Comics News

Tripwire Top 10 Graphic Novels Of 2021: Day Six

Published

5 years ago

December 28, 2021

Admin

Reckless Endangerment

It’s the end of 2021 and here’s Tripwire’s top 10 graphic novels of the year with one choice a day from now until 1 January 2022…

6. Today’s choice is Destroy All Monsters by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips, Image Comics.

Our sixth choice is Destroy All Monsters by Ed Brubaker, Sean Phillips and Jacob Phillips published by Image. The creative powerhouse of Brubaker and Phillips show no sign of abating. Destroy All Monsters is the third original graphic novel by the pair featuring enigmatic investigator Ethan Reckless and his assistant Anna. Action has moved to the 1980s with Reckless being called in to investigate the shenanigans of a real estate mogul, a case that makes him question everything he holds dear.

Phillips has adopted a slightly different style with the Reckless books, a broader more illustrative approach and it is one that makes his art look even more cinematic. Brubaker’s ear for dialogue and inventive scenarios keeps the reader hooked throughout here.

Reckless feels like the best TV detective series never made with a mix of action and plot that doesn’t relent. The standalone graphic novel format is the perfect one for these stories as it gives it real room to breath. Colourist Jacob Phillips, the artist’s son, is the perfect foil for Sean Phillips’ graphic linework. Despite working together for over twenty years now, Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips still have such exceptional chemistry and Destroy All Monsters just cements their reputation as the best writer-artist team still working in comics today.