Ricky Lawless attempts to be good in Criminal No. 4
Criminals do crimes in the latest issue of Criminal.
Crime noir is, arguably, one of the most important influences on modern-day media. The framing of shots, the tight angles and poorly-lit offices, the doomed plots and tragic characters; these things have become almost natural parts of any good mystery. There were the pre-Code movies and the pulp fiction, the evolution of which has led us to Criminal, from the brilliant minds of Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips. There’s really nothing more to say about their work; it’s the best crime drama out there, and for good reason. Brubaker is a true master of the plot twist and the sympathetic villain, and Phillips draws scenes with virtuoso-like skill. This latest anthology has been a smattering of stories set in the world the previous seven Criminal TPB’s have built, focusing on, as expected, criminals and the crimes they commit.
Image Comics
More from Comics
- X-Men: 6 reasons why Marvel’s mutants are the best superhero team
- Harley Quinn renewed for a fifth season on Max (and it’s well-deserved)
- Marvel Comics announces seven important X-Men comic books
- The X-Men were betrayed by Captain America in Uncanny Avengers
- Spider-Man: Miles and Peter team-up for their first ongoing series
Criminal shows the dangers of planning a job on drugs
The last issue wrapped up a two-parter centered on a forger who was once an associate of Ricky Lawless, the star of this issue. We begin in 1993, where a methed-out Ricky hires a thug to help him with a robbery, only to knock him out and tie him up in his grimy headquarters. Ricky then heads to his ex-girlfriend’s house, where he seeks help in finding Leo Patterson, a childhood friend. This requires going to The Undertow, the local dive bar that features in almost every single Criminal tale, where Ricky, suffering hallucinations as a result of not sleeping, thinks he sees his murdered father, Teeg, in the restroom. It turns out to be just a random guy, who beats Ricky up pretty bad. His ex gets the information he’s looking for and drops him off at Leo’s doorstep in the middle of the night.
Image Comics
Even bad people can try to do right by others, in Criminal
Ricky finally sleeps for the first time in five days, only to be woken bright and early by Leo, who wants nothing to do with his old friend. Attempting to connect on some forgotten level, Ricky offers Leo the same job he offered the goon he kidnapped earlier, casting doubt on his motives in the first place. After Leo refuses, Ricky mentions that the criminal he has tied up is one of the people responsible for killing Leo’s father many years ago and, understandably, this piques Leo’s interest. They head back to Ricky’s lodging, where it is revealed that the goon has died. This comes as a blow to both Ricky and Leo, who hoped to learn more about why Leo’s father was killed in the first place. Leo leaves Ricky to clean up his own mess, and we learn they were both involved in the death of Ricky’s father.
Next. Agent Drake gets his body back in Hardcore No. 5!. dark
Ricky prepares to do the necessary cleaning and body disposal, attempting to find the remainder of his meth stash. Brubaker is so, so good at making the reader feel compassion for absolute scumbags, and it’s possible one of the overriding morals of the entire Criminal series is that everyone has the potential to be a scumbag, or a good person, at varying times. The moral dilemmas placed upon the characters make for a good deal of introspection, which is why this comic gets a 9.5/10; critically recommended. Let us know what you thought in the comments section below.