Friend of the Devil: A Reckless Book
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- Create Date：2021-07-26 02:41:05
- Update Date：2025-09-23
- Status：finish
- Author：Ed Brubaker
- ISBN：1534318364
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Summary
The next book in the red-hot Reckless series is here！
Bestselling crime noir masters Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips are back with another new original graphic novel featuring troublemaker-for-hire Ethan Reckless。
It's 1985 and things in Ethan's life are going pretty well。。。 until a missing woman shows up in the background of an old B-movie， and Ethan is drawn into Hollywood's secret occult underbelly as he hunts for her among the wreckage of the wild days of the '70s。
"No one does crime fic like Brubaker and Phillips， and their collaboration has never felt more new。 Explosive。 Vital。 And yes。。。 reckless。" - Damon Lindelof （LOST， HBO's WATCHMEN）
Another hit graphic novel from the award-winning creators of PULP， MY HEROES HAVE ALWAYS BEEN JUNKIES， CRIMINAL， and KILL OR BE KILLED -- a must-have for all Brubaker and Phillips fans！
And look for the next standalone book in the Reckless series in October！
Bestselling crime noir masters Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips are back with another new original graphic novel featuring troublemaker-for-hire Ethan Reckless。
It's 1985 and things in Ethan's life are going pretty well。。。 until a missing woman shows up in the background of an old B-movie， and Ethan is drawn into Hollywood's secret occult underbelly as he hunts for her among the wreckage of the wild days of the '70s。
"No one does crime fic like Brubaker and Phillips， and their collaboration has never felt more new。 Explosive。 Vital。 And yes。。。 reckless。" - Damon Lindelof （LOST， HBO's WATCHMEN）
Another hit graphic novel from the award-winning creators of PULP， MY HEROES HAVE ALWAYS BEEN JUNKIES， CRIMINAL， and KILL OR BE KILLED -- a must-have for all Brubaker and Phillips fans！
And look for the next standalone book in the Reckless series in October！
Reviews
Shannon Appelcline
，
The second volume of Reckless is almost as amazing as the first。 Once again， it feels very personal， once again it reveals great characters。 But what I really loved about this volume was how well it depicted the Satanic Panic — and the actual Satanic organizations that helped to kick it off。 This feels very much like a letter in a bottle from 1985， and in Brubaker's rough， realistic form。Wonderful！ The second volume of Reckless is almost as amazing as the first。 Once again， it feels very personal， once again it reveals great characters。 But what I really loved about this volume was how well it depicted the Satanic Panic — and the actual Satanic organizations that helped to kick it off。 This feels very much like a letter in a bottle from 1985， and in Brubaker's rough， realistic form。Wonderful！ 。。。more
Adan
，
Not as good as the first one， but still pretty good。 This one has shades of Fatale and The Fade Out in terms of content， but still more of a Criminal vibe thanks to the shenanigans Reckless gets up to。
Mike
，
I'm really digging the Reckless series。 Ethan is a good protagonist without being too over the top。 He blends in to the story amand adds just enough to keep the focus on the plot which is good， pulpy Brubaker fun。 I'm really digging the Reckless series。 Ethan is a good protagonist without being too over the top。 He blends in to the story amand adds just enough to keep the focus on the plot which is good， pulpy Brubaker fun。 。。。more
Paul Taylor
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Really fun read。 Loved the setting and the speed of the story。 Highly recommend！
Thomas Morica
，
A great addition to the series。 I wrote at little more about the first volume， and most of those thoughts still apply。 （Reckless） I enjoyed every minute of this and look forward to more。Pros:I am on board with the characters every minute of the story。 They feel real and well-loved by their creators。Neutral:I can see where the influences come from for the plots， and while I genuinely love the （mildly heightened） reality of the tone， I wish there was more creative inspiration when revisiting stori A great addition to the series。 I wrote at little more about the first volume， and most of those thoughts still apply。 （Reckless） I enjoyed every minute of this and look forward to more。Pros:I am on board with the characters every minute of the story。 They feel real and well-loved by their creators。Neutral:I can see where the influences come from for the plots， and while I genuinely love the （mildly heightened） reality of the tone， I wish there was more creative inspiration when revisiting stories that have been told before。 Having said that， I recognize that he is giving me exactly what I love from his stories， which is the pastiche。Cons:I feel like occasionally influences show a little too much。 I can see which parts come from Chandler， and Westlake， and Parker。 。。。more
Josh reading
，
I’m loving this series by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips， having read most of their series such as Criminal， The Fade Out， Fatale， and many others， this volume really shows these creators at the top of their game。 The Reckless series is sort of Brubaker and Phillips take on the anti-hero in a similar vein as Richard Stark’s Parker。 Each of these books chronicles a case that Ethan Reckless is involved in， so far the first two volumes have been set in 1980’s Los Angeles。 These books are so much fun I’m loving this series by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips， having read most of their series such as Criminal， The Fade Out， Fatale， and many others， this volume really shows these creators at the top of their game。 The Reckless series is sort of Brubaker and Phillips take on the anti-hero in a similar vein as Richard Stark’s Parker。 Each of these books chronicles a case that Ethan Reckless is involved in， so far the first two volumes have been set in 1980’s Los Angeles。 These books are so much fun to read and I can’t wait for the next volume in the series later this year。 。。。more
Vincent
，
These really feel more like movie script's than anything else; the Reckless series is written and illustrated in a very cinematic style。 This particular story is an LA/Hollywood noir， and I could easily see a Shane Black adaptation of Friend of the Devil。 These really feel more like movie script's than anything else; the Reckless series is written and illustrated in a very cinematic style。 This particular story is an LA/Hollywood noir， and I could easily see a Shane Black adaptation of Friend of the Devil。 。。。more
Art
，
Takes place a couple of years after the first volume。 This one is just as good， maybe a little better。 There's more character development。 Good plot。 The sense of foreboding that permeates the book was well done。 Takes place a couple of years after the first volume。 This one is just as good， maybe a little better。 There's more character development。 Good plot。 The sense of foreboding that permeates the book was well done。 。。。more
Kevin
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Burned through this in one sitting （not super easy with a 4 year old wanting my attention）。 Less action （violence） then vol。 1 but just as engaging。 I loved Brubaker/Phillips story The Fade Out and this felt like a cousin to it。 Loving Reckless。 Looking forward to eventually rereading these fun books。
Zachary King
，
It’s almost criminal （no pun intended） how good Brubaker and Phillips are。
Jefferson
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Another '80s noir masterpiece。 Another '80s noir masterpiece。 。。。more
Jeremy LaLonde
，
Really great from top to bottom - sharp and focused storytelling with fantastic artwork。 LOVING this pulpy series but this dynamic duo。
Bill Coffin
，
Reckless is back， baby！ Now it’s the mid-80s， and he’s trying to find out what happened to the half-sister of his current kind-of girlfriend。 The story takes him into the debauched Hollywood hills and into the shadowy realms of things much worse as he learns that for him and most of the people he helps out， happiness is something that only happens to other people。 So good。
Cathy
，
Solid okay。 Not amazing not terrible。
Jason
，
As a fan of the Ed Brubaker/Sean Phillips team， I had to read this book but it went above my expectations。 I loved that in played in the 1980s world and brought in some cultish activity。 Very interesting stuff。 This one might be better than the original Reckless。 I look forward to the next Reckless installment that's coming out in October， 2021。 Don't worry these are stand-alone stories but they are good when you put them together。 If you like crime-fiction， film noir， 1980s， cult fascination， a As a fan of the Ed Brubaker/Sean Phillips team， I had to read this book but it went above my expectations。 I loved that in played in the 1980s world and brought in some cultish activity。 Very interesting stuff。 This one might be better than the original Reckless。 I look forward to the next Reckless installment that's coming out in October， 2021。 Don't worry these are stand-alone stories but they are good when you put them together。 If you like crime-fiction， film noir， 1980s， cult fascination， an intriguing with a mysterious backstory， this is the book for you！ I would also recommend it to anyone who doesn't read comics， because it might help start that glorious journey for you！ 。。。more
Jay
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Get me to October so I can read #3。 Keep 'em coming， boys。 Get me to October so I can read #3。 Keep 'em coming， boys。 。。。more
Ryan
，
In this second “Reckless” book， our hero finds himself in a romance with a woman who mourns the loss of her stepsister。 The young lady disappeared years before under sinister circumstances — and Reckless is on the trail to find out what happened。 My primary issue with this series is that if you’ve read enough Brubaker-Phillips， you know they’re capable of much more。 Having said that， after a string of middling graphic novels， a return to this team feels good … even if the book itself is just ok。 In this second “Reckless” book， our hero finds himself in a romance with a woman who mourns the loss of her stepsister。 The young lady disappeared years before under sinister circumstances — and Reckless is on the trail to find out what happened。 My primary issue with this series is that if you’ve read enough Brubaker-Phillips， you know they’re capable of much more。 Having said that， after a string of middling graphic novels， a return to this team feels good … even if the book itself is just ok。 Apropos of nothing: Ethan Reckless looks like Donald Trump， and now I can’t unsee it。 。。。more
Leslie
，
I enjoyed this second volume better than the first。 The mystery felt better paced and more cohesive despite following some of the same story beats as its predecessor。 I appreciate that， despite multiple depictions of group sex， the art never felt gratuitous or titillating。 It's all kind of dark and ominous instead， which really matches up with the gruesome story being told。 I also appreciated that the woman who brought this mystery into Ethan's life has some autonomy and isn't just a femme fatal I enjoyed this second volume better than the first。 The mystery felt better paced and more cohesive despite following some of the same story beats as its predecessor。 I appreciate that， despite multiple depictions of group sex， the art never felt gratuitous or titillating。 It's all kind of dark and ominous instead， which really matches up with the gruesome story being told。 I also appreciated that the woman who brought this mystery into Ethan's life has some autonomy and isn't just a femme fatale that pops in just to disappear。 I look forward to future volumes to see if Brubaker and Phillips expand their storytelling style or if their going to follow the same formula each time。 The art is perfect for this sort of neo-noir and 1980s drug-fueled LA story， and the mysteries are elaborate without being ridiculous。 。。。more
Sharon
，
Brubaker and Phillips producing great crime fiction， spinning off the Satanic Panic and skinheads of the era。 What's not to love？ Brubaker and Phillips producing great crime fiction， spinning off the Satanic Panic and skinheads of the era。 What's not to love？ 。。。more
István Hilgert
，
Another great story by Ed B。 on the Reckless series - an inspiration from his childhood， by the time of his navy brat days。 Definitely a go if you’re into crime comics with a twist for the 80s （and back）。Looking forward for the next one！
David Turko
，
Another fantastic book from Brubaker and Phillips。 The duo this time goes into some helter-skelter nazis cults in a noir so dark that it could block out the sun。 I don't want to go further into the story because It is a good book going into blind。 That being said， I think the only reason I'm giving this four stars instead of five is that this book didn't "WOW" me compared to their other works。 Still， this book is filled with great characters， and Phillips nails it again with his art style。 Another fantastic book from Brubaker and Phillips。 The duo this time goes into some helter-skelter nazis cults in a noir so dark that it could block out the sun。 I don't want to go further into the story because It is a good book going into blind。 That being said， I think the only reason I'm giving this four stars instead of five is that this book didn't "WOW" me compared to their other works。 Still， this book is filled with great characters， and Phillips nails it again with his art style。 。。。more
Ross Mcleod
，
Another great read from Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips once again
David Pain
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It's good， of course， but a notch under these guys' best for me。 I enjoyed the romantic relationship and the initial missing person quest。 But from there on， the unfolding of the plot felt largely lacking tension or something。 The world weariness of the （not just this but every） noir PI or detective protagonist has somehow spread to the tale itself in an "oh， well"， shrugging kind of way。 There was no big shock or emotional hit。 It just sort of happened。Or maybe I wasn't quite in the mood。Either It's good， of course， but a notch under these guys' best for me。 I enjoyed the romantic relationship and the initial missing person quest。 But from there on， the unfolding of the plot felt largely lacking tension or something。 The world weariness of the （not just this but every） noir PI or detective protagonist has somehow spread to the tale itself in an "oh， well"， shrugging kind of way。 There was no big shock or emotional hit。 It just sort of happened。Or maybe I wasn't quite in the mood。Either way， nothing bad here， just didn't set me on fire。 。。。more
Enrique
，
Great follow up to Reckless。 The story is self-contained。
Theresa
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I received a free digital ARC from Image Comics。 While I found the first Reckless comic plodding and the main character， Ethan Reckless， devoid of personality， this second volume had a mystery I couldn’t wait to unravel。 Set in 1985， and latching onto the Satanic Panic， I eagerly read along。 I still found Ethans character a bland gun for hire。 Maybe LA Noir isn’t my genre。 Still， I’ll read the next edition。
Peter Looles
，
Friend of the Devil: a Reckless bookThis graphic novel follows Ethan Reckless as he solves a missing person mystery。 It's set in 1985 and it starts with Ethan meeting a Vietnamese woman named Linh Tran， while working on another job。 They hit it off and start going out together。 For some time they are very good together， until he learns about her step sister who disappeared eight years ago and he starts looking for her。 The step sister， Maggie， had moved to Hollywood to try to make it as an actre Friend of the Devil: a Reckless bookThis graphic novel follows Ethan Reckless as he solves a missing person mystery。 It's set in 1985 and it starts with Ethan meeting a Vietnamese woman named Linh Tran， while working on another job。 They hit it off and start going out together。 For some time they are very good together， until he learns about her step sister who disappeared eight years ago and he starts looking for her。 The step sister， Maggie， had moved to Hollywood to try to make it as an actress and disappeared。 Things get very complicated as Ethan discovers that cults get involved in the case and the hopes for finding her start disappearing。 This was a great graphic novel。 Ed Brubaker's writing is incredible。 All the action and the mystery are great and the characters are even better。 Ethan Reckless is a perfectly written character。 He's very unique， but he's also not very different from a usual pulp novel/noir film protagonist。 He has a very bleak point of view and he's very sarcastic and cynical。 He's a complex characters with an interesting backstory and while he does some things that aren't very nice， he's still a good and very likeable guy。 In my opinion， the best aspect of this graphic novel isn't the great mystery， nor the great characters， but the fact that it can be appreciated in multiple different ways。 It can be appreciated as a very interesting mystery， as a fun action-packed story and many more， but most importantly as a story about how life can drain a person's soul and leave him empty。 （From that point on there are some spoilers） That's what happened to Maggie。 She moved to Hollywood， filled with dreams and hopes， but after she spent years without finding the success she hoped for， she eventually joined a cult。 At that point she was desperate for the tiniest bit of acceptance and appreciation and she didn't have anything in her life that she thought was worth living for。 Maggie is a fictional character， but that can happen to anyone （not the cult thing， but everything leading to that）。 Life is cruel and very few people manage to fulfill their dreams， especially when they are as ambitious as Maggie's。The artwork by Sean Phillips is really great。 His artwork is always very good， but I think that it's even better in this graphic novel。 All the characters are very easy to tell apart， their facial expressions are clear， the panel to panel storytelling is great and everything is beautiful。 Sean is really great at drawing everything that's important for a mystery/noir story， but he also excels at drawing nature and building。 All the exteriors in general are amazingly drawn。 While Sean's artwork is great， it wouldn't have looked as good without Jacob Phillips' amazing colors。 Jacob is easily one of the best colorists working in the industry today。 He has a very distinctive style， which is very unique。 His colors aren't realistic， but they are beautiful， they work perfectly well and they elevate Sean's artwork a lot。 Jacob uses very different colors to indicate different moods and different times of the day， but in my opinion the best aspect of his coloring is his use of solid red。 He uses this color in the background on panels filled with action that's crucial to the story。 In the past he used to use it more often， in almost all the action scenes， but now he uses it less and in more important places and I think that that's a great improvement。 Overall， I think that this was a great sequel to Reckless， but it can also be read as an amazing stand alone graphic novel。 I'd highly recommend it to anyone who's interested in mysteries， or pulp stories， or action， or the way that life and hopes drain people's souls， or philosophy， because throughout the graphic novel there are thrown around multiple small bits of different philosophical ideas。 10/10 。。。more
Steve
，
A pulp detective story set in the mid 80's that delves into the strange world of the post hippie cult culture of the late 70' in Hollywood。 Ethan Reckless is adrift until a chance meeting while investigating a missing husband case brings a wonderful woman into his life， then a chance movie screening brings her past into his life。 Art that supports the story and characters and an interesting plot made this nostalgic private detective story a great read。 I received a free digital ARC of this graph A pulp detective story set in the mid 80's that delves into the strange world of the post hippie cult culture of the late 70' in Hollywood。 Ethan Reckless is adrift until a chance meeting while investigating a missing husband case brings a wonderful woman into his life， then a chance movie screening brings her past into his life。 Art that supports the story and characters and an interesting plot made this nostalgic private detective story a great read。 I received a free digital ARC of this graphic novel from Image Comics through the Publishers Weekly U。S。 Book Show Grab a Galley giveaway。 。。。more
Mateen Mahboubi
，
Brubaker and Phillips at it again。 Ultimately doesn't hit the highs that this duo have hit in the past （or even with the first Reckless book） but still a good read。 Brubaker and Phillips at it again。 Ultimately doesn't hit the highs that this duo have hit in the past （or even with the first Reckless book） but still a good read。 。。。more
Calvin Daniels
，
4++ This flirts with the never achievable 5Ed Brubaker writes pulp as good as it gets in the GN medium。
Matt
，