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"The artwork in this first issue is outstanding. Tocchini has a great style that fits perfectly with this story. It is gritty and realistic. The colors and shading that he uses enhance the crime story genre in which this book is set. He completely captures the mood of the overall story as well as the characters in each situation.

Remender has given us a very compelling story. If you enjoy stories that examine things that are possible, with a hint of the future (I hope that it is not currently possible to create such a broadcast signal, but it's not beyond being plausible), you will enjoy this story. However, you also need to be able to enjoy violence and a bit of gore, and adult situations. I must admit that I was a bit turned off by those aspects at first, but the story did it's job – I am now asking “what happens next”. Seeing this story from the point of view of the criminals is certainly an interesting angle, and I think it is one that definitely works for this miniseries."

 

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"You've heard comics described as being "gritty and realistic" before, yes? Forget it. THIS is what's it suppossed to be like. You can actually feel the grit on these characters, smell the stale smoke and spilled beer. This is crime fiction at it's best. Remender totally immerses you in their world, and it's a hell of a ride. Tocchini's art is perfect. His use of color is bright and sharp without being clean or pristine. he literally shines a light into the dark recesses of society."

"This is hands down one of the best comics I've read in EVER. Check it out."

 

"There’s a lot of profanity here and a smattering of blood, and sex but Remender is putting all these pieces together like a chess master, making us readers wait for him to strike. This first issue (of a three ish bi-monthly series) is mostly set up, like the first 30 minutes of a classic heist film, but the bulk of the groundwork has been laid. I have a feeling next issue will consist of a lot of action, betrayal and a few bad decisions.

Greg Tocchini’s art works splendidly with Remender’s well paced script. After this, he’s sure to go places. With a painterly style that is hard to compare to anyone else (I’ll say it’s like a more detailed Phil Noto, but that’s not quite right), the artist knows when to use detail and when to approach pages with more subtlety. It’s simply a beautiful book, and Tocchini makes even bathrooms and bars look mundane yet somehow magical. See a huge preview here to get a glimpse.

Also included in this 64 page issue is a sketchbook section by Tocchini and an interview with Remender. Radical prove yet again that they know how to mix good looking books with grand concepts in a delicious cocktail."

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"Greg Tocchini toys with the tropes of film noir, casting the woman not as the femme fatale but as the cigarette-smoking lead with an enormous ... gun, and attitude to match. In the grimy mirror we catch the reflection not of a sultry "dame" but of a man. The homme fatale, perhaps?"

"In a recent IGN Comics Smash! podcast, the point was made that because there are no new stories, writers must perform a magic act in order to make the reader believe he is reading something new. Well, someone get Rick Remender a top hat and a wand because he accomplishes it in the down and dirty Last Days of American Crime. By infusing a classic noir heist with the tension of modern American politics, Remender gives us a great opening to a comic series – perhaps even on the level of Criminal or 100 Bullets.

Although the title character is a down and out hustler by the name of Graham, the commentary on American society is equally as important. The bar Graham visits has a vintage American flag in the backdrop. The television has reports of unrest and violence at America's borders. Even the mysterious woman Graham gets involved with wears a red dress and has white star tattoos on her torso. Because of increased domestic terrorism and crime, America is about to abandon paper money, which means for veteran criminals like Graham, these are truly the last days of American crime.

The cast of characters will be familiar to anyone who is a fan of crime drama. Graham is your typical hard boiled lead not unlike a Clint Eastwood or Lee Marvin character. The criminals he enlists, Kevin Cash and Shelby Dupree, are a dangerous couple similar to Bonnie and Clyde or a toned down Mickey and Mallory from Natural Born Killers. Yet the story doesn't feel unoriginal. Remender also has a great ear for natural, genuine dialogue that puts the comic ahead of the pack. Plus there's just something about a good heist that demands attention. There is a well-timed reveal at the end of the issue that will have readers eagerly anticipating the next installment. My one complaint is that it took an interview in the back of the book with Remender to learn some of the finer details about the political landscape of the series. I'm glad they included this, but I'd rather see it included in the actual story. Hopefully these points will be expanded upon next issue.

As excited as I was to discover Remender's talents, I was equally impressed with the kinetic and expressive artwork of Greg Tocchini. His art is reminiscent of Phil Noto, but has some of the fluid and dreamlike characteristics of James Jean. Shelby is the selling point of the series and her visage is beautiful and appropriate for the genre. The opening page which zooms out from Graham's eye and the fifth page where Graham lights his cigarette have a very strong cinematic feel. Other elements, such as the 2D smoke ring Shelby blows in Graham's face, are ones that can only be done in comic book form. Tocchini handles action sequences very well which suggests that he may have an animation background like Phil Noto. I will definitely look for his artwork in the future.

Although Remender has crafted a fine crime noir, it's the socio-political aspect that won me over. I hope he continues to explore the impact of America's political activities and provide enough twists and turns to counteract the implied bleak ending offered up on the opening page."

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GREG TOCCHINI talks about his artwork on THE LAST DAYS OF AMERICAN CRIME with COMIC BOOK RESOURCES

"It's time to break the bank with "The Last Days of American Crime" from Radical Publishing. Written by Rick Remender ("Punisher") and with art by Greg Tocchini ("1602: New World"), "Last Days" sets its sights on an America where the government plans to broadcast a signal that will affect the population's brains in such a way that it will prevent all its citizens from committing any crimes – and the last great heist of America is about to take place. "It's a crime history," says Tocchini. "All kinds of crimes, all pages have crimes happening. All the characters are bad guys, thieves and assassins. There is no good guy or hero. All scenes are strong, and you never know how it will end, or even if somebody will die."

Part of the draw of the project for Tocchini was getting to work with Remender. After being introduced to the artist by Rafael Albuquerque, Remender contacted Tocchini about working together. "Rick is one of the best writers that I know and have had the privilege to work with," Tocchini told CBR. "'The Last Days' is a fertile universe with plenty of amazing scenes and strong characters. It's easy to work under these conditions. All insights are a consequence of this."

Tocchini has worked on a number of different projects spanning Marvel's "1602" universe and the deep space adventures of DC's "Ion." However, "Last Days" presented a challenge for the artist to throw out the playbook for something markedly different. "I'm a lucky man when we talk about projects," he said. "I have drawn with great writers and creative teams. All these experiences helped me to create the visual universe of "Last Days". [The best part about working on "Last Days"] is all that freedom I have to create. You have to follow some guides when you make mainstream comics. Last Days gave me the possibility to just create without bothering with guides or rules."

This freedom gave the artist the chance to change his usual style and the result is a visually stunning universe for "The Last Days of American Crime." "The biggest challenge was all this artistic freedom that Radical Comics gave me," he said. "With all the freedom they gave me to work, I was able to transform all pages, to dedicate myself to do a good page design linked to the narrative, to lengthen scenes and effects. [I have] the same personal goal that I have always had when beginning a new project: Do my best. It is more difficult now because I'm testing everything I believe about drawing."

The testing that Tocchini mentioned takes place in a number of different ways. While much of the artist's process for "Last Days" simply involved research, ("At the beginning of every issue, after reading the script, my first job is collecting references," he said. "Therefore, I use fashion and architecture magazines, the internet and Google Earth. This last one I use very much, and I travel a lot around Los Angeles. And of course, all visual references we all collect during our lives.") the most marked change in "Last Days" is Tocchini's bold new art style. "First of all, I could escape from the traditional way [of illustrating]: pencil, inks and color," the artist said. "Instead, I could use watercolor to do the finals. This can open a new palette of hues, and the final picture will look like an animation scene. I could use the colors to fill all spaces and compositions and take off all that hatching I used to have in my art."

Even with his change in style, one thing Tocchini believes remains constant. "In comics, telling a good story is most important," he says. "Many things excite me in this project. The universe, working with Rick, and the artistic freedom are some of them, but what excites me the most is the story. I'm trying to do my best all the time and to express all my excitement on the pages. I want to tell an exciting history and catch the reader's eye. The feedback I'm receiving confirms that I'm achieving my goal."

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"CBR TV spoke with Rick Remender about his early indie comic days, his work on "Punisher" and "Doctor Voodoo," "The Last Days of American Crime" from Radical Comics, "Fear Agent" and more."

"Fans of Rick Remender's creator owned work should take note as his latest creator owned title, The Last Days of American Crime hits comic book stores with issue #1 on Wednesday. Ron hopped on the phone with Rick to hear more about the sci-fi/crime hybrd concept behind the book and the inspirations for it, the amazing art of Greg Tocchini as well as discussing the cover price and format of the book. Rick also shares some updates on the Hollywood interest in adapting the story into a movie."

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"Verdict - Buy It. It is an interesting concept that doesn't get weighed down by it's own ideas, instead it just concentrates on crafting an interesting heist drama, and developing morbid characters that interact with each other in unpredictable ways. Remender and Tocchini may very well have a hit in the making here, and I wouldn't be surprised to see it adapted into other media."
 

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Craig from GrandLAN previews Radical's newest comic release, Rick Remender's The Last Days of American Crime #1 

A 3-part MANIA exclusive interview with THE LAST DAYS OF AMERICAN CRIME's Rick Remender

PART I:

"Few comics creators have enjoyed such a meteoric rise to prominence as Rick Remender. In spite of establishing himself early on as both a writer and an artist, it wasn't that long ago that he was primarily thought of as an inker on Marvel's 'Avengers' comics. Then, in 2005 the Remender revolution began. He reasserted himself as a creator, launching a fleet of creator owned books such as 'Sea of Red', 'Strange Girl' and 'Fear Agent' to name a few.

And last week, we reported that his latest effort was set to be adapted as a film with Remender writing the screenplay and actor Sam Worthington starring and producing. Remender talked exclusively with Mania about this exciting new comic from Radical Publishing called The Last Days of American Crime."

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PART II:

"Yesterday we presented part one of our interview with comics creator Rick Remender, who talked about his upcoming Radical Comics title The Last Days of American Crime.

The book is set in a near-future America which has been thrown into chaos over the news that the government is unleashing a mind-control device on its citizens that will prevent anyone from breaking the law. That's bad news to career criminal Graham Bricke, who has been planning a heist with a score that will offer him easy retirement. Bricke is forced to accelerate the timetable for his his scheme, and bring in an untested crew, including a not-to-be trusted Kevin Cash.

Radical Publishing is working on a very unique model, developing their comics simultaneously as film and TV projects, and including the comics creators in those other media ventures. In the previous interview, Remender told us about the book (due in stores in just a few weeks). In this installment he talks about the film prospects for The Last Days of American Crime."

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PART III

"Earlier in the week comics creator Rick Remender gave us the scoop on his new comic The Last Days of American Crime. In part two of our interview, Remender told us about developing the film version of that comic.

Of course, the prolific writer has a great many comics projects out there, all or which are attracting attention in Hollywood. We conclude our exclusive interview with talk of the film versions of Fear Agent, Sorrow and XXXombies to name a few. He also talks about next year's return of the Fear Agent comics."

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Hear the latest on what Rick Remender has coming up including THE LAST DAYS OF AMERICAN CRIME on sale December 23rd 2009

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"Scheduled for a December debut, The Last Days of American Crime is the latest in a long run of stories from the mind of Rick Remender. Remender, who worked for years as a comic book inker and storyboard artist on such things as The Iron Giant, really broke out as a comics writer several years ago with Fear Agent and Sea of Red. He's ridden that rising tide of success to other titles such as XXXombies and The End League, even becoming a regular writer at Marvel on such titles as Punisher and the upcoming Doctor Voodoo. But this series finds Remender back on his own turf telling his own stories, with help from publisher Radical and artist Greg Tocchini."

"Newsarama talked with the busy-writer from his California home for more."

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Interview with Rick Remender on THE LAST DAYS OF AMERICAN CRIME in USAToday.com

"From cover art to opening pages, Last Days hits readers with an unflinching dose of pulp noir seediness and doesn't let up. This dark world of criminals is one that Remender is comfortable writing about. "I'm drawn to that lifestyle, I suppose. I come from that background. I've never known any heroes, but I've known a lot of villains in real life. When you're at the bottom, you don't have a lot to lose. Writing from that perspective is more honest to me."

If it feels like you're watching an old-fashioned crime flick while reading the comic book, it should. The comic is actually serving as the screenplay for a movie that's already in pre-production. Hollywood up-and-comer Sam Worthington (Terminator Salvation, Avatar) will step into the role of safe-cracking sociopath Kevin Cash. He'll also assume the role of producer, along with his producing partner Michael Schwarz and Radical's president and publisher Barry Levine."

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Radical Publishing is excited to announce that Sam Worthington (Clash of the Titans and James Cameron’s Avatar) has signed on as both star and producer for the film adaptation of The Last Days of American Crime, based off of Radical Publishing’s comic book series, The Last Days of American Crime, created and written by critically acclaimed author Rick Remender (Punisher, Fear Agent). Sam Worthington will be a producer along with producing partner, Michael Schwarz, and Radical’s president and publisher, Barry Levine. Rick Remender will be the executive producer/screenwriter for the film and Radical’s Executive Vice President, Jesse Berger, will executive produce.

"Last Days of American Crime, a three-issue miniseries by Rick Remender and Greg Tocchini beginning in December, examines the cultural shift of a country without crime through the eyes of a man who is very much willing to break the law. The series is published by Radical Comics, and the first issue will be 64 pages with issues #2 and #3 weighing in at 56 pages each. Every issue of “Last Days of American Crime” will retail for $4.99. CBR News caught up with Remender to discuss the project."

  

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Though not out until November, THE LAST DAYS OF AMERICAN CRIME is already one of my favorite new comics on the horizon. I've been checking out just about everything Rick Remender has been churning out lately. He's a writer with a strong sense of story and has a no bullshit way of filling his books to the brim with action. LAST DAYS is Remender's heist story, and what a heist story it is. Although in this preview, the details of said heist are only hinted at, the sense of urgency and dire circumstances pulses from every panel. The cool thing about this story is the sci fi angle. The government is about to unleash a brainwave mind-modulation thinger which makes it so all of America's citizens are unable to break the law. The deadline for the mind alteration is closing in, which forces our lead character to push the schedule up for a heist that guarantees he will be happy and loaded for the rest of his life. A winning plot, hard as nails dialog, and art by Greg Tocchini that that packs such a gut punch that you'll be peeing blood for a week after reading, THE LAST DAYS OF AMERICAN CRIME is what crime comics is all about.

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Rick Remender was recently intereviewed by the Robot 6 blog regarding his latest title, The Last Days of American Crime for Radical Publishing. In addition to the interview, Robot 6 showcases some of artist Greg Tocchini's work on the series

http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2009/02/qa-rick-remenders-life-of-crime/

February 5th, 2009 – What if the U.S. government perfected a broadcast signal that could extinguish criminal thoughts? If you were a grifter with only 10 days before the signal went live, you’d find the crime of the century that you’d been planning suddenly transformed into the last crime in American history—if you can pull it off.

Radical Publishing is proud to announce its newest title for 2009,The Last Days of American Crime. Created and written by fan-favorite comics scribe Rick Remender, the series represents Radical’s first foray into the crime genre. Issue #1 hits the stands later this year, with illustrations by new breakout artist Greg Tocchini.

"The Last Days of American Crime is a story I've been itching to scratch for a few years now,” Remender says. “Fans of my creator-owned books Fear Agent or XXXombies will be right at home with this one. And Greg Tocchini is a powerhouse, one of the best artists I've ever worked with, a true future superstar. Radical is a perfect home for the project, so I'm having a blast."

Radical President and Publisher Barry Levine added, “As a longtime fan of the crime genre, I’m really excited by this. Rick presented me a premise that is so full of suspense and great action that I jumped on board immediately. Besides an amazing story, Greg’s art is just incredible—he’s exactly the kind of great young artist that I love discovering for our books.”

More details on The Last Days of American Crime will be revealed at Radical Publishing’s New York Comic-Con panel on Saturday, Feb. 7, at 5:15 p.m. in Room 1A07.


Winner of the Diamond Comics Distribution's Gem Award for Best New Publisher of the Year, Radical brings the best writing, storytelling and fully painted cover and interior art to the global comic book market, from prominent international talents such as YOSHITAKA AMANO, JOHN BOLTON, LUIS ROYO, JIM STERANKO, STEVE PUGH, WARREN ELLIS, ARTHUR SUYDAM, STEVE NILES, MARKO DJURDJEVIC, IAN EDGINTON, DAVID HINE, RICK REMENDER, JOSEPH KOSINSKI, NICK PERCIVAL, STEVE MOORE, SAM SARKAR, STJEPAN SEJIC, DAVE WILKINS, TOMM COKER, CLAYTON CRAIN, BILL SIENKIEWICZ, NICK SAGAN, CLINT LANGLEY, NICK SIMMONS, PATRICK REILLY, WETA WORKSHOP, ZOMBIE STUDIOS and many more.

Radical Publishing currently has production deals with Universal Studios, Spyglass Entertainment, PETER BERG's Film 44 and Radical Pictures for HERCULES; JOHN WOO's Lion Rock Productions, JOHNNY DEPP's Infinitum Nihil and Radical Pictures for CALIBER; and BRYAN SINGER's Bad Hat Harry Productions and Radical Pictures for FREEDOM FORMULA.

Rick Remender (Fear Agent) talked with MTV Splashpage's Rick Marshall to talk about The Last Days of American Crime, his upcoming Radical Publishing title. Read below and learn more about this unique new futuristic, crime adventure

http://splashpage.mtv.com/2009/02/03/exclusive-preview-rick-remender-explores-the-last-days-of-american-crime/