MATT LOWDER Reviews RECKLESS: FOLLOW ME DOWN

guest review by Matt Lowder

FOLLOW ME DOWN: A RECKLESS BOOK by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips (Image Comics,Oct 2022) Hardcover graphic novel. Matt's Rating: FIVE out of a possible FIVE STARS.

The fifth book in the best-selling RECKLESS series is here!

It is literally unreal how good this book series has continued to be. It's the most consistent book series from the past couple years, with no equivocation. Other duos out in the industry have got to be so envious that these guys have turned out five of these books in two years. Their work ethic, and quality, is absolutely top notch . It is crazy that this is the second best book of the series next to the first volume. You should be reading this whole series.

Bestselling crime noir masters Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips bring us another original graphic novel starring troublemaker-for-hire Ethan Reckless.

In the wake of the 1989 earthquake, Ethan takes a trip to San Francisco to search for a missing woman. But almost immediately he finds himself going down a path of darkness and murder in her wake, in a case unlike anything he's faced before. The mystery sucks you in immediately. Ethan makes mistakes and he's basically a chaotic good criminal here.

FOLLOW ME DOWN is the most intense of the Reckless books so far, and yet another hit from the most-acclaimed team in comics, creators of PULP, MY HEROES HAVE ALWAYS BEEN JUNKIES, CRIMINAL, THE FADE OUT, and KILL OR BE KILLED. A must-have for all Brubaker and Phillips readers, or fans of pulp detective books with a focus on character and art with strong black inks and distinct scratchy, blocky coloring.

These should be million-dollar mini-series on HULU or HBO. The only book to get a 3.5 or 4-Star was Volume 4. Everything else was 4.5 and 5 Stars in the Reckless series.

The duo announced a hiatus to pursue other artistic endeavors for at least a year or more. This was a great joy for them that grew organically into a longer series than either man envisioned, becoming a highlight of their career. RECKLESS is one of my series of the decade, for sure.

5 out of 5!