“Brubaker and Phillips are modern masters, who craft nail-bitingly tense worlds where nothing is black and white.” —Publishers Weekly

Celebrating the Prime Video series adaptation, Brubaker and Phillips groundbreaking crime series returns to print with stunning new cover paintings and designs.

In this first installment of the bestselling, multiple Eisner Award winning crime noir series, readers meet Leo, a world-class pickpocket who is pressed into helping the cops pull off a heist. But when the job goes terribly wrong, Leo must go into hiding, his dire situation escalates, forcing the thief to put his skills to the test.

Originally published in 2007, Criminal Volume 1: Coward is just the beginning of the critically acclaimed comic book series from Ed Brubaker & Sean Phillips—the creative team behind Fatale, Night Fever, Where the Body Was, and more.

About The Author

Ed Brubaker

Ed Brubaker is one of the most acclaimed writers in comics, winning five best writer Eisner and Harvey Awards in the last ten years. His bestselling work with Sean Phillips on Criminal, Incognito, Fatale, and The Fade Out has been translated around the world to great acclaim, and Marvel's movies featuring his co-creation, The Winter Soldier, have all been international blockbusters. Ed lives in Los Angeles with his wife and their crazy dog, where he works in comics, film, and television, most recently on HBO's new hit series Westworld.

Product Details

Publisher: Image Comics (February 4, 2025)
Length: 144 pages
ISBN13: 9781534370906

Raves and Reviews

“Is the comic good? It's beyond good, it's great.”

– Graphic Policy

“A beautiful, bleak masterwork.”

– AIPT

“Phillips's art is phenomenal, with some of the best faces and storytelling in the business, while Brubaker provides the same sharp, heartbreaking dialogue you have come to expect.”

– ComicBook.com

"An ideal introduction for newcomers who want to take a walk on the grimiest side of the graphic underworld.”

– Publishers Weekly