Fatale: The Deluxe Edition, Vol. 1

Fatale #1-2

by Ed Brubaker (Writer), Sean Phillips (Artist)

Josephine na sebi nosi prokletstvo, a u ovom je inovativnom serijalu pratimo od San Francisca pedesetih godina dvadesetog stoljeća, u kojem pokvareni policajci skrivaju puno gora zla, sve do Los Angelesa sedamdesetih, u kojem istrošeni glumci i bivše obožavateljice magičnih kultova bivaju uhvaćeni u mračnu mrežu smrti i požude.

Ovo prekrasno, luksuzno izdanje FATALNE sadrži prve dvije knjige, Smrt za mojim petama i Đavolja posla, zajedno s hrpom dodatnog materijala, uključujući članke, ilustracije, uvide u nastanak samog stripa i pregled umjetničkog procesa Seana Phillipsa, nagrađivanog crtača, od skice pa sve do gotove table.

Uz uvodne riječi autorice Megan Abbott, dobitnice nagrade Edgar, FATALNA je remek-djelo koje korača mračnom stazom prljavog podzemlja američke povijesti.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Horror, Noir, Crime, Fiction, Mystery

288 pages, Hardcover

First published March 18, 2014

About the author

Ed Brubaker (born November 17, 1966) is an Eisner Award-winning American cartoonist and writer. He was born at the National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland.

Brubaker is best known for his work as a comic book writer on such titles as Batman, Daredevil, Captain America, Iron Fist, Catwoman, Gotham Central and Uncanny X-Men. In more recent years, he has focused solely on creator-owned titles for Image Comics, such as Fatale, Criminal, Velvet and Kill or Be Killed.

In 2016, Brubaker ventured into television, joining the writing staff of the HBO series Westworld.

Reviews

[mark monday · Rating 4 out of 5]

it is a superior product and it does two things very, very well: it marries the classic noir narrative to Lovecraft; it tells the story of a femme fatale from the lady in question's perspective. it presents the Pair of Cops template in its first story and the Sunset Boulevard template in its second. it is not a deconstruction, it is a reconstruction, an enrichening. it has depth, empathy, sadness. its heroine is beautifully realized, as with most of its cast. it stays true to the genre while bringing new dimensions to it: new dimensions to an archetype and literal new dimensions. its use of the supernatural is supernal. its writing is superb; my first time with the hard-boiled but sensitive Brubaker and definitely not my last. its art is equally superlative, all the shades of brown, gray, dark blue, the occasional splash of deep red. it rubs the lotion on its skin. it places the lotion in the basket.

[Donovan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fatale is a perfect blend of noir and supernatural horror, a tragedy spanning a half century.

Noir and horror not are not my favorites, although I do enjoy them. But this creative team is so talented that they've sold to me what I wouldn't ordinarily read. And Brubaker is now one of my favorite indie comic writers.

Our protagonist is Josephine, a dark and mysterious seductress. Men are helpless under her power, yet she seems powerless compared to the dark powers that pursue her. Her troubled past is a tangled web of lust, death and heartbreak, and like her flies you can't help but stare.

The other characters are brilliantly written, especially Josephine's lovers. In 2012, Nicolas the paranoid researcher and grandson of Hank. In 1953, Hank the investigative reporter and Booker the crooked cop. In 1978, Miles the failed actor and Suzy Scream the cultist groupie. Then the Satanic cult The Method, the Hollywood sycophants and creeps like Gavin Wilder, the supernatural Mr. Bishop and later known as Hansel, his demonic henchmen, and all the other fodder connected to Jo. I love how so many characters are intertwined. And that's the nature of Josephine and Fatale itself.

Sean Phillips and Dave Stewart are incredible. The illustrations are old fashioned but noir, simple and realistic, emotional and impressionistic. There are few splash pages, but the wide panels are wondrous and detailed. And you're never confused by Phillips' panel progression. The colors are incredible. Dark and muted except for action, highlight, or dramatic effect. These guys are perfectly in sync and create an extremely tonal book.

Fatale is quiet, gritty, and superbly illustrated, reading like some old beautiful movie. If you aren't into noir or horror, the marriage of the two just might convince you. This is tragic drama of epic proportions, inspired by Poe and Lovecraft, and should not be missed by fans of indie comics.

A Short Note on the Deluxe Edition...

Brubaker's hardcovers are pretty awesome and incorporate similar design elements. The dust jacket-less hardcover looks great, with a painted front cover, stark white spine and rear cover, although it is admittedly "soft" and will be damaged easily if not protected. The paper is thick, semi-gloss. The proper sewn binding is perfect, moderately tight, and there's no gutter loss anyway as Phillips rarely draws splash pages. And the extras are awesome for such a small book, including issue covers, variant covers, art extras, a trailer, and several essays. This edition is well worth the price.

[Char · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fatale is about the classic Femme Fatale character, (in this case, her name is Josephine), except this time the story is from her point of view. Plus, she doesn't want to be what she is. Her powers draw men in even when she tries to stop it from happening. By taking a character trope that has long served as an evildoer and turning it on its head to have it become a sympathetic character instead, a whole new world of story-telling possibilities opens up! I hope to read all of them.


I loved every aspect of Fatale. I loved the intro from Meggan Abbott. I loved the two essays in the back, (one about Lovecraft and his impact on the horror genre and the other about Edgar Allan Poe and his influences), both written by Jess Nevins. Also, the artwork kicks major ass. This deluxe edition is gorgeous, the story is super cool, (Noir meets Cthulhu), and I can't wait to get my hands on the next one!

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I shouldn't even need to review or recommend this. If you see a book written by Ed Brubaker with art by Sean Phillips, you should just get it and read it because it more than likely is awesome. At this point it's like preaching to the choir. But this is so enjoyable that I want to talk about it so it might as well be with you!

The way he felt about Josephine...it was out of touch with the world. It was unfair to everything and everyone else.

Brubaker focuses on the archetypal "femme fatale": that stock character in so much of noir fiction, the seductive woman that helps to lead the hapless protagonist down a destructive path. But in an original and inspired turn, Brubaker has the awesome idea to focus on the fatale herself and explore the notion that the femme fatale title might be supernatural in origin, a curse on the woman bearing it. In a potent mix of noir and horror, Brubaker tells of the cursed Josephine, the creepy cult that hunts her, and the men that fall in her path, in parallel stories set in 1950's San Francisco, 1970's Los Angeles, and the modern day.



As usual, Phillips's art is moody and expressive, and Brubaker never spoon-feeds the reader, peeling back the layers of his story at just the right pace. I loved seeing the femme fatale trope turned on it's head and into a sympathetic woman who doesn't want the influence that she has on men, but it's also cool to see that the tragic inevitability of noir is still there as she can only watch as these men destroy their lives. Memorable writing, great characters, and atmosphere to burn prove once again why Brubaker and Phillips and colorist Elizabeth Breitweiser are three of the best creators in comic books today. And as usual this Deluxe Edition from Image is simply gorgeous.

Collects the first two story arcs: "Death Chases Me" and "The Devil's Business"

[Lauren Stoolfire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fatale is such a cool combination of noir Lovecraftian supernatural horror. I need to continue on with this graphic novel series.

[The Lion's Share · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

To start can I just say there is no such thing as a bad comic when Sean Philips is drawing the art! Holy shit that man can draw.

I'd love to see him draw Daredevil or the X- men or Superman even. I've only seen him do noir, but I love to see him draw for wider audiences.

So I'm having a bit of a gorge on Brubaker recently and I've still not even read his captain America run or Criminal yet! Looking forward to it though.

So Fatale....what was I expecting? Well I was expecting horror and tentacles and an evil woman because that's what the front cover suggests, but you all know what they say about judging a book by its cover.

The book is about a femme fatale doing favours for an evil cult of monsters that you can only see from the corner of your eye (weird), but she's not evil in the strictest sense and it still isn't clear after these two volumes why she has the power to manipulate most men. She tries her best to escape from the cult and that's where it becomes a more thrilling chase.

The first volume was slow and didn't give a good impression of the story. Later in vol 2 we start to get to know some male characters, ones that aren't killed off as quickly as the others, I.e. Miles and things get interesting.

We also get to see more of this cult that is chasing our fatale and again it gets more interesting towards the end of this deluxe.

Overall a beautiful book to look at, vol 2 ups the anti in the story and Sean Phillips kills it!

[Karl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not being an expert regarding graphic novels I can only offer my opinion.

Ed Brubaker is a pretty good writer. He has combined two genres and shaken, not stirred, to create a plausible story. "Fatale" mashes up noir thrillers with Lovecraftian horror.

The story follows Jo, a woman who seems to attract men to her, without sometimes even wanting them to. How or why this happens is only be hinted at. The protagonist/narrators are the men she comes across, who are both good and bad and in between, some of who want to help her, some want to kill her.

The art and especially the coloring give this book a 50's Noir kind of flavor. ART by Sean Phillips, Coloring by Dave Stewart.

Contents

7 - Introduction by Magen Abbott
9 - "Death Chases Me"
135 - "The Devil's" Business"
261 - Cover Gallery
273 - Fatale Trailer (A kind of movie trailer on paper
277 - Essays (280 H.P Lovecraft and the Horror Unseen - by Jess Nevins)
(284 - Edgar Allen Poe: Reality as a Grotesque Deception - by Jess Nevins)
291 - Process

[Maksym Karpovets · Rating 5 out of 5]

Джозефін (або просто Джо) має унікальну властивість спантеличувати чоловіків. Одним тільки поглядом вона може змусити їх робити усе, що тільки забажає. Як виявляється, ця здатність у неї вже тягнеться десятиліттями, тому, ймовірно, саме чоловіча енергія дозволяє їй подорожувати з епохи в епоху, зберігаючи в собі життєві сили. Не можемо сказати, що для Джо важливо губити своїх чоловіків, але так стається, що ніхто довго біля неї не приживаєтья. Ситуація ускладнюється тим, що за нею полюють якісь зловісні сили, маскуючись під людей. Як не дивно, з ними вона ніяк не вможе впоратись, тому й потребує чоловіків, щоразу жертвуючи ними немов солдатиками. Чи зможе Джо вистояти проти них? Звідки вона взагалі прийшла й хто за нею полює? Хто з чоловіків виживе у цій боротьбі космічних сил?

Дует Брубкейер і Філіпс відомий нам за своїми чудовими кримінальними й нуарними історіями, майстерно закручуючи свої сюжети навколо соціальних конфліктів. У цьому випадку маємо виразний містичний компонент, який додає шарму й блиску їхньому нуарному стилю. Найкращою в цьому делюксі видалась перша арка, де автори уміло нагнітають атмосферу й показують наскільки відчайдушним і жорстоким є зло у намірі впіймати нашу таємничу спокусницю. Хоча, на мій погляд, основними ж героями є фатальні чоловіки, що помирають, гублять себе біля Джо, яка нічого з цим не може зробити. Здається, вона й сама не може дати раду своєму дару (чи швидше прокляттю), тікаючи не стільки від своїх ворогів, а власної долі.

Кому можна радити цей мальопис? Абсолютно усім. Не обов'язково бути фанатом нуару й містики, але якщо ви полюблаєте цікаві, динамічні й вінтажні історії (Брубейкер набив добре руку на минулому), то це треба однозначно прочитати. Звісно, що десь просто кричать як��сь стандартні кліше, особливо ґендерні (фатальні жінка, яку рятують маскулінні чоловіки), але Брубейкер все ж гарно й хитро їх обігрує, подає як результат свого історичного часу. Також відчувається, що історія трішки слабшає у другій арці, але не настільки, щоб закидати цей чудовий комікс.

[Meagan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This graphic novel had two things going for it that I like: a Noir aesthetic and a Lovecraftian influence. You get the shadows and the gangsters and the femme fatale, but in this story the shadows are filled with tentacles, the gangsters serve the Old Gods, and the femme fatale is a supernatural being who feels kinda bad about her effect on men. It's very unique and I thought it was very well done. A compelling story with sympathetic characters, and I really liked the art. Occasionally some of the figures looked wonky when they appeared at a distance or were full body drawings, but Sean Phillips' close-up faces are exquisite, and he absolutely nails the Noir look. Really good stuff.

[Jonfaith · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was pushed into my reluctant hands. I may have been smiling but I was moaning inside, no, I just want to read Arno Schmidt. His stories are so volatile and erudite and I've worked 12 hours a day all week. I just want to read Arno Schmidt. So -- instead my whiny self said, sure, thanks and I promptly retired inside and read this within two hours. Fatale concerns Jo -- a cursed woman whose presence causes men to fall for her. This unravels in three time lines from the mid-50s, the late 70s and a more or less contemporary story. Unfortunately all feature a similar affected tone. There is a cause for her curse, an otherworldly Lovecraftian demon who was brought to the fore by Nazis. I wish I could admire the artful nature of this narrative, but I found little there but cliché. Crooked cops, satanic cults -- even Woody Allen and Burt Reynolds at a swinging party: if only there were communists and Black Panthers. I should be less polite in matters of literary etiquette.

[Relstuart · Rating 3 out of 5]

Retro Noir with Lovecraftian elements and an Edgar Allen Poe horror aesthetic. The story follows a young man inheriting after the passing of an old family friend. At the funeral he meets a beautiful woman who then shows up unexpectedly later to save him from being shot by a pair of strangers at the family's friends empty estate. Who is she, where did she come from, why are people trying to kill him, why does he feel so in love so quickly, and what secrets lie in the old estate? A tale of terror, torture, remorse and magic wends its way as we learn more about our reluctant femme fatale and her story that goes back at least half a century.

The art is pretty well done and matches the story well.

[Chaunceton Bird · Rating 5 out of 5]

If every book were this good, the universe would crumble into imbalance as every sentient being quit their jobs, dropped out of school, and sold their assets to buy and read books until starvation finished us off. This really is that good—no hyperbole here.

And this edition in particular has all the bells and whistles. The goodies in back include two wonderful essays about Poe and Lovecraft respectively, a tantalizing cover gallery, and renderings that make it all look too simple.

[Antje · Rating 1 out of 5]

Die blanke Enttäuschung! Die Handlung ergibt für mich keinerlei Sinn und wechselt nur zwischen Splatter- und Erotikszenen. Platter, splatter geht es kaum.

Zugegeben Josephine, die Madame Fatale, hat ihre körperlichen Reize, während die Männer durchweg unattraktiv dargestellt werden. Aber selbst die göttlich-teuflische Jo erzeugt mit jeder weiteren Seite gähnende Langeweile. Am Ende las ich großzügiger und warf nur noch einen Blick auf die Bilder. Aber gerade hier fehlte es mir an Abwechslung so wie der ganzen Handlung an Struktur.

[Lukasz · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

Eh, I don't envy all the men who'd crossed Josephine's path. It's creepy but not as engaging as I hoped it to be. Still, I enjoyed it and will start the second volume soon.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Creepy noir mixed with kooky Lovecraft - I liked the time hopping and the reluctant fatale-ness of the femme fatale. Creepy Hollywood cult killings of the 70’s were destined to be mixed with otherworldly demon monsters - it was just a matter of time.

Recommended by Marjorie Lui in a list of good creepy (for Halloween) graphic novels.

The art was lovely as well - as if all the best pulp covers were coming to life in each cel.

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips have long been one of my favorite creative teams (maybe even my full-on favorite). Sleeper, Criminal and Incognito are all standout crime comics, blending noir with other genres seamlessly and artfully in ways that make the somewhat familiarity of their stories feel totally new.

Fatale is no exception. This time around, the duo have written a compelling, mysterious, creepy noir with a Lovecraftian, Cthulu-mythos-inspired evil cult as the villain, all told through the points of view of men who encounter Jo, the titular femme fatale at the center of it all.

Jo is a fantastic character, clearly inspired by an old 50's tagline to the effect of "No man can resist her!" In this case, it's literally true. No man can resist her. They'll do anything she orders them to, and even she doesn't quite seem to understand why. The mystery of the ritualistic cult and how it's tied to Jo really drives this story, with the lead men in the story really just being drawn into her wake.

That's the one place where I feel like Fatale stumbles a little bit. I cared very little about any of the men affected by Jo. They aren't given quite enough development to root for or against, and as such feel a little bit disposable. This is unfortunate, because most of the story unravels via their investigations of Jo and the cult, so the one character we care about the most (Jo) is often just casting a shadow over the proceedings, rather than feeling intrinsically involved in them.

That said, she, and thereby the series, is still extremely compelling, and I can't wait to see what happens in the second volume, which collects the remainder of the series.

[Michael Benavidez · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is pretty wonderful. It takes the most well known cliche of the noir genre and expands on this. The Femme Fatale, the classic character who takes our heroes for a ride, the person that seduces them, makes them love, and then lets them crash and burn for their own gains. Except she's different. She's not the average damsel in distress, or the damsel putting herself in the form of distress to get what she wants.
No, instead she has a gift/curse. She has a control over men that she doesn't want, but must use in order to survive. Men come across her (mere eye contact) and they want her, they want to please her. They will do anything for her, and she hates it.
The story follows our Femme Fatale as she tries to escape a cult, who seem to have been touched with some beast out of a Lovecraftian nightmare. All she wants is peace.
In the mix of that, we have the sides of men who fall into her. We follow them as they become obsessed, as they grow to hate her, despise her, but love her nonetheless.
The story does get mixed pretty hard with past and present, that it's hard to trace what's happen. But at the same time, as we switch time periods, the pieces of the puzzle begin to connect and a broader picture forms for us.
Definitely going into the next bundle with high expectations

[Jeff Lanter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Since I've already read and reviewed the first two volumes of Fatale on Goodreads, I'll keep this short. The first volume is a little slow and it takes a while to pick but from the second volume on in this series is gripping and entertaining. Definitely a five stars level book in my opinion. I love the setting (which changes almost every volume), the art (dark and gritty), the and exploration of the femme fatale as a complex and tragic character. This book is more than just Lovecraftian horror as the covers often portray and is well worth your time whether you like that kind of horror or just like noir. The hardcover book is beautiful and has some nice extras like a cover gallery and a couple of essays in the back, one on H.P. Lovecraft and one on Edgar Allen Poe which help expand your appreciation of the genre and of the two writers. Whether you read this digitally, softcover, or hardback is up to you and your preference but I'm happy to have the whole series in hardback so it can sit proudly on my shelf as one of my favorite series.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like that Brubaker and Phillips took what is often a non-character, a seductive temptress that causes the leading man to fall into her trap and fleshed her out into something more.

I was reading up on the definition because I wasn't entirely sure myself and I find it interesting that the earliest versions of a femme fatale involved supernatural elements, like she was actually casting a spell on her victims. That is clearly something Brubaker took inspiration from.

Josephine, the Fatale in question came across as fairly well rounded as far as I coud tell. She was sympathetic, but also selfish, so fairly human, even with the more fantastical elements in the story. Jo wasn't just an archetype to allow a male protagonist to progress to the next plot point. She had agency and purpose, the story was about her, not just what was happening around her.

And that's all before mentioning the Lovecraftian elements of horror.

This edition collects the first two volumes, which both work well as stand-alone stories while building an ongoing narrative. It's been a long time since I read this originally so I'm really curious to learn how it all concludes in the next volume.

[Aleya · Rating 4 out of 5]

That was dark and wonderful. I really enjoyed this and am definitely interested in reading more. I'm glad I got the deluxe edition. It was beautiful and I'm proud to own the hardcover of it.

[Charlie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love everything about this story.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant.

[Libby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy crap this is great!

[OmniBen · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Spoiler free)
Now this is what I'm talking about. Brubaker and Philips really are something of a comics dream team. This is the second story of theirs that I've read (the first being The Fade Out). One might have thought The Fade Out would have been difficult to top, though I'd heard good things about Fatale so I had my hopes up and this did not disappoint in the slightest. The story, originally set for a ten issue arc which was extended to 24 somewhere during the 10 issue run, no doubt due to the popularity of the series (and I'm glad it was) is superb. During the mid point you could accuse it of wavering slightly, with Brubaker perhaps straining somewhat to keep up his impeccable standards throughout the run, but I really don't care, as its still really good, and I just wanted more of this story. the characters are fleshed out and interesting, with dialogue that rings true and continually pushes the story along. The horror aspect of this noir is outstanding, with the occult themes Brubaker hints at throughout being something I have an interest in, in the real world. to have them somewhat grounded in reality was great, rather than just fictional blood and gore (which would have been fine too, when written so well).

Philips' art and colours are spectacular, adding extra depth and drawing the reader into Brubaker's sleazy and bloody world. Whilst he may not be the most accomplished artist out there, I really wouldn't want anyone else drawing this.

The greatest downside to this story was that it ended, although the length of the run was probably just about perfect. Still, we never like seeing beloved things come to a close. If the Fade Out set the bar high, then this has only raised it further. Other than this, there really is no downside to this comic, other than the hardcovers being extremely difficult to find these days. I am grateful I managed to find them recently. Seriously, read this however you can. I can't imagine anyone being disappointed. 4.75/5

OmniBen

[Geekaffe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Im ersten der zwei Deluxe Bände von Fatale erzählen Brubaker und Phillips eine Crime Noir Geschichte die sich episodenhaft über die 50er, 70er und 2010er erstreckt. Alles wird zusammengehalten von der titelgebenden Femme Fatale Josephine. Brubaker und Phillips sind bekanntermaßen ein eingespieltes Team und bevorzugen das Krimigenre. Handwerklich setzen sie ihre Geschichten, wie auch in diesem Fall, auf höchstem Niveau um. Erfrischenderweise haben sie die Geschichte von Fatale mit einer gehörigen Portion Okkultismus gewürzt, so dass es sich in diesem Aspekt von den meisten anderen ihrer Werken absetzt. Die Plots in den unterschiedlichen Jahrzehnte sind alle interessant und bieten epochenspezifische Einblicke. So greift die Geschichte in den 70er Jahren auch die Mansonhistorie auf und die Atmosphäre lässt phasenweise Vergleiche mit Once Upon A Time in Hollywood zu.

Das Erzähltempo ist hervorragend, die Story kann sich langsam entfalten und aufblättern. An den richtigen Stellen werden Szenen aus der aktuellen Zeit eingebracht, ohne den Fluss zu unterbrechen oder die Story auszubremsen.
Phillips Stil mit vielen Schattierungen ist für diese Art von Suspense wie geschaffen. Die eher in Blautönen gehaltenen Panels werden situationsabhängig durch explosive Rottöne aufgebrochen. Was den Geschehnissen mehr Wucht verleiht.

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first volume of Fatale tells three stories: A modern-day frame and two histories set in 1956 and 1978. The First past story has connections to the modern-day, but the second is a bit of a revelation as it shows how the Fatale story will walk through different time periods, much like Brubaker and Phillips' own Criminal.

The stories are all deep and moody. They do a great job of characterizing possibly-immortal femme fatale Jo, the effect she has on men, and her sorrow over it. They're sometimes shocking and they also feel dark and gritty like noir should. The weakest part of the story is probably the Lovecraftian cult that begets Jo's antagonists. They're just so vague in this first collection that it's not clear at all what's going on on a first read (but that starts to clear up when you return for a second time).

In my mind, Fatale is the weakest of the Brubaker and Phillips collaborations, which has produced some truly great noir stories like Sleeper, Criminal, The Fadeout, and Kill or Be Killed. But it's still an intriguing and enjoyable read.

[Eastham Erik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible work by the dynamic duo of Brubaker and Phillips.

I’ll quickly get the art out of the way. Phillips is amazing with every cell like a painting. Phillips completely nails the old paints of film noir throughout the entire book with out ever forgetting the importance of (what I consider to be part of his signature) shadowing/shading.

Brubaker’s writing is superb, slowly exposing the secrets of his characters while always keeping the reader guessing just a little.

This edition contains the first two story arcs with each one occurring about 20 years apart . . . But you’d miss that time span if not paying attention because the main protagonists doesn’t age.

Dirty cops, Hollywood parties and demonic worshiping cults keep the story at a steady pace as every male who comes into contact with the beautiful protagonist can’t stop themselves from helping her in any way they can . . . Or anything she asks. Oh . . . and Monsters are real.

A present day story intertwines the two time periods with prelude, interlude and afterwords, which will make the reader impulsively pick up the next volume.

Brubaker and Phillips can’t be stopped.

[Daniel Najac · Rating 4 out of 5]

Creo que la relectura ha hecho ganar mucho a esta primera parte. No recordaba que la historia con los flashbacks estuviese tan narrada, y al margen de ser simple es trepidante desde el inicio (es casi como si la propia Jo te hubiera atrapado para leerla). Tengo la sensación de que la segunda parte argumentalmente será mejor (ya que dudo de que solo con buena narración se sujete algo más esto) pero solo por seguir disfrutando de ese ambiente pulp/ lovecraftiano ya tengo ganas de seguir.
Hype al margen, éste primer volumen funciona genial como primera parte. Presenta de una manera sencilla pero eficaz lo que va a ser el hilo de toda la obra. Definitivamente éste es un buen punto de inicio para conocer el dúo Brunaker + Phillips, siempre que te guste la ambientación de la América de los 50-60 y la fantasía lovecraftiana, claro

[Cara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this series, but I think it's too ambitious and as a result fails to really nail any one element (lovecraftian horror, noir, fatale POV). The art is ok; there's a lot of inconsistency in people's appearance, so I found myself sometimes trying to figure out if we were following the same character as a previous scene. The femme fatale, Jo, appeared at times very normie to me rather than a seductress - I didn't really feel drawn to her at all. The writing tells rather than shows - describing her as having special man-controlling powers, but not really demonstrating it very well (aside from every man attaching to her). The male characters tended to be more complex and better written. I like different aspects of this book, but not sure I'll continue with the series.

[Matt Goldberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh, it's fine, I guess. I like the idea behind the book of combining noir with Lovecraftian horror and putting the femme fatale archetype in the middle but giving her agency and pathos. Unfortunately, they never quite manage to make Jo more than that archetype. They reframe it into a curse, but the don't really move the ball forward on what that means to Jo as individual because they're too busy weaving little mystery plotlines. Maybe I'm being a stick in the mud, but I've grown incredibly bored of writing that involves a gruesome cult. Rather than mixing their various ideas into something new, Brubaker and Phillips just kind of shuffle the pieces around into something moderately interesting but never as captivating as it could be.