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Criminal (2019) #1, 5-12
Cruel Summer
BRUBAKER & PHILLIPS' CRIMINAL epic, collected for the first time in trade paperback.
In the summer of '88, Teeg Lawless comes home to plan the biggest heist of his career. But Teeg's son Ricky and his friends are starting down the same dark path their fathers are on, and this is about to become the worst summer of their lives.
An epic tale of tragedy handed down from generation to generation, CRUEL SUMMER is a crime comic masterpiece from the most celebrated noir masters in the industry, creators of CRIMINAL, FATALE, KILL OR BE KILLED, THE FADE OUT and the RECKLESS series of graphic novellas.
Collects CRIMINAL #1 and #5-12 with additional behind-the-scenes material.
In the summer of '88, Teeg Lawless comes home to plan the biggest heist of his career. But Teeg's son Ricky and his friends are starting down the same dark path their fathers are on, and this is about to become the worst summer of their lives.
An epic tale of tragedy handed down from generation to generation, CRUEL SUMMER is a crime comic masterpiece from the most celebrated noir masters in the industry, creators of CRIMINAL, FATALE, KILL OR BE KILLED, THE FADE OUT and the RECKLESS series of graphic novellas.
Collects CRIMINAL #1 and #5-12 with additional behind-the-scenes material.
272 pages, Paperback
First published June 23, 2020
15 people are currently reading
782 people want to read
About the author
Ed Brubaker
1,796 books3,009 followersEd 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 216 reviews
September 6, 2025
Excellent ending.
We finally see what happened to Ricky Lawless, who while connecting so many others through the Criminal title, has been mostly absent other than in the memories of the other characters.
Ricky's father, Teeg Lawless, falls in love and sets off a chain of events that ends in complete tragedy for everyone involved.
The moral being, love does not conquer all in the Criminal universe.
Though, anyone familiar with the Criminal series and Teeg's story will understand that his version of love doesn't always extend to his children, and it's that unconscious disregard that will eventually become his undoing. Because he does care about Ricky, but it's an emotionally stunted kind of fatherly affection. The kind that leads him to risk his life to save him from a horrible mistake, and almost simultaneously forget that he's left him alone without any sort of adult supervision.
And maybe what pulls me into this series. All the characters are nuanced, even a bastard like Teeg. You almost root for him to get a happily ever after, even while knowing he's a blight on society.
Not to be outdone by the boys, Jane storms into the picture as the femme fatale con artist who steals Teeg's heart.
She's not a good person, but she's not all bad, either. She's just as human as the rest of the cast of characters, clawing her way toward the light the only way she understands. And while she does that, her doom is quite literally stalking her in the guise of a knight protector.
A detective who has seen too much, coming back from the war with his trauma manifesting in a delusional need to save women like Jane from themselves. And he isn't an evil monster, he's a true believer who cares for her. Which makes him all the more dangerous.
He's the epitome of what we fear coming for us under the pretense of just doing what's best for you, dear.
Cruel Summer brings the reader full circle to the first volume of Criminal in a slow burn that feels both avoidable and inevitable at the same time.
Highly Recommended.
We finally see what happened to Ricky Lawless, who while connecting so many others through the Criminal title, has been mostly absent other than in the memories of the other characters.
Ricky's father, Teeg Lawless, falls in love and sets off a chain of events that ends in complete tragedy for everyone involved.
The moral being, love does not conquer all in the Criminal universe.
Though, anyone familiar with the Criminal series and Teeg's story will understand that his version of love doesn't always extend to his children, and it's that unconscious disregard that will eventually become his undoing. Because he does care about Ricky, but it's an emotionally stunted kind of fatherly affection. The kind that leads him to risk his life to save him from a horrible mistake, and almost simultaneously forget that he's left him alone without any sort of adult supervision.
And maybe what pulls me into this series. All the characters are nuanced, even a bastard like Teeg. You almost root for him to get a happily ever after, even while knowing he's a blight on society.
Not to be outdone by the boys, Jane storms into the picture as the femme fatale con artist who steals Teeg's heart.
She's not a good person, but she's not all bad, either. She's just as human as the rest of the cast of characters, clawing her way toward the light the only way she understands. And while she does that, her doom is quite literally stalking her in the guise of a knight protector.
A detective who has seen too much, coming back from the war with his trauma manifesting in a delusional need to save women like Jane from themselves. And he isn't an evil monster, he's a true believer who cares for her. Which makes him all the more dangerous.
He's the epitome of what we fear coming for us under the pretense of just doing what's best for you, dear.
Cruel Summer brings the reader full circle to the first volume of Criminal in a slow burn that feels both avoidable and inevitable at the same time.
Highly Recommended.
January 31, 2020
Another beautifully rendered, heart-rending book from Brubaker and co. and this one is set in 1988, which would make me the same age as the kids in the story. This is a real work of art; if you don’t read this book, give yourself a slap from me.
February 17, 2020
The unthinkable has happened: career scumbag Teeg Lawless has fallen in love for the first time in his rotten life! Together with his new girlfriend Jane, Teeg plans a big payday: ripping off a WWE-type event. But standing in the way of their tropical paradise retirement fantasy (besides actually pulling off the heist) is Teeg’s youngest son Ricky who’s feeling upset at losing his dad’s attention, and Dan Farraday, a PI on Jane’s trail, hired by Jane’s latest ex, whom she robbed. Will things go right or wrong for Teeg and Jane? Find out in… Cruel Summer!
This is the longest Criminal book Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips have done to date at nine issues long. And I think that might be part of the problem of why I didn’t love this one more because, with all that extra space, Brubaker gets a bit loose with his storytelling when I’d have preferred a more tightly focused narrative, which he’s absolutely capable of and has delivered many times before in the past.
For example, the opening chapter establishes a dilemma: Ricky’s stolen a diamond necklace off a senile old wrestler (and I liked how it circled back around to wrestling with the final heist taking place during a wrestling event) to get Teeg out on bail - but the old guy was connected. For the indisgression, Teeg has to find $25k sharpish or Ricky’s dead.
Great - I’m in! Except Brubaker never addresses this storyline again. Or he does - maybe? Because how Teeg meets Jane is working jobs with an old buddy of his and he could’ve been doing this because he needed to make the $25k but Brubaker never specifically says this. You could argue that it’s subtle storytelling but I’d have preferred Brubaker to have more clearly addressed this to connect the two pieces more strongly.
And, if that is the case, that’s a helluva long-winded way of putting Teeg and Jane together. And long-winded is how I’d describe a lot of the book. Like, there’s an entire issue about Ricky and his pal Leo Patterson burgling an arcade (my, this book lives up to the title “Criminal” doesn’t it? SO much constant theft!), which is mildly entertaining in itself so I can see why it got included, but the point seems to be to establish Leo liking the feel of holding a gun - which comes into play later on. Really, an entire issue for that (and to start that junkie subplot I guess but that’s basically a deadend)?
And kudos to Brubaker for making sure every character’s backstory is explained thoroughly - even Leo, who I’d only expected as being a minor supporting player at best - which I’d normally say is a positive, but here felt like too much. I’m not sure what the point of Ricky and Jane sharing a secret - that subplot about the junkie from Ricky’s stint in juvie - was as it seemed to do nothing for either character. That episode was also kinda interesting but, again, pointless.
Then there’s the new private investigator character, Dan Farraday. His storyline starts off well but where he ends up is baffling. He meets Jane once and, despite being a competent professional, he decides to risk everything because he’s suddenly fallen in love with her and is convinced that she wants to be rescued by him? It just felt contrived, particularly as Brubaker’s reasoning seems to be that Dan was in ‘Nam and therefore he seen some shit that fucked with his head and Jane awakened something in him that reminded him of that time… eh. Very tenuous.
I can’t really fault Brubaker for the writing which is always very skilful and convincing. Phillips’ art is good too though, like I’ve noticed before, some of the characters’ proportions were a bit off here and there - a hand, a head, both a tad oversized for some reason. And I like his son Jacob’s colours the least out of all the colourists who’ve worked with these two before - the colour palette isn’t very striking.
I liked the old senile wrestler’s backstory of working as a heel in postwar Tokyo and pretty much everything with Ricky. Unlike Teeg, Ricky is actually likeable and sympathetic - a lonely kid who’s had the worst possible childhood, trying to deal with psychological trauma with no real tools at his disposal, and, tragically, failing constantly. The character moments scattered throughout were subtly revealing - Jane half-asleep and sobbing in the closet, hinting at a nightmarish past, Ricky’s occasional flashbacks to juvie, explaining his chaotic and self-destructive behaviour. Really impressive writing.
I also enjoyed the little moments of fan-service sprinkled throughout like Jacob, the cartoonist we saw in Bad Weekend, as the teenage Dungeon Master in Ricky and Leo’s game of D&D, and Tracy, Ricky’s older brother, the star of the second Criminal book, as he’s about to get shipped out after choosing the army over jail.
Maybe if Teeg was more likeable then the final act would have more meaning to me but I didn’t really care about his fate. Nor did I find most of what he got up to all that interesting unfortunately. The heist itself was compelling though, overall, I found the narrative as a whole not that gripping and overlong for what it was: not that special.
While I appreciated the detail, skill and effort that went into Cruel Summer, I felt that it was too much and, like eating a huge meal of rich, well-made, high quality food, it left me feeling sick and tired afterwards. If it had been shorter, less rambling and more direct, I’d have liked it more - as it is, it’s by no means a bad comic but I didn’t love it like I’d hoped to either.
This is the longest Criminal book Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips have done to date at nine issues long. And I think that might be part of the problem of why I didn’t love this one more because, with all that extra space, Brubaker gets a bit loose with his storytelling when I’d have preferred a more tightly focused narrative, which he’s absolutely capable of and has delivered many times before in the past.
For example, the opening chapter establishes a dilemma: Ricky’s stolen a diamond necklace off a senile old wrestler (and I liked how it circled back around to wrestling with the final heist taking place during a wrestling event) to get Teeg out on bail - but the old guy was connected. For the indisgression, Teeg has to find $25k sharpish or Ricky’s dead.
Great - I’m in! Except Brubaker never addresses this storyline again. Or he does - maybe? Because how Teeg meets Jane is working jobs with an old buddy of his and he could’ve been doing this because he needed to make the $25k but Brubaker never specifically says this. You could argue that it’s subtle storytelling but I’d have preferred Brubaker to have more clearly addressed this to connect the two pieces more strongly.
And, if that is the case, that’s a helluva long-winded way of putting Teeg and Jane together. And long-winded is how I’d describe a lot of the book. Like, there’s an entire issue about Ricky and his pal Leo Patterson burgling an arcade (my, this book lives up to the title “Criminal” doesn’t it? SO much constant theft!), which is mildly entertaining in itself so I can see why it got included, but the point seems to be to establish Leo liking the feel of holding a gun - which comes into play later on. Really, an entire issue for that (and to start that junkie subplot I guess but that’s basically a deadend)?
And kudos to Brubaker for making sure every character’s backstory is explained thoroughly - even Leo, who I’d only expected as being a minor supporting player at best - which I’d normally say is a positive, but here felt like too much. I’m not sure what the point of Ricky and Jane sharing a secret - that subplot about the junkie from Ricky’s stint in juvie - was as it seemed to do nothing for either character. That episode was also kinda interesting but, again, pointless.
Then there’s the new private investigator character, Dan Farraday. His storyline starts off well but where he ends up is baffling. He meets Jane once and, despite being a competent professional, he decides to risk everything because he’s suddenly fallen in love with her and is convinced that she wants to be rescued by him? It just felt contrived, particularly as Brubaker’s reasoning seems to be that Dan was in ‘Nam and therefore he seen some shit that fucked with his head and Jane awakened something in him that reminded him of that time… eh. Very tenuous.
I can’t really fault Brubaker for the writing which is always very skilful and convincing. Phillips’ art is good too though, like I’ve noticed before, some of the characters’ proportions were a bit off here and there - a hand, a head, both a tad oversized for some reason. And I like his son Jacob’s colours the least out of all the colourists who’ve worked with these two before - the colour palette isn’t very striking.
I liked the old senile wrestler’s backstory of working as a heel in postwar Tokyo and pretty much everything with Ricky. Unlike Teeg, Ricky is actually likeable and sympathetic - a lonely kid who’s had the worst possible childhood, trying to deal with psychological trauma with no real tools at his disposal, and, tragically, failing constantly. The character moments scattered throughout were subtly revealing - Jane half-asleep and sobbing in the closet, hinting at a nightmarish past, Ricky’s occasional flashbacks to juvie, explaining his chaotic and self-destructive behaviour. Really impressive writing.
I also enjoyed the little moments of fan-service sprinkled throughout like Jacob, the cartoonist we saw in Bad Weekend, as the teenage Dungeon Master in Ricky and Leo’s game of D&D, and Tracy, Ricky’s older brother, the star of the second Criminal book, as he’s about to get shipped out after choosing the army over jail.
Maybe if Teeg was more likeable then the final act would have more meaning to me but I didn’t really care about his fate. Nor did I find most of what he got up to all that interesting unfortunately. The heist itself was compelling though, overall, I found the narrative as a whole not that gripping and overlong for what it was: not that special.
While I appreciated the detail, skill and effort that went into Cruel Summer, I felt that it was too much and, like eating a huge meal of rich, well-made, high quality food, it left me feeling sick and tired afterwards. If it had been shorter, less rambling and more direct, I’d have liked it more - as it is, it’s by no means a bad comic but I didn’t love it like I’d hoped to either.
May 5, 2021
"It's a cruel, (cruel) cruel summer
Leavin' me here on my own,
It's a cruel, (it's a cruel) cruel summer
Now you're gone"
-- chorus to Bananarama's hit single from July 1984
This graphic novel's title is correctly matter-of-fact -- set mostly during June and July of 1988 in the fictional 'Bay City' (intended to be a fictionalized version of Los Angeles, and previously used as a location in crime fiction stretching from the classic WWII-era detective stories of author Raymond Chandler to the hip 70's cop series Starsky & Hutch), Cruel Summer is indeed one nasty, gritty, and bleakly downbeat family drama / heist caper. The quartet of main characters consists of a grizzled middle-aged career criminal, his delinquent and increasingly violent teenage son, an enigmatic female con artist, and a morally devoid private eye. Actually, pretty much ANY person shown herein is usually self-serving, shifty, or suspicious (or a combination of all three) . . . leading me to think that if there any fine upstanding citizens of Bay City they must've all left town for their vacations at the same time! The storyline - when it wasn't heading into some dead-end plot threads - had a certain amount of style and some occasional bursts of energy (meant both in the creative sense AND in regards to the action / suspense scenes), but it was far from my favorite work in Brubaker's copious output. It wasn't that the book was offensive, but at times the ugly harshness was too much.
Leavin' me here on my own,
It's a cruel, (it's a cruel) cruel summer
Now you're gone"
-- chorus to Bananarama's hit single from July 1984
This graphic novel's title is correctly matter-of-fact -- set mostly during June and July of 1988 in the fictional 'Bay City' (intended to be a fictionalized version of Los Angeles, and previously used as a location in crime fiction stretching from the classic WWII-era detective stories of author Raymond Chandler to the hip 70's cop series Starsky & Hutch), Cruel Summer is indeed one nasty, gritty, and bleakly downbeat family drama / heist caper. The quartet of main characters consists of a grizzled middle-aged career criminal, his delinquent and increasingly violent teenage son, an enigmatic female con artist, and a morally devoid private eye. Actually, pretty much ANY person shown herein is usually self-serving, shifty, or suspicious (or a combination of all three) . . . leading me to think that if there any fine upstanding citizens of Bay City they must've all left town for their vacations at the same time! The storyline - when it wasn't heading into some dead-end plot threads - had a certain amount of style and some occasional bursts of energy (meant both in the creative sense AND in regards to the action / suspense scenes), but it was far from my favorite work in Brubaker's copious output. It wasn't that the book was offensive, but at times the ugly harshness was too much.
January 30, 2020
Brubaker and Phillips, man... they sure know how to make ‘em comics. Cruel Summer is such a brilliantly crafted and paced crime story, every issue just flies by before you even realize it. Definitely one of the best comics of 2019/20, and a must buy for anybody who loves crime, noir or just excellently written stories.
July 3, 2020
Brubaker and Philips are the gold standard when it comes to graphic novels. Cruel Summer, a compilation of Teeg Lawson tales, has terrific artwork and a cool storyline.
July 25, 2020
Brubaker and Phillips know their genre, and they know how they want to explore it, which is why their books still remain inventive and very moving.
This is the first book I've read in their Criminal series, and I don't feel like I was missing much (my bet is that these books become more layered when you know the world better, but it's not necessary to have read previous volumes).
The book takes the form of an almost classical tragedy - the dread of impending doom creeps up slowly but inexorably upon you.
These aren't comic book characters, but real, living, breathing people, with conflicting emotions and motives.
As always, Phillips' art is perfect, never losing any clarity while telling a gritty story.
It's a bit of a known refrain by now regarding Brubaker and Phillips' books, but it's yet another one not to miss.
(Received an ARC through Edelweiss)
This is the first book I've read in their Criminal series, and I don't feel like I was missing much (my bet is that these books become more layered when you know the world better, but it's not necessary to have read previous volumes).
The book takes the form of an almost classical tragedy - the dread of impending doom creeps up slowly but inexorably upon you.
These aren't comic book characters, but real, living, breathing people, with conflicting emotions and motives.
As always, Phillips' art is perfect, never losing any clarity while telling a gritty story.
It's a bit of a known refrain by now regarding Brubaker and Phillips' books, but it's yet another one not to miss.
(Received an ARC through Edelweiss)
December 11, 2021
Cruel Summer is a crime noir graphic novel that starts with Teeg Lawless' son bungling a local crime boss in order to get the money to get his dad out of jail. When Teeg goes to set things right with the mob boss, he has to resort to more crime to pay off his son's debt.
From here through the rest of the book we see a tragic tale of the cycle of crime and violence that can take over a family. If you love noir like I do, this will be hard to put down. The writing is excellent, the artwork sets the atmosphere and moods perfectly. The character development is excellent as well. This is my first read this author and I can't wait to read more!
Thank you to Diamond Book Distributors, The creative team behind this book, and Edelweiss for gifting me a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
From here through the rest of the book we see a tragic tale of the cycle of crime and violence that can take over a family. If you love noir like I do, this will be hard to put down. The writing is excellent, the artwork sets the atmosphere and moods perfectly. The character development is excellent as well. This is my first read this author and I can't wait to read more!
Thank you to Diamond Book Distributors, The creative team behind this book, and Edelweiss for gifting me a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
August 10, 2020
Teeg Lawless is out of prison thanks to his son, Ricky. But Teeg is going to owe big time because Ricky mistakenly targeted the wrong "mark." What evolves is a complex story of theft, violent crimes, and murder.
Cruel Summer is a dark comic that really got my attention and kept me engaged. I read it in a couple of hours and enjoyed both the storyline and illustrations. This comic is a great introduction to Ed Brubaker and his crime writing style.
While there is a lot of excitement, so too are the sad moments. The life of criminals is not always glitter and gold and the choices they make dictate the life that they lead.
Overall, an excellent graphic novel. The only peeve I have with this comic is the ending, so I can only presume that there's going to be a sequel.
I received a digital ARC from Diamond Books through Edelweiss . The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.
Cruel Summer is a dark comic that really got my attention and kept me engaged. I read it in a couple of hours and enjoyed both the storyline and illustrations. This comic is a great introduction to Ed Brubaker and his crime writing style.
While there is a lot of excitement, so too are the sad moments. The life of criminals is not always glitter and gold and the choices they make dictate the life that they lead.
Overall, an excellent graphic novel. The only peeve I have with this comic is the ending, so I can only presume that there's going to be a sequel.
I received a digital ARC from Diamond Books through Edelweiss . The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.
July 12, 2022
Wow. This was pretty great. Don’t think I’ve ever read any graphic novels by this dynamic duo who seem to specialize in crime fiction, but this was certainly a most auspicious introduction to their oeuvre.
The story does feature some of the characters from their series Criminal, but it reads perfectly as a standalone.
The summer is cruel indeed. For a sixteen-year-old thief-in-the-making and his freshly bailed out criminal father.
The latter promptly gets back in the life, but manages to fall in love for the first time with beguiling femme fatale of sorts. A sort of woman who makes men do things, terrible, dangerous, reckless things…like falling in love. Or like tracking her down. She left behind someone who’s willing to do whatever it takes to get her back. To that end, he hires a private detective to track her down. The private detective takes one look and he’s a goner.
That any men in love or obsessed with the same woman just sounds like a mess. And it will be.
So you got your tough guys and your criminals but also heavy emotional drama, father/son relationship, friendships, love, etc. A perfect blend for optimal reader engagement.
First rate noir-style storytelling, gorgeous art (almost 80s in colors, but the portraiture is more nuanced, the facial expressions and all) this one really sings. Or at least to the tune of a gun firing, repeatedly.
Very good. Recommended.
This and more at https://advancetheplot.weebly.com/
The story does feature some of the characters from their series Criminal, but it reads perfectly as a standalone.
The summer is cruel indeed. For a sixteen-year-old thief-in-the-making and his freshly bailed out criminal father.
The latter promptly gets back in the life, but manages to fall in love for the first time with beguiling femme fatale of sorts. A sort of woman who makes men do things, terrible, dangerous, reckless things…like falling in love. Or like tracking her down. She left behind someone who’s willing to do whatever it takes to get her back. To that end, he hires a private detective to track her down. The private detective takes one look and he’s a goner.
That any men in love or obsessed with the same woman just sounds like a mess. And it will be.
So you got your tough guys and your criminals but also heavy emotional drama, father/son relationship, friendships, love, etc. A perfect blend for optimal reader engagement.
First rate noir-style storytelling, gorgeous art (almost 80s in colors, but the portraiture is more nuanced, the facial expressions and all) this one really sings. Or at least to the tune of a gun firing, repeatedly.
Very good. Recommended.
This and more at https://advancetheplot.weebly.com/
November 1, 2020
This prequel to the earliest volumes of the Criminal series shows teenaged Ricky Lawless and Leo Patterson tripping around the streets engaged in petty crimes while their fathers, Teeg Lawless and Tommy Patterson, plan a heavier heist. Teeg is driven to the big score by a femme fatale named Jane Hanson who loves her a big spender.
Brubaker works some classic father and son themes while dishing up another gripping and gritty chapter in his violent crime saga. I need to go back and re-read this series from the start soon.
Brubaker works some classic father and son themes while dishing up another gripping and gritty chapter in his violent crime saga. I need to go back and re-read this series from the start soon.
December 24, 2020
While all the previous stories in Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips’s long-running Criminal series were shorter 4-issue runs and one shots, this latest is the longest tale, an epic graphic novel that proves to be an integral piece to the tapestry that’s been weaved about the tragic Lawless family through all of the books. It functions as the bridge between the period stories told of Teeg Lawless and the modern day ones focusing on his sons.
Here, the large cast of characters converge around a daring heist in a story of generational tragedy and violence. The structure is awesome, each issue focusing on the point of view of a different character, providing emotional surprises and clever context as the story moves forward. There are references calling back to almost every Criminal story and we finally get to witness events that we’ve only previously heard about and it’s pretty satisfying. If this is the final Criminal tale (and I hope it isn’t), what a great way to bow out!
Here, the large cast of characters converge around a daring heist in a story of generational tragedy and violence. The structure is awesome, each issue focusing on the point of view of a different character, providing emotional surprises and clever context as the story moves forward. There are references calling back to almost every Criminal story and we finally get to witness events that we’ve only previously heard about and it’s pretty satisfying. If this is the final Criminal tale (and I hope it isn’t), what a great way to bow out!
February 20, 2022
4.5🌟
Brubaker, and Phillips put on another clinic in telling crime stories. It's been a spell since I've read this series. There must be nearly 10 volumes now and this one in particular felt very interconnected with a trip back in time.
Anyone that's read the series will know that each volume upholds a certain quality It's basically a safe bet that if you loved the first one I can guarantee you'll enjoy the whole series putting them on my trusted creator teams list.
Not sure if this is the final tale in world of criminal, but there is a wealth of content to dive back into, and some interesting projects tbr in the works.
Brubaker, and Phillips put on another clinic in telling crime stories. It's been a spell since I've read this series. There must be nearly 10 volumes now and this one in particular felt very interconnected with a trip back in time.
Anyone that's read the series will know that each volume upholds a certain quality It's basically a safe bet that if you loved the first one I can guarantee you'll enjoy the whole series putting them on my trusted creator teams list.
Not sure if this is the final tale in world of criminal, but there is a wealth of content to dive back into, and some interesting projects tbr in the works.
December 20, 2020
Guys, it’s Brubaker and Phillips with a new Criminal story. Of course y’all know it’s good.
What’s it about?
That might actually require more spoilers than I want to share so I might just go ahead and skip this bit.
Why it gets 5-stars:
The story is very interesting. As always, Brubaker and Phillips bring a very intense, interesting and well written crime drama with twists and turns. This is one with a lot of suspense, intense story and subplots to keep readers on the edge of their seats.
The art is pretty great. Sean and Jacob Phillips are an outstanding art duo.
The characters are very well written. There’s a lot of depth and personality to them. The most interesting thing about them is probably that they’re some of the most unlikable assholes I’ve recently read (maybe even EVER read) but Brubaker still somehow made me care about them, that’s talent!
This book is full of intense stuff. Whether it be compelling drama, fast paced action scenes or mixing both at once.
This book is very suspenseful. Twists show up pretty much nonstop and plot convenience does not exist here.
The dialogue is well written.
There is a surprising romantic element to this book that is surprisingly great (not that I would call this a romance comic but it plays a big part in the plot and is quite interesting).
The storytelling is very good. It really adds more insight into how the characters are feeling throughout as well as how they’re thinking and why they’re acting the way that they are. You don’t see this type of storytelling too often in comics and many authors I’ve seen attempt the same type of writing sorta fail so it is really cool to see Brubaker do what few authors can or even would.
The ending is really good. Unexpected and emotional for sure. Also, not sure if it was intentional but Maybe I’m just thinking too much but that’s what I thought.
Overall:
I really like what Brubaker and Phillips did here. That is what I expected to say though, I can’t think of a single time that combo has led to anything that isn’t a good comic!
I don’t know what I can say except that you should read it! Brubaker’s storytelling, character writing and twists are fucking amazing. Sean Phillips draws the story and action scenes very well and Jacob Phillips brings it to life with great coloring.
Highly recommended!
5/5
What’s it about?
That might actually require more spoilers than I want to share so I might just go ahead and skip this bit.
Why it gets 5-stars:
The story is very interesting. As always, Brubaker and Phillips bring a very intense, interesting and well written crime drama with twists and turns. This is one with a lot of suspense, intense story and subplots to keep readers on the edge of their seats.
The art is pretty great. Sean and Jacob Phillips are an outstanding art duo.
The characters are very well written. There’s a lot of depth and personality to them. The most interesting thing about them is probably that they’re some of the most unlikable assholes I’ve recently read (maybe even EVER read) but Brubaker still somehow made me care about them, that’s talent!
This book is full of intense stuff. Whether it be compelling drama, fast paced action scenes or mixing both at once.
This book is very suspenseful. Twists show up pretty much nonstop and plot convenience does not exist here.
The dialogue is well written.
There is a surprising romantic element to this book that is surprisingly great (not that I would call this a romance comic but it plays a big part in the plot and is quite interesting).
The storytelling is very good. It really adds more insight into how the characters are feeling throughout as well as how they’re thinking and why they’re acting the way that they are. You don’t see this type of storytelling too often in comics and many authors I’ve seen attempt the same type of writing sorta fail so it is really cool to see Brubaker do what few authors can or even would.
The ending is really good. Unexpected and emotional for sure. Also, not sure if it was intentional but Maybe I’m just thinking too much but that’s what I thought.
Overall:
I really like what Brubaker and Phillips did here. That is what I expected to say though, I can’t think of a single time that combo has led to anything that isn’t a good comic!
I don’t know what I can say except that you should read it! Brubaker’s storytelling, character writing and twists are fucking amazing. Sean Phillips draws the story and action scenes very well and Jacob Phillips brings it to life with great coloring.
Highly recommended!
5/5
October 12, 2020
Cruel Summer is as advertised: cruel. The characters all live mean little lives and it is abundantly clear from the outset that they're all going to reach bad ends. When that conclusion ultimately arrives, it's not much of a surprise.
But it's the path to that dark ending that is the main draw in Cruel Summer and, as ever, Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips have put together an eminently readable, pleasantly twisty tale about terrible people doing terrible things. Hard to read and hard to put down. You won't miss any of the characters when you put the book down, but the time spent with them is thoroughly absorbing.
My only quibble is that Cruel Summer is basically a feature-length volume of Brubaker and Phillip's Criminal series, and while the extra padding does add depth to the characters, it doesn't add much to the plot, which is a familiar tale of a robbery and a family gone wrong.
But it's the path to that dark ending that is the main draw in Cruel Summer and, as ever, Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips have put together an eminently readable, pleasantly twisty tale about terrible people doing terrible things. Hard to read and hard to put down. You won't miss any of the characters when you put the book down, but the time spent with them is thoroughly absorbing.
My only quibble is that Cruel Summer is basically a feature-length volume of Brubaker and Phillip's Criminal series, and while the extra padding does add depth to the characters, it doesn't add much to the plot, which is a familiar tale of a robbery and a family gone wrong.
October 28, 2022
You can read my full review for No Flying No Tights over at their site here. This is a fantastic book and you can certainly still enjoy it if you haven't read any of the other Brubaker/Phillips books from the Criminal, Vol. 1: Coward series. Your only warning is that this might make you want to hunt down the rest of that series and see what you're missing.
January 11, 2023
People were dogging this one, so it took me awhile to get around to. I loved it! I think I enjoyed the slower pace than previous Criminal volumes. I also read Criminal deluxe vol 3... but I'd read most of those before. Brubaker's Criminal series will go down as a definitive... ahem... criminal comic.
September 23, 2020
"Criminal: Cruel Summer"
This oversized hardcover contains issues 1, 5-12 from the latest criminal series, printed by Image comics. The whole story is set during the Summer of 1988. In the first issue Ricky Lawless stills from an old man to pay his father's bail. This old man is a friend of Hyde, so Teeg Lawless has to find the money and give it back to him in two weeks, or they'll kill his son. In the second issue contained in this volume (issue 5) we really get to the story. All issues are focused on one character. In this one we follow a P.I. who has been hired to find Jane and he eventually falls in love with her. In the end of the issue Jane leads him down in the parking lot and there Teeg hits him multiple times in the head and then leaves with her. In the next issue we find out that Jane was an ex-girlfriend of one of Teeg's friends and partners. Teeg for the first time in his life, when he's 50 years old, he falls in love and it's with her. That leads him to wanting to plan a big heist, so that they can do one big job and then spent the rest of the year vacationing together. So, with Leo's father (Leo, or "coward" is the protagonist of the first volume of the series) they create a new crew for big heists. With Jane, Teeg is finally happy. He is generous and nice and he isn't violent. That's drives his son, Ricky, crazy. He finds this very weird and off putting. He's used to the violent, mean and terrifying version of his father. Ricky and Leo are best friends, but they are very different. Leo is very carefully, while Ricky, since he's been released from juvie, he's more reckless and filled with what I consider to be misplaced anger. Leo and Ricky grew up into crime, at the point where it became what they considered normal, it became their family. So it's not a surprise that both of them want to become criminals like their parents.
This story is much bigger then the usual "Criminal" stories. Also it is amazing, just phenomenal, I love it so much. It's a great story for family, happiness, first love and how prison changes a man. The main protagonists of the story are Teeg and Ricky Lawless. I love both characters very much. They are both amazingly written by Ed Brubaker. They are very well rounded, interesting, complex and relatable. In this story we connect with those 2 characters more than ever before. The plot of the story is also very well written and interesting, with some very unexpected plot twists. The world building in the whole series is amazing and it feels like everything so far in the series has been building up to this story. For me that's the most emotional story from the series. The artwork by Sean Phillips is amazing as always, with very expressive faces and amazing interiors and exteriors. The coloring by Jacob Phillips is also amazing. The way he uses purple, pink and especially red is incredible.
10/10
This oversized hardcover contains issues 1, 5-12 from the latest criminal series, printed by Image comics. The whole story is set during the Summer of 1988. In the first issue Ricky Lawless stills from an old man to pay his father's bail. This old man is a friend of Hyde, so Teeg Lawless has to find the money and give it back to him in two weeks, or they'll kill his son. In the second issue contained in this volume (issue 5) we really get to the story. All issues are focused on one character. In this one we follow a P.I. who has been hired to find Jane and he eventually falls in love with her. In the end of the issue Jane leads him down in the parking lot and there Teeg hits him multiple times in the head and then leaves with her. In the next issue we find out that Jane was an ex-girlfriend of one of Teeg's friends and partners. Teeg for the first time in his life, when he's 50 years old, he falls in love and it's with her. That leads him to wanting to plan a big heist, so that they can do one big job and then spent the rest of the year vacationing together. So, with Leo's father (Leo, or "coward" is the protagonist of the first volume of the series) they create a new crew for big heists. With Jane, Teeg is finally happy. He is generous and nice and he isn't violent. That's drives his son, Ricky, crazy. He finds this very weird and off putting. He's used to the violent, mean and terrifying version of his father. Ricky and Leo are best friends, but they are very different. Leo is very carefully, while Ricky, since he's been released from juvie, he's more reckless and filled with what I consider to be misplaced anger. Leo and Ricky grew up into crime, at the point where it became what they considered normal, it became their family. So it's not a surprise that both of them want to become criminals like their parents.
This story is much bigger then the usual "Criminal" stories. Also it is amazing, just phenomenal, I love it so much. It's a great story for family, happiness, first love and how prison changes a man. The main protagonists of the story are Teeg and Ricky Lawless. I love both characters very much. They are both amazingly written by Ed Brubaker. They are very well rounded, interesting, complex and relatable. In this story we connect with those 2 characters more than ever before. The plot of the story is also very well written and interesting, with some very unexpected plot twists. The world building in the whole series is amazing and it feels like everything so far in the series has been building up to this story. For me that's the most emotional story from the series. The artwork by Sean Phillips is amazing as always, with very expressive faces and amazing interiors and exteriors. The coloring by Jacob Phillips is also amazing. The way he uses purple, pink and especially red is incredible.
10/10
Read
July 10, 2020Early on in the Event, when comics fell over, the batch of Edelweiss ARCs which caught the last train out of Image included a Brubaker/Phillips crime comic. Now, things are finally getting underway again, and the first batch of new ARCs includes a Brubaker/Phillips crime comic. After the waters or the dead finally rise, or Cheeto Mussolini pushes the button on the way out, somehow, floating on the wreckage, will be Keith Richards reading a Brubaker/Phillips crime comic. By this point, everyone should know what they're getting: characters who maybe weren't that bad to start with making poor choices, getting increasingly compromised, and increasingly entangled with the real nasty pieces of work. Betrayal, regret, scores that are never as big as the trouble they bring. The lead this time is once again Teeg Lawless, his name no less ridiculous or on-the-nose than it was in the first Criminal stories. But if you liked those, you'll like these too, BP turning this stuff out as reliably as Wodehouse did posh misunderstandings.
September 15, 2020
So this is another Ed Brubaker/Sean Phillips crime book. There's heists and murders and double crossing, hot dames, wild kids, drunk gangsters, piles of cash, the usual.
I don't mean to sound dismissive, because it's great, it's exactly what I want to read. I never really liked crime fiction before but I look forward to each new installment from these two. They're the perfect duo. Brubaker's words, Phillips' amazing art... I hope they never stop.
What I love about this "Criminal" series of theirs is that while there are characters that appear across multiple volumes you can really pick up any of them and read it first as they're all self contained. Maybe you'll read about a character's death and then several volumes later read about their childhood... it's really not important that they're chronological, (at least in my view( because each story adds another layer to the character regardless of their age.
I don't mean to sound dismissive, because it's great, it's exactly what I want to read. I never really liked crime fiction before but I look forward to each new installment from these two. They're the perfect duo. Brubaker's words, Phillips' amazing art... I hope they never stop.
What I love about this "Criminal" series of theirs is that while there are characters that appear across multiple volumes you can really pick up any of them and read it first as they're all self contained. Maybe you'll read about a character's death and then several volumes later read about their childhood... it's really not important that they're chronological, (at least in my view( because each story adds another layer to the character regardless of their age.
August 14, 2020
(4,5 of 5 for the next noir story in the highest standards of Brubaker's and Phillips' work)
So far, we didn't see much of Teeg Lawless. We "heard" a lot and met his sons on a lot of pages, but now Teeg gets the deserved space. And along with young Ricky. Cruel Summer is a great story. Intense, rough, great characters and dialogues and I must admit "young" Phillips is really getting into the colours I like. I won't talk about the story, so the only thing left to say is: It's awesome.
So far, we didn't see much of Teeg Lawless. We "heard" a lot and met his sons on a lot of pages, but now Teeg gets the deserved space. And along with young Ricky. Cruel Summer is a great story. Intense, rough, great characters and dialogues and I must admit "young" Phillips is really getting into the colours I like. I won't talk about the story, so the only thing left to say is: It's awesome.
February 27, 2024
Damn. That was raw, violent, and excellent. The lives the author presents are even more seedy, doomed, destructive, and sad, than I had expected, but I also felt like I really understood the characters and their motivations.
Thieves always feel like they're running, mostly from themselves.
Thieves always feel like they're running, mostly from themselves.
August 26, 2020
‘Cruel Summer’ (Criminal Vol.8 ) is another Brubaker-Phillips grand cru. Superb!!!
November 17, 2021
Sólido relato criminal que, inevitablemente, también demuestra cómo esta serie renquea y corre el riesgo de agotarse. Construida desde una cierta coralidad, funciona mejor en el planteamiento y el nudo que en su resolución. Para fans muy fans de la pareja de creadores y de la colección.
November 8, 2020
Cruel Summer By super team Brubaker and Phillips is another masterclass of the crime noir genre. Seriously these cats cant do no wrong. With Cruel Summer we have a self contained story that can be read standalone but should be read when you have read their Criminal run. Its great to see Ricky, and Leo again but now as kids in the late 80s and seeing how their life was and really to see there was no other way then be criminals just like their dads and everybody arounds them. These are bad people with bad intentions. The story is told beautifully between the four main characters withh each their own story arc but also making sense of the entire picture in the end. Brubaker keeps you on your toes like this every time and its hard to explain but it keeps the story thrilling page by page as the story unvolds and gets more clear. We have Teeg Lawless planning his biggest heist, his son Ricky who has his own shit going one and tries to be the kool kid but really fuck things up alot, just like his dad really. A private detective fucked over by his clients mistress who is also now the lady of Teeg, and Ricky's friend Leo who lives the same life as Ricky and is basically the only one that gets him. Together the story gets mixed and sounds convoluted but its tight as hell. Brubaker is a master scripter and together with Sean Philips who's art gets better and better and with Philips his son Jacob on colors they create yet another future classic. They have been working for 14 years on this world and characters, and to still see them make this world bigger better and still engaging is fantastic. I have one minor issue with this hardcover. The essays are not in it. I know its from a selling point because they are in the single issues, but they were also in the first two hcs from Criminal. Not to much to fuss about but i wanted to mention it. Still you cant go wrong with this team and especially with their beloved Criminal.
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
April 16, 2025
Ed and Sean deliver an ambitious
Criminal
megavolume that incorporates the stable of characters they've developed over the years. It fleshes out backstories, explores events previously hinted at, and introduces young Ricky Lawless, whose death provided the impetus for the stellar second volume of the long running series.
Cruel Summer is still the marvelously crafted noir crime story you'd expect from Brubaker-Phillips but it's a significant departure in scope, ranging far and wide to focus on a different character each issue and culminating in an event that sets the course of their lives. (Oh what the hell, it's the death of Teeg Lawless. Not really a spoiler; Brubaker warns the reader early on that that's where things are headed.)
Brubaker gets a little loose with some of the plot threads here. A mob boss's two week deadline goes unresolved, the identity of the big score's snitch is never revealed, and so on. It's not a perfect book, but it is a great one.
Plot points:
------------------------------------
SECOND READ
Brubaker has a genius for illuminating the insides of his characters' heads. Ricky's impulsive behavior and devotion to his abusive dad; Teeg's random cruelties; all of the stupid and short-sighted things they do make perfect sense once we see where they've been and how they feel.
Cruel Summer is still the marvelously crafted noir crime story you'd expect from Brubaker-Phillips but it's a significant departure in scope, ranging far and wide to focus on a different character each issue and culminating in an event that sets the course of their lives. (Oh what the hell, it's the death of Teeg Lawless. Not really a spoiler; Brubaker warns the reader early on that that's where things are headed.)
Brubaker gets a little loose with some of the plot threads here. A mob boss's two week deadline goes unresolved, the identity of the big score's snitch is never revealed, and so on. It's not a perfect book, but it is a great one.
Plot points:
------------------------------------
SECOND READ
Brubaker has a genius for illuminating the insides of his characters' heads. Ricky's impulsive behavior and devotion to his abusive dad; Teeg's random cruelties; all of the stupid and short-sighted things they do make perfect sense once we see where they've been and how they feel.
October 17, 2020
A unique Criminal for the fact that it spirals through the points-of-view of several characters of note, creating a richer, deeper narrative than some of the (already excellent) ones that we've seen before.
This is also a great arc for the backstory that it reveals, which we've just seen hints of before. It makes you want to race back and read Criminal, Vol. 1: Coward and Criminal, Vol. 2: Lawless again, to really understand the true scope of the tragedy that begins here.
A great story, and a great building block for the Criminal universe. Hopefully, this is not the end.
This is also a great arc for the backstory that it reveals, which we've just seen hints of before. It makes you want to race back and read Criminal, Vol. 1: Coward and Criminal, Vol. 2: Lawless again, to really understand the true scope of the tragedy that begins here.
A great story, and a great building block for the Criminal universe. Hopefully, this is not the end.
August 23, 2020
A solid 4* for this plot and another one for the sense of completion this arc gives the whole series (so far).
It can be read as a standalone but those like me who went through Criminal in reading order will appreciate it all the more since it somewhat closes the twist of the end of the first volume.
Brubaker really created his own personal criminal universe here, each volume adding something to one other or more, and maintained an amazing coherence through it all despite the various spaces and times used. You end up rooting for most characters, as flawed as they might be. And it's noir, just like noir should be. Kudos, man.
Do I really need to say that Sean Phillips art is once again simply great?
Nah, I don't.
It can be read as a standalone but those like me who went through Criminal in reading order will appreciate it all the more since it somewhat closes the twist of the end of the first volume.
Brubaker really created his own personal criminal universe here, each volume adding something to one other or more, and maintained an amazing coherence through it all despite the various spaces and times used. You end up rooting for most characters, as flawed as they might be. And it's noir, just like noir should be. Kudos, man.
Do I really need to say that Sean Phillips art is once again simply great?
Nah, I don't.
December 30, 2020
So many ways it could have gone, and yet EB still surprises the reader.
May 24, 2025
Just finished Cruel Summer by Brubaker & Phillips—heartbreaking, brutal, and absolutely brilliant. No one does crime comics like these two. Their storytelling is razor-sharp, emotionally devastating, and always pitch-perfect. One of the best arcs in Criminal. So sad I’ve now finished Criminal… luckily more coming out in August
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