One of the titles at Robert Kirkman’s Skybound Entertainment which seems to fly below the radar of the average comic fan is Thief of Thieves. Despite being the brain-child the creator of The Walking Dead and having a proposed TV adaption it just never seemed to catch on with the average comic fan. The TV deal never seemed to amount to much so the title certainly never gained the attention that Kirkman properties like the Walking Dead and the currently in production Invincible have.
Well now the time has come to tell the final tale in the Thief of Thieves narrative. For those not familiar with the concept of the series, it tells the tale of Master-Thief Conrad Paulson who operates under the name Redmond. The trials and tribulations Paulson and his estranged family endure as he attempts to leave behind the life of intricate heists and con jobs are at the heart of the series. The fact that this flawed protagonist can’t seem to get out of his own way or leave his past behind him make for a very compelling read.
Andy Diggle and Shawn Martinbrough chat about Thief of Thieves SDCC 2015
Shawn Martinbrough, the artist who has been involved with the series from the start, had this to say about the final story arc:
“‘It’s been an absolute pleasure working alongside Robert Kirkman, Nick Spencer, James Asmus, Andy Diggle over the various arcs of this series. Having the freedom to visually create the world of Thief of Thieves and fill it with such an eclectic cast of characters has truly been a blast,’ said Martinbrough. ‘For the final chapter, I welcome my School of Visual Arts college buddy and amazingly talented writer Brett Lewis to our crime family here at Skybound Entertainment. Together, with our superb colorist Adriano Lucas, letterer Rus Wooten, assistant editor Arielle Basich and our ever vigilant and very understanding editor Jon Mosian, we’ve been working hard to take our fans on one hell of a ride on this last job!'”
The fate of Paulson himself is a bit up in the air currently as the last we saw of Paulson he was operating in Europe and attempting to be crowned the world’s greatest thief only to be thwarted by his enemies. So whether he is alive or dead and what a notorious Russian prison have to do with this final arc is what will be explored in this final arc.
THIEF OF THIEVES #38 (Diamond Code MAY180273) hits stores on Wednesday, July 4. The final order cutoff for retailers is Monday, June 11.