Like when Ethan and Special Agent Hancock take a tense ride home. And the strongest moments happen when there is no narration and Brubaker lets events speak for themselves. But there’s room for a little more mystery in these pages. It’s still an incredibly strong script, with wonderful twists and turns. These are the kinds of details that tell us so much, while pretending to be innocuous. Other times, Brubaker harps on the right detail.ĭetails like our antagonist Wilder’s impression of Ted Bundy, or a flashback where Ethan and his old flame Rainy think they can just run away together. Some of it is just Brubaker giving us a sense of where we’re heading, and what Ethan has planned next. As he introduces us to Ethan Reckless, we are also introduced to Ethan’s inner monologue. About a third of Brubaker’s captions feel unnecessary. It’s just one draft away from being perfect.

(Pretty sure it was actually Pascal, by the way.) Brubaker’s script is a good example of this idea. It’s one of those things that rings so true, everyone wants to claim their hero said it. “If I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter.” That’s a quote that’s been attributed to Mark Twain, Winston Churchill, Blaise Pascal and more. We meet a cast of characters, including titular Ethan Reckless, who are clinging to a past that’s gone, because there doesn’t seem to be much of a plan to see the future.

It’s a wild ride through a version of the 1980’s which feels more like a stale 1970’s. Written by Ed Brubaker, with art and letters by Sean Phillips, and coloring by Jacob Phillips, Image Comics’ Reckless is nearly a perfect graphic novel.

Reckless by ed brubaker