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The Fade Out
The Fade Out, Vol. 2
Act Two of the acclaimed Hollywood Noir from the best-selling team of Brubaker and Phillips.
Collecting: The Fade Out 5-8
Collecting: The Fade Out 5-8
120 pages, Paperback
First published September 16, 2015
20 people are currently reading
612 people want to read
About the author
Ed Brubaker
1,796 books3,009 followersEd 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 239 reviews
October 18, 2016
This was so much better than volume one! I'm so eager to find out how things wrap up in volume three. I couldn't give this an all out five stars, because I didn't love the movement and placement of the story, but it was still great.
May 4, 2023
(A-) 81% | Very Good
Notes: Review pending re-read. Collected review for volumes 1-3 can be found here: The Fade Out
Notes: Review pending re-read. Collected review for volumes 1-3 can be found here: The Fade Out
November 23, 2015
1940s, Hollywoodland, see? Up and coming starlet Valeria Sommers has been murdered, her death set up to look like a suicide - but her studio screenwriter friend Charlie Parish knows the real skinny! As Charlie begins putting the puzzle together, he falls for Valeria’s replacement, Maya Silver – gee, there’s more drama off-screen than on!
Meanwhile, Charlie’s blacklisted ghost-writing partner, Gil Mason, sees the way Victory Studios Head, Al Kamp, and Kamp’s head of security, Phil Brodsky, viciously behave and decides to teach them a lesson. Victory Studios is going down…
After the fast, tight story of the first volume, Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips ease off the throttle in The Fade Out, Act Two. There’s no real plot to speak of as the creators are happy to explore the noir-ish old Hollywood world instead, revelling in its charm and seediness – but mostly the latter!
It’s an entertaining read for the various small stories going on in the book. The closeted movie star conflicting with the studio over his lovers, the Dashiell Hammett cameo and the rising backlash against the blacklisting of artists, and the slowly unravelling mystery of Valeria are all very compelling. The old studios are run by mobster-ish-types who get to do whatever they want in town, the studio head Al Kamp is utterly deranged, and vice and violence suffuses the comic.
Sean Phillips’ beautiful art is made even more stunning with Elizabeth Breitweiser’s colours (she also works on Brubaker’s other Image series, Velvet). He really brings old Hollywood to life and I continue to be in awe of his work in this series.
Act Two is the kind of book that’ll read well in a collection, say of three or four of these volumes, rather than a standalone because this is a lot of middle-stuff – lots of development of characters and what’s already been established rather than plot. But Brubaker does it so well that it’s still enormously enjoyable even if you couldn’t call this a gripping read.
Brubaker and Phillips are one of comics’ best creative teams and The Fade Out is one of their best collaborations to date. Get on the trolley with this comic!
Meanwhile, Charlie’s blacklisted ghost-writing partner, Gil Mason, sees the way Victory Studios Head, Al Kamp, and Kamp’s head of security, Phil Brodsky, viciously behave and decides to teach them a lesson. Victory Studios is going down…
After the fast, tight story of the first volume, Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips ease off the throttle in The Fade Out, Act Two. There’s no real plot to speak of as the creators are happy to explore the noir-ish old Hollywood world instead, revelling in its charm and seediness – but mostly the latter!
It’s an entertaining read for the various small stories going on in the book. The closeted movie star conflicting with the studio over his lovers, the Dashiell Hammett cameo and the rising backlash against the blacklisting of artists, and the slowly unravelling mystery of Valeria are all very compelling. The old studios are run by mobster-ish-types who get to do whatever they want in town, the studio head Al Kamp is utterly deranged, and vice and violence suffuses the comic.
Sean Phillips’ beautiful art is made even more stunning with Elizabeth Breitweiser’s colours (she also works on Brubaker’s other Image series, Velvet). He really brings old Hollywood to life and I continue to be in awe of his work in this series.
Act Two is the kind of book that’ll read well in a collection, say of three or four of these volumes, rather than a standalone because this is a lot of middle-stuff – lots of development of characters and what’s already been established rather than plot. But Brubaker does it so well that it’s still enormously enjoyable even if you couldn’t call this a gripping read.
Brubaker and Phillips are one of comics’ best creative teams and The Fade Out is one of their best collaborations to date. Get on the trolley with this comic!
April 4, 2016
Definitely one of the tightest, most fully realized Brubaker stories I’ve read - I love it!
October 15, 2015
Finally! And as soon as I saw it, got it and greedily read it through.
I love this stuff!
The Brubaker and Phillips team just gets better and better. I loved all of Brubaker's previous various crazy noir mashups, such as Fatale, Sleeper, Criminal, Gotham Central, some more successful than others, but again, I think this might be their very best work, a sort of straightforward Hollywood mid century noir with a blacklisted writer and his less talented, washed-up cover writer (our sorta hero, Charlie), a dead actress and her replacement on the set, a demented studio head, some romance. In short, a seamless sort of fun ride.
This is a middle volume so there's not much that gets done to solve the crime (who killed the actress?) but some backstory happens, some intrigue deepens on various fronts. And the sparkling noir dialogue is maybe the central feature for me, just spot on. Oh, and the art matches the dialogue! One of my fave series, for sure!
I love this stuff!
The Brubaker and Phillips team just gets better and better. I loved all of Brubaker's previous various crazy noir mashups, such as Fatale, Sleeper, Criminal, Gotham Central, some more successful than others, but again, I think this might be their very best work, a sort of straightforward Hollywood mid century noir with a blacklisted writer and his less talented, washed-up cover writer (our sorta hero, Charlie), a dead actress and her replacement on the set, a demented studio head, some romance. In short, a seamless sort of fun ride.
This is a middle volume so there's not much that gets done to solve the crime (who killed the actress?) but some backstory happens, some intrigue deepens on various fronts. And the sparkling noir dialogue is maybe the central feature for me, just spot on. Oh, and the art matches the dialogue! One of my fave series, for sure!
June 10, 2024
A really cool take on the 40s Hollywood scene from how the studios used actors to how the writing process worked. All the while including Brubaker and Phillips usual sex and violence. It looks amazing, with some really nice colouring from Bettie Breitweiser and Brubakers narration doesn't seem as forced like it does in some previous books.
August 11, 2023
Brubaker and Phillips working their magic again. This one revolves around a movie studio and a dead starlet. Great stuff.
November 3, 2018
If you don't want the truth about Valeria Sommers death to come out, put $1000 dollars ni a ba gg. (mistype deliberate)
Act Two of the 1940's Hollywood noir picks up where Act One left off with Sommers still dead and the studio still trying to cover up what happened to her. Screenwriter Charlie Parish is still searching for the truth and blacklisted screenwriter, Gil Mason is still drinking heavily, though in this installment he's starting to dig holes where murder lies...
The cast of characters expands but it never feels unmanageable from a reader perspective, with each adding a little spice to the story. The cameo of Dashiell Hammett was a nice touch.
My rating: 4/5 stars. Much like Act One, The Fade Out is building towards a grand curtain call and feels incomplete. The more I read of this 12-issue series the more I believe it would flow better in a collected omnibus (which has been published). The art, as always, is great. Don't read this without having read Act One.
Act Two of the 1940's Hollywood noir picks up where Act One left off with Sommers still dead and the studio still trying to cover up what happened to her. Screenwriter Charlie Parish is still searching for the truth and blacklisted screenwriter, Gil Mason is still drinking heavily, though in this installment he's starting to dig holes where murder lies...
The cast of characters expands but it never feels unmanageable from a reader perspective, with each adding a little spice to the story. The cameo of Dashiell Hammett was a nice touch.
My rating: 4/5 stars. Much like Act One, The Fade Out is building towards a grand curtain call and feels incomplete. The more I read of this 12-issue series the more I believe it would flow better in a collected omnibus (which has been published). The art, as always, is great. Don't read this without having read Act One.
July 12, 2018
Brubaker and Philip have shown us that noir translates well to graphic novels just as it translated well to the silver screen. Here is Hollywood in the late forties, studio toughs always in the background, secret rendezvouses with stars, filling the shoes of the murdered star, sleazy producers, and more. A lot of this volume focuses on building up the characters and their relationships. Charlie now has a heavy thing going with Maya, but he’s still haunted by the past and what happened with Valeria. The artwork is fantastic.
October 5, 2016
Bullet Review:
I don't recall much of volume 1 (as is typical when I read it this long ago), but you almost don't need to. The writing and art flow and fill you in effortlessly on the details you need.
Again, Charlie should suck vacuum, but the murder mystery is intriguing and the atmosphere superb.
I don't recall much of volume 1 (as is typical when I read it this long ago), but you almost don't need to. The writing and art flow and fill you in effortlessly on the details you need.
Again, Charlie should suck vacuum, but the murder mystery is intriguing and the atmosphere superb.
October 11, 2015
This continues to be one of Brubaker's and Philips' best. Though the mystery stalls out a little bit (which isn't surprising for an Act II), Brubaker keeps the story alive with solid character development, as our protagonists continue to blindly stumble toward disaster. And then at the end he reminds us about the mystery, just enough to get us tensed up for Act III. Overall, a masterful piece of period noir.
January 20, 2018
My life has been a little hectic these past few weeks, which is my excuse for taking an entire month to read a comic that I can get through in a day. Because I started this so long ago, the narrative isn't as solid in my brain as it should be. My review won't be as in-depth or passionate.
However, Brubaker et. al. did a great job once more. The writing is solid, the art is great. As always, I love the coloring and shading. I'm looking forward to the third, and final, installment in this series.
However, Brubaker et. al. did a great job once more. The writing is solid, the art is great. As always, I love the coloring and shading. I'm looking forward to the third, and final, installment in this series.
July 13, 2019
A bit better than the first one but still meh overall. Interested to see how the story ends in the last installment, though.
January 7, 2018
The plot picks up steam in these middle issues and we get to see how damaged all these characters really are. Some hopeful moments lighten things up a bit, breaking up the relentless sense of impending doom that permeates. I don't think that things are going well for these characters. Nice to see Dashiell Hammett make an unexected appearance. Moving on to Act Three.
December 30, 2022
THE FADE OUT is a great noir story set during the Golden Age of Hollywood during the era of LA CONFIDENTIAL and LA NOIRE. Screenwriters Charles and Gil are two men who are tortured by their own demons as well as the fact they know that popular starlet, Val, was not a suicide but a murder. Both of them do their best to ignore this as their life tries to go on. Gil by trying to fix the movie they're rewriting and Charles by taking up a romance with the beautiful Maya. I really liked their romance even if it's clear the two don't know each other at all. I really wish this had been an ongoing because I would have read it for years.
October 6, 2015
Hollywood noir done well. Hurry up with Act 3.
August 16, 2018
I really like the Fade Out. I also really like ChinaTown.
This is a solid title, well written and well drawn. Thing is its uses every Hollywood noir trope in the book. This ain’t a bad thing as it’s a hell of a fun time to read.
I’m rating it based on how it uses those tropes and how much is recommended based on those tropes.
Anyone who doesn’t like the genre or ChinaTown, Sunset Boulevard, or LA Confidential you won’t like this. But if you are into the genre highly recommend it.
Charlie is still looking into the dame’s murder. While Gil is spiraling and the new starlet is adjusting. The bruiser is investigating and the man in charge of it all is perverting everyone.
It’s some good storytelling so if the premise interests you should seek it out.
3 stars.
This is a solid title, well written and well drawn. Thing is its uses every Hollywood noir trope in the book. This ain’t a bad thing as it’s a hell of a fun time to read.
I’m rating it based on how it uses those tropes and how much is recommended based on those tropes.
Anyone who doesn’t like the genre or ChinaTown, Sunset Boulevard, or LA Confidential you won’t like this. But if you are into the genre highly recommend it.
Charlie is still looking into the dame’s murder. While Gil is spiraling and the new starlet is adjusting. The bruiser is investigating and the man in charge of it all is perverting everyone.
It’s some good storytelling so if the premise interests you should seek it out.
3 stars.
January 26, 2022
If this was a movie, Matt Damon would be Charlie.
October 3, 2016
This second volume just absorbs the reader into the chaos and madness of Old Hollywood and the consequences these characters make when selling their soul to the devil in exchange for 15 minutes of fame and fortune. I figured we were not going to get the name of the killer until the final volume so for Act 2 we get more background information about all our characters. Reading this series has brought up a desire to watch the movie
Hollywoodland
which was a phenomenal film in my opinion with Ben Affleck who commanded the film as George Reeves. Now back to the graphic novel!
Charlie is still trying to gather up the fragmented memories of the night that Valeria Sommers was murdered and trying to get major intel on certain individuals who have become a blur in his foggy memories and yet strikes a chord within him as he figures her death is connected to something but he cannot put his finger on it. For the majority of the graphic novel, Charlie is still the main character of the story but he takes a back pedal in this volume and let his writing partner Gil Mason be the driving force in Act 2.
Charlie and Gil are in Ojai, California making major rewrites for the reshoot scenes that need to take place now that they have found Valeria's replacement. All the memories begin to stirrup for Charlie and he remembers that his time with Valeria has been gruesome with the encounter of Al Kemp who is the co-founder of Victory Street Pictures. He is now a bitter and senile old man and walking through the woods past the set, Charlie and Valeria encounter a topless girl tied to a tree waiting for punishment and luckily Valeria and Charlie rescues her from Al Kemp who wants to beat her up. Sometime is not right about that old man and the feeling lingers throughout the inked pages.
Gil on the other hand is being a wonderful drunk as always and having that extra glass of alcohol brings out the daring side of his personality and he feels that Charlie is abandoning Valeria to avoid rocking the boat and his career and decides to take matters into his hand. He visits some old friends and discusses plot holes in this murder mystery but presents it as a film so that way his friend can take a different angle and offer a solution that Gil nor Charlie have imagined and sure enough Gil learns that if you watch someone carefully and see them panic you learn more about the truth based on their actions so he decides to black mail certain people at Victory Street Pictures.
Charlie has no clue about this and it does not help that his relationship with Gil is on the rocks after Gil failed to follow orders and stay in the room that Charlie had rented at Ojai. Plus Charlie has a new woman by his side and he has no problem investing his time and body to her. Charlie hooks up with Maya Silver who is Valeria's replacement and even though Charlie was not asking for sexual favors, being a gentleman and asking nothing of Maya made her feel an intense attraction and with alcohol in the mix you get two broken characters and have them feel less lonely for one wonderful night.
I am thoroughly entertained and surprised that the second volume hold my attention just like the first book. Usually the second volume goes a bit downhill in terms of plot and then the final volume wraps everything up perfectly and without any backlash. I had no clue in what direction this series is heading and I am participating till the very end. I had no expectations going into this volume and I believe because I made the connection that her murder was not going to be solved it made a huge difference when reading and absorbing important details.
For many this volume has no substance since there are a ton of flashback memories and major conversations dealing with character with no significance. You discover that one of the characters is gay and I admit that I was not a bit surprise but I am glad that he bats for the same team. I wish we had more interaction with his character and him dealing with being in the closet to protect his career and living in Old Hollywood.
I am excited for the final act and I have no idea whether Valeria's crime will be solved and I hope it will and to my satisfaction. This series could have been longer and it would not make the difference because the plot, the mystery, and the characters makes The Fade Out addicting and captivating on every page. I guarantee you that you will not be bored at all throughout the entire graphic novel. Until next time...
Charlie is still trying to gather up the fragmented memories of the night that Valeria Sommers was murdered and trying to get major intel on certain individuals who have become a blur in his foggy memories and yet strikes a chord within him as he figures her death is connected to something but he cannot put his finger on it. For the majority of the graphic novel, Charlie is still the main character of the story but he takes a back pedal in this volume and let his writing partner Gil Mason be the driving force in Act 2.
Charlie and Gil are in Ojai, California making major rewrites for the reshoot scenes that need to take place now that they have found Valeria's replacement. All the memories begin to stirrup for Charlie and he remembers that his time with Valeria has been gruesome with the encounter of Al Kemp who is the co-founder of Victory Street Pictures. He is now a bitter and senile old man and walking through the woods past the set, Charlie and Valeria encounter a topless girl tied to a tree waiting for punishment and luckily Valeria and Charlie rescues her from Al Kemp who wants to beat her up. Sometime is not right about that old man and the feeling lingers throughout the inked pages.
Gil on the other hand is being a wonderful drunk as always and having that extra glass of alcohol brings out the daring side of his personality and he feels that Charlie is abandoning Valeria to avoid rocking the boat and his career and decides to take matters into his hand. He visits some old friends and discusses plot holes in this murder mystery but presents it as a film so that way his friend can take a different angle and offer a solution that Gil nor Charlie have imagined and sure enough Gil learns that if you watch someone carefully and see them panic you learn more about the truth based on their actions so he decides to black mail certain people at Victory Street Pictures.
Charlie has no clue about this and it does not help that his relationship with Gil is on the rocks after Gil failed to follow orders and stay in the room that Charlie had rented at Ojai. Plus Charlie has a new woman by his side and he has no problem investing his time and body to her. Charlie hooks up with Maya Silver who is Valeria's replacement and even though Charlie was not asking for sexual favors, being a gentleman and asking nothing of Maya made her feel an intense attraction and with alcohol in the mix you get two broken characters and have them feel less lonely for one wonderful night.
I am thoroughly entertained and surprised that the second volume hold my attention just like the first book. Usually the second volume goes a bit downhill in terms of plot and then the final volume wraps everything up perfectly and without any backlash. I had no clue in what direction this series is heading and I am participating till the very end. I had no expectations going into this volume and I believe because I made the connection that her murder was not going to be solved it made a huge difference when reading and absorbing important details.
For many this volume has no substance since there are a ton of flashback memories and major conversations dealing with character with no significance. You discover that one of the characters is gay and I admit that I was not a bit surprise but I am glad that he bats for the same team. I wish we had more interaction with his character and him dealing with being in the closet to protect his career and living in Old Hollywood.
I am excited for the final act and I have no idea whether Valeria's crime will be solved and I hope it will and to my satisfaction. This series could have been longer and it would not make the difference because the plot, the mystery, and the characters makes The Fade Out addicting and captivating on every page. I guarantee you that you will not be bored at all throughout the entire graphic novel. Until next time...
January 1, 2018
As with any good second act the conflicts and complications just keep piling up and on. Dashiell Hammett makes a cameo.
May 22, 2023
The Fade Out, como no podía ser de otra manera tras conocer el perfil profesional de su creador, Brubaker, es una excelente muestra del género negro más auténtico llevado a la novela gráfica.
La obra discurre en torno a la industria del cine estadounidense de los últimos años de la década de los cuarenta, cuando este gozaba de una extraordinaria salud y se filmaron muchas de las mejores películas de todos los tiempos.
Se refleja, de forma magnífica, el ambiente y atmósfera que se vivía en la sociedad, en general, y muy particularmente en una industria tan poderosa como era la cinematográfica. Como en las altas esferas de la misma, en los más altos niveles, los intereses, económicos y personales, la corrupción y las actuaciones ilegales, cuando no criminales, formaban parte del negocio debido a las grandes cantidades de dinero que se manejaban, o que se necesitaban, según los casos.
Planeaba, en aquella época, sobre la citada industria cinematográfica la temible "caza de brujas" que puso en marcha el gobierno estadounidense por medio del FBI, con la intención de apresar, para su posterior procesamiento, a todos aquellos considerados simpatizantes del movimiento comunista.
Muchos de los profesionales de la industria, incluidos nombres más que relevantes, ya fueran actores, guionistas, productores o directores, estuvieron en la temible "lista negra". Este aspecto tiene una presencia más que notoria en la obra que nos ocupa.
Respecto a la trama de la obra, el protagonista principal es un modesto guionista, aunque una vez estuvo nominado a los premios Óscar, que se encuentra trabajando en el rodaje de una película.
El protagonista, en realidad, está trabajando "en colaboración" con un amigo, también guionista. Esta colaboración se basa en lo siguiente, el protagonista, por una serie de circunstancias, se encuentra actualmente en una situación de "página en blanco", es incapaz de escribir cuando se pone manos a la obra. Entonces, su amigo, cuando no está ebrio, que suele ser casi siempre, es quien escribe los guiones. Lo que ocurre es que este amigo trabaja en la clandestinidad, su nombre no puede hacerse público, precisamente, por estar incluido en la "lista negra".
Charlie, el protagonista, encuentra muerta en su apartamento a la actriz principal de la película que se está rodando. Aparentemente es un suicidio. Charlie no recuerda muy bien lo ocurrido la noche anterior cuando todos estuvieron en una de las múltiples fiestas organizadas por el estudio cinematográfico encargado de la película. Tiene las ideas confusas.
Estas dudas, este no saber bien lo que ocurrió, y no estar seguro de que lo que cuentan que ocurrió, como versión oficial, fuera realmente lo que pasó, llevará al protagonista, durante toda la obra, a plantearse una serie de dudas que le conducirán a involucrarse en el asunto, a querer saber más, con los enormes riesgos que ello le puede suponer.
En definitiva, una obra magnífica para los amantes del género negro, o noir, donde los tres pilares fundamentales de toda novela gráfica, guion, dibujo y color (destacaría en este aspecto, tal y como se puede apreciar en la página que os he dejado de muestra, el predominio de los colores pasteles) han sido valorados de forma sobresaliente por los críticos especializados.
La obra discurre en torno a la industria del cine estadounidense de los últimos años de la década de los cuarenta, cuando este gozaba de una extraordinaria salud y se filmaron muchas de las mejores películas de todos los tiempos.
Se refleja, de forma magnífica, el ambiente y atmósfera que se vivía en la sociedad, en general, y muy particularmente en una industria tan poderosa como era la cinematográfica. Como en las altas esferas de la misma, en los más altos niveles, los intereses, económicos y personales, la corrupción y las actuaciones ilegales, cuando no criminales, formaban parte del negocio debido a las grandes cantidades de dinero que se manejaban, o que se necesitaban, según los casos.
Planeaba, en aquella época, sobre la citada industria cinematográfica la temible "caza de brujas" que puso en marcha el gobierno estadounidense por medio del FBI, con la intención de apresar, para su posterior procesamiento, a todos aquellos considerados simpatizantes del movimiento comunista.
Muchos de los profesionales de la industria, incluidos nombres más que relevantes, ya fueran actores, guionistas, productores o directores, estuvieron en la temible "lista negra". Este aspecto tiene una presencia más que notoria en la obra que nos ocupa.
Respecto a la trama de la obra, el protagonista principal es un modesto guionista, aunque una vez estuvo nominado a los premios Óscar, que se encuentra trabajando en el rodaje de una película.
El protagonista, en realidad, está trabajando "en colaboración" con un amigo, también guionista. Esta colaboración se basa en lo siguiente, el protagonista, por una serie de circunstancias, se encuentra actualmente en una situación de "página en blanco", es incapaz de escribir cuando se pone manos a la obra. Entonces, su amigo, cuando no está ebrio, que suele ser casi siempre, es quien escribe los guiones. Lo que ocurre es que este amigo trabaja en la clandestinidad, su nombre no puede hacerse público, precisamente, por estar incluido en la "lista negra".
Charlie, el protagonista, encuentra muerta en su apartamento a la actriz principal de la película que se está rodando. Aparentemente es un suicidio. Charlie no recuerda muy bien lo ocurrido la noche anterior cuando todos estuvieron en una de las múltiples fiestas organizadas por el estudio cinematográfico encargado de la película. Tiene las ideas confusas.
Estas dudas, este no saber bien lo que ocurrió, y no estar seguro de que lo que cuentan que ocurrió, como versión oficial, fuera realmente lo que pasó, llevará al protagonista, durante toda la obra, a plantearse una serie de dudas que le conducirán a involucrarse en el asunto, a querer saber más, con los enormes riesgos que ello le puede suponer.
En definitiva, una obra magnífica para los amantes del género negro, o noir, donde los tres pilares fundamentales de toda novela gráfica, guion, dibujo y color (destacaría en este aspecto, tal y como se puede apreciar en la página que os he dejado de muestra, el predominio de los colores pasteles) han sido valorados de forma sobresaliente por los críticos especializados.
August 24, 2020
Like The Fade Out, Vol. 1: Act One, there is really only one thing wrong with this book: it's too short! With only 4 issues collected, the pleasure ends way too soon.
Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips maintain their usual level quality entertainment, and I'm really looking forward to The Fade Out, Vol. 3: Act Three. This series is destined to become a classic of the genre.
More, please.
Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips maintain their usual level quality entertainment, and I'm really looking forward to The Fade Out, Vol. 3: Act Three. This series is destined to become a classic of the genre.
More, please.
August 26, 2016
Volume Two of Ed Brubaker's The Fade Out delves deeper and deeper into the mystery presented in the first act. It's full atmosphere and so many elements of the installment are pitch-perfect to the genre. We get to further explore the seedy world of Hollywood and Los Angeles - Charlie's world is fully realized. The volume also features some great cameos by Dashiell Hammett, Humphrey Bogart, and Desi Arnaz, all of which combined earn their own star.
January 26, 2016
A lot better than the first volume but this book is a slow burn. The characterizations are sharper, and the plot feels more focused. The mystery is deepening and we get some suggestions of possible motives and suspects.
Sean Phillips's art is up to his usual standard, and colorist Elizabeth Breitweiser is fantastic. DC has started giving colorists cover credit; about time Image does the same, as she gives the book the right mood needed for "noir" fiction.
Sean Phillips's art is up to his usual standard, and colorist Elizabeth Breitweiser is fantastic. DC has started giving colorists cover credit; about time Image does the same, as she gives the book the right mood needed for "noir" fiction.
December 30, 2016
I love the way Brubaker is bringing all these plotlines together - with only four issues left, I'm fascinated to find where it's all going! I adored Brubaker and Phillips' last book, FATALE, although I think it experimented a little more and subsequently ran out of steam in the middle of the arc. This feels like an exercise in tight, cohesive storytelling in comparison.
September 29, 2015
I am fast becoming a huge fan of the Brubaker/Philips pairing.
The second act is as good if not better than the first one and the atmosphere of Crime Noir among the Holywood studios of the MacCarthy era is great.
Highly recommended.
The second act is as good if not better than the first one and the atmosphere of Crime Noir among the Holywood studios of the MacCarthy era is great.
Highly recommended.
February 25, 2021
No time to write a review... Must...Read...Next...Volume...Now...
January 20, 2019
Another explosive addition to the whodunit series. I am even more confused yet excited about who could be the murderer. I want to dislike Charlie's interest in one particular character because I want him to go for the more obvious, better choice but I'm still excited to see how everything unfolds in Act 3. I especially like Gil stepping up from being a drunken has-been to an anti-hero trying to take down the studio heads to stop them from ruining their employees' lives. At first, I thought Gil was just a foil for Charlie or unnecessarily put in but in this second volume I happen to enjoy his presence. Perhaps a little better than his once-best friend Charlie.
August 31, 2022
Question: As Brubaker and Phillips are so adept at creating tight, four-to-six issue crime comics series, what might occur if they were given twelve issues to stretch out a story? Answer: Some pretty great story-telling! Rather than pad this tale with unnecessary background and filler, they add depth to a wide range of characters and don't waste a panel. Some readers may be impatient as the story progresses at a much slower pace in Act Two, but I bonded with these characters enough that I'm actually worried for what might happen to them in Act Three. Also, events in Issue #8 indicate that things are going to proceed much faster and more dangerously from this point forward.
Hats off to the creators for that character rundown following the credits page that make it easy for new readers to jump on Act Two and still pick up the story. I don't recommend that, just as I wouldn't want to enter a movie theater 20-40 minutes after the beginning. Too much character background will be missed, as well as some subtle details that pay out in Act Two and will probably be even more relevant in Act Three.
Plus, some really key scenes will lose full impact if the backstory is not known, like the scene where film studio security thug Phil Brodsky says to a drunk, blacklisted screenwriter Gil Mason: "Looks like you're a real 'wrong place, wrong time' kinda guy, doesn't it? Gil survives that encounter without feeling Brodsky's brass knuckles, but later reflects while smoking in bed: "Gil thought that actually could sum up his life. . . but he knew there was another factor in play, too. That he was here by choice, not accident. Gil put himself in the wrong places all the time . . . it was his worst bad habit.
one of my favorite scenes (among many) in Act Two occurs as screenwriter with a secret Charlie Parish escorts upcoming movie starlet Maya Silver to a Hollywood premiere: "Charlie never felt more removed from humanity than he did at events like this. . . . The mob of screaming voices, crushing each other for an autograph . . . Of course, they're just the more primal version of the same disease he suffers from. . . He knows that . . . Charlie's just a moth who figured out how to get closer to the flame . . . . . But Maya, and people like her, they did him one better . . . They figured out how to be the flame, instead."
Just one more to share, also from Charlie, and then I'll leave you alone. "There are moments in life that are like a perfect song, the kind that really gets inside you. . . . Like the moment Maya mentioned her father, when she almost let some sorrow show through . . . Charlie had never written anything that elegant, even when he could still write . . . But he'd always envied songwriters. To him, they were like alchemists . . pulling emotion and memory out of thin air. . . Transporting you . . . May was like a song, his drunken eyes saw that now . . A strange, haunted melody . . ."
Hats off to the creators for that character rundown following the credits page that make it easy for new readers to jump on Act Two and still pick up the story. I don't recommend that, just as I wouldn't want to enter a movie theater 20-40 minutes after the beginning. Too much character background will be missed, as well as some subtle details that pay out in Act Two and will probably be even more relevant in Act Three.
Plus, some really key scenes will lose full impact if the backstory is not known, like the scene where film studio security thug Phil Brodsky says to a drunk, blacklisted screenwriter Gil Mason: "Looks like you're a real 'wrong place, wrong time' kinda guy, doesn't it? Gil survives that encounter without feeling Brodsky's brass knuckles, but later reflects while smoking in bed: "Gil thought that actually could sum up his life. . . but he knew there was another factor in play, too. That he was here by choice, not accident. Gil put himself in the wrong places all the time . . . it was his worst bad habit.
one of my favorite scenes (among many) in Act Two occurs as screenwriter with a secret Charlie Parish escorts upcoming movie starlet Maya Silver to a Hollywood premiere: "Charlie never felt more removed from humanity than he did at events like this. . . . The mob of screaming voices, crushing each other for an autograph . . . Of course, they're just the more primal version of the same disease he suffers from. . . He knows that . . . Charlie's just a moth who figured out how to get closer to the flame . . . . . But Maya, and people like her, they did him one better . . . They figured out how to be the flame, instead."
Just one more to share, also from Charlie, and then I'll leave you alone. "There are moments in life that are like a perfect song, the kind that really gets inside you. . . . Like the moment Maya mentioned her father, when she almost let some sorrow show through . . . Charlie had never written anything that elegant, even when he could still write . . . But he'd always envied songwriters. To him, they were like alchemists . . pulling emotion and memory out of thin air. . . Transporting you . . . May was like a song, his drunken eyes saw that now . . A strange, haunted melody . . ."
June 14, 2017
This middle act of The Fade Out develops the intrigue as it introduces or dives deeper into the characters. Charles finds out more about Maya as she takes over Val's role in more ways than one. Gil makes a foolish decision that just deepens the hole he's in. It's noir, with beautiful women, stoic men making fools of themselves, and a whirlpool of bad choices pulling everyone down. It works fine, but I'm not seeing it as being better quality than Fatale or Criminal, just more in tune with the Noir style by virtue of its 'seedy side of Hollywood' setting. The art is strong, though; I never had any trouble differentiating the main characters, of which there are a fair number. The color works as well, with a definite weight of shadows whenever the smiling facade of Hollywood isn't present.
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