How a single criminal universe connects generations of crime through interconnected stories
In short: In the gritty world of Criminal, the characters aren't just isolated archetypes. They are part of a sprawling, multi-generational web of violence and secrets, where a pickpocket's mistake in one era can ripple through the lives of soldiers and kingpins decades later.
Created by writer Ed Brubaker and illustrator Sean Phillips, Criminal is a creator-owned series that uses a realistic lens to deconstruct crime genre clichés. Rather than following a single protagonist, the series operates through self-contained story arcs that inhabit a shared universe. This fictional world is centered in Center City, a place where different characters—from pickpockets to soldiers—frequent the same bars and share a common history of crime spanning two generations.
The complexity of the series lies in its interlocking timelines and character connections. For example, the first series began in October 2006, focusing on characters like Leo Patterson, the son of a criminal named Tommy Patterson. The narrative reveals that Tommy was imprisoned for the murder of Teeg Lawless, a fact that connects Leo to the Lawless family. This connection deepens in the Lawless lineage: Teeg's son, Tracy Lawless, becomes an AWOL soldier who infiltrates a gang to investigate his brother Ricky's death.
The series has evolved through multiple iterations, including a new series launched in January 2019 that utilizes jumps in time to tell stories of varying lengths. Brubaker has noted that this structure is intentional, aimed at keeping the reader uncertain about the narrative's direction. The scope of the work is vast, ranging from the 1970s-set stories in 'The Dead and the Dying' to 1988-set narratives, all contributing to a dense, interconnected tapestry of urban criminality.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Criminal (comics)
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