6. Ed Brubaker And Sean Phillips on 'Criminal' (2006 - 2011)
Sleeper. Fatale. Incognito. These are the names of a few of the critically acclaimed titles that Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips have worked on together. Fans now know that seeing the combination of these two names on the cover of a comic is about as good an indication of quality as there's ever been in the comic book industry. They have recently undertaken a new series at Image Comics as well, The Fade Out, a murder mystery set in 1940's Hollywood, the first title in an unprecedented five year deal the two creators have signed with Image. Brubaker has been quoted as saying they now don't even need to seek approval from editors before beginning a project; Image simply know it's going to be a high calibre product. That's an enormous amount of faith to place in a creative team, but Brubaker and Phillips have earned it in the last decade. Our favourite Brubaker/Phillips work is undoubtedly Criminal, an interlocking series of crime stories set in the same universe but dealing with different characters in each story arc. Published by Marvel's Icon imprint, Criminal was noir at it's very best. Available in either six trade paperback volumes, or two oversized hardcovers, it is ideal to hand to a friend who is interested in comics but who doesn't care much for superheroes. The first volume, Coward, follows Leo Patterson, a man with a brilliant mind for envisioning heists but who is considered a coward by the criminal fraternity. He spends the story fighting the need to unleash the brutal, deadly streak he has inside him, but inevitably circumstances and bad decisions conspire against him. The second volume, Lawless, follows Tracy Lawless, an Iraq War veteran who returns to Central City to find his brother Ricky's murderer. Pure, brilliant noir.
