Criminal Volume 10: Cruel Summer

by Ed Brubaker, Sean Phillips (illustrator)

Genres: Comics

272 pages, Paperback

Published February 3, 2026

About the author

Ed Brubaker (born November 17, 1966) is an Eisner Award-winning American cartoonist and writer. He was born at the National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland.

Brubaker is best known for his work as a comic book writer on such titles as Batman, Daredevil, Captain America, Iron Fist, Catwoman, Gotham Central and Uncanny X-Men. In more recent years, he has focused solely on creator-owned titles for Image Comics, such as Fatale, Criminal, Velvet and Kill or Be Killed.

In 2016, Brubaker ventured into television, joining the writing staff of the HBO series Westworld.

Reviews

[Dev]

This was very good and the characters and their actions/dynamics feel very human. Everyone’s pretty shitty with their own charm that keeps you from hating them. Everyone has their own thoughts, beliefs and fears and seeing Teeg laid bare like that was quite fascinating. Seeing his very flawed attempt at fatherhood, his fear of caring for his son(s) and the way that affects Ricky was magnificent. Excellent work from the team once again. Also what a whacko Farraday is, in a universe of cold blooded murderers, he actually scared me with his mission for Jane.

Anyways, it was indeed a cruel summer and it was nice seeing the parents of some of the other stars of the criminal verse. Also wow… Leo.

4.5stars

[Patrick]

Maybe my favorite volume out of these original Ten. The story and all its different parts come together in natural but still surprising ways. This volume, more than some of the others, I could see becoming a TV show. Now, if Amazon would just put the show on the air already!

[TYL LE]

They are back baby, longer format allowed the story to be more fleshed out.

[John T]

Big fan of this series.

[Reine Pulkkinen]

4.5