Thief of Thieves is a monthly comic book series published by Image Comics' Skybound imprint which premiered in 2012. Created by Robert Kirkman, the comic centers on Conrad Paulson, a highly successful thief who quits the business and begins a new life stealing from other thieves. The series features a rotation of writers, including Nick Spencer on the first story arc, and art by Shawn Martinbrough. The first three issues sold out upon release, and a television series based on the comic is in development at AMC.
Publication history
At the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con, Thief of Thieves was announced as one of the titles that would help launch Robert Kirkman's Skybound, an imprint of Image Comics. A year later, Kirkman told USA Today that working on AMC's The Walking Dead television series influenced his approach on co-writing Thief of Thieves: "Having worked on the Walking Dead TV show, I've really fallen in love with the way that TV shows are written, where a bunch of people get together and they plot stuff and people split off into their own little splinter groups and write episodes," he said. "I think that's a really neat way to tell stories and something that could be utilized in comics more often." Kirkman put together a team of four other writers, beginning with Nick Spencer, to rotate different story arcs. The second arc, which begins with the eighth issue, will be written by James Asmus. Shawn Martinbrough is the book's permanent artist. Kirkman wanted Spencer to write the first arc because of his "knack for good and interesting dialogue," and liked Martinbrough's "cinematic flair" and ability to "portray characters realistically." The series debuted on February 8, 2012.
Plot Redmond is a master thief who decides to quit just before attempting what would be his biggest heist yet. He then begins a new career of stealing from other thieves in an effort to make up for all his previous mistakes, but finds himself on the run from people on both sides of the law. Kirkman explained, "He's got this compulsion where he has to steal or he doesn't feel like he's living, but he doesn't want to break the law anymore." Thief of Thieves depicts both sides of Redmond's life: one as the thief along with his young apprentice, Celia; and the other as his real name, Conrad Paulson, who has an estranged wife and adult son.
Characters
The Paulson family Conrad Paulson (alias Redmond): hailed as the greatest thief in modern times. Conrad is a master thief, but has paid the cost to become one, at the expense of his family. At an evening celebration for what is known as "The Venice Job", Conrad makes an announcement that he is leaving "the game". The reason for this is so he can win back his ex-wife Audrey and their son Augustus. Audrey Paulson: the ex-wife of Conrad, the mother of Augustus, and the sister of James. She is a retired thief that used to go on heists with Conrad, and James. She quit "the game" after her brother was killed. She begged Conrad to retire, but to no avail. However, Conrad promised her that Augustus would never follow in their footsteps. Audrey participates in the Venice job to help her son. In the aftermath of the Venice Job, Redmond puts Audrey and Augustus on a yacht to keep them from getting killed by The Italians. Redmond had told Arno the location of his family. The yacht has been blown up. Arno visits Redmond in a hotel room the next day to break the news about two bodies recovered from the lagoon. Augustus Paulson: known as "the fuck up". Ever since he found out that Conrad was a thief, Augustus wanted to follow in his footsteps. Conrad is upset about this revelation, and keeping his promise to Audrey was very stern with his son stating that he's just like his Uncle James. This pushes Augustus to commit his first crime, and be caught by the police. In the police department, his parents come to bail him out, but Augustus tells his dad to fuck off. He explains to his parents that Conrad stated that he was like Uncle James. This exact moment causes the family to split up. Despite trying to live "civilian life" he still commits heists, but does not have any of his father's skills. He went to college for two semesters, but quit to make a name for himself in "the business". This leads him to his first big job in Cincinnati. During his two semesters, he meets his girlfriend Emma. After Cincinnati, Augustus agrees to a job with the Mexican Cartel based in San Diego to intercept heroin from the Italians. The job doesn't go as planned and he is arrested. With his back against the wall, and no one to turn to, he calls Conrad for help. He is later kidnapped and tortured by The Cartel due to the feds dismantling the Cartel's influence in San Diego. Lola instructs Conrad that he has one month to get him ten million dollars or he'll murder the entire Paulson family. He is stored in a semi and driven around to various locations until Conrad comes up with the money. Augustus was on the yacht with his mother Audrey when it exploded. Two bodies were recovered the next day. James: Conrad's deceased brother-in-law, Audrey's brother, and Augustus' uncle. James was on a thief's team with Conrad, and his sister Audrey. During a heist gone wrong, knowing that his sister and brother-in-law have a child, he sacrificed himself so Conrad could escape. He was gunned down by the F.B.I. task force, due to "suicide by cop". He is the catalyst for the Paulson family splitting up, and Augustus and Conrad not having a relationship.
The Thieves Guild Celia: Redmond's apprentice and the heir apparent, an honor that was never bestowed to Conrad's own son. Celia is a Latina with piercings and tattoos. She also has a son named Leroy who is being raised by her younger sister Penny, who does not approve of Celia's lifestyle. She first met Conrad when she tried to break into Conrad's car. He decided to teach her the ropes, in effect saving her from being robbed at gunpoint by the person she was going to steal for. She asks Conrad to show her what to do. Due to this man changing her and her son's life for the seemingly better, she has an attraction for her mentor. She always makes not-so-subtle sexual advances towards Conrad, but to no avail, since Conrad's main focus is to get Audrey back. In the aftermath of Arno being killed, Celia returns from hiding out in Iceland with the black book. Conrad explains to her that he has finalized their divorce. Conrad walks over to Celia and kisses her. The two end up having sex. Celia explains to Conrad that the longer they sit, the less the black book is worth due to the contacts switching bank accounts. Conrad states to her that he is done, and that "Redmond is dead". Celia leaves the hotel, and makes a phone call revealing her alias. She is now the new "Redmond". Arno Montclair: Seemingly a legitimate businessman as a pharmaceutical magnate, Arno is really in the business of selling stolen goods. This is known as being a "fence". He is responsible for financing "The Venice Job" only for Conrad to abandon the project at the last second. This leads to conflict with Conrad later on. It is revealed that he gave up Conrad's son to Cartel leader Lola in a ruse to get Conrad to do the Venice job. Arno tells Conrad about the death of his family, but this "death" was a ruse to draw out Arno's true intentions. Conrad gives Arno an opportunity to see if he has what it takes to kill. Arno pulls the trigger, only to find out the gun was emptied. Audrey and Augustus come from behind the curtain holding Arno at gunpoint. The Paulson family drives Arno out to one of his properties. Arno begs for his life to be spared. Conrad states that he will keep his promise and not kill him, but can't say the same for his family. Audrey and Augustus fire off multiple rounds, ending Arno's life. He is a balding rotund man in his fifties. Samuel Henry Alias Hartford: one of Arno's trusted thieves. He is known as "The Key" which means he can break into anything. He is African American and resembles Wu Tang Clan rapper Ghostface Killah. Montgomery Price Alias The Rabbit: one of Arno's trusted thieves. He is known as "The Slip" which means he is good with pickpocketing and slipping in and out of places undetected. He is also an expert in technology and forgery. He seems to be a hybrid of Linus Caldwell and Livingston Dell from the Ocean's trilogy. Patricia Watson Alias Mabel: one of Arno's trusted thieves. She is the "sexy distraction". She moonlights as an exotic dancer, that goes on heists on the side. She is also good with disguises, and has the ability to distract people from their jobs. Elliot Grandin: one of Arno's trusted thieves. He is known as "The Heavy" which means he can repair and drive anything. Stephen Winstead Alias Riddle: one of Arno's trusted thieves. He is known as "The Worm". He is a chubby Asian man. Chris Chase Alias Hustle: one of Arno's trusted thieves. He is known as "The Fireman". He is an African American in his early/mid twenties. Prior: one of Arno's trusted thieves. He is an African American man in his mid/late thirties. He's always dressed impeccably. Estrada: one of Arno's trusted thieves. He is a Latino man with an eye patch. He tries to hit on Conrad's ex-wife Audrey during the Venice job. Emma: Augustus' girlfriend. Emma met him in college and becomes a member of his crew. She gets caught in a heist gone wrong in Cincinnati and turns into a criminal informant. She nearly got Augustus locked up in the heroin heist. Due to the heroin being lost and Augustus failing to pay the cartel back, she is kidnapped and held for ransom in a penthouse in San Diego by Cristo's men. She manages to make a call to Agent Elizabeth Cohen to ask for help. The FBI storms the condominium building, and manages to save her before Augustus and Conrad do. Now that members of the cartel are locked up, the FBI will provide protection in exchange for getting information on the Paulson family. Enzo Sabatini He is an art dealer, and Conrad's connection based out in Venice, Italy. He has been helping Conrad with the Venice job for three years. Word has gotten back to Conrad that he has disappeared, and hasn't been seen since. Special agent Elizabeth Cohen learned of him from Conrad's drunken ex-wife Audrey when she told her about Paulson's sudden disappearance. Cohen does her due diligence, and discovered that there were rumors that Sabatini was moving stolen art for Conrad, but the Italian authorities could not find any evidence to support the claims. It is later revealed that Sabatini was kidnapped by the Italian mafia. He is then shot in the face by Captain Velenti who secretly works for the mafia. Sebastian Foxley He is Conrad's lawyer from London. He saves Conrad from being tortured by Don Parrino's goons that happen to be corrupt police officers. He explains to them that all charges have been dropped, and is to be released immediately. The reason for this because Celia has possession of Don's book that contains accounts of people worldwide that work for him, and the Italian prosecutor's name was in it. Celia blackmailed the prosecutor into dropping the charges. Sebastian and Conrad intend to sue the F.B.I. again.
The F.B.I.