High Crimes Available Again, an Extreme Thriller

I don’t know what happened to Monkeybrain Comics — the digital publisher had a substantial launch in 2012 and put out some exceptional titles from well-known names, but with the exception of a few Bandette issues, hasn’t released anything since 2016 — but one of their best series, High Crimes, has a new edition coming from Image Comics next year.

High Crimes, written by Christopher Sebela (Crowded, Heartthrob) with art by Ibrahim Moustafa (Mother Panic, James Bond: Solstice), is a thriller set on the Himalayas. A washed-up former medal-winning athlete has wound up working as a tourist escort in the mountains. She also strips bodies found up there of anything valuable. When she stumbles across a famous lost explorer, other people try to kill her. I agree with this review which says

Away from the mountain, High Crimes is a fairly standard crime noir, with a dash of espionage thrown in for good measure. However, once the ascent beings, it is this unique mountain setting which is High Crimes’ most unique feature. The use of Everest as a location gives the whole story a sense of claustrophobia and threat.

It’s an outstanding adventure read that is just the right length, long enough to spin out suspense but with a distinct ending.

The digital comic ran 12 issues from 2013-2015. There was a previous hardcover collection from Dark Horse in 2015, but now Image is bringing the story back into print with a paperback edition next February. It can be preordered now from your local comic shop with Diamond code DEC18 0082 with a cover price of $19.99.