Friend of the Devil

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Friend of the Devil
Written by: Ed Brubaker
Illustrated by: Sean Phillips
Publisher: Image Comics
Format: Softcover, 104 pages, Color
ISBN: 9781534318366
Ages: 18 and up


Former FBI agent turned private detective, Ethan Reckless is back! And this time he’s in the 80s in search of a missing b-list Hollywood actress who happens to be the stepsister of his current love interest, who happens to be a librarian! “Friend of the Devil” is the newest volume in the best-selling series by award winning creators, Brubaker and Phillips.

Reckless finds himself in the Santa Monica Public Library, hot on the trail of the scummy husband of a client who’s faked his death in order to ghost his current family for another. There he meets Linh Tran, a Vietnamese librarian who he’s instantly attracted to. Turns out the feeling is mutual. One night while watching movies together at Ethan’s place, Linh spots her stepsister on the screen and shares the story of how she’s been missing for the past 7 years after moving to Hollywood to become a famous actress. Reckless, playing the hero, offers to put his skills to use in order to track down Linh’s stepsister. The clues he finds aren’t what he expected and bring him face-to-face with the demented leader of a sex cult known as “The Church of the Fallen.” Just what has he gotten himself into this time?!


This series just keeps getting better and better! Brubaker and Phillips have created something truly special with their Ethan Reckless character and the universe they’ve built around him. This book could be the blueprint for noir, crime, drama graphic novels because it’s just that good. Fans of the duo’s past books are in for yet another treat and newcomers will be looking up the catalog of their titles once they’re done with this book. Some of the subject matter is mature, making this more of a young adult and up read.

Jonathan Khan
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