Not all comics are about superheroes. In fact, in the early days of the medium westerns and crime fiction were the predominant story genres. In honor of that long lineage here are some great crime comics for you to sink your teeth into.
- Criminal– An anthology series written by Ed Brubaker with each arc featuring a new self-contained story. Brubaker goes out of his way to subvert the expectations of the genre while still adhering to its conventions. A compelling read.
- Sin City– Frank Miller’s classic black and white noir series of stories that spawned two feature films. Gritty, fun, and highly stylized. You’re guaranteed to enjoy this anthology series.
- The Road to Perdition– In the 1930’s a mob enforcer is betrayed and forced to go on the run with his son. This is the basis for the Tom Hanks movie. And even if you’ve seen the movie, the comic is worth a look.
- Fell- This is a short read at just nine issues but it’s Warren Ellis, so you’ll take anything he gives you. Brooding noir at its finest.
- Beautiful Canvas– A hitwoman finds out her girlfriend is pregnant, and it changes her entire world. This is one of those off the wall kind of comics that will keep you guessing with every turn of the page. It’s still early days but this one seems destined to become a cult classic.
- Torso– A true crime story about the Cleveland Torso Murderer and Elliot Ness’s attempts to catch him as written by comics legend Brian Michael Bendis. I’m not usually one for true crime but this series is excellent.
- Tumor– A “one last case to make things right” story, featuring a private investigator who is dying from a tumor. A solid story that doesn’t really add anything new to the genre but is still a satisfying read.
- A History of Violence- Another entry on the list where you may be familiar with the movie adaptation. But the two stories diverge about halfway in and take very different paths.
- Incognegro– A light-skinned black man working for a northern newspaper goes undercover as a white man in the south to investigate a series of lynchings. A powerful read as you can imagine by the subject manner. One you want to be in the right headspace for.
- Postal- A town where ex-cons live in secret and crime is severely punished. The series doesn’t get off to a great start, but it finishes strong. At twenty-five issues, it’s not much of an investment to see it through to the end.