Broken Frontier

I grew up reading Archie Comics. Before I discovered the joys of Spider-Man and the Sandman, I had friends in that all-American town. In this dark mirror to the happy days of Riverdale, Brubaker and Phillips spin an engrossing yarn that catches up with that spirit of the Archie Comics, only all grown-up. In Issue 2, we learn more of what drives Riley to murder his wife, as his four-color past comes to life.

I have to hand it to Brubaker and Phillips, who, working together, have produced some truly breathtaking work. From Sleeper to Incognito to their previous arcs on Criminal, they, with Val Staples on colors, are a pitch perfect team, consistently creating a story that reeks of tension, atmosphere, and mystery. Of special note is Brubaker’s melding of different worlds. His mixing of Archie Comics’ hunky-dory mentality, combined with the foul-mouthed language of Criminal makes for some great laughs. And as always, Brubaker manages to dish out the laughs as he dishes out the tragedy. This issue gives meatier sections to Riley’s past, as we see the missteps he made to become the miserable man he is now. And when the final page comes, you don’t know whether to curse him or cheer him on, and that’s the mark of a great writer.
As I said before, Sean Phillips always manages to create some masterful work, especially in such a noir-heavy book as Criminal. He and Staples are a well-oiled machine, constantly turning in gorgeous work that pops off the page. I do have to commend them on their Archie-flavored artwork for the flashback scenes. Phillips’ lines become much simpler and more cartoonish as Staples’ colors become even brighter, compared to the shadows of Riley’s current life, thereby creating a great contrast between the present and the past.

It’s hard to say this since they have all been very solid, well-done books, but Criminal: The Last of the Innocent may be one of the best yet. A solid, compelling story about a man trying to escape his bad decisions, and reclaim his past, Brubaker, Phillips, and Staples manage to tell this story with a style all their own. Well done and highly recommended.