Criminal: The Last of the Innocent #1

Written by Ed Brubaker
Art by Sean Phillips

It's been a while since we've visited the world of Criminal, my favourite of all the books that Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips have worked on together. 

This new Criminal arc feels very different from any of the previous ones.  To begin with, it's set in 1982, and so far has only a tangential connection to the usual cast of characters (our new main character, Riley Richards, owes money to Mr. Hyde).  Instead, this is a series steeped in nostalgia, about a man who returns to the small town where he grew up when his father becomes sick.

Slowly, we learn about Riley's childhood friends, his unhappy marriage to his rich high school sweetheart, and the pressures that he is under.  The crime element is revealed with the last page, and by the time it comes around, we already like Riley enough to stick with him through what promises to be some poor choices.

Phillips is always brilliant, but what makes this new series stand out visually is the decision to draw and colour flashbacks in a 1960s joke comics style, like Riley's early life could have happened in Riverdale.  It's a good trick.  I'm very excited to read the rest of this series.