Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips created the Criminal comic book title, first published under Marvel Comics’ creator-owned Icon imprint and then by Image Comics. It followed the interwoven stories of various street-level criminals and other desperate characters. The title won the Eisner Award for Best New Series and Best Writer in 2007. To provide extra value for readers buying the single issues rather than waiting for the collections, most of the comics contain two to three-page essays in the back pages that discuss the film noir and other crime movies and books which influenced their series. The essays are written by a revolving cast of authors and include illustrations of the subject by title artist Sean Phillips.
The essays followed to other books created by Brubaker and Phillips, changing topic to match the subject matter of the title, including supernatural cults (Fatale), vigilante tales (Kill or Be Killed), old Hollywood (The Fade Out), and super-powered crime pulp (Incognito). They have continued through the latest volume of Criminal, which wrapped up in early 2020.
The essays are always fascinating reading, but I found that many years later I would see a movie on Turner Classic Movies and remember that I had read an essay related to it in one of the comic books. But with nearly 15 years worth of issues, it was not easy to figure out which comic contained that essay. And believe it or not, I could not find any reference on the Internet that had an index of these essays. And because, as Achewood said, when Google can’t do something, it is like being tied down and watching your dad get beat up, I decided to do it myself. I hope this little index makes its way into the search engines and people having the same reference problem as me will find it.
All of the essays are listed below, first organized by comic title and issue number, and then, more usefully, by subject matter. The subject matter listings are divided into specific films and television shows, film and TV genres and concepts, people, books and pulp magazines, and history and influence essays on the subject matter. All accompanying illustrations are by Sean Phillips, unless noted otherwise. Issues without accompanying essays are not included.*
*My only gap of which I am aware is that I was late to the Kill or Be Killed series and picked up an Image Comics #1 promotional reprint which did not have any essay. If anyone has the information on an essay which appeared in the original, I will add it to the list.
By comic title and issue
| Issue and imprint | Date | Essay Title | Subject | Author |
| Criminal #2, Icon/Marvel | November, 2006 | Out of the Past | Out of the Past (1947) | Ed Brubaker |
| Criminal #3, Icon/Marvel | December, 2006 | Touch of Evil | Touch of Evil (1958) | Ande Parks |
| Criminal #4, Icon/Marvel | January, 2007 | Blast of Silence, Whisper of Rage | Blast of Silence (1961) | Patton Oswalt |
| Criminal #5, Icon/Marvel | February, 2007 | The Neo-Noir | Favorite crime films of the 60s/70s era | Ed Brubaker, Charlie Huston, Warren Ellis, Greg Rucka, Patton Oswalt, Matt Fraction, David Goyer, Charles Ardai |
| Criminal #7, Icon/Marvel | June, 2007 | The Long Goodbye | The Long Goodbye (1973) | Steven Grant |
| Criminal #8, Icon/Marvel | July, 2007 | Blaxploitation | Superfly (1972) | Mark Rahner |
| Criminal #10, Icon/Marvel | October, 2007 | Two by To | The Mission (1999), Exiled (2006) | Ed Brubaker |
| Criminal Vol. 2 #1, Icon/Marvel | February, 2008 | Knock Me Over | The Burglar (1957) | Duane Swierczynski |
| Criminal Vol. 2 #2, Icon/Marvel | March, 2008 | Flaws and All | Favorite TV cops and movie tough guys | Jason Aaron |
| Criminal Vol. 2 #3, Icon/Marvel | April, 2008 | The Yakuza | The Yakuza (1975) | Michael Stradford |
| Criminal Vol. 2 #4, Icon/Marvel | July, 2008 | In the Palm of My Hand | Night and the City (1950), wrestling | Bob Calhoun |
| Criminal Vol. 2 #5, Icon/Marvel | September, 2008 | One False Move and Grifters, Mobsters, and Thieves | One False Move (1992) Crime writer Eugene Izzi | Marc Andreyko Steven Grant |
| Criminal Vol. 2 #6, Icon/Marvel | October, 2008 | Harry O | Harry O (TV Series, 1973-76) | Jay Faerber |
| Criminal Vol. 2 #7, Icon/Marvel | November, 2008 | Andrew Vachss and the End of Burke | Crime fiction author Andrew Vachss | Mark Rahner |
| Criminal The Sinners #1, Icon/Marvel | September, 2009 | The Killer Elite | The Killer Elite (1975) | Michael Stradford |
| Criminal The Sinners #2, Icon/Marvel | November, 2009 | Three By Peter Yates and Australian Noir | Robbery (1967), Bullitt (1968), The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1973) Australian crime films | Ed Brubaker Ryan Lindsay |
| Criminal The Sinners #3, Icon/Marvel | December, 2009 | Korean Noir | Korean crime films | Tom Piccirilli |
| Criminal The Sinners #4, Icon/Marvel | February, 2010 | Real, True Damage | Mr Majestyk (1970) | Joe Hill |
| Criminal The Sinners #5, Icon/Marvel | February, 2010 | The Femme Fatale | Origins of the femme fatale | Jess Nevins |
| Criminal #1, Image Comics | January, 2019 | Blood Simple | Blood Simple (1984) | Kim Morgan |
| Criminal #2, Image Comics | February, 2019 | Angels With Dirty Faces | Angels With Dirty Faces (1938) | Kim Morgan |
| Criminal #3, Image Comics | March, 2019 | The Color of Money | The Color of Money (1986) | Kim Morgan |
| Criminal #4, Image Comics | April, 2019 | Wild Boys on the Road | Wild Boys of the Road (1933) | Kim Morgan |
| Criminal #5, Image Comics | June, 2019 | The Series Character | Favorite series characters in comics, novels, TV, and film | Ed Brubaker, Jason Starr, Alex Segura, Sara Gran |
| Criminal #6, Image Comics | July, 2019 | Woman on the Run | Woman on the Run (1950) | Kim Morgan |
| Criminal #7, Image Comics | August, 2019 | Rumble Fish | Rumble Fish (1983) | Kim Morgan |
| Criminal #8, Image Comics | September, 2019 | Ladybug Ladybug | Ladybug Ladybug (1963) | Kim Morgan |
| Criminal #9, Image Comics | October, 2019 | Gunman’s Walk | Gunman’s Walk (1958) | Kim Morgan |
| Criminal #10, Image Comics | November, 2019 | The Threat | The Threat (1949) | Kim Morgan |
| Criminal #11, Image Comics | December, 2019 | Violent Saturday | Violent Saturday (1955) | Kim Morgan |
| Criminal #12, Image Comics | January, 2020 | Nightfall | Nightfall (1956) | Kim Morgan |
| Incognito #1, Icon/Marvel | December, 2008 | The Shadow | The Shadow in pulp magazines and radio | Jess Nevins |
| Incognito #2, Icon/Marvel | February, 2009 | Doc Savage | Doc Savage in pulp magazines | Jess Nevins |
| Incognito #3, Icon/Marvel | April, 2009 | The Spider | The Spider in pulp magazines | Jess Nevins |
| Incognito #4, Icon/Marvel | June, 2009 | Operator 5 | Operator #5 in pulp magazines | Jess Nevins |
| Incognito #5, Icon/Marvel | July, 2009 | Fu Manchu | Fu Manchu stories | Jess Nevins |
| Incognito #6, Icon/Marvel | August, 2009 | The Zeppelin Pulps | Zeppelin pulp magazines | Jess Nevins |
| Incognito: Bad Influences #1, Icon/Marvel | October, 2010 | The Hero Nobody Remembers | Phantom Detective pulp magazine | Jess Nevins |
| Incognito: Bad Influences #2, Icon/Marvel | December, 2010 | G-8 | G-8 and His Battle Aces pulp magazine and aviation pulps | Jess Nevins |
| Incognito: Bad Influences #3, Icon/Marvel | February, 2011 | Captain Future | Captain Future pulp magazine and fictional worlds | Jess Nevins |
| Incognito: Bad Influences #4, Icon/Marvel | March, 2011 | The Grandfather of Superheroes Nick Carter | Nick Carter pulp magazines and dime novels | Jess Nevins |
| Incognito: Bad Influences #5, Icon/Marvel | April, 2011 | The Allure of Wickedness: Pulp Supervillains | Evolution of supervillains in pulp magazines | Jess Nevins |
| Fatale #1, Image Comics | January, 2012 | H.P. Lovecraft and the Horror of the Unseen | The influence of Lovecraft on horror | Jess Nevins |
| Fatale #2, Image Comics | February, 2012 | Edgar Allen Poe: Reality as a Grotesque Deception | The influence of Poe on horror fiction | Jess Nevins |
| Fatale #3, Image Comics | March, 2012 | Dan J. Marlowe Echoes of a Hard-Boiled Past | Biography of novelist Dan J. Marlowe | Charles Kelly |
| Fatale #4, Image Comics | April, 2012 | The Real Philip Marlowe | Raymond Chandler’s inspiration for Philip Marlowe | Stephen Blackmoore |
| Fatale #6, Image Comics | June, 2012 | Horror and Mystery Fiction, Part 1: Otranto to de Grandin | Early horror fiction and the occult detective | Jess Nevins |
| Fatale #7, Image Comics | August, 2012 | Horror and Mystery Fiction, Part 2: The Weird Menace Pulps | Weird menace pulp magazines of the 1930s | Jess Nevins |
| Fatale #10, Image Comics | November, 2012 | The Devil Inside Me: Devil Pulp | Early black magic and Satanism stories and pulps | Jess Nevins |
| Fatale #12, Image Comics | February, 2013 | The Lonely Doll | The Lonely Doll book series | Megan Abbott |
| Fatale #13, Image Comics | March, 2013 | Strange Stories | The Strange Stories, Amazing Facts book | Jack Pendarvis |
| Fatale #15, Image Comics | June, 2013 | Aleister Crowley | Aleister Crowley biography and influence | Jess Nevins |
| Fatale #18, Image Comics | November, 2013 | Cthulhu Lives! On the Afterlife of H.P. Lovecraft | The longevity of H.P. Lovecraft | Jess Nevins |
| Fatale #21, Image Comics | March, 2014 | Cults in Fiction | History of cults in fiction | Jess Nevins |
| Fatale #24, Image Comics | July, 2014 | Leaping the Fence: Fallen Heroes and Redeemed Villains | History of the hero-villain archetype | Jess Nevins |
| The Fade Out #1, Image Comics | August, 2014 | The Lonesome Death of Peg Entwistle | Death of actress Peg Entwistle | Devin Faraci |
| The Fade Out #2, Image Comics | October, 2014 | Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle | Arrest and trial of Fatty Arbuckle | Jess Nevins |
| The Fade Out #3, Image Comics | November, 2014 | Johnny Stomp | Johnny Stompanato and Lana Turner | Devin Faraci |
| The Fade Out #4, Image Comics | January, 2015 | What is the Secret of the Lost Girl? | The Jean Spangler disappearance | Megan Abbott |
| The Fade Out #5, Image Comics | April, 2015 | Jimmy Stewart’s War | Jimmy Stewart in World War II | Devin Faraci |
| The Fade Out #6, Image Comics | May, 2015 | Our Gang | Our Gang shorts and Black actors | Devin Faraci |
| The Fade Out #7, Image Comics | June, 2015 | In (And Out) Like Flynn | The womanizing Errol Flynn | Devin Faraci |
| The Fade Out #8, Image Comics | August, 2015 | Joan Crawford’s Secret Stag Films | The rumors surrounding Joan Crawford | Devin Faraci |
| The Fade Out #9, Image Comics | September, 2015 | Ben Hecht | Screenwriter Ben Hecht | Ben Godar |
| The Fade Out #10, Image Comics | October, 2015 | Hollywood on Dope, Part One: Under the Rainbow | Judy Garland and drug abuse | Devin Faraci, illustration by Jacob Phillips |
| The Fade Out #11, Image Comics | November, 2015 | Hollywood on Dope, Part Two: The Grass is Greener | Robert Mitchum’s marijuana arrest | Devin Faraci |
| The Fade Out #12, Image Comics | January, 2016 | Hollywood on Dope, Part Three: The Many Trips of Cary Grant | Cary Grant’s LSD use | Devin Faraci |
| Kill or Be Killed #2, Image Comics | September, 2016 | Oldboy and the Futility of Revenge | Oldboy (2003) | Devin Faraci |
| Kill or Be Killed #3, Image Comics | October, 2016 | I Spit on Your Grave | I Spit on Your Grave (1978) | Devin Faraci |
| Kill or Be Killed #4, Image Comics | November, 2016 | The First One’s Free Kid: Deals With the Devil | Deals with the Devil in literature | Jess Nevins, illustration by Jacob Phillips |
| Kill or Be Killed #5, Image Comics | January, 2017 | Little Murders | Little Murders (1971) | Kim Morgan |
| Kill or Be Killed #6, Image Comics | February, 2017 | A Case Study of Two Savages: The Naked City | Naked City (TV Series, Season 3, Episode 18) | Kim Morgan |
| Kill or Be Killed #7, Image Comics | March, 2017 | Pretty Poison | Pretty Poison (1968) | Kim Morgan |
| Kill or Be Killed #8, Image Comics | April, 2017 | Murder by Contract | Murder by Contract (1958) | Kim Morgan |
| Kill or Be Killed #9, Image Comics | May, 2017 | Mikey and Nicky | Mikey and Nicky (1976) | Kim Morgan, illustration by Jacob Phillips |
| Kill or Be Killed #10, Image Comics | July, 2017 | Big House U.S.A. | Big House, U.S.A.(1955) | Kim Morgan, illustration by Jacob Phillips |
| Kill or Be Killed #11, Image Comics | August, 2017 | Born to Kill | Born to Kill (1947) | Kim Morgan, illustration by Jacob Phillips |
| Kill or Be Killed #12, Image Comics | September, 2017 | Who Killed Teddy Bear? | Who Killed Teddy Bear (1965) | Kim Morgan, illustration by Jacob Phillips |
| Kill or Be Killed #13, Image Comics | October, 2017 | M | M (1951) | Kim Morgan, illustration by Jacob Phillips |
| Kill or Be Killed #14, Image Comics | November, 2017 | The Hitch-Hiker | The Hitch-Hiker (1953) | Kim Morgan, illustration by Jacob Phillips |
| Kill or Be Killed #15, Image Comics | January, 2018 | The Cobweb | The Cobweb (1955) | Kim Morgan, illustration by Jacob Phillips |
| Kill or Be Killed #16, Image Comics | February, 2018 | Shock Corridor | Shock Corridor (1963) | Kim Morgan, illustration by Jacob Phillips |
| Kill or Be Killed #17, Image Comics | March, 2018 | Don’t Bother to Knock | Don’t Bother to Knock (1952) | Kim Morgan, illustration by Jacob Phillips |
| Kill or Be Killed #18, Image Comics | April, 2018 | Too Late For Tears | Too Late For Tears (1949) | Kim Morgan, illustration by Jacob Phillips |
| Kill or Be Killed #19, Image Comics | May, 2018 | Fallen Angel | Fallen Angel (1945) | Kim Morgan, illustration by Jacob Phillips |
| Kill or Be Killed #20, Image Comics | June, 2018 | He Ran All the Way | He Ran All the Way (1951) | Kim Morgan, illustration by Jacob Phillips |
By subject
Films and television shows
| Subject | Title | Author | Issue | Date |
| Angels With Dirty Faces (1938) | Angels With Dirty Faces | Kim Morgan | Criminal #2, Image Comics | February, 2019 |
| Big House, U.S.A.(1955) | Big House U.S.A. | Kim Morgan, illustration by Jacob Phillips | Kill or Be Killed #10, Image Comics | July, 2017 |
| Blast of Silence (1961) | Blast of Silence, Whisper of Rage | Patton Oswalt | Criminal #4, Icon/Marvel | January, 2007 |
| Blood Simple (1984) | Blood Simple | Kim Morgan | Criminal #1, Image Comics | January, 2019 |
| Born to Kill (1947) | Born to Kill | Kim Morgan, illustration by Jacob Phillips | Kill or Be Killed #11, Image Comics | August, 2017 |
| Bullitt (1968) | Three By Peter Yates | Ed Brubaker | Criminal The Sinners #2, Icon/Marvel | November, 2009 |
| The Burglar (1957) | Knock Me Over | Duane Swierczynski | Criminal Vol. 2 #1, Icon/Marvel | February, 2008 |
| The Cobweb (1955) | The Cobweb | Kim Morgan, illustration by Jacob Phillips | Kill or Be Killed #15, Image Comics | January, 2018 |
| The Color of Money (1986) | The Color of Money | Kim Morgan | Criminal #3, Image Comics | March, 2019 |
| Don’t Bother to Knock (1952) | Don’t Bother to Knock | Kim Morgan, illustration by Jacob Phillips | Kill or Be Killed #17, Image Comics | March, 2018 |
| Exiled (2006) | Two by To | Ed Brubaker | Criminal #10, Icon/Marvel | October, 2007 |
| Fallen Angel (1945) | Fallen Angel | Kim Morgan, illustration by Jacob Phillips | Kill or Be Killed #19, Image Comics | May, 2018 |
| The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1973) | Three By Peter Yates | Ed Brubaker | Criminal The Sinners #2, Icon/Marvel | November, 2009 |
| Gunman’s Walk (1958) | Gunman’s Walk | Kim Morgan | Criminal #9, Image Comics | October, 2019 |
| Harry O (TV Series, 1973-76) | Harry O | Jay Faerber | Criminal Vol. 2 #6, Icon/Marvel | October, 2008 |
| He Ran All the Way (1951) | He Ran All the Way | Kim Morgan, illustration by Jacob Phillips | Kill or Be Killed #20, Image Comics | June, 2018 |
| The Hitch-Hiker (1953) | The Hitch-Hiker | Kim Morgan, illustration by Jacob Phillips | Kill or Be Killed #14, Image Comics | November, 2017 |
| I Spit on Your Grave (1978) | I Spit on Your Grave | Devin Faraci | Kill or Be Killed #3, Image Comics | October, 2016 |
| The Killer Elite (1975) | The Killer Elite | Michael Stradford | Criminal The Sinners #1, Icon/Marvel | September, 2009 |
| Ladybug Ladybug (1963) | Ladybug Ladybug | Kim Morgan | Criminal #8, Image Comics | September, 2019 |
| Little Murders (1971) | Little Murders | Kim Morgan | Kill or Be Killed #5, Image Comics | January, 2017 |
| The Long Goodbye (1973) | The Long Goodbye | Steven Grant | Criminal #7, Icon/Marvel | June, 2007 |
| M (1951) | M | Kim Morgan, illustration by Jacob Phillips | Kill or Be Killed #13, Image Comics | October, 2017 |
| Mikey and Nicky (1976) | Mikey and Nicky | Kim Morgan, illustration by Jacob Phillips | Kill or Be Killed #9, Image Comics | May, 2017 |
| The Mission (1999) | Two by To | Ed Brubaker | Criminal #10, Icon/Marvel | October, 2007 |
| Mr Majestyk (1970) | Real, True Damage | Joe Hill | Criminal The Sinners #4, Icon/Marvel | February, 2010 |
| Murder by Contract (1958) | Murder by Contract | Kim Morgan | Kill or Be Killed #8, Image Comics | April, 2017 |
| Naked City (TV Series, Season 3, Episode 18) | A Case Study of Two Savages: The Naked City | Kim Morgan | Kill or Be Killed #6, Image Comics | February, 2017 |
| Night and the City (1950) | In the Palm of My Hand | Bob Calhoun | Criminal Vol. 2 #4, Icon/Marvel | July, 2008 |
| Nightfall (1956) | Nightfall | Kim Morgan | Criminal #12, Image Comics | January, 2020 |
| Oldboy (2003) | Oldboy and the Futility of Revenge | Devin Faraci | Kill or Be Killed #2, Image Comics | September, 2016 |
| One False Move (1992) | One False Move | Marc Andreyko | Criminal Vol. 2 #5, Icon/Marvel | September, 2008 |
| Our Gang (short film series) | Our Gang | Devin Faraci | The Fade Out #6, Image Comics | May, 2015 |
| Out of the Past (1947) | Out of the Past | Ed Brubaker | Criminal #2, Icon/Marvel | November, 2006 |
| Pretty Poison (1968) | Pretty Poison | Kim Morgan | Kill or Be Killed #7, Image Comics | March, 2017 |
| Robbery (1967) | Three By Peter Yates | Ed Brubaker | Criminal The Sinners #2, Icon/Marvel | November, 2009 |
| Rumble Fish (1983) | Rumble Fish | Kim Morgan | Criminal #7, Image Comics | August, 2019 |
| Shock Corridor (1963) | Shock Corridor | Kim Morgan, illustration by Jacob Phillips | Kill or Be Killed #16, Image Comics | February, 2018 |
| Superfly (1972) | Blaxploitation | Mark Rahner | Criminal #8, Icon/Marvel | July, 2007 |
| The Threat (1949) | The Threat | Kim Morgan | Criminal #10, Image Comics | November, 2019 |
| Too Late For Tears (1949) | Too Late For Tears | Kim Morgan, illustration by Jacob Phillips | Kill or Be Killed #18, Image Comics | April, 2018 |
| Touch of Evil (1958) | Touch of Evil | Ande Parks | Criminal #3, Icon/Marvel | December, 2006 |
| Violent Saturday (1955) | Violent Saturday | Kim Morgan | Criminal #11, Image Comics | December, 2019 |
| Who Killed Teddy Bear (1965) | Who Killed Teddy Bear? | Kim Morgan, illustration by Jacob Phillips | Kill or Be Killed #12, Image Comics | September, 2017 |
| Wild Boys of the Road (1933) | Wild Boys on the Road | Kim Morgan | Criminal #4, Image Comics | April, 2019 |
| Woman on the Run (1950) | Woman on the Run | Kim Morgan | Criminal #6, Image Comics | July, 2019 |
| The Yakuza (1975) | The Yakuza | Michael Stradford | Criminal Vol. 2 #3, Icon/Marvel | April, 2008 |
Film and television genres and characters
| Subject | Title | Author | Issue | Date |
| Australian crime films and noir | Australian Noir | Ryan Lindsay | Criminal The Sinners #2, Icon/Marvel | November, 2009 |
| Crime films of the 60s/70s era | The Neo-Noir | Ed Brubaker, Charlie Huston, Warren Ellis, Greg Rucka, Patton Oswalt, Matt Fraction, David Goyer, Charles Ardai | Criminal #5, Icon/Marvel | February, 2007 |
| Flawed TV cops and movie tough guys | Flaws and All | Jason Aaron | Criminal Vol. 2 #2, Icon/Marvel | March, 2008 |
| Korean crime films and noir | Korean Noir | Tom Piccirilli | Criminal The Sinners #3, Icon/Marvel | December, 2009 |
| Series characters in film, TV, novels, and comics | The Series Character | Ed Brubaker, Jason Starr, Alex Segura, Sara Gran | Criminal #5, Image Comics | June, 2019 |
| Wrestling and its absence in noir | In the Palm of My Hand | Bob Calhoun | Criminal Vol. 2 #4, Icon/Marvel | July, 2008 |
People
| Subject | Title | Author | Issue | Date |
| Fatty Arbuckle, and his arrest and trial | Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle | Jess Nevins | The Fade Out #2, Image Comics | October, 2014 |
| Raymond Chandler and his inspiration for Philip Marlowe | The Real Philip Marlowe | Stephen Blackmoore | Fatale #4, Image Comics | April, 2012 |
| Joan Crawford, and rumors surrounding her early years | Joan Crawford’s Secret Stag Films | Devin Faraci | The Fade Out #8, Image Comics | August, 2015 |
| Aleister Crowley, life and influence | Aleister Crowley | Jess Nevins | Fatale #15, Image Comics | June, 2013 |
| Peg Entwistle, actress, and circumstances of her death | The Lonesome Death of Peg Entwistle | Devin Faraci | The Fade Out #1, Image Comics | August, 2014 |
| Errol Flynn, and his womanizing | In (And Out) Like Flynn | Devin Faraci | The Fade Out #7, Image Comics | June, 2015 |
| Judy Garland, and drug abuse | Hollywood on Dope, Part One: Under the Rainbow | Devin Faraci, illustration by Jacob Phillips | The Fade Out #10, Image Comics | October, 2015 |
| Cary Grant, and his LSD use | Hollywood on Dope, Part Three: The Many Trips of Cary Grant | Devin Faraci | The Fade Out #12, Image Comics | January, 2016 |
| Ben Hecht, screenwriter | Ben Hecht | Ben Godar | The Fade Out #9, Image Comics | September, 2015 |
| Eugene Izzi, crime fiction writer | Grifters, Mobsters, and Thieves | Steven Grant | Criminal Vol. 2 #5, Icon/Marvel | September, 2008 |
| Dan J. Marlowe, crime fiction writer | Dan J. Marlowe Echoes of a Hard-Boiled Past | Charles Kelly | Fatale #3, Image Comics | March, 2012 |
| Robert Mitchum, and his marijuana arrest | Hollywood on Dope, Part Two: The Grass is Greener | Devin Faraci | The Fade Out #11, Image Comics | November, 2015 |
| Jean Spangler, actress, and her disappearance | What is the Secret of the Lost Girl? | Megan Abbott | The Fade Out #4, Image Comics | January, 2015 |
| Jimmy Stewart, and his service in World War II | Jimmy Stewart’s War | Devin Faraci | The Fade Out #5, Image Comics | April, 2015 |
| Lana Turner, and her relationship with gangster Johnny Stompanato | Johnny Stomp | Devin Faraci | The Fade Out #3, Image Comics | November, 2014 |
| Andrew Vachss, crime fiction writer | Andrew Vachss and the End of Burke | Mark Rahner | Criminal Vol. 2 #7, Icon/Marvel | November, 2008 |
Books and pulp magazines
| Subject | Title | Author | Issue | Date |
| Aviation pulps, and G-8 and His Battle Aces | G-8 | Jess Nevins | Incognito: Bad Influences #2, Icon/Marvel | December, 2010 |
| Captain Future pulps | Captain Future | Jess Nevins | Incognito: Bad Influences #3, Icon/Marvel | February, 2011 |
| Doc Savage pulps | Doc Savage | Jess Nevins | Incognito #2, Icon/Marvel | February, 2009 |
| Nick Carter pulps and dime novels | The Grandfather of Superheroes Nick Carter | Jess Nevins | Incognito: Bad Influences #4, Icon/Marvel | March, 2011 |
| The Lonely Doll book series | The Lonely Doll | Megan Abbott | Fatale #12, Image Comics | February, 2013 |
| Operator #5 pulps | Operator 5 | Jess Nevins | Incognito #4, Icon/Marvel | June, 2009 |
| The Phantom Detective pulps | The Hero Nobody Remembers | Jess Nevins | Incognito: Bad Influences #1, Icon/Marvel | October, 2010 |
| The Shadow pulps and radio | The Shadow | Jess Nevins | Incognito #1, Icon/Marvel | December, 2008 |
| The Spider pulps | The Spider | Jess Nevins | Incognito #3, Icon/Marvel | April, 2009 |
| The Strange Stories, Amazing Facts book | Strange Stories | Jack Pendarvis | Fatale #13, Image Comics | March, 2013 |
| Weird menace pulp magazines of the 1930s | Horror and Mystery Fiction, Part 2: The Weird Menace Pulps | Jess Nevins | Fatale #7, Image Comics | August, 2012 |
| Zeppelin pulps | The Zeppelin Pulps | Jess Nevins | Incognito #6, Icon/Marvel | August, 2009 |
History of and influences on crime, adventure, and horror fiction
| Subject | Title | Author | Issue | Date |
| Black magic and Satanism, origins and pulps | The Devil Inside Me: Devil Pulp | Jess Nevins | Fatale #6, Image Comics | November, 2012 |
| Cults, and their history in fiction | Cults in Fiction | Jess Nevins | Fatale #21, Image Comics | March, 2014 |
| Deals with the devil, and their history in literature | The First One’s Free Kid: Deals With the Devil | Jess Nevins, illustration by Jacob Phillips | Kill or Be Killed #4, Image Comics | November, 2016 |
| Femme fatale, the origins of the archetype | The Femme Fatale | Jess Nevins | Criminal The Sinners #5, Icon/Marvel | February, 2010 |
| Fictional worlds, origins of the concept | Captain Future | Jess Nevins | Incognito: Bad Influences #3, Icon/Marvel | February, 2011 |
| Fu Manchu, and yellow peril stories | Fu Manchu | Jess Nevins | Incognito #5, Icon/Marvel | July, 2009 |
| The hero-villain archetype and its history | Leaping the Fence: Fallen Heroes and Redeemed Villains | Jess Nevins | Fatale #24, Image Comics | July, 2014 |
| Horror fiction origins and the occult detective | Horror and Mystery Fiction, Part 1: Otranto to de Grandin | Jess Nevins | Fatale #6, Image Comics | June, 2012 |
| H.P. Lovecraft, his influence on horror | H.P. Lovecraft and the Horror of the Unseen | Jess Nevins | Fatale #1, Image Comics | Jaunary, 2012 |
| H.P. Lovecraft, the reasons for his stories’ longevity | Cthulhu Lives! On the Afterlife of H.P. Lovecraft | Jess Nevins | Fatale #18, Image Comics | November, 2013 |
| Edgar Allen Poe, his influence on horror | Edgar Allen Poe: Reality as a Grotesque Deception | Jess Nevins | Fatale #2, Image Comics | February, 2012 |
| Supervillains, their evolution in pulp magazines | The Allure of Wickedness: Pulp Supervillains | Jess Nevins | Incognito: Bad Influences #5, Icon/Marvel | April, 2011 |
Das Fressen 
Do you have these collected at all?
I got the Deluxe HC editions expecting them all to be there.
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No, I only have the individual issues. I think Brubaker once said he included them in the individual issues only as a kind of bonus for buying them rather than waiting for the trade paperbacks. I guess that extended to the Deluxe collections, as well. It would be good, and worth purchasing, if the essays were collected on their own some day.
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