Comic books were once home to stories from all types of genres including: western, romance, sci-fi, horror, superheroes, and of course crime. Throughout the years, these genres were whittled down due to new restrictions and lack of sales, until only the superhero remained in the public conscious. Recently, comics have proven to, once again, be a great place to tell stories of a much more varied type. One type of story that has come back in a big way in the last few years is crime fiction. While there are many titles that have embraced this genre, a few recent standouts include Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips' Criminal, Darwyn Cooke's first adaptation of the Parker novels, called Parker: The Hunter, and Greg Rucka and Matthew Southworth's Stumptown. These titles have definitely set themselves apart in what is becoming a more crowded comic book genre.
Criminal has been running for the last couple years under Marvel's Icon imprint, and in that time it has racked up a silly amount of critical acclaim. Ed Brubaker has been writing great comics for a while, including many superhero titles, but Criminal is his best work. This book has ran for a total of 18 issues (the majority of these stories have been collected in convenient trade paperback form or a fancy hardcover edition), and in that time he has managed to build a world that feels authentic, even while following the popular tropes of the pulpy crime noir genre. Clearly a student of the old crime stories in comics, film, and prose, his characters are accurately mean, his stories inevitably dark, Brubaker truly knows what makes the genre work. The real trick he pulls off is that his stories never feel derivative, even when referencing classic crime fiction. Each story does not neccesarily lead into the next, but characters and locations will show up from previous arcs, which works to make the world feel alive. It may eventually make this place feel unfairly small if the same characters keep popping up in the background, but so far it has worked to the benefit of the series. He also fills the single issues with great backup material spotlighting classic crime fiction that adds a nice finish to the serial reading experience.
Sean Phillips, frequent collaborator of Brubaker, is equally deserving of credit for the success of this series. His art is appropriately dark. Almost every scene is drenched in shadow, and he is not afraid to gob the black on. His work consistently sets the mood, and never feels muddy as some darker art can. What is even more impressive, is that he seems to continually improve. And with the ever growing cast, it is amazing how each character is so immediately identifiable, even when they just pop up in the background of some other story.
Val Staples is also deserving of a lot of credit for his color work. There were only two other colorists I know by name and could recognize in print (Dave Stewart and Bill Crabtree), but Val has definitely made it to the list. His work on this title fits somewhere between those other two colorists. He keeps it simple to give it that old pulp feel. He is also not afraid of using some bright colors when appropriate, which works great with such a generally dark book. For a book filled with so much black, it is a testament to his skill that he stands out so much.
If you like classic crime stories filled with heists gone wrong, bloody revenge , wounded lead characters, mysterious sexy women, ruthless violence, cruel death, unending deception, and the other famous tropes of this well worn genre, then this is definitely the place to start. If you just like comics done right, then you also need be reading .
Next up, Darwyn Cooke's take on Parker offers another high quality crime book to come out recently. Parker was created by Donald Westlake under the pseudonym Richard Stark and went on to be a popular character in many books and film adaptations over the decades. The Hunter is the first in the series of Parker novels, and with luck Cooke will follow the rest of the books through in comics form. Because this book starts from the beginning of Parker's stories, it is great for newbies as well as old fans.
Darwyn Cooke opens the book up with an amazing sequence that utilizes very little dialogue or exposition. This method of story telling could only work with a cartoonist of Cooke's ability to suck you so far into the story as it does. For dialogue, he sticks fairly close to the original novels. He uses exposition judiciously to move the story along, but not at the expense of the pacing or art.
The art is classic Cooke. His style is simple and elegant, reminiscent of the work he has done before in animation and other comics. The focus is on storytelling and consistency. His characters are distinct and memorable. He captures Parker so well; he has a clear affection for this character and his world. The monochromatic color scheme is perfect for the story he is telling.
IDW printed this book in a nicely designed hardcover, but it would have been nice to have a full sized or over-sized option to really appreciate his artwork here. Parker: The Hunter is a graphic novel that is worth revisiting often to appreciate the talent it took for Cooke to stay true to the source material, even while making it feel distinctively his own. It is going to be a great few years as Cooke continues to dive into Stark's novels in this format. This is series definitely worth watching.
Finally, the new series Stumptown is looking to be another winner in the crime genre, though it may prove to be more of a detective series than a straight crime series. There has only been one issue to this series so far, but already Rucka and Southworth make it one worth watching. Set in Portland (aka Stumptown), the book jumps in with its protagonist, Dexadrine Callisto Parios (she goes by Dex), in trouble. The story flashes back to introduce the cast, and develop a mystery matter-of-factly called "the case of the girl who took her shampoo but left her mini". Rucka, famous for his strong female leads, spends most of his energy making sure the reader gets to know Dex, by putting her in a variety of different settings and showing how she reacts. Rucka also pays careful attention to accurately portraying Portland, as only a local could. He even sets a scene in a popular local bar and includes Dex's local phone number that, when dialed, will get you a real voice mail. By the end of the first issue, he has teased enough information about both Dex and her new case to make it near impossible to resist reading the next issue.
Matthew Southworth, though not as familiar a name in comics as Rucka, carries his weight in telling this noir story with a great style. His work also clearly displays a knowledge of Portland as well, as many scenes are set in real Portland locations. He has a rough style that suits the tone of the story well, supplying the necessary amount of grit without sacrificing clarity. His backgrounds especially showcase his ability. It is tough to compete with Sean Phillips and Darwyn Cooke in the art field, but Southworth is definitely a name to watch. The mute colors, by Lee Loughridge, add another layer of mood. Each scene seems to be bathed in its own shades, which helps distinguish location and set the tone. Through limiting color choices, the book maintains a unified and stylized feel.
Oni Press has another winner on its hands with Stumptown, and it is definitely worth your time. Much has been made of the recent price hike in many comics to $3.99, but this book definitely proves to earn it.
What is it about the crime genre that seems to bring out the best in so many creators? Perhaps it is them finally getting to directly connect to one of their major influences. Clearly crime stories of the past have played a huge part in influencing both modern creators and modern comics. The pulp roots of the industry have not had such a great outlet to celebrate that history in a long while. Join the party.
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