Even though superheroes rule the roost, American comic books have a rich history with a litany of other genres. Before the draconian Comics Code essentially neutered the content comic books could publish, superheroes were dwindling in popularity while other genres started to flourish. Although horror was easily the top dog at the time, crime comics were also massive earners for their publishers. After the advent of the Comics Code, crime books began to disappear as the content restrictions imposed by the code prohibited criminals from being depicted as protagonists.
It's been about 20 years since comics dropped the Comics Code completely, leading to a crime comic renaissance. Two of the creators at the helm of the modern "crime wave," Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips, brought the genre to a new level of prestige when they created Criminal, which is a high watermark for crime fiction, irrespective of the medium. According to Deadline, Criminal is getting a live-action adaptation on Amazon Prime.
From Deadline:
Amazon Studios is finalizing deals for Criminal, a TV adaptation of Ed Brubaker and artist Sean Phillips' bestselling crime comic book series, sources tell Deadline.
Details are scarce, but the project — written by Brubaker, who serves as executive producer and showrunner — is described as an interlocking universe of crime stories based on his award-winning comics. I hear a writers room for the potential series is up and running. A rep for Amazon Studios declined comment.
