Okay, I’m entering this arc of Criminal enthusiastic. Brubaker either grew up on a Navy base or an Army base–amazing how little biographical information is available about him, even though I know he’s talked about it in at least two interviews–and this arc’s protagonist is an AWOL soldier out to avenge his brother.

I don’t remember anything bad about this arc (as opposed to the first, where I still remember ranting about the last issue when it came out). But there are some visible, objective differences.

First, Brubaker’s not establishing anything here. He’s not setting up the Criminal series or city. He’s just introducing a new story. Brubaker even manages to get a reasonable three-act dramatic structure to this issue.

Even when Brubaker hides something for later–why’s the protagonist in the brig–it’s fine; the story’s good enough, he doesn’t draw attention to his narrative devices.

CREDITS

Lawless, Part One; writer, Ed Brubaker; artist, Sean Phillips; colorist, Val Staples; publisher, Icon.

Turns out some of my major assumptions about the plot and its twists and turns were wrong. Unfortunately, just because the girl doesn’t double-cross the hero, Criminal doesn’t retroactively make intelligible sense.

After spending almost five entire issues glamorizing crime–in the most negative way of course–Brubaker ends with a really pat “crime doesn’t pay” message.

This issue is pretty bad, in terms of plot. He ludicrously turns the protagonist into an unstoppable killing machine. Maybe they wanted Ed Norton for the movie.

I think my biggest problem is how stupid the main character has to be to get himself into this situation. Everything goes wrong because he’s stupid, but when Brubaker introduced him to the reader, it was all about how he’s really smart.

Show and tell. Brubaker told the reader he was smart, but told him or her he was stupid.

Why?

Because there’s no story if he’s smart.

CREDITS

Coward, Part Five; writer, Ed Brubaker; artist, Sean Phillips; colorist, Val Staples; publisher, Icon.

Finally, a good issue.

Maybe if Brubaker had opened with this issue–with some structural editing, of course–I’d feel a little different about Criminal. For the first time, in issue four of five, he shows the reader something about the likely unreliable narrator instead of telling the reader all about him. As much as I hate using workshop babble–showing is always better than telling (unless the point is in the telling, which is certainly not the case in Criminal).

This issue the romantic interest’s daughter gets kidnapped. I was so untrustworthy of Brubaker, I didn’t even believe she had a daughter. Hey, she still might not have a daughter. It all could be a bigger trick. Because Criminal is presented as the next hipster indie comic sensation (which it wasn’t, problems aside, it’s still too well-written for that success), I always just assume Brubaker’s going to write for that target audience.

CREDITS

Coward, Part Four; writer, Ed Brubaker; artist, Sean Phillips; colorist, Val Staples; publisher, Icon.

Well, there certainly are a lot of developments here.

There’s a super villain introduced and he’s, no shock, a psychotic. The girl seduces the brainiac protagonist, who’s spent the first part of the issue thinking he needs to think things through better. Oh, and the cute old man the protagonist looks after–he’s got alzheimer’s and a heroin addiction–finds the suitcase full of stolen heroin.

Not a single thing in this issue surprised me or gave me anything to think about. Since Brubaker understands this series as a world of red herrings and double-crosses, there’s no reason to think he’s not playing the same tricks on the reader. It’s not worth getting emotionally invested if the odds are good the writer is just trying to mess with you.

And what if I’m wrong and Brubaker’s being earnest?

Well, for starters, he’s doing nothing to convince me Criminal should be taken seriously.

CREDITS

Coward, Part Three; writer, Ed Brubaker; artist, Sean Phillips; colorist, Val Staples; publisher, Icon.

I’m still not enthusiastic.

Even though I don’t remember the specifics of the events, even though I’m sort of fresh reading it, I don’t really care at all. I remember it ends terribly so going through the issue, I’m finding myself concentrating on things besides the story.

First and foremost, the artwork. Phillips is mostly illustrating the heist here and he does these wonderful visual repeats to familiarize the reader with the setting. It’s quite nice.

The rest of my concentrations are probably negative ones to some degree. For example, since I don’t remember, is Brubaker going to turn the female character into a femme fatale, with her inevitably betraying the protagonist. I’m hoping he doesn’t, but I sort of think he’s going to do it. Criminal is in no way innovative; though it’s better than a lot of the stuff it follows.

Maybe next issue will be more engaging.

CREDITS

Coward, Part Two; writer, Ed Brubaker; artist, Sean Phillips; colorist, Val Staples; publisher, Icon.