Multiple Eisner award-winning team Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips (Reckless, Houses of the Unholy, Fatale) will bring an all new Criminal graphic novel to shelves this September from Image Comics with The Knives.
It has been nearly five years since fans had an opportunity to revel in new Criminal material and this highly anticipated new story promises to be the darkest and most ambitious installment in the critically lauded, contemporary classic yet.
Cartoonist Jacob Kurtz goes to Hollywood in the era of peak TV to work on an adaptation of his comic strip, only to find himself caught up in the life of his aging aunt and the vultures circling her estate. Angie was raised at the Undertow, but now everything she loves has been taken from her. She’s on the streets with vengeance on her mind, her eyes set on the city’s kingpin. And finally, Tracy Lawless is home from the Special Forces, finally a civilian again, but he’s in bad shape and this city has always brought out the worst in him. These three tales collide in The Knives, a breathtaking noir story about greed, ambition, heartbreak, and blood ties.
“A few years ago someone reached out to me to return some of my uncle’s lost possessions, after his family estate had been plundered, and bizarrely, that sparked the inspiration for what I hope is the biggest and best Criminal book yet. A crime story about one generation growing up in the life, another growing older and trying to get out of it, and Hollywood, somehow, too,” said Brubaker. “This book is an epic, the longest original graphic novel we’ve ever done, and it’s been a joy to return to this series and these characters, especially after spending most of the last three years watching them come to life on set and screen. I can’t wait to get this book into readers’ hands.”
Further excitement surrounding Criminal has amped up since news hit that the television adaptation of this iconic series was in production last year with Brubaker serving as show runner, and is coming soon to Amazon Prime. The adaptation will star A-listers Charlie Hunnam, Luke Evans, and Emilia Clarke and the first season of the TV show will cover the first two story arcs of the comic book series, Criminal, Volume One: Coward and Criminal, Volume Two: Lawless.
Originally published in 2007, Criminal follows a cast of characters connected through a shared criminal history. For readers looking to catch up on the Criminal series, volumes 1-8 are available in “new edition” trade paperbacks, which feature new cover designs by Phillips, as well as in oversized, deluxe hardcover editions, Books 1-3. They can be found at comic book shops, and bookstores.
