Hard Case Crime Pulp Fiction Noir & Mystery Comics & Graphic Novels
Explore the best hard-boiled crime comics, pulp noir, and mystery graphic novels—from Sin City and Batman: Year One to Road to Perdition and more.
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Terminal City
by Dean Motter
Vividly brought to life for the first time by artist Michael Lark, Terminal City is a world of 1930's futurism: pedestrian skywalk sand mile high buildings, rocket-finned hovercrafts and robot receptionists, passenger zeppelins and pneumatic transit tubes. This is a crossroads of the country, built to be the centerpiece of The Brave New World's Fair, a utopia of unsurpassed technological miracles. But strange events begin to unfold-events that ensure a most unlikely cast of characters whose lives, begin to intersect in the immensity of Terminal City.
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Who Killed Retro Girl?
by Brian Michael Bendis
A detective investigating the murder of the popular superhero Retro Girl may have to reveal his own dark secret in order to solve the crime.
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Goldfish
by Brian Michael Bendis
Enigmatic grifter David Goldfish sets out to reclaim his son from his former lover, Lauren, who is now a big-time crime boss, and learns that his old parter-in-crime Izzy is now a police detective.
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Jinx
by Brian Michael Bendis
"A bounty hunter, two grifters, and a treasure hunt propel this character driven crime comic book classic"--P. [4] of cover.
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Torso
by Brian Michael Bendis
Cleveland: 1935. Eliot Ness, fresh from his legendary Chicago triumph over Al Capone and associates, set his sights on Cleveland and went on a crusade that matched, and sometimes even surpassed, his past accomplishments. Dismembered body parts have started washing up in a concentrated area of Lake Erie Sound. Their headless torsos have left no clues to their identity or the reason for death. Elliot Ness and his colorful gang of "The Unknowns" chased this killer through the underbelly of Cleveland for years. As far as the public was concerned he was never captured. But what really happened is even more shocking. This award-winning collection includes a historic photo essay of the actual murders. Torso was nominated for an International Horror Guild award for best graphic story and for 3 International Eagle Awards.
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Frank Miller’s Sin City Volume 1: The Hard Goodbye 3rd Edition
by Frank Miller
The first volume of the crime-comic megahit that introduced the now-infamous Marv and spawned a blockbuster film returns in a newly redesigned edition, with a brand-new cover by Frank Miller-some of his first comics art in years! It's a lousy room in a lousy part of a lousy town. But Marv doesn't care. There's an angel in the room. She says her name is Goldie. A few hours later, Goldie's dead without a mark on her perfect body, and the cops are coming before anyone but Marv could know she's been killed. Somebody paid good money for this frame . . . With a new look generating more excitement than ever before, this third edition is the perfect way to attract a whole new generation of readers to Frank Miller's masterpiece! * Over a million Sin City books in print! * New cover by Frank Miller! * With Miller and codirector Robert Rodriguez gearing up for Sin City 2, this third edition is being released at just the right time! * The Hard Goodbye was the lead story in the Sin City film, starring Mickey Rourke as Marv!
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Frank Miller’s Sin City Volume 2: A Dame to Kill For 3rd Edition
by Frank Miller
This volume collects issues one through six of the Dark Horse comic book series 'Sin City: A Dame to Kill For'.
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First Shot, Last Call
by Brian Azzarello
Written by Brian Azzarello; Art by Eduardo Risso, and Dave Johnson In this dark and intriguing trade paperback, the mysterious Agent Graves approaches ordinary citizens and gives them an opportunity to exact revenge on a person that has wronged them. Offering his clients an attach� case containing proof of the deed and a gun, he guarantees his "clients" full immunity for all of their actions, including murder. In these opening chapters, Dizzy Cordova, a Latina gangbanger who has just finished a prison sentence, is given the chance to avenge her family's murders, and a downtrodden bartender receives the opportunity to exact revenge against the woman that ruined his life.
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Jew Gangster
by Joe Kubert
With his father's words, Don't be a Jew gangster, still ringing in his head, a young man finds himself doing just that, as no other path in life opens for him. Easy money and easier women lure him into doing the dirty work of the local gang; it's not a pretty life, but he can eat well, and his mother's apartment continues to get heat all through the cold winter. But what he has to pay -- in flesh, in pride, in honour -- may not be worth all he earns. With the same intensity and eye for detail that he put into Yossel, Joe Kubert recreates a time when even the most innocent person was caught up in the dark underbelly of society.
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Brownsville
by Neil Kleid
Jewish gangster' isn't a term one hears much nowadays, but back when the Dodgers played in the East and licorice cost a penny a bag, Brooklyn corners were lousy with semitic young toughs looking for adventure and excitement - none more so than in Brownsville. This volume follows the intertwined lives of Allie Tannenbaum and Abe Rele as they escape the mean streets and lonlely tenements of the East New York, make themselves into the most dangerous men in America, only to eventually send their best friends and closest allies up the river.
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Union Station
by Ande Parks
Kansas City, 1933. Frank Nash is a petty criminal who has been pinched by the Feds and is being brought back into town by train. When FBI agent Reed Vetterli heads down to Union Station to meet Nash and his uniformed escort, he has no reason to suspect that there will be any action. Neither does Charles Thompson, a reporter sent down to the station just to see what the fuss is for. Little do they know that Frank's buddy, Vern Miller, is going to bust him out. Nash may not be a big time player, but he's still earned some loyalty. The resulting clash ends in a massacre, with no one knowing who pulled the trigger first - or even who pulled it at all. Rumor has it that Pretty Boy Floyd was on the scene, but no one knows for sure, and J. Edgar Hoover doesn't particularly care. He just wants Floyd's butt in an electric chair, and when Vetterli, Miller, and Thompson find themselves in the way of Hoover's justice, they can't duck for cover fast enough.
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Nowheresville
by Mark Ricketts
by Mark Ricketts The Concept: Dig this, daddy-o! A 1950s Greenwich Village beatnik seeks love and spiritual enlightenment, but instead finds himself embroiled in a mystery involving a murdered exotic dancer, a thrill-killing mobster, a hopped-up bebop jazz drummer, a ruthless Hollywood starlet, and a crooked cop. This cat is on an espresso-fueled, riffs-n-stiffs, one-way trip to nowheresville, baby! SC, 7x10, 192pg, b&w
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A History of Violence
by John Wagner
A graphic suspense novel about a man who kills a couple of wanted murderers, and is later hounded by the mob.
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Road to Perdition
by Max Allan Collins
The basis for the major motion picture, ROAD TO PERDITION is an enthralling crime noir story of revenge, morality and family loyalty. Michael OSullivan is a deeply religious family man who works as an Irish mob familys chief enforcer. But after his elder son witnesses one of his fathers hits, the godfather orders the death of OSullivans entire family. Barely surviving an encounter that takes his wife and younger son, OSullivan and his remaining child embark on a dark and violent mission of retribution against his former boss. Featuring accurate portrayals of Al Capone, Frank Nitti and Eliot Ness, this book offers a poignant look at the relationship between a morally-conflicted father and his adolescent son who both fears and worships him.
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Road to Perdition 2
by Max Allan Collins
O'Sullivan and his son are still on the run from Al Capone after Michael Jr. witnessed a mob murder. Michael and his son seek vengeance for the death of Michael's wife and younger son by robbing banks along the way and disrupting Capone's cashflow. However, they are still being pursued by dangerous bounty hunters, and their paths are destined to cross again in a hail of gunfire!
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Hollywood Hero
by Mark Evanier
The glitz, glamour, and lights of Hollywood dazzle the eye, blinding most people to the darker side of showbiz. And yet, that darker side is there, with sleazy producers, organized crime financiers, and performers who will do literally anything to make it big. And when these sorts of people need a little breaking-and-entering done and secrets stolen, they know they can trust the high-priced talent of the mysterious masked man known only as Crossfire. At least, they think they can trust him. What they don't know, what nobody knows, is that the Crossfire costume and contact phone number have fallen into the hands of Jay Endicott, handsome bail bondsman and all-around good guy. "Crossfire" still takes their business, but he works from the inside to protect the innocent. Whether on a brightly-lit movie set or in the dim back alleys of Los Angeles, Crossfire gets caught up in the action, the intrigue, and the underhanded dealings in the TV and movie world.
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The Damned Vol. 1
by Cullen Bunn
During the prohibition era, gangsters grew rich on our vices, and rivalries between criminal organizations resulted in open war. But unknown to the masses, a more sinister power controlled the crime cartels, using greed, gluttony, lust and other sins to fuel a much more lucrative trade: mortal souls. The long-standing feud between two of the families is about the come to an end thanks to a brokered deal to consolidate power. But before things can be finalized, the bookkeeper tasked to brokering the deal is kidnapped along with a ledger that could spell doom for all the families. Hoping to find the missing bookkeeper before the deal falls apart, Big Al pulls Eddie's corpse out of a ditch and puts him on the case. Now Eddie, cursed and unable to rest, finds himself caught up in the middle of a sinister web of kidnapping, murder and damnation.
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Dick Tracy
by Max Allan Collins
Acclaimed mystery author and comics writer Max Allan Collins (Road to Perdition) took over scripting Chester Gould's iconic detective strip in 1978, and Dick Tracy would never be the same again. The first of several volumes collecting Collins's masterful yet controversial 15-year run, the art is supplied by Rick Fletcher and Pulitzer Prize-winner Dick Locher. Illustrated in b/w throughout.
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Alias
by Brian Michael Bendis
"Meet Jessica Jones, one-time costumed heroine turned private investigator. After realizing that her powers were unremarkable compared to those of the icons in the Marvel Universe, Jones gave up being a super hero and eventually opened up a detective agency. While her intent to help others is intact, her personal behavior is anything but valiant: She is bitter, resentful and self-destructive. In lieu of professional help, Jessica battles her inferiority complex and depression with a chain-smoking habit and alcoholic tendencies. In spite of her self-imposed exile from the spandex crowd, Jessica's cases continually lead her back to her old circle of acquaintances, which only fuels her angst even more"--Amazon.
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Daredevil, the Man Without Fear!
by Brian Michael Bendis
Bendis sets his noir tales at the dark end of the street and proves crime does pay!
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Batman: Year One
by Frank Miller
In 1986, Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli produced this groundbreaking reinterpretation of the origin of Batman—who he is, and how he came to be. Sometimes careless and naive, this Dark Knight is far from the flawless vigilante he is today. In his first year on the job, Batman feels his way around a Gotham City far darker than the one he left. His solemn vow to extinguish the town’s criminal element is only half the battle; along with Lieutenant James Gordon, the Dark Knight must also fight a police force more corrupt than the scum in the streets. Batman: Year One stands next to Batman: The Dark Knight Returns on the mantle of greatest Batman graphic novels of all time. Timeless in its appeal, Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli’s masterpiece would stand apart from the crowded comics field even today. This edition includes the complete graphic novel, a new introduction by writer Frank Miller and a new illustrated afterword by artist David Mazzucchelli. Completing this collection are over 40 pages of never-before-seen developmental material such as character and layout sketches, sample script pages, sketches, and more that pro-vide a glimpse into the making of this contemporary classic. This volume collects Batman #404-407.
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Batman and the Monster Men
by Matt Wagner
Written by Matt Wagner Art and cover by Wagner Matt Wagner takes the Dark Knight through his sophomore season in this new trade paperback collecting the 6-issue miniseries! Batman has spent his first year fighting organized crime - but nothing thus far in his early career as the Caped Crusader has prepared him for the new menace facing Gotham: super-powered villains! Retailers, please see the order form for a special order incentive.
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Batman and the Mad Monk
by Matt Wagner
After learning that there are more twisted faces of evil than those worn by the street criminals and mobsters of Gotham City, the young Dark Knight must counter sinister machinations and new dimensions of wickedness as he confronts the hooded Mad Monk.
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Gotham Central: In the line of duty
by Greg Rucka
The story focuses on the Gotham City Police Department and the difficulties of its officers living and working in Gotham City, home of Batman.
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The Batman in Nine Lives
by Dean Motter
Selina Kyle is dead and Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson, and Oswald Cobblepot are just a few of the suspects in this story of murder, blackmail, and hidden identities that provides an alternative view of the Dynamic Duo and several of their famous enemies.
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Sleeper
by Ed Brubaker
"Originally published in single magazine form as Sleeper #1-6"--T.p. verso.
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Criminal - Volume 1
After being lured into a risky heist, professional thief Leo comes face-to-face with the consequences of breaking the career-long rules that have kept him out of trouble and out of prision, finding himself on the run from the crooked cops who double-crossed him.
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Kickback
by David Lloyd
When you're a cop on the take in Franklin City, the only question you need to ask yourself is, 'How much can I make?' But that's only if you can bury the feelings of guilt that claw their way into your skull as you keep bowing your head to the crime lords. And only if you can stand by and watch your buddies get cut down in the streets as the bond between gangs and gangbusters frays and splits and falls into bloody shreds all around you. And only if you can ignore the recurring nightmares of powerlessness and terror that haunt your sleep.
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The Bogie Man
by John Wagner
Francis Forbes Clunie, an escaped mental patient who calls himself The Bogie Man, is determined not to let a minor thing like reality disturb his quest to recover the priceless Black Bird, in an illustrated novel. Original.
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The Black Diamond Detective Agency
by Eddie Campbell
John Hardin is a desperate man. He is the sole suspect of the renowned Black Diamond Detective Agency, a private operation determined to solve the mystery and bring its perpetrator to justice at any cost. Once a quiet Missouri corn farmer, Hardin now finds himself on the run in turn-of-the-century Chicago. Older teens.
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Innocence of Nihilism
by David Lapham
These are their stories. Follow the lost lives of people who are savagely torn apart by events beyond their control. As the innocent world of an imaginative little girl is shattered when she witnesses a brutal double meurder. Or an introverted young boy on the verge of manhood gets a lesson on just how far is too far when he falls for a needy woman who lives life in the fast lane. These are some of the tales that will rip out your guts and break your heart.
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Chicanos
by Carlos Trillo
The smash European series Chicanos arrives on these shores with this first volume of an ongoing series recounting the misadventures of A.Y. Jalisco, Private Detective. Penned by Carlos Trillo and featuring art by fan favorite Eduardo Risso (100 Bullets), Chicanos follows Jalisco, an unattractive, short Mexican woman who follows her dream of becoming a private eye in the U.S. while trying to stay one step ahead of the bad luck which inevitably follows her.
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The Losers
by Andy Diggle
Collects no. 1-6 of "The Losers" in which former CIA operatives, who were believed to have died on a mission, discover a conspiracy within the organization and fight to take it down.
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Queen & Country
by Greg Rucka
The story of Tara Chace, a British intelligence agent, who is sent to Kosovo to assassinate a leader of the Russian mafia.
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Crimeland
by Felipe Ferreira
Drug dealing, underground deathmatch fights and prostitution are every day fare La Rambla, but when Squallo, the top of the criminal food chain is assassinated, a long-standing truce between rival gangs is broken and life is about to get worse. Revenge, corruption and power rain down on the city when the three heirs to the crime-throne go to war on the street of the city. Everyone is a suspect in this bombastic crime thriller loaded with violence, intrigue and lies.
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Fell
by Warren Ellis
Detective Richard Fell is transferred over the bridge from the big city to Snowtown, a collapsing urban trashzone. In a place where nothing seems to make any sense, Fell clings to the one thing he knows to be true: everybody's hiding something.
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The Killer Volume 1
by Matz
A man solitary and cold, methodical and unencumbered by scruples or regrets, the killer waits in the shadows, watching for his next target. And yet the longer he waits, the more he thinks he's losing his mind, if not his cool. A brutal, bloody and stylish noir story of a professional assassin lost in a world without a moral compass, this is a case study of a man alone, armed to the teeth and slowly losing his mind.
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Silverfish
by David Lapham
Mia Fleming's dad and new stepmother are away for the weekend, when she discovers her stepmother's secret possessions, and now she will try to unravel her twisted double life without unleashing a box of horrors.
