It wasn't their first creative partnership, or even their first long-form work together, but when comic fans think of the book they first noticed how good Ed Brubaker & Sean Phillips worked together, they almost always think of "Criminal". With the series now at Image Comics and being rereleased in new trade paperback collections, Mike & Greg take this opportunity to look at the duo's opening storyline: 'Coward'. What does it and the series as a whole know about crime fiction that so many imitators seem to miss? How does it stack up against the Eisner-winning sixth volume "The Last of the Innocent"? Where did the Brubaker/Archie connection first pop up? Why did the duo announce their exclusivity to Image? Who's the best colorist in their crew: Val Staples, Dave Stewart, or Elizabeth Breitweiser? All that and much much more about the whole world of Phillips and Brubaker is ready for your ears on this week's episode!

Robots From Tomorrow is a weekly comics podcast recorded deep beneath the Earth’s surface. You can subscribe to it via iTunes or through the RSS feed at RobotsFromTomorrow.com. You can also follow Mike and Greg on Twitter. This episode is brought to you by Third Eye Comics. Enjoy your funny books.