The Fade Out, Vol.2: Act Two by Ed Brubaker, Sean Phillips

The Fade Out, Vol. 2: Act Two by Ed Brubaker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I almost don't think I'm old enough to read this--R rated and then some. Definitely the dark side of Hollywood. This volume sheds a black light on the Golden Age of Hollywood and the studio system. How many lives were wrecked in the pursuit of stardom. The characters appear to represent real life character or are composites of them. Of course, there are plenty of cameos as well. the mystery is well-written, and this book ends with a teaser that makes it impossible not to keep reading.

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Fatale, Vol. 1: Death Chases Me by Ed Brubaker (Writer), Sean Phillips (Illustrator)

Fatale, Vol. 1: Death Chases Me by Ed Brubaker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is definitely hardboiled horror. I read this during the day, but I wouldn't read this before bed. It's very dark and some of the aspects and imagery are pretty disturbing. I couldn't tell if the author was going for a Lovecraft mythos kind of vibe or more of a Satanic/black magic kind of thing. Maybe both. There are many questions, particularly about the lead female character. What is she? Who is she? Why does she lead every man she encounters down the road of destruction. The author who is a prominent character did not inspire my sympathy in any way. The sad results of his choices did bother me, but moreso because of the innocents who were hurt because of his obsession with that woman. I am not sure if I will continue this. Part of me is curious, but I didn't like the way this made me feel as I read it. I've learned to go with my gut in my reading choices. Having said that, if you like the strange intersection of genres, particularly hardboiled/noir crime thriller and horror, you might pick this up. I would give this four stars because it's very well-written.

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The Fade Out, Volume 1 by Ed Brubaker, Sean Phillips (Illustrations), Elizabeth Breitweiser (Colorist)

The Fade Out, Vol. 1: Act One by Ed Brubaker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

One word for this graphic novel. Atmosphere. I definitely felt like I was in the late 1940s Hollywood. But the real Hollywood, not the glamorous, shining synthetic world that so many people in the industry tried to project. The point of view is from a screenwriter deeply immersed in the studio system who was emotionally broken by his war experiences. He wakes up in a bedroom and finds the body of the starlet in the next room. The star of the movie he's been working on. The list of suspects is long, and even if they aren't the murderer, most of these people aren't blameless and are far from innocent.

People like to say that the depths of depravity in society has gotten worse. I don't think so. I think people have gotten more blatant in their dark desires, but they have been doing anything under the sun for gratification since the beginning of time. This book shows that very dark side of Hollywood that swallows people whole, brings out the very worst in its denizens, exploiting their weaknesses and insecurities and their desire to be famous regardless of the cost. It features the wolves and the lambs (although the lambs aren't without blemish), and the bottom-feeders of the industry.

The artwork was alluring and perfectly paired to the narrative. It conveys the feel of a hardboiled, noir mystery, although the artist is not afraid to use color. I love the style of the 1940s, and I found myself a student of the character design in this book. It's done in such a way that it doesn't give a misleading tone of brightness that is completely opposite to the story.

This ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, in that there is no resolution of the mystery, but instead a big breadcrumb for the reader to follow in the next volume. I need to know, so I'll keep reading.

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The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett

The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Sam Spade is a street-smart protagonist with a nose for solving crimes and an eye for the ladies, but nothing touches his heart of stone.  Not even the quest for a black statue of a falcon that is a priceless treasure, and the beautiful damsel in distress it brings into his life.

What starts as a simple surveillance job becomes a mystery that leads to some dead bodies, that the police are eager to pin on Spade.  Spade isn't the man to be played, and he shows his ruthless nature, and keen intelligence hiding under a deceptive facade.

I listened to this on audio, narrated by William Dufris. He does an excellent job and really seems to enjoy himself in the process.  Unlike some narrators, he manages a very good female voice that doesn't remind me of a man in drag.  He also makes each character sound distinctive, and the nature of those characters oozes out to the listener.

I personally found Spade to be a jerk. But he's not all bad. He is adept that saying what a woman wants to hear, and with casual endearments delivered in a silver tongue, but meaning none of it, but he can also be quite mean to the women in his life.  I wouldn't exactly call him a thug, but he has no problem using his physicality as an asset when it's necessary.  The fact that he's a good detective is very apparent.  And strangely enough, deep down there is a strange sense of honor that won't allow him to look the other way, even when he longs to.  He also seems to be motivated by a need for no one to think they can take advantage of him.  He's even willing to allow people to think the worst of him so long as he can keep his tough guy reputation.  You get the impression that San Francisco is his city, and he knows how to maneuver his way through its deep waters.  He is a true detective in the sense that nothing gets past him, and while he sometimes struggles to control his emotions, he never allows them to compromise his intellect. 

Bridget O'Shaugnessey is one of those heroines who seems helpless and sweet, but it's also apparent she is more than capable of taking care of herself, like butter wouldn't melt in her mouth.  The fact that she's deeply involved in this falcon affair is a big sign that she's no Pollyanna.  While part of you really wants to like her and fall into her honeytrap, the other part knows that she's not exactly what she seems.  I didn't blame Spade for being wary of her and not believing any word she says.

Gutman and Cairo are conveyed in such a way that it's impossible to think of them as caricatures.  Their descriptions are so distinctive, almost misleading. However, as I kept reading, I realized that their menace lurks under the surface. Wilbur is truly a scary character, a young psychopath capable of extreme violence and kept on a very short leash. While Wilbur is like a trigger, I'd rather know who my enemy is instead of being faced with an amiable man who is all smiles while he's plotting my demise, like Gutman. Or squishy dandy who seems like he'd jump if you shooed a fly.

I was a bit surprised at the raw content in this novel.  Plenty of swearing, although not the big swear words that slip so casually off the tongue nowadays in media. While the sexual elements are alluded to, there is no question that something is going on between the sheets, and that Spade has a certain reputation. 

Hammett's writing is terse and tends to be heavy on dialogue, using it as a tool to reveal crucial information about its character.  His imagery is clear and bold.  While some of his adjectives are a bit clunky, I really enjoyed the auditory stimulus of his descriptors.  He conveys Spade as a very physical man, but that is merely a smokescreen for his keen intelligence, and one of his best assets, the ability to cause his enemies to underestimate him.

I think that there is a lot to learn about writing detective fiction from this book.  Hammett makes it look easy, but it's not.   Less is more is a lot harder than it seems, and my favorite authors are those who get it right. I recommend listening to this.  It's very easy on the ears.



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Incognito by Ed Brubaker, Sean Phillips

Incognito by Ed Brubaker

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


What if a powerful supervillain ended up in witness protection, working a regular office job like the average Joe?

That is the scenario that Ed Brubaker presents his readers in the series "Incognito." 

Zack Overkill was 'a very villainous fellow,' it was all he knew.  And then his world changed.  His brother was killed and he woke up in a secret government hospital and he was given drugs to deactivate his supernatural abilities and he was under the oversight of SOS, who had once been his greatest adversaries.

Zack hates his new life. He feels empty and useless, until he begins going out at night as a masked avenger, saving people, not out of altruism, but because it staves off his sense of boredom.  But his past is catching up with him.

This is noir meets comic book superheroes and villains, and it's very well done.  The tone is unapologetically 'adult', with plenty of foul language, violence, and some sexual content.  However, there is something quite fascinating about this book.  Maybe it's the whole concept.  Or maybe it's the fact that Zack's situation is compelling.  Readers can feel his pain, especially if your workday has ever felt like the movie "Office Space."  And imagine going from being a supervillain to a working stiff who has the strength of the average sedentary young male.  Brubaker allows the readers to walk in the shoes of a supervillain and watch his view of the world change.  Zack comes to realize that why kill, steal and rampage for no reason, when once's powers can be strategically employed for something of more value?  Can there be a better worldview than nihilism?  Can people you once viewed as your enemies become your allies for a greater purpose?

There are some disturbing scenes in this book, but then we are dealing with plenty of amoral villains and psychopaths, and even some of the office joes and janes are not exactly admirable in their choices.  I didn't care for that, but I did like that Zack's view on things is evolving, and he realizes he doesn't have to be enslaved to his past identity or even who others see him as.

I'll have to keep following this series. 



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