Friday, March 27, 2020

Criminal: The Sinners by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips

(pb; 2015: fifth graphic novel in the Criminal series, collecting Criminal: The Sinners issues 1-5)

From the back cover

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.”


Review

Sinners is one of my favorite entries in the Criminal series, along with Bad Night. Sinners picks up shortly after the events of Lawless, with cameos by other previous-story characters─part of Criminal’s creative M.O.─and seamlessly continues Tracy Lawless’s journey through his personal heart of bleak f##ked-upness and sense of honor. The ending is excellent, character- and tone-true, not the usual downward-spiral finish, elevating Sinners to a new creative height, even for the already superb Criminal series.

Followed by the Criminal: The Last of the Innocent.

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