The Fade Out #3 Review

Can The Fade Out continue to be yet another notch in Brubaker and Phillips extraordinary belt? Read on to find out.

The official description from Image:

BRUBAKER & PHILLIPS’ new crime noir masterpiece is just getting started! Remember, every month THE FADE OUT has exclusive back pages articles that are only available in the single issues.

The show must go on is a phrase that is often used when something in in disrepair, and it seems that this is very much the case with Victory Street Pictures latest production. Though Valeria Sommers death is still causing a lot of tension within this series, the search for her replacement starts to come to the foreground, with Maya Silver appearing to be the favourite. There’s also a great insight into Mr. Thursby’s past, showing how life may have been very different for the producer.

Ed Brubaker did a wonderful job of fleshing out Fatale over the course of it’s 24 issue run, and it seems that he’s doing the exact same with The Fade Out. The choice to deviate from the Charlie Parish developments also manages to build on this take of ’40s Hollywood, as though I initially was frustrated at the thought of stepping away from the mystery, the storytelling was sheer excellence. The dramatic flair within Brubaker’s script also allows for some mesmerizing moments, showing that even the more placid moments in Hollywood are awful grim and underhanded.

Brubaker and Sean Phillips have been collaborating for fifthteen years now, and there’s a very good reason for this. The way that the pair capture the best of each other is just astonishing, with Phillips art perfectly conveying the events within Brubaker’s script. Phillips storytelling skills have also helped make his partnership with Brubaker one of the best in modern comics, with the dramatic layouts allowing for an intense vibe to even the more placid of moments. The colours of Elizabeth Breitweiser also help give the pulp like tone we’ve came to love, with her palette as ever giving a brilliant finish to Phillips art.

The Fade Out is quickly becoming yet another classic, with the team of Brubaker and Phillips once again cementing the fact that they are the best creative team in modern comics. Highly recommended.