Status
Available
Call number
Collections
Publication
Image Comics (2015), 128 pages
Description
The traditional heist story is turned on its head in COWARD. Leo can plan the perfect score, but only if he can be convinced the job is safe, because Leo is not a shoot-first think-later type of criminal. Leo is a professional, whose biggest desire in life is not to end up exactly where he belongs: in a prison cell.
User reviews
LibraryThing member Disquiet
Just read it.
This is the first in an ongoing series of hardboiled graphic novels, written by Ed Brubaker and drawn by Sean Phillips. They're directly in the lineage of Spillane, Westlake, Leonard, and Elroy. The storytelling is taut and lean, the characters both emblematic of urban criminality and
This one tells the story of a second-generation thief whose superpower is his cowardice, his ability to smell trouble and to ditch. I use the term "superpower" because Brubaker also writes superhero comics, and some of his best superhero comics have brought a street-level criminal perspective to the standards capes-oriented storytelling (notably in Sleeper and Gotham Central).
This is the first in an ongoing series of hardboiled graphic novels, written by Ed Brubaker and drawn by Sean Phillips. They're directly in the lineage of Spillane, Westlake, Leonard, and Elroy. The storytelling is taut and lean, the characters both emblematic of urban criminality and
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believable as human beings. This one tells the story of a second-generation thief whose superpower is his cowardice, his ability to smell trouble and to ditch. I use the term "superpower" because Brubaker also writes superhero comics, and some of his best superhero comics have brought a street-level criminal perspective to the standards capes-oriented storytelling (notably in Sleeper and Gotham Central).
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LibraryThing member Smiler69
Those in the know say the Ed Brubaker-Sean Phillips pairing is one of the best in the comics industry. I took my cue from our friend David S. and started with Kill or Be Killed which according to him is their best effort to date, both as far as story AND artwork (if I understood him right), so
Here we have a good enough story, about a guy who was basically raised to be a crook and a pickpocket by his father and his dad's best buddy, and who also learned when to walk away from a heist so he'd never get caught and imprisoned like his father did, which is how he comes to be known as a coward. But one thing I want from my GNs is good artwork, and here I found most of it was sloppy and poorly executed, with a few panels coming up to the standards of what I've come to expect from the recent Kill or Be Killed. I'm not a true comics fan, so bad drawings just distract me from what is going on in the story and make me stop and wonder every time why the artist got so sloppy (because DEADLINES & BUDGET, as I well know, but still, it annoys me as f***). In any case, I borrowed the first two volumes from the library, so I'll follow up with the next entry in the series and see where it takes us and decide whether the story alone has enough of a strong pull for me to want to continue with this one, because I've got so many options with graphic novels going that they're taking me away from my more serious reading and I fear the good people of GR will think me incapable of reading anything that doesn't have pictures in it. :-)
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that's where I decided to get acquainted with their work. Perhaps that was a mistake. I only say that because I'm now totally hooked on KoBK and find it delivers so much as far as story, character, background, and the artwork really is excellent. Here we have a good enough story, about a guy who was basically raised to be a crook and a pickpocket by his father and his dad's best buddy, and who also learned when to walk away from a heist so he'd never get caught and imprisoned like his father did, which is how he comes to be known as a coward. But one thing I want from my GNs is good artwork, and here I found most of it was sloppy and poorly executed, with a few panels coming up to the standards of what I've come to expect from the recent Kill or Be Killed. I'm not a true comics fan, so bad drawings just distract me from what is going on in the story and make me stop and wonder every time why the artist got so sloppy (because DEADLINES & BUDGET, as I well know, but still, it annoys me as f***). In any case, I borrowed the first two volumes from the library, so I'll follow up with the next entry in the series and see where it takes us and decide whether the story alone has enough of a strong pull for me to want to continue with this one, because I've got so many options with graphic novels going that they're taking me away from my more serious reading and I fear the good people of GR will think me incapable of reading anything that doesn't have pictures in it. :-)
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LibraryThing member unsquare
Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips are one of the most consistent and compelling teams in comics, and Criminal show some of their early promise. I’ve never read any of Brubaker’s superhero books, but I’ve thoroughly enjoyed all of his work with Phillips for Image Comics.
Criminal is one of their
I get the impression that later volumes of Criminal are a bit more surreal and/or experimental, but the first volume is completely grounded. In fact, it feels downright familiar if you’ve read anything by Richard Stark. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but I think my enjoyment of this book may have suffered in comparison with their later works, i.e. Fatale and The Fade Out.
Criminal’s first volume tells the story of Leo, a career criminal known both for his strict rules for every job and his uncanny ability to get away clean when the shit hits the fan. When a dirty cop convinces him to arrange a heist targeting a police evidence van, things inevitably go south in a bad way and Leo is left to pick up the pieces.
I feel like I’ve seen the story beats in this volume a million times, but Brubaker’s writing and Phillips’ art help elevate it into something more than generic. Criminal might feel familiar, but the execution is top-notch.
I enjoyed reading this volume, and I’ll definitely pick up the next volume at some point, but it’s definitely not my favorite book by Brubaker and Phillips. So far, Fatale still wins that prize.
Criminal is one of their
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earlier collaborations, originally published by Marvel’s creator-owned comics imprint, and recently reprinted in a deluxe edition by Image Comics. Criminal is oftentimes cited as a masterpiece of the genre, but in this first volume, it feels like Brubaker and Phillips aren’t quite stretching their wings.I get the impression that later volumes of Criminal are a bit more surreal and/or experimental, but the first volume is completely grounded. In fact, it feels downright familiar if you’ve read anything by Richard Stark. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but I think my enjoyment of this book may have suffered in comparison with their later works, i.e. Fatale and The Fade Out.
Criminal’s first volume tells the story of Leo, a career criminal known both for his strict rules for every job and his uncanny ability to get away clean when the shit hits the fan. When a dirty cop convinces him to arrange a heist targeting a police evidence van, things inevitably go south in a bad way and Leo is left to pick up the pieces.
I feel like I’ve seen the story beats in this volume a million times, but Brubaker’s writing and Phillips’ art help elevate it into something more than generic. Criminal might feel familiar, but the execution is top-notch.
I enjoyed reading this volume, and I’ll definitely pick up the next volume at some point, but it’s definitely not my favorite book by Brubaker and Phillips. So far, Fatale still wins that prize.
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LibraryThing member bobbybslax
The dialogue, besides the scene with the gangster which felt pretty awkward, was very well done. The story itself develops at a steady pace, along with a few interesting characters.
Language
Original language
English
Physical description
128 p.; 6.5 inches
ISBN
1845766105 / 9781845766108