Jane changes a lot about Teegan though, perhaps, not as much as one might hope. His search for a way out of his troubles ends up landing him in with a most unique woman named Jane. And his recently freed dad Teegan has to find a way out of a tight position.įrom here, Teegan becomes the epicenter of Cruel Summer’s story. While he succeeds at his attempt, the infamous Law of Unintended Consequences gets him good. It begins with a misguided attempt by a young Ricky Lawless to get his dad bail money. But as they say, the devil is in the details and the details Brubaker threads through his narrative certainly makes it much more than a simple story about bad people doing bad things. I mean, yes, it would be a fair assessment in a high-level sort of way. I could go for a cliche like, “it’s about bad people doing bad things.” But that doesn’t give the story it’s due. I’m at a loss for how to talk about Cruel Summer. And while sometimes these cycles are broken, and sons manage to escape from their father’s faults, others aren’t so lucky.

Resulting in a never-ending cycle of blood, abuse, and anger. That the actions they take can often perpetuate the actions that will follow them through their children. It has been said that the sins of fathers are forever passed down to their sons. While what happens is important, why is almost always the more intriguing question. But there is always more to the story than just the aftermath. When a young man from a bad home makes a regrettable decision it begins a chain of events that will leave broken hearts and homes along with dead bodies in its wake. Cruel Summer is published by Image Comics, written by Ed Brubaker, art by Sean Philips, and colors by Jacob Philips.

Cruel summer ed brubaker