Category: Crime

Ron Salas’ 100 Bullets Pin-Up Piece!

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Ron Salas posted this on Twitter this morning and throughout the day I kept thinking about the amazing job that he did.  100 Bullets was a crime comic written by Brian Azzarello with art by Eduardo Risso.  Dave Johnson provided the covers.  The series won multiple awards for excellence and remains one of my favorite comics.  Ron’s piece is an excellent tribute.

I’ve known Ron for years and am lucky enough to have several Stallone sketches from him.  You can see more of his art by following Ron Salas on Twitter.  You won’t be disappointed.

“Monsters Inside: The 24 Faces of Billy Milligan” – The Trailer is Here!

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I’ll say it again, Netflix comes up with interesting documentaries.  I hope that Monsters Inside: The 24 Faces of Billy Milligan is as good as the trailer below.  Deal me in.

Have you ever seen someone change personalities right in front of your eyes? Monsters Inside: The 24 Faces of Billy Milligan is only on Netflix September 22.

NEWBURN – New Crime Comic from Zdarsky & Phillips is Coming!

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Newburn is a new crime comic series coming from Chip Zdarsky (writer) and Jacob Phillips (artist).  Here is the first issue synopsis…

EASTON NEWBURN is a private detective without loyalties, investigating conflicts between rival crime factions while collecting enemies along the way. In this DEBUT ISSUE, a man is murdered after stealing from his own mafia family, but they aren’t the ones who ordered the hit…

Below is a page from the first issue which drops November 3rd from Image Comics.  If you’d like to see more preview pages you can.  As for me, I’ve seen enough.  Deal me in.

Marv by Alex Maleev and We Need More SIN CITY!

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Marv, created by Frank Miller for his Sin City yarns, is one of my all-time favorite comic characters.  If you follow Alex Maleev on Twitter or Instagram, you may have already seen his riff on ole Marv.  Even so, the art is so good it is worth another look.

Frank Miller is the writer, artist and letterer on all of his Sin City tales.  I get it.  Sin City is his baby.  When I see cool art like Maleev’s Marv, I wish that Miller would oversee a new Sin City series with guest artists/writers.  If not something like that, then how about a pinup book with Sin City art by other talented artists.  C’mon, Mr. Miller.  We need more Sin City.

“Small Engine Repair” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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It wasn’t until I watched about half of the first trailer below that I thought, “Yeah, this is going to be one for me.”  I like both the trailers and the poster for Small Engine Repair.  Deal me in.

Frank (John Pollono), Swaino (Jon Bernthal) and Packie (Shea Whigham) are lifelong friends who share a love of the Red Sox, rowdy bars and Frank’s teenaged daughter Crystal (Ciara Bravo). But when Frank invites his pals to a whiskey-fueled evening and asks them to do a favor on behalf of the brash young woman they all adore, events spin wildly out of control. Based on Pollono’s award-winning play, Small Engine Repair is a pitch-black comedic drama with a wicked twist, and a powerful exploration of brotherhood, class struggle and toxic masculinity.

Directed by John Pollono

Starring: Jon Bernthal, Shea Whigham, Jordana Spiro, John Pollono

In theaters 9/10/21.

“Wild Indian” – The Trailer is Here!

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The trailer for Wild Indian is a good one.  I look forward to seeing this when it comes to one of my streaming services.

Decades after covering up his classmate’s murder, Michael (Michael Greyeyes) has moved on from his reservation and fractured past. When a man who shares his violent secret seeks vengeance, Michael goes to great lengths to protect his new life with his wife (Kate Bosworth) and boss (Jesse Eisenberg) from the demons of his past.

Directed by: Lyle Mitchell Corbine Jr.
Starring Michael Greyeyes, Chaske Spencer, Jesse Eisenberg, Kate Bosworth

“Way of the Gun” Trivia from Director Christopher McQuarrie!

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I recently posted about my love for Way of the Gun.  It’s got a great cast and was written/directed by Christopher McQuarrie.  If you haven’t seen it you might want to give it a try.

Rob Hunter, at Film School Rejects, posted 28 Things We Learned from Christopher McQuarrie’s ‘The Way of the Gun’ Commentary.  As usual, before you click over, here are three of my favorites and thoughts to go with each…

McQuarrie was “very resistant” to casting Phillippe, but the actor wouldn’t take no without the opportunity for a meeting. (When McQuarrie asked Phillippe why he wanted to be in his small film instead of a higher profile project, Phillippe’s response that he wanted to be an actor, not a movie star was classic!  I love Phillippe’s persistence and attitude towards his craft. – Craig)

The kidnapping scene sees lots of collateral in the form of dead or wounded people in both the foreground and background. McQuarrie points out the couple in the car at 17:43 — “a guy crying over his dead wife with three bullets in the windshield” — and says it’s all meant to leave viewers questioning who their loyalty is aimed towards. (One of the things I really like about Way of the Gun is that the two leads aren’t movie star bad guys.  You know, bad guys that are really good at heart or misunderstood.  These guys aren’t heroes. – Craig)

“The character is a survivor,” said James Caan about his character Joe Sarno, “I want to show what he survived.” The result was a highlighting of the scars on his face and neck. (There are a lot of great lines in Way of the Gun and James Caan’s character gets his fair share.  One of my favorites: “The only thing you can guess about a broken down old man is that he is a survivor.” – Craig)

“Copshop” starring Gerard Butler & Frank Grillo – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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Normally I like crime movies to be serious, but every once in a while it is fun to watch one that leans deeply into comedy.  Copshop looks to be one that fits in that category.  With a cast that includes Frank Grillo and Gerard Butler, how can I resist?  Deal me in.

Screaming through the Nevada desert in a bullet-ridden Crown Vic, wily con artist Teddy Murretto (Frank Grillo) hatches a desperate plan to hide out from lethal hitman Bob Viddick (Gerard Butler): He sucker-punches rookie officer Valerie Young (Alexis Louder) to get himself arrested and locked up in a small-town police station. But jail can’t protect Murretto for long. Viddick schemes his own way into detention, biding his time in a nearby cell until he can complete his mission. When the arrival of a competing assassin (Toby Huss) ignites all-out mayhem, mounting threats force Viddick to get creative if he wants to finish the job and escape the explosive situation.

“Kate” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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Kate reminds me of a mash-up of D.O.A., Atomic Blonde, The Long Kiss Goodnight and John Wick.  I like the poster and the trailer rocks.  Deal me in.

After she’s poisoned, a ruthless criminal operative has less than 24 hours to exact revenge on her enemies and in the process forms an unexpected bond with the daughter of one of her past victims.

There’s no time for mercy.

Crime Comics: What are the All-Time Most Influential?

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Following up on yesterday’s list of 10 Essential Films from the American Neo-Noir Movement, it isn’t much of a stretch to turn our spotlight on crime comics.  Richard Keller at CBR compiled his list of The Most Influential Crime Comics Of All Time.  Keller’s list is a good one.  Before you click over, here are my thoughts on his selections and a few not on his list that are favorites of mine…

Dick Tracy:  As a kid I read Dick Tracy comic strips off and on.  As an adult I’ve read some Dick Tracy comics (notably those by Kyle Baker and Michael Avon Oeming), but Dick Tracy has never been a character I’ve held dear.  I wouldn’t mind someday reading some of the old Dick Tracy comic strips.

The Spirit:  Will Eisner’s The Spirit is considered one of the classic comics by nearly everyone.  Eisner’s work on The Spirit is cited as an influence by many, many great artists.  I’ve read and enjoyed a cross-section of The Spirit comics, but not nearly enough.  I need to remedy that. (Oh, and if all you know about Will Eisner’s The Spirit is the movie… you don’t know The Spirit.)

Crime Does Not Pay:  I’ve never read any of these comics as they were well before my time.  Perhaps I should try to find reprints.

True Crime Comics: Like Crime Does Not Pay, these comics were before my time and I’ve never read any.

Crime SuspenStories: Although also well before my time, I would like to read these EC comics.  I’ve toyed with getting the reprints but have never, uh, pulled the trigger.  I should.

Sin City: As most of you probably know, Frank Miller’s Sin City comics are my favorite series of all-time.  If you like film noir, Mickey Spillane, tough mugs and sexy dames, then these are the comic yarns for you!

Sam & Twitch:  I’ve never read any Sam & Twitch comics.  Reading Keller’s write-up, I need to change that. 

100 Bullets:  A classic crime comic where the story was a great as the art.  I loved that it was always scheduled for 100 issues and when the story was told, the comic ended… at 100 issues.

Powers:  Where the focus is on the cops in a world of super-heroes.  I’m a fan.

Stumptown:  I haven’t read the comics.  That needs to change.

Keller’s list provided me with some crime comics I need to track down.  Here are a few I’d recommend that didn’t make his list…

The Black Terror, Seduction of Deceit written by Charles Smith, Beau Dixon, with art by Daniel Brereton.  If you liked The Godfather and the tv series Wiseguy then this is for you!

Scalped written by Jason Aaron and illustrated by R. M. Guéra,  Scalped is a modern day western where organized crime has moved onto a fictional Indian Reservation.  

Gravedigger written by Christopher Mills with art by Rick Burchett.  Sadly there are only two Gravedigger tales, but they should be in every crime comic fan’s collection.  The stories are collected in the trade Gravedigger: Hot Women and Cold Cash.  

The Best American Neo-Noir Films!

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Swapnil Dhruv Bose put together a list of 10 Essential Films from the American Neo-Noir Movement.  The list is a good one.  Here are my thoughts on each of the films and a few others that would have made my list…

Point Blank (John Boorman – 1967):  I’m a Lee Marvin fan and I’ve liked Point Blank more with each viewing.  

The Long Goodbye (Robert Altman – 1973): While I’m a Raymond Chandler fan, I didn’t like this adaption of his novel. Part of the problem was that I didn’t think Elliot Gould was a good choice to play Chandler.  

Chinatown (Roman Polanski – 1974): Chinatown is a classic.

The Conversation (Francis Ford Coppola – I’ve never watched The Conversation which is a surprise even to me because it is held in such high regard and I’m a Coppola fan. Perhaps this will be the year I watch it.

Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese – 1976): I like Scorsese. I like Deniro. I didn’t like Taxi Driver. I thought it was slow and excessively violent. Perhaps another viewing is in order.

Blade Runner (Ridley Scott – 1982): I’ve enjoyed every version of Blade Runner. (Although I wasn’t a huge fan of the sequel.)

Blue Velvet (David Lynch – 1986): I didn’t care for Blue Velvet.

Pulp Fiction (Quentin Tarantino – 1994): I loved Pulp Fiction. It remains one of Tarantino’s best films.

L.A. Confidential (Curtis Hanson – 1997): L.A. Confidential is perhaps the best film on this list. I love it.

The Big Lebowski (Coen Brothers – 1998): I’ve never seen it. I know, I know. I need to fix that.

Films that would have made my neo-noir list:

The Killers (1964 – Don Siegel)

Sin City (2005 – Robert Rodriguez & Frank Miller)

Blood Simple (1984 – Cohen Brothers)

Seven (1995 – David Fincher)

John Wick (2014 – Chad Stahelski, David Leitch)

Heat (1995 – Michael Mann)

Thief (1981 – Michael Mann)