'CRIMINAL was where Sean and I really established our brand as a team, and while writing MY HEROES HAVE ALWAYS BEEN JUNKIES (which takes place in the CRIMINAL world), it just suddenly felt like the perfect time to bring it back to the monthly comic shelves. The multiple Eisner award-winning CRIMINAL will return as an all-new monthly from Image Comics in January 2019. It may not quite rival The Killing Joke as the ultimate Joker story, but it is a solid entry in the mythology of Gotham’s most notorious madman.Hot off the critically acclaimed, bestselling series KILL OR BE KILLED and breakout hit original graphic novel MY HEROES HAVE ALWAYS BEEN JUNKIES, crime comic masters Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips return to their beloved, iconic CRIMINAL series. But Brubaker nailed the chilling insanity of the character as he attempts to poison Gotham’s water supply with the toxic chemicals that changed his appearance.

He was mutilated as a child, leaving his scarred face stuck in a permanent grin.Īs a sequel, of sorts, to Year One, the plot is based on The Joker’s introduction in the original Batman #1 from 1940 and details the first interaction between the Clown Prince Of Crime and the Caped Crusader.Īny origin story is going to detract from the mystery of The Joker and this one is no different. The novel’s character, Gwynplaine, was one of the original inspirations for The Joker. It was intended as a follow-up to Frank Miller’s Batman: Year One and takes its name from the 1869 novel by Victor Hugo of the same title. Batman: The Man Who Laughs is a 2005 one-shot by Brubaker and artist Doug Mahnke. But some stand out more than others and these are the cream of the crop.Īs a writer most noted for his love of noir, it’s no surprise that Ed Brubaker has dipped his toe in the murky waters of Gotham on several occasions. In a long and varied career, Brubaker has covered a lot of ground and written a lot of comics.

A true auteur steeped in the tropes of crime fiction. Alongside his creative partner, Sean Phillips, he has built a reputation as a legend of modern crime comics. He wrote Batman: The Man Who Laughs - an iconic piece of Batman and Joker history - and also created a character that became central to the Marvel Cinematic Universe by making Bucky Barnes into The Winter Soldier.īut his output is in no way defined by the spandex clad crimefighters we all know and love. From Batman to Sandman, Daredevil to The Authority, Captain America to Uncanny X-Men, Ed Brubaker has made his mark on all of them.Ī passionate fan of crime fiction, Brubaker has turned standard superhero comics into dark, brooding studies of human nature and elevated, what could have been, forgettable stories into something gripping and memorable. In a career so far spanning more than thirty years, he has worked on some of the industry’s biggest titles.

Criminal ed brubaker sean phillips