Carlos Morales
To coincide with the debut of the Criminal adaptation on Prime Video TV, two key issues of the bestselling, multiple award-winning series by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips (Unfinished Tales, Where the Body Was) will be re-presented as facsimile editions in January 2027. The Criminal #1: Coward Facsimile Edition will hit shelves the same day as “Part One: Coward” streams on Prime, with Criminal #6: Lawless Facsimile Edition released later that month to coincide with the stream date for “Part Two: Lawless.”
Both Criminal facsimiles will feature a pair of collectible wraparound variant covers, including foil versions of Phillips’ brilliantly evocative images from the original comics and convention-favorite blank sketch covers.
“With the TV show finally coming out, it’s wild to look back at the first issue from 20 years ago when we were a scrappy little crime comic trying to make an impact in a very rough market,” said Brubaker.
In Criminal #1, readers meet Leo, who can plan the perfect heist…but only if he can be convinced the job is safe enough. But when an old friend and a crooked cop approach with a plan to seize millions of dollars in contraband from an evidence transport, Leo must make hard choices, knowing there’s nothing you can trust less in this world than a cop on the take.
Then, in Criminal #6, fans discover where the Lawless story began in this replica edition of Tracy Lawless’s first appearance from 20 years ago. The beginning of Criminal’s second arc, this is where Brubaker and Phillips began to build out the world they’d created in volume one and expand the boundaries of what crime comics could be.
The television adaptation of Brubaker and Phillips’ acclaimed series is being released on Prime Video in two parts, with “Coward” streaming on January 13 and its follow-up, “Lawless,” on January 27. In production since 2024 with Brubaker at the helm as showrunner, the Prime series stars Charlie Hunnam (Sons of Anarchy, Pacific Rim), Luke Evans (Fast & Furious 6, The Hobbit), and Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones, Secret Invasion).
Criminal #1: Coward Facsimile Edition will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, January 13:
- Cover A Wraparound by Phillips – UPC: 70985304441300111
- Cover B Foil Wraparound variant by Phillips – UPC: 70985304441300121
- Cover C Blank Sketch variant – UPC: 70985304441300131
Criminal #6: Lawless Facsimile Edition will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, January 27:
- Cover A Wraparound by Phillips – UPC: 70985304441300611
- Cover B Foil Wraparound variant by Phillips – UPC: 70985304441300621
- Cover C Blank Sketch variant – UPC: 70985304441300631
Criminal is also available across many digital platforms, including Sweet app, Amazon Kindle, Google Play, Apple’s iBooks, Barnes & Noble’s Nook, Scribd’s Everand, Kobo, Overdrive, Hoopla, Sweet app, Comic Plus, and more.
