mapatchli's review
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
crookedtreehouse's review against another edition
2.0
Reading and revieiwing volume one, I felt like Brubaker and Phillips made an efficient use of noir tropes and made a fairly compelling heist story, which is in service of a genre that I don't love.
I hated this volume.
I think this particular series was coming out in issues when I tried to read Criminal, initially, and that's why I've been loathe to come back to it.
An unlikable protagonist is out for vengeance using every violent Frank Miller (who wrote the foreward that I didn't waste time reading) stereotype that gives DC Editors' semi-rections. The women are all desperate to fuck this scarred, violent, sociopath stranger that they've just met, the old guys are all kinky perverts with things for bdsm and young women, the protgaonist is supposedly up against insurmountable odds and yet everything is constantly falling into place for him.
It's lazy writing. I expect more from Brubaker. But this volume reads like someone who has read a lot of noir and loved it, but doesn't understand what would make it tick for someone who didn't already also love noir, and was willing to forgive the completely unrealistic characters and plots. We, once again, have female nudity because it's a thing people expect from noir, but here it felt lazy and exploitative, instead of just in-service to a trope.
It's not as terrible as the Minky Woodcock comics that came out a few years ago, but it's not much better, either.
I hated this volume.
I think this particular series was coming out in issues when I tried to read Criminal, initially, and that's why I've been loathe to come back to it.
An unlikable protagonist is out for vengeance using every violent Frank Miller (who wrote the foreward that I didn't waste time reading) stereotype that gives DC Editors' semi-rections. The women are all desperate to fuck this scarred, violent, sociopath stranger that they've just met, the old guys are all kinky perverts with things for bdsm and young women, the protgaonist is supposedly up against insurmountable odds and yet everything is constantly falling into place for him.
It's lazy writing. I expect more from Brubaker. But this volume reads like someone who has read a lot of noir and loved it, but doesn't understand what would make it tick for someone who didn't already also love noir, and was willing to forgive the completely unrealistic characters and plots. We, once again, have female nudity because it's a thing people expect from noir, but here it felt lazy and exploitative, instead of just in-service to a trope.
It's not as terrible as the Minky Woodcock comics that came out a few years ago, but it's not much better, either.
cmcrockford's review against another edition
4.0
More kick-ass, fatalist crime fiction from Brubaker.
colophonphile's review against another edition
Second in the Criminal series of hardboiled graphic novels, and quite good. This is the one that sets the formalist structure for the series, by emphasizing how all the stories take place in a shared city: a dank, always-rainy, claustrophobia-inducing spin on the comics tradition of the shared universe. A loose tie to the first book provides the DNA for the central character, an AWOL soldier.
bloodonsnow's review against another edition
5.0
This whole run is a masterclass on how to make readers empathise with your characters. Stuff like this is why I fell in love with noir.
joeh's review
dark
emotional
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I found this to be much more compelling than Criminal: Coward (first edition in the series). It felt like Brubaker distilled the themes down a bit better, while tightening up the story. The artwork worked better for me in this too. it felt more atmospheric compared to the first. Definitely into the series and looking forward to reading the third edition.
jakekilroy's review against another edition
4.0
Oh man, the characters weave together! It's seamless too. I feel like I'm reading the best of noir comics back in the day. In an era of meta, being this genuine to a genre is beautiful.
themattacaster's review
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0