My Heroes Have Always Been Junkies

An original graphic novella from Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips?  Yes, please take my money! This is a thing that I absolutely want to read.  I’ve said it time and time again (quite recently, in fact) that these two are one of the best creative teams in comics and it’s honestly a relief that between the end of “Kill or be Killed,” this novella, and the upcoming “Criminal” miniseries that they’re still putting out new comics even as Brubaker is working on “Too Old to Die Young” for Amazon.  However, there’s another detail about this novella that hasn’t been advertised as much which will make it even more desirable to fans of creators. That little detail is on the title page indicating that this is “a ‘Criminal’ novella.”

That’s right, “My Heroes” is part of the extended universe of liars, thieves, and other ne’er-do-wells that Brubaker and Phillips have built up over seven volumes so far.  Not that any prior knowledge of those volumes is required to enjoy this one about a girl named Ellie who has a history of romanticizing creative drug-addicted types. Which is likely how she found herself checked into a rehab clinic by her uncle, who drops her off with a warning that this is her one chance.  So she spends her days cynically observing other junkies tell their life stories in therapy until she strikes up a connection with Skip.

Skip is your average rich white boy and he’s taken in by this beautiful girl who loves to talk about old music.  Problem is that he’s on his last chance to get clean and Ellie is all about indulging his old bad habits while they sneak out at night.  It’s all good fun until they get caught and a drug test threatens to get Skip thrown out. Which is the point when Ellie suggests that they just get the hell out now and have some fun as opposed to waiting for the hammer to come down.

For the majority of “My Heroes’” length it comes off as a reasonably sympathetic take on a junkie’s life.  Ellie comes across as confident and composed through the early scenes, and even sympathetic as we learn about her childhood days.  Specifically, growing up with a mother who was a junkie herself before she kicked the habit, and how Ellie came to appreciate the music of drug-addicted artists through what her mother left her following her tragic death.

The novella’s take on junkies isn’t one that you normally see, or would expect, which is refreshing in its own way.  There’s also no denying that Brubaker gets some good chemistry going between Ellie and Skip even though the girl and the rest of us know that she’s no good for him.  Still, those feelings only simmer in the background as they live out a grand time of breaking-and-entering, petty larceny, and drug use. It’s not hard to see how these things can be appealing when Ellie and Skip are having so much fun doing them.

So if you’re wondering when this is going to turn into a cautionary tale… well, it doesn’t.  If you’re expecting some twist that lets us know that the story we’re reading isn’t actually the story we think it is, then you clearly have some familiarity with the Brubaker/Phillips canon.  By the end of the novella, it’s less a romanticized tale of junkie life than a melancholy ode to nostalgia and the days when you had family to look out for you. It’s that latter feeling which is revealed to have ultimately driven Ellie to do what she does and allows the story to end on a fittingly bittersweet note.

Oh, and in the spirit of a story with an unreliable narrator, I’ve been lying to you too.  You see, while “My Heroes” is perfectly enjoyable if you’ve never read a “Criminal” story before, it also manages to be the most continuity-heavy installment in the series yet.  Longtime readers will figure out what I mean when Ellie mentions a certain someone, who turns out to be key to her motivations. I won’t tell you which volume to re-read in order to get the most out of the continuity referenced here because I still maintain that it’s not necessary to enjoy this novella on its own terms.  That said, I’ve just given you a reason to either go re-read the volumes of “Criminal” released so far or start checking them out for the first time. You’re welcome.

While Brubaker’s writing is on fine, familiar form, Phillips a slightly looser less detailed style for this novella.  Though I really liked how Betty Breitweiser fleshed out his pencils for “Kill or be Killed,” she’s not working with him here.  Instead, Jacob Phillips (I’m going to assume he’s Sean’s son) takes over for this volume and gives his dad’s art a much brighter, more idyllic vibe.  It works really well for the context of the story wich Phillips Sr. sells with his typically excellent character work.

Obviously “My Heroes” is worth a read to anyone who is already onboard with “Criminal.”  It’s also that rare kind of comic that can serve as an entry point to the series for someone who hasn’t experienced it before.  In case you’re wondering, just about every volume likes to find a sympathetic, unconventional take on the kind of people we’d normally be rooting against in other comics or real life.  As Brubaker and Phillips’ first original graphic novella it’s every bit as good as I’d expect from them. Now I want to see what they can do with a full-fledged graphic novel.