Brubaker and Phillips are back, baby!

The Knives throws us into a mess of overlapping lives—Jacob, whose comic Frank Kafka is being turned into a TV show just as his aunt gets kidnapped; Angie, who loses both her father and her home when the mob reclaims his bar; and Tracy Lawless, a wild card who ties everything together.

It’s classic Brubaker and Phillips: moody, violent, and filled with flawed, fascinating characters who can’t escape bad luck or bad choices. The art is gorgeous as always, and the story moves at a tense, page-turning pace. It didn’t hit quite as hard as my favorite Criminal books, but it’s still a gripping, stylish ride through their noir world.

I cannot write an honest, objective review of this work. I am a huge Ed Brubaker fan and have been for years. Although many people are familiar with his work for Marvel Comics on such works as Captain America, I know him as the master of noir in a graphic novel format. The Knives is the latest installment in the Criminal franchise, which is currently being adapted for television.

The story is told fragments, each focusing on a particular character. The reader knows these stories intersect, but not when. That is the best part of this ride. There are also two clearly marked “tangents” which are primarily used for exposition. It is not necessary to have read other books in the Criminal universe to understand this story as it is mostly self-contained.

The other asset here is the protagonist is unclear. Whose story are we really reading? Angie, the young woman resorting to a life of burglary to hide her grief, or Jacob, the dreamer who realizes all that glitters is fool’s gold? Both stories would have worked on their own but having them intersect makes them work better.

Thematically the sense of doom pervades on every page. From the dark colors drawn excellently by Brubaker artist Sean Phillips to the dark scenery, there is no light to be had here. Even the sunny Hollywood pages leak a sense that this will only be temporary. Knowing what I know about Brubaker, it seems part of this may have been autobiographical.

In short, this longest Criminal entry only left me wanting more. In the notes, Brubaker says the team is working on the next installment of this franchise. I, for one, cannot wait.

The first new Criminal comic in 5 years! It's about time. I'm sure they did this one to more or less coincide with the Criminal streamer coming out soon on Amazon. It was worth the wait. Also, if you haven't read Criminal before, that doesn't really matter. The stories are told nonlinearly and can be read more or less in any order. You might miss some Easter eggs. Pretty much every character in this has appeared in previous stories.

I'm assuming this one pulls a lot from Brubaker's Hollywood experience. Jacob Kurtz is a comic book writer who has a show based on one of his comics coming out. Kurtz is hired for the writers' room for the show where things don't really go as expected. BTW, Jacob Kurtz is an ode to Jack Kirby whose real name was Jacob Kurtzman. Then there's Ang who has become a cat burglar out of necessity and often sleeps in Kurtz's basement when she needs a place to stay. Eventually the stories begin to weave together. All of it is super well done. Get aboard the Criminal train if you haven't in the past. You can thank me later.

Review published in Portuguese and English on Goodreads


The Knives is the new round of stories in the Criminal universe, created by writer Ed Brubaker in partnership with illustrator Sean Phillips. Criminal has been carefully built since 2006, with standalone volumes that you can read individually without compromising understanding, but that together form a large map of the lives of different characters.

In The Knives we meet again the comic book writer Jacob Kurtz. The last time he was around, he struggled with sleepwalking episodes in Bad Night and was caught up in a convoluted crime. The character is the author of Frank Kafka, P.I. comic, which mixes bizarre events with detective investigations, and is occasionally read by characters in Criminal.

In The Knives, Jacob has the chance to work in Hollywood as a screenwriter, since Frank Kafka is being adapted into a TV series. After an emotional breakdown that pushed him away from art, he sees the offer as a chance to reconnect with storytelling—but soon discovers that in Hollywood people are not interested in originality, let alone in treating outsiders well. To make matters worse, his brief stay in Hollywood will cause unexpected problems in the future, which will force Jacob to seek help from an old acquaintance familiar to Criminal readers.

Since Ed Brubaker has been working in television for some time, it’s fun to imagine what in Jacob’s situations is pure fiction and what is a bit of venting.

Throughout The Knives, Jacob’s story intertwines with Angie’s, another familiar face. Angie first appeared as a child in Coward, and in her twenties now. We get an overview of everything she has gone through in recent years and her involvement in the criminal world, having become a sort of cat burglar (I see what you did there, Mr. Brubaker!) to pay the bills. The current owner of the iconic bar that serves as a meeting point for Criminal’s crooks, she’s going through a rough patch, even at risk of losing the bar. As Jacob’s friend, Angie sometimes crashes at his place when in need to clear her mind for her own troubles. That’s where the problems of the two protagonists collide.

Rounding out the cast, we also get Tracy Lawless. The Lawless family is essentially the heart of Criminal—the stories revolve around them, their acquaintances, or the fallout from their schemes. Tracy is the most grounded of the family, though no less violent. In The Knives, he is also the thread that ties Jacob’s and Angie’s stories together in the past and present, as he steps in to guide them through their conflicts. Tracy himself is a bit adrift in life, lacking purpose, and helping his two friends gives him a clearer sense of who he might become in the future.

As for structure, The Knives has sharper, quicker cuts than some previous installments of the series. The panels always go straight to the point and never last longer than necessary. This partly breaks the traditional pacing expected of noir and gives it more of an action rhythm, something Brubaker explored heavily in the Reckless series. I think an extra panel here and there wouldn’t hurt, but it’s nothing that gets in the way of reading. On the contrary, it helps keep the momentum going all the way through the end. An impressive feat here is how Brubaker and Phillips manage to juggle so many small plots and sub-stories without the reader ever getting lost. It’s tight.

In terms of drama, The Knives doesn’t quite reach the heights of Cruel Summer (still my favorite), but it’s easily one of the most fun and optimistic Criminal stories (or as optimistic as Criminal can get). The new volume stands on its own, makes an interesting bridge between past and present, serves as a solid entry point for new readers, and carries its own unique charm that, in my view, hints at the future direction of the series.

No Brasil os quadrinhos de CRIMINAL são publicados em capa dura pela Editora Mino.

A fabulous blend of events that are strong in their own story. Each story relates to the others. When you start putting them together, the characters are even deeper, their actions more powerful, connections stronger. With a throwback color palette, Brubaker deftly manipulates the threads of the stories within the calls to action our society needs to make.

A great story with interesting characters. The entire Criminal series is good. Brubaker is a great story teller and this book is another example. One of the best graphic novels I've read this year!

Thanks to Image Comics and NetGalley for this eARC. Going back to a Criminal story is always a treat!

This was a nice thriller graphic novel. Not a whole lot of action within the book but the storytelling was great and the characters were complex. I always look forward to reading anything by Brubaker and this did not disappoint.

There’s a lot I may have missed with this being apparently the 11th installment in the Criminal series by Ed Brubaker and gang (so, I’ll have to catch up on that, stat). However, despite being desperately behind on the series, this was a true noir graphic novel with a good story, and in-depth characters. Ed Brubaker, *chef kiss*.

#ThxNetGalley #EdBrubaker #TheKnivesACriminalBook

No one does modern noir like Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips. The Knives isn’t just a return to their Criminal universe; it’s a masterclass in tension, desperation, and storytelling that cuts deep.

I’ve read some of Brubaker’s X-Men and Captain America stories, which were great in their own right, but The Knives is my first trip into his and Sean Phillips’ Criminal world. My expectations weren’t just met, they were exceeded.

This is modern noir at its finest: nothing is black and white, only shades of gray. Desperate people are pushed into desperate situations, forced to take drastic measures just to claw their way out.

The art is gorgeous, the pacing tight, and the storytelling razor-sharp. Brubaker clearly has a score to settle with certain Hollywood archetypes, and honestly, I’m here for every bit of it.

I’ll definitely be returning to this world. The Knives proves that Brubaker and Phillips aren’t just telling crime stories, they are redefining the genre for comics. Fans of Richard Stark’s Parker novels, especially Darwyn Cooke’s brilliant graphic novel adaptations, will feel right at home here.

Story: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Art: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Overall: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️1/2

Disclaimer: I received a free advanced reader copy (ARC) from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. All opinions are my own.

Simply put, Brubaker is a master. This book is no exception, showing how mood can be built in crime comics and how so many stories can be shared in this form.

Jacob Kurtz created an acclaimed comic strip that is being adapted into a TV show. When he travels out to LA he finds the glamour is not what he thought it would be. But when he catches up with his old aunt he is given a great opportunity for his future. Angie is working at her families bar when she finds it under new management and gets into dangerous work trying to fill her days afterwards. These characters end up involved in the criminal underworld in different ways and are forced to figure out what they need to do to survive.

Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips weave together different characters to form a complex, satisfying graphic novel. The first two thirds leave out a lot of the crime aspects of the story, and build out an interesting world for Jacob and Angie to move in and out of each other's lives. The sections jump around in location and time in fun ways that keep the story moving forward. Then the final action packed act brings their stories to a thrilling and satisfying conclusion. I have not read all of the Criminal books, but I really enjoyed this story and its heart. This was a great graphic novel and another success for Brubaker and Phillips.

Thank you to Image Comics and NetGalley for a copy of the Knives in exchange for an honest review.

Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips bring back some familiar faces in their first new Criminal book in 5 years. If you're familiar with Criminal, then you know what sort of heartfelt gritty pulp gangland stories are inside. If you're new to the series, these interwoven tales are a great place to dive in. After finishing this I want to go back to the beginning of the series and start it all again. It's that good!

5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley for my Advanced Reader's Copy of this book.

First of all, I'm always excited to read a Ed Brubaker/Sean Phillips collaborations. And this one did not disappoint. Apparently this is number 11 of their Criminal collaborations (HOW HAVE I NEVER READ 1-10) and now my goal is to find and reason every book in the series.

Another outstanding graphic novel from Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips. Nobody does modern pulp fiction better than this team. They understand that the best pulp fiction stories are about people on the fringes of society in the same way that George V. Higgins did in his classic novel, "The Friends of Eddie Coyle." "The Knives: A Criminal Book" centers on two characters, cartoonist Jacob Kurtz, and Angie. At first, they seem like two people who would never have anything to do with each other, but Brubaker brings them together and shows how their friendship grows. I like that they aren't romantically linked. This added to the realism of the story. For different reasons, they both find themselves in need of Tracy Lawless, a man realizing that his purpose in life is to basically be a badass. The story is gritty, compassionate, and compelling.

Ity was awesome. I may write a longer review but anyone who enjoys noir and clever plotting should check Brubaker & Philips's Criminal series. The whole series is great, but The Knives may be one of my favs. Excellent.

I’ll be over here chanting NEW CRIMINAL NEW CRIMINAL NEW CRIMINAL. Love that the upcoming Prime series helped pushed this into being. We get to see what happens a few years down the line and also get a Barton Fink style story while we’re at it. Good time.

Ed Brubaker, Sean Phillips, and Jacob Phillips never seem to disappoint and even though it’s been 5 years since the last Criminal entry, they haven’t lost a step. Weaving in characters from past Criminal stories, it’ll please fans, but it also stands alone as an its own story for new readers.

Note: I received access to read this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked this one. The pacing is excellent. The action is fun. The artwork is expressive without overshadowing the content of the story. But man, these sad sack dudes getting screwed over by ambitious women plotlines are getting tired. Thankfully that's not the only plot to follow in this otherwise solid entry.

Brubaker and Phillips remain the best writer/artist team in comics and Criminal is where they save up for their greatest efforts. Their latest volume is no exception and bringing the cast up to the present moment just makes the story resonate more. An excellent page turner that has leaned a lot from the duo’s recent Reckless series and truly showcases their immense skills.