Coward

Crime comics are back, and a great example of this is Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillip's amazing series Criminal. Coward is the first chapter of what promises to be a long-running, complex tapestry of crime and mayhem on the level of 100 Bullets. Leo Patterson is the coward to which the title refers. He is a professional pickpocket who learned the art from his father and uncle. He's never been arrested because he's meticulous about following the rules of his profession. (Like Lee Coburn in Harry in Your Pocket, right?) Of course, trouble begins when two former associates try to recruit him into an armored-car heist. Leo initially refuses because a dirty cop is involved, which is obviously a violation of his rules. But a beautiful former heroin addict named Greta is able to persuade Leo to participate in the crime. Needless to say, Leo is not able to make the scheme follow his 'rules'. Although Leo correctly surmises that there will be a double-cross, he's not exactly sure when the trap will be sprung. After a shootout which leaves Greta wounded and one of his 'friends' dead, Leo and Greta are able to escape with the score (which turns out to be heroin instead of diamonds). After a brief interlude, there are numerous heart-breaking plot twists and further spasms of violence. The ending is extremely dark, but surprisingly hopeful.

Part of the appeal of Criminal is the way each chapter fits into a much larger family saga. Each story arc is self-contained, but the central characters live in the same world and share a similar criminal background. For example, Leo Patterson is led to a life of crime when his father is sent to jail for the murder of Teeg Lawless, who is also a criminal. Future stories revolve around the criminal activities of Teeg's sons, Ricky and Tracy. Each cycle of crime leads to the next, each generation passes its crimes on to the next.

Criminal is everything we expect from noir crime fiction, and the entire series is true to the misanthropic themes of the genre. But we also see that Brubaker's broken misfits are capable of a tremendous amount of honor. And that's what makes it interesting, and cool.