'd love to do more screen writing, but I can do anything I want with Sean right now, and that kind of freedom is not widely available in Hollywood."

Comic Book Resources asked Brubaker about his current work in comics. After briefly teasing "huge stuff" for Captain America this summer, Brubaker revealed that the next issue of Incognito will contain some "major twists" and "goes even darker." His recent body of work has been quite dark and twisted already, so that might be saying quite a lot.

Then, at the end of the month, it was announced that Ed Brubaker's popular run on Marvel's Daredevil will be coming to a close with issue #500, which I believe corresponds with the second volume's issue #23 (correction, #120), at which point the original numbering will resume. Newsarama interviewed Brubaker about his leaving the title with the conclusion of the "Return of the King" storyline, passing the title to Andy Diggle. He confirms that he will remain quite active with Marvel, on Captain America for the foreseeable future, the Marvels Project which was announced in February, and "one other big Marvel project" that remains a secret.

(Captain America fans should note that an enigmatic teaser image started appearing a few weeks ago and points to a major event in July. It's not clear whether Brubaker is directly involved in this event.)

After discussing his mainstream Marvel work, Brubaker discussed Incognito at length. He talked about the mini-series' surprising success and mentioned that one theme is its exploration of its protagonist Zack, "why he is the way he is" and why that prevents him from a life of bourgeois normalcy. He confirmed that the story would conclude at six issues rather than five, because its pace ended up being slower than he expected. And, he revealed that a sequel to Incognito is fast on its heels.

Earlier, we reported that the next arc of Criminal should feature the return of Tracy Lawless. In this most recent interview, Brubaker teased the Incognito sequel that will likely follow this arc: "It's a weird story that just appeared to me while plotting out the first issue, and I've got this burning desire to get to it quickly."

Brubaker hopes Incognito fans will try his crime series, and he reassured Criminal fans of his love for the older title: "Criminal does really well, and our trade sales are incredibly steady on it, as are our European sales, and it's really the comic I've been wanting to do for a long time, so I'll always come back to it."
Incognito #3 preview. At the end of the most recent Newsarama interview, Brubaker teased an online preview of the next issue, and the site provided a then-exclusive preview the next day.

(The preview includes some blacked-out text and a black box over some partial nudity. CBR's subsequent preview of the same material -- plus one extra page -- confirms that the obscured text was some hasher profanity, and its lack of black boxes strongly suggests that this editing was for the Newsarama preview only, and not for the actual issue.)

The cover features the beautiful but deadly (aren't they all?) Ava Destruction and is shown above. The new issue is scheduled to go on sale tomorrow, April 15th.
Preview art at Sean's blog. Over at his blog, Sean Phillips continues to feature preview art for Incognito. In addition to showing work-in-progress for the main story, he has shown both the sketch and the final art for the image that will apparently accompany the essay on the pulp hero, "The Spider." I suspect the essay will be in tomorrow's new issue. Phillips has also shown a very arresting preliminary sketch for the trade paperback cover art. It's unique from the perspective of art design, it quickly conveys the anonymity in Zack's witness protection program, and it will certainly stand out on the comic-book racks.
JUST ANNOUNCED: Incognito Must-Have One-Shot. Finally, I just noticed that, today, Marvel has announced an Incognito Must-Have One-Shot, a double-issue reprint of the first two issues of the mini-series, both of which have already sold out. (h/t CBR)

The cover art is reprinted here. As of this blog entry's writing, the press release lists two final order cutoff (FOC) dates, which I suspect is an error. If it is, the later date might be the sale date; this double-issue reprint might go on sale on Wednesday, May 13th.

I'll post an update on the sale date as soon as I have more information.

UPDATE: I confirmed this suspicion, as detailed here.

Quite a bit's happened over the last month.

To review very briefly, previews for Incognito #3 are already online, and the issue goes on sale tomorrow. An extra-length reprint of the first two issues has been announced, and it appears that it may go on sale in about a month. The Eisner Awards will be announced at the end of July, and Val Staples has been nominated for his coloring on Brubaker and Phillips' two Icon titles. Around this time, we will probably see the Incognito trade and the first new Criminal story arc for 2009. After that arc wraps, we should see the strange sequel to Incognito.

In the meantime, I'll keep posting updates, even if they aren't exactly the most timely announcements.

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CONFIRMED: Sixth Issue for Incognito.

2009-02-25T12:30:00.002-05:00

The suspicion which I wrote about earlier this week has just been confirmed: though originally described as a five-issue mini-series, Incognito will have (at least) a sixth issue, after all. Over at his blog, Sean Phillips has just posted his sketch for the sixth issue's cover art.

The sketch looks more like what I would expect from a final issue: a dramatic image of the protagonist rather than a sneering secondary character. My guess is, this issue will see publication around June, and Criminal will probably resume in July or August.

As always, I'll post more details as I find them.

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May Solicitations: Incognito and Sleeper.

2009-02-22T21:30:00.005-05:00

As Newsarama reported earlier this week, Marvel and DC released their May solicitations earlier this week. In Marvel's solicitations, Incognito #5 is listed, currently scheduled for a May 27th release. The most interesting thing is that description doesn't suggest that the fifth issue is the final issue. We reported, way back in September, that Incognito was planned to be a five-issue mini-series, but this description doesn't sound like the climax and conclusion:

Doc Lester is the mad scientist's mad scientist, and he may just be the only person who knows the truth about Zack Overkill and his twin brother...A truth that Zack will soon have to kill for, as all sides are closing in on him.

It's possible I'm reading too much between the lines, but I'll see if I can confirm that the mini-series has been lengthened.

Over at DC's side of things, we have an advance solitication -- which has now been posted at the official site -- for the first volume in a new edition of Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips' Sleeper. We first reported the new editions in September, and we finally have some details.

This first volume, Sleeper Season One (buy Sleeper: Season One from amazon.com) is scheduled to be released on June 17th. It's a trade paperback collection of material that was previously available in two trade paperbacks, "Out in the Cold" and "All False Moves." While those two volumes retailed together for $35.98, it appears that this new collection will sell for only $24.99.

Comparing page counts, it appears that this new volume will not contain much extra material, if any. Earlier, Ed Brubaker mentioned the inclusion of a rare story from a WildStorm sampler, but since that story is apparently a prequel or prelude to Season Two, it will almost certainly be included in a follow-up Season Two volume, which has not yet been announced.

Personally, I would love to see an "Absolute" edition of Sleeper, including what I believe is the essential prelude of Point Blank, written by Ed Brubaker and drawn by Colin Wilson. A hardcover collection this summer might make such a high-end collection less likely; I'm hoping that an "Absolute" edition will become more likely if and when the film adaptation comes closer to becoming a reality.

UPDATE: I missed this when it was originally solicited, but it appears that a new trade-paperback edition of Point Blank is also in the works, scheduled for a May 6th release. The heading appears to have an error, as the description rightly describes the release as having new cover artwork by Sean Phillips -- art that he showcased at his blog, also in September, first as a rough sketch and then in as a complete but uncolored work.

It appears that this collection will contain about the same number of pages and for about the same price as the original trade paperback, but it will be officially branded on the front cover as the "prelude to Sleeper." Going by this collection's early May release and Season One's mid-June release, I'm guessing Season Two will come out by late July.

Those fans of Criminal and Incognito who haven't read this dark, self-contained tale of super-powered espionage will have an excellent opportunity to catch up this summer.

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Bullets: New Incognito, Brubaker Interviews, Crime Comics.

2009-02-14T12:15:00.001-05:00

The Incognito express keeps rolling on, and -- despite my being sick this week -- we're here to cover the highlights..

New Incognito in stores now. Two issues of Brubaker and Phillips' "Apocalyptic Pulp Noir" mini-series were released this past Wednesday: the second printing of issue #1 and a new chapter in issue #2. Comic Book Resources has a five-page preview of the second issue. This issue has already received very positive reviews from CBR and The Savage Critics, and if sales of the first issue are any indication, this issue will probably go pretty fast. If you don't have it already, you should probably buy it soon.
Brubaker interviews. There have been a few recent interviews with Ed Brubaker that I didn't mention in my last blog post. Brubaker talked with Atomic Comics about Incognito, Captain America, and the new Sleeper film. Newsarama posted an hour-long Word Balloon podcast with Brubaker, where he discussed the pulp noir comic and his work on the online live-action mini-series Angel of Death. And, since I last wrote, the New York Comic Con saw the announcement of The Marvels Project, an upcoming mini-series about the orgins of Marvel's earliest superheroes; Brubaker is writing the story, and Newsarama conducted a lengthy interview about the project.
Other crime comics. In the back pages of the latest issue, Ed Brubaker writes about Donald Westlake, who passed away at the beginning of the year, and whose many psuedonyms apparently inspired Tracy Lawless' alias in Criminal. He mentions that Darwyn Cooke will be adapting the first four volumes of Westlake's "Parker" novels (written under the psuedonym, Richard Stark) and now is as good a time as any to mention that, later this year, we'll see quite a few crime comics that might appeal to Criminal fans.

Cooke's adaptation of the first "Parker" novel, The Hunter, should be released in late 2009; the project was announced at last year's San Diego Comic-Con and was covered by Newsarama and CBR, among many other online newssites. A new "Parker" fansite has recently displayed what appears to be the cover art for the first adaptation, which is now scheduled for a July release, and they point to a recent interview with Cooke at Wizard.

(Those who are interested in Darwyn Cooke's "Parker" adaptations might be interested to know that, last year, The University of Chicago Press began republishing the earliest novels in the series, in order. The next group of three novels should be released this May.)

During this past weekend's New York Comic Con, two other high-profile crime comics were announced. DC's Vertigo comics will release a series of black-and-white hardcover graphic novels under the heading Vertigo Crime. The first two graphic novels are scheduled to be released in September, and five other titles were announced as being in the pipeline, with more being planned.

And, also in September, Dark Horse Comics will release a crime comic anthology series called Noir, and it features our own Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips. It's possible that this anthology will include a Criminal "emission" just like last year's Liberty Comics anthology for the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund; we'll post more details as they become available.

Personally, I think the growing interest in pure crime comics can only be a good thing for Criminal, which is proving to be the gold standard in monthly crime titles. We could be witnessing the birth -- or, more accurately, the rebirth -- of a comic-book genre.

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