This is as good a book as I’ve ever read. The art and story are perfectly paired to present us what is likely the best example of contemporary Noir Fiction, in ANY medium.

Basically the book is a loosely related anthology of crime stories set in the 70’s with an afro-centric slant. The characters are all genre standards. The Prize Fighter, The War Vet, and the Femme Fatale. But each one of them are fully fleshed out characters that suck us into their respective worlds. And the prose is wonderfully engrossing. It has the tempo of classic noir speak, without feeling too noticeably hard-boiled or stylish.

The art. It’s perfect. It’s moody but not excessively so. It’s not the hyper-shadowy otherworld of Mignola or Miller. It’s much more grounded in reality.

Everything feels real. If “Sin City” was Noir on crack, then “Criminal” is Noir as lensed through the sobering eye of reality.