Graphic Novel Review: FIVE GEARS IN REVERSE hits the heights of classic CRIMINAL

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Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips' new graphic novel Five Gears in Reverse enters the Criminal universe with the polish and punch that made the series a landmark in noir comics. The book delivers the intricate plotting, morally compromised protagonists, and grimy atmosphere fans expect, a seamless addition to a series that has spent two decades refining the crime genre in sequential art. Phillips' artwork grounds the story in tactile menace, while Brubaker's script layers motive and betrayal across characters who operate in the margins of law and decency. It stands as evidence that Criminal remains among the finest sustained works in the medium.