A few weeks ago, the fourth and final issue of of “Criminal:The Last of the Innocent” hit stands ending my favorite “Criminal” serial to date. Amazingly, the killer tale is crafted out of homages to both teen comics like Archie and 1950’s EC crime comics. With that unlikely combination creators Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips created what is arguably their seediest story yet.
When I went into the latest storyline, there wasn’t much I knew about it. As it’s murderous plot unraveled itself through its greed and sex-filled pages, I found myself completely lost in its narrative. “Last of the Innocent” is a few shades darker than I typically like my crime tales. Brubaker and Phillips, however, seem to hook me the best when they are at their most unseemly as previously proven with the “Criminal” arc “Bad Night.” Part of that enjoyment is seeing just how far into darkness they will drag the story and the unexpected turns that journey will take. Another, though, is Brubaker’s ability to inject humanizing elements into the stories. As vile as things get between each issue’s covers, “Last of the Innocent” possesses a feeling of nostalgia and a desire redemptive change that are hard to resist connecting with.
One of the keys to capturing that longing for days gone by is Phillips’s art. As much as the series feels like one only Brubaker could write, it equally feels like one only Phillips could draw. “Last of the Innocents” is the series that proves that sentiment. The story asks Phillips to push his art in new stylistic directions and he delivers. His work on the flashback sequences not only convey a feeling of innocence and nostalgia felt by the narrator but also generate a bit of those feelings in the reader as well.
It is great to see comics creators continue to push themselves like Brubaker and Phillips have with “Criminal: The Last of the Innocent.” The end results shows why the comic one of the best being serialized today. New readers and old fans of the series should definitely take the time to track down the issues or grab it in trade when it is released later this year.
-Nick
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