EXTRACTS: Illustrators Crime Comics Special © 2020 Book Palace Books (144 pages in full edition)

16 © Basement Gang, Inc. 2020 with the appearance of characters such as Torpedo by Sánchez Abulí and Jordi Bernet, and Nestor Burma by Leo Malet and Jaques Tardi. The fact that these superb strips were created in Spain and France respectively reflected the fact that US publishers were still in thrall to the cult of the superhero. However, there were changes afoot, and, at DC comics a creative team headed up by Karen Berger, was keen to loosen the ties to traditional superhero comics and began actively bringing on board talent from around the world to develop new concepts. The results of this new impetus were a broadening of the scope of US comics and, in the particular case of Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips, witnessed a revival of the noir genre of crime comics which echoed (and anticipated) the success of films and TV series such as Justified, True Detective and Fargo , to name but a few. With series like Criminal, Fade Out and Scene of the Crime the genre is continuing to inspire and entertain—it looks like crime comics are here to stay. ● Typically stylish and punchy illustration from Sean Phillips who, together with his writing buddy Ed Brubaker, has brought the genre into the 21 st century. The retro-tinged approach to their subject matter perfectly echoes the ongoing love affair that cinema and TV continue to have with the world of tough- guys, deadly dames and wise-cracking private eyes.