The snowy Christmas backdrop mixes with the noir for a very moody setting which is perfect for the book. And Phillips’ realistic art style is certainly good in this one. That authorial confidence and originality, along with Sean Phillips’ ink-heavy artwork, is why the series is so well-regarded. In just a few pages the Undertow bar feels very lived in, Brubaker focusing on a child waitress who has the run of the bar to draw us into the atmosphere of the place. I’m always impressed with the ease with which Brubaker’s created the Criminal world. Like a lot of Criminal’s cast, Tracy’s a little bit of good and bad so there’s a frisson of unpredictability to all of his actions. Brubaker tries though, making him this tough guy who also occasionally does some kinda good things, eg. It doesn’t help that the characters feel like cliches and Tracy himself, despite the numerous flashbacks to a troubled youth, isn’t that interesting a protagonist. Sure there’s a car chase here, knocking over an ATM there, sleeping with the femme fatale, but it seems rote and it’s not a whole lot for a full-length story. Meanwhile, Tracy’s just going with the gang’s plan, a storyline which isn’t all that great to read. Compare it to Sin City: The Hard Goodbye where Marv is relentlessly killing his way to the truth, and it’s like Tracy barely has any drive at all!

His “search” doesn’t feel in the least bit urgent and it’s almost surprising when he does discover his brother’s killer at the end. He gets into his brother’s old gang and then basically goes along with their plans.

Tracy’s hunt for his brother’s killer feels like a subplot instead of the main, and his search is very slow and unfocused.

It’s definitely hard-boiled noir, kind of like a more realistic version of Frank Miller’s hyper-stylised Sin City, but the story isn’t as gripping. Tracy’s got to infiltrate the group and figure out who offed his little brother - and make them pay!Įd Brubaker and Sean Phillips’ Criminal is my favourite title from among their many collaborations (Sleeper, Incognito, Fatale) but I think this second volume is the least in the series. But his brother, Rick, was mixed up with some ne’er do wells who are planning a Christmas heist. Tracy Lawless is on the hunt for his brother’s killer.

Incognito, Vol. 2 by Ed Brubaker