Another issue in, Thief of Thieves is proving to be an excellent series. It plays to its genre’s strengths well, with an art style that makes the best use of the comic format, too.

The official description from Image:

The heist you’ve been waiting months to see goes down! Will Redmond – AKA Conrad Paulson – be able to pull this off, or will his final caper leave him behind bars, or worse… six feet under?

Needless to say, not everything goes as planned. Whether its double-crosses, misinformation or surprise cliffhangers, Thief of Thieves #6 plays to all the crime genre’s strengths. This isn’t a spoiler; in this genre such plot devices can be considered mandatory. Yet the plot comes along very naturally; it still doesn’t feel forced. Its not entirely original, but its executed stylishly enough that it can be forgiven.

This is primarily done through its use of the comic format. The panels flow right and the timing works; at times it simply feels like a film in itself. This is still supported by the excellent artwork. The deep shading combined with moody hues gets the gritty atmosphere across. Again, there is excellent contrast between warm oranges and blues to provide contrast. Not just between the criminals and the police, the contrast shows the different sides of each life. This is one of the little things Thief of Thieves does to add depth without being overtly obvious or interrupting the story.

As with previous issues, the only major drawback to Thief of Thieves #6 is that its walking a line very well travelled. The crime genre is one of the oldest and most covered. The major plot devices have been repeated. This isn’t to say they aren’t any good. The one problem is that any crime fans will not be as surprised by the twists.

Whether this ruins any of the fun depends on your personal tastes, but Thief of Thieves #6 certainly keeps things going rather smoothley.

4/5