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The Fade Out
The Fade Out, Vol. 1
Brubaker and Phillips' newest hit series, The Fade Out, is an epic noir set in the world of noir itself, the backlots and bars of Hollywood at the end of its Golden Era. A movie stuck in endless reshoots, a writer damaged from the war and lost in the bottle, a dead movie star and the lookalike hired to replace her. Nothing is what it seems in the place where only lies are true. The Fade Out is Brubaker and Phillips' most ambitious project yet!
Collecting: The Fade Out 1-4
Collecting: The Fade Out 1-4
120 pages, Paperback
First published February 25, 2015
32 people are currently reading
4305 people want to read
About the author
Ed Brubaker
1,800 books2,977 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 634 reviews
August 7, 2015
For the most part I really enjoyed this! It was dark, intriguing, and mysterious. All things that I love in a story. I just found this story to be a bit busy and I almost wonder if that was the creator's way of distracting you from solving the mystery at hand. I loved the old hollywood setting, but the illustrations didn't really wow me. I do think I'll probably check out the next volume, because I'd like to know what happens next, I'm just not entirely sold on this series just yet.
March 27, 2015
Enter into Old Hollywood.
Charlie wakes up after a wild party and realizes he is in the room with a dead girl. He covers up the murder and then learns that the starlet has commited "so-called" suicide. What the heck is going on?
I think Brubaker and Phillips might just be my favorite team in comic/graphic novels. The story is original and fulfilled my old Hollywood fantasy.
I love that real movie stars were used in this story. They got one star awarded for this guy alone. Because..AWESOME.
Charlie wakes up after a wild party and realizes he is in the room with a dead girl. He covers up the murder and then learns that the starlet has commited "so-called" suicide. What the heck is going on?
I think Brubaker and Phillips might just be my favorite team in comic/graphic novels. The story is original and fulfilled my old Hollywood fantasy.
I love that real movie stars were used in this story. They got one star awarded for this guy alone. Because..AWESOME.
July 4, 2022
In the late 1940s Hollywood a screenwriter wakes up from a drink-induced blackout to find a movie starlet dead in the next room, so naturally he wipes his prints and runs like hell — only to find out later that the death was covered up by the movie studio as a suicide. Shady things are clearly happening there, lurking just outside Charlie’s fragmented blackout memories, and the weight of guilt and post-war PTSD in the background of “commie” paranoia superimposed onto old Hollywood glitz and glamor all combine to form a tense noir atmosphere mired in a bit of confusion.
Admittedly, it took me a second read-through to even start appreciating this at all — but I blame my attempt to read it on a tiny phone screen the first time around, zooming it to read the dialogue and losing the sight of a bigger picture. With less eye strain on the reread a few days later it improved, and its dark and moody atmosphere was allowed to shine, and I liked it a bit more than my original impression.
But. But but but. For some reason I don’t *quite* feel compelled to read on, unlike his other story that I loved: Velvet, Vol. 1: Before the Living End. I will continue if my reading buddy will, but as things stand right now I will be perfectly alright walking away from it without finding out what happened to the dead starlet. Maybe it’s that I just don’t care much for Hollywood, or maybe it’s the pretty muddy story arc that seemed to meander a bit, or maybe it’s the characters that I found hard to connect with (and it didn’t help that a few of them were rendered pretty similarly). In any case it didn’t quite hook me, but maybe it will in the next volume (if we go on with it).
3 stars.
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Buddy read with Dennis. It’s your call if we go on with this one.
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Also posted on my blog.
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Recommended by: Dennis
Admittedly, it took me a second read-through to even start appreciating this at all — but I blame my attempt to read it on a tiny phone screen the first time around, zooming it to read the dialogue and losing the sight of a bigger picture. With less eye strain on the reread a few days later it improved, and its dark and moody atmosphere was allowed to shine, and I liked it a bit more than my original impression.
But. But but but. For some reason I don’t *quite* feel compelled to read on, unlike his other story that I loved: Velvet, Vol. 1: Before the Living End. I will continue if my reading buddy will, but as things stand right now I will be perfectly alright walking away from it without finding out what happened to the dead starlet. Maybe it’s that I just don’t care much for Hollywood, or maybe it’s the pretty muddy story arc that seemed to meander a bit, or maybe it’s the characters that I found hard to connect with (and it didn’t help that a few of them were rendered pretty similarly). In any case it didn’t quite hook me, but maybe it will in the next volume (if we go on with it).
3 stars.
————
Buddy read with Dennis. It’s your call if we go on with this one.
——————
Also posted on my blog.
——————
Recommended by: Dennis
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
March 17, 2024
Criminal, Fatale, Incognito. . . if you liked as I have any of these Brubaker-Phillips collaborations you will be happy to hear there is more of the same in process. This one isn't a mashup with horror or anything else, as far as I can tell so far. It's pretty straight noir, seems like, set in 1948 Hollywood, and is possibly nastier and darker than many of us have known of the Golden Age, post-war, pre-McCarthy blacklisting period. Women are grist for the Hollywood mill, we see clearly, as our (sort of?) hero (let's just call him the main guy) writer Charlie wakes up in a bathtub with a dead leading actress in the room, and he soon participates in the cover-ups that follow. No one seems innocent in this one, including Charlie and his writer buddy Gil, so this feels like it is in some ways grittier than other actual noir of that period. More politically astute. There are cover-ups, but Brubaker and Phillips are being real with us; no coverups on Hollywood Babylon for them.
These guys really know their way around a crime story, in this first of three acts of what would appear a complex and politically layered plot. They hired a researcher to help them make very sure period details were in place, and a colorist, Elizabeth Breitweiser, who adds a special flair to the production. I learned Brubaker's Dad had a Hollywood life, and told stories Ed heard about where the bodies were buried, so to speak, so that's a cool personal aspect of this, for sure. I'm in!
These guys really know their way around a crime story, in this first of three acts of what would appear a complex and politically layered plot. They hired a researcher to help them make very sure period details were in place, and a colorist, Elizabeth Breitweiser, who adds a special flair to the production. I learned Brubaker's Dad had a Hollywood life, and told stories Ed heard about where the bodies were buried, so to speak, so that's a cool personal aspect of this, for sure. I'm in!
June 8, 2015
In post-war Los Angeles a screenwriter wakes up from a blackout drunk to find an actress that was starring in the movie he was working on has been murdered in the next room. Afraid of police scrutiny he flees the scene only to be shocked later when he learns that the movie studio has covered up the crime by making it appear to be a suicide. The writer tries to push aside his guilt and move on with helping to get the picture completed with a replacement actress, but his interactions with a variety of people involved in the film keep putting clues to what happened that night in his path.
Kinda sounds like a James Ellroy novel, doesn’t it? Nope. It’s writer Ed Brubaker and artist Sean Phillips teaming up yet again to deliver a top notch crime comic that feels as if they managed to somehow bottle noir itself and use it as the ink on the page.
Seriously, I’m a little in awe of how Brubaker has regularly managed to blend superheroes with the mystery and spy genres, and when he teams up with Phillips the two of them always hit a whole new level of mixing those elements together to create fantastic comics. This reminds me of the great work they did with the straight up crime stories in their Criminal series, and I’m already looking forward to reading more and see how this old school Hollywood mystery unravels. My only complaint is that this collection felt a little short, but that just leaves more to read later.
Kinda sounds like a James Ellroy novel, doesn’t it? Nope. It’s writer Ed Brubaker and artist Sean Phillips teaming up yet again to deliver a top notch crime comic that feels as if they managed to somehow bottle noir itself and use it as the ink on the page.
Seriously, I’m a little in awe of how Brubaker has regularly managed to blend superheroes with the mystery and spy genres, and when he teams up with Phillips the two of them always hit a whole new level of mixing those elements together to create fantastic comics. This reminds me of the great work they did with the straight up crime stories in their Criminal series, and I’m already looking forward to reading more and see how this old school Hollywood mystery unravels. My only complaint is that this collection felt a little short, but that just leaves more to read later.
August 11, 2023
No one does comic book noir like Brubaker and Phillips. Another riveting read from Ed Brubaker. It's about a screenwriter who has had writer's block since the War. He secretly partners with someone who has been blackballed for being a communist. He realizes some shady things are going on when the star of his latest movie is murdered and covered up.
April 5, 2016
While rereading this first volume, I was surprised how well I remembered its language: not necessarily all the plot details, but Phillips' stylish depictions of post-WWII Hollywood and Brubaker's polished writing - especially Brubaker's polished writing. Whole sentences, in fact. You see, my memory usually isn't the best, so for this to happen the wording itself must have left quite an impression, much more so than I had been aware. And that probably is no coincidence. After my second reading of The Fade Out: Act One, I'd say this is as good as comic-book noir gets. Everything feels conceptually sound, crisp, stylish, completely organic, flawless right down to the last detail. Brubaker and Phillips have outdone themselves here - highly recommended!
February 10, 2017
The Fade Out is the first installment in a graphic novels series set in the Film Noir era, revolving around the murder of an up and coming film star. I was originally interested in it because, who doesn't love film noir, and because I'd never read a graphic novel set in the real world instead of a fantasy setting. Unfortunately, I found this volume pretty disappointing.
The art very much fits the film noir aesthetic, but that was the only positive to me. There is a plethora of mostly white, male characters, and they look so similar that it is incredibly hard to tell them apart. I also found I didn't care about any of their struggles. The most interesting character was the woman who had been murdered, and she is only shown through the lens of the male characters and isn't actually a character moving forward.
I was pretty bored by this installment and don't plan on continuing with this series. This review was originally posted on Thoughts on Tomes
The art very much fits the film noir aesthetic, but that was the only positive to me. There is a plethora of mostly white, male characters, and they look so similar that it is incredibly hard to tell them apart. I also found I didn't care about any of their struggles. The most interesting character was the woman who had been murdered, and she is only shown through the lens of the male characters and isn't actually a character moving forward.
I was pretty bored by this installment and don't plan on continuing with this series. This review was originally posted on Thoughts on Tomes
July 7, 2015
Hooray for Hollywood!
That phoney, super coney Hollywood
They come from Chillicothes and Padukahs
With their bazookas (Huh? Is that a euphemism or did they have trouble coming up with a rhyme for Padukahs) to get their names up in lights.
Nothing like a tale about the steamy, seamy underbelly of the entertainment industry to meet one’s noir needs.
Brubaker and Phillips take a page from James Ellroy (I just read The Big Nowhere so that one comes to mind immediately) and examine the dregs of Tinseltown circa the late ‘40’s. We have Charlie Parish, hack writer, alcoholic, Commie sympathizer, third wheel and World War II vet who also happens to black out when he drinks.
Oh, and during one of his black outs he might have been involved with the murder of a starlet. As Charlie tries to put the pieces together (the War kind of makes his memory tricksy and such), the body count starts to climb.
A bathtub? I usually wake up next to the dumpster behind P. F. Chang’s. Consider yourself lucky, fella.
Anyway, this falls just short of prime Brubaker, but it’s still worth a look.
That phoney, super coney Hollywood
They come from Chillicothes and Padukahs
With their bazookas (Huh? Is that a euphemism or did they have trouble coming up with a rhyme for Padukahs) to get their names up in lights.
Nothing like a tale about the steamy, seamy underbelly of the entertainment industry to meet one’s noir needs.
Brubaker and Phillips take a page from James Ellroy (I just read The Big Nowhere so that one comes to mind immediately) and examine the dregs of Tinseltown circa the late ‘40’s. We have Charlie Parish, hack writer, alcoholic, Commie sympathizer, third wheel and World War II vet who also happens to black out when he drinks.
Oh, and during one of his black outs he might have been involved with the murder of a starlet. As Charlie tries to put the pieces together (the War kind of makes his memory tricksy and such), the body count starts to climb.
A bathtub? I usually wake up next to the dumpster behind P. F. Chang’s. Consider yourself lucky, fella.
Anyway, this falls just short of prime Brubaker, but it’s still worth a look.
November 23, 2015
Hollywoodland, 1948, the tail end of the Golden Era of Film. Charlie Parish is a screenwriter for Victory Street Pictures, one of the largest studios in Los Angeles, who, after a wild party, wakes up near the corpse of his latest film’s starlet, Valeria Sommers. She’d been strangled and left on the floor, just feet away from a passed out Charlie! Besides a police investigation, the death of the leading lady means expensive reshoots for the studio and rewriting for Charlie.
But then later he sees the police report on Valeria: “suicide” with the death photo showing her hanging from a door - there���s corruption afoot! Rape, murder, alcoholism, drug abuse, hell, abuse of all kinds - this is show business, where behind the glitz and glamour lurk dark secrets, mysteries, and danger. What’s Charlie stumbled into?
The Fade Out is a stone cold masterpiece.
Before the first chapter was down I knew this was going to be epic, and, WOW, it is one helluva ride! It’s a corny thing to say but it’s true, and that’s The Fade Out is like a portal into the past. Really! Sure there’s a plot here but Ed Brubaker, Sean Phillips, and Elizabeth Breitweiser have gone further and somehow brought the past to life. They’ve created a living, breathing world that’s so richly atmospheric and real (Brubaker was so committed to period detail he hired a research assistant for this project), it envelopes the reader completely.
And what a fascinating - if sordid - world! Brubaker takes us behind the scenes to reveal drunken brawls between movie stars in studio bungalows, starlets lining up to service celebrities and studio execs in sleazy sex parties, substance abuse, violence, and studio PR hiding it all from the press, including keeping closeted famous actors in the closet (of course none of these things happen in today’s Hollywood… coughTomCruisecough).
While the mystery of the dead starlet plays menacingly in the background, we get to know the key players in the series. Our protagonist is Charlie, the screenwriter who was so traumatised by his experiences in the war, he’s unable to write. So how is he kept on the payroll? His buddy Gil secretly dictates the scripts and Charlie types them up. It’s a shadowy partnership because Gil got blacklisted from all of the studios during the McCarthy witch hunts. But who sold out Gil?
There’s Earl Rath, a Gregory Peck lookalike who’s always chasing the ladies; Maya Silver, Valeria’s replacement and a starlet who’s willing to do anything to get to the top; and Thursby, the studio head, whose own past is mired with illicit dealings. There are more but those characters’ pasts are explored the most in this first volume. Real movie stars like Clark Gable are thrown in to make the world that much more convincing.
The characters are so compelling. They easily make this book stand out as a high quality work and Brubaker ensures no-one is free from blame - not everyone is a villain but everyone’s complicit in the harsh reality of make believe.
The Fade Out is such a smooth read, it doesn’t feel like reading. With the words on the page, it’s more like watching a brilliant, stylish subtitled movie (about the movie business!) so it’s easy to take for granted Sean Phillips’ artwork. But every single page is first rate and, coupled with Brubaker’s script, they fly by.
And then you come across a panel without words and the imagery stops you dead. For me that panel was Charlie stepping into his apartment building at night in a dingy part of town, and it was stunning. So elegant, so understated in its beauty - amazing. Colourist Elizabeth Breitweiser is the icing on the cake with her choice of aquamarine for the sky and the land, the colour bleeding together in the panel? Inspired!
In The Fade Out, everyone has secrets and there’s a tantalising mystery at its core, but this first volume doesn’t have much of an arc. That’s fine though when the characters are so well created like they are here. It’s the first volume and I can’t wait to read more about both the plot and the characters.
I loved Criminal (which is getting relaunched this year, hooray!) but The Fade Out, for me, is now definitely the best of the Brubaker/Phillips collaborations. James Ellroy fans especially will get a kick out of this as it’s very much in the vein of LA Confidential and The Black Dahlia, though I recommend this book to EVERYONE! Besides being Brubaker/Phillips' finest, The Fade Out is easily one of the year’s best comics!
Cut!
But then later he sees the police report on Valeria: “suicide” with the death photo showing her hanging from a door - there���s corruption afoot! Rape, murder, alcoholism, drug abuse, hell, abuse of all kinds - this is show business, where behind the glitz and glamour lurk dark secrets, mysteries, and danger. What’s Charlie stumbled into?
The Fade Out is a stone cold masterpiece.
Before the first chapter was down I knew this was going to be epic, and, WOW, it is one helluva ride! It’s a corny thing to say but it’s true, and that’s The Fade Out is like a portal into the past. Really! Sure there’s a plot here but Ed Brubaker, Sean Phillips, and Elizabeth Breitweiser have gone further and somehow brought the past to life. They’ve created a living, breathing world that’s so richly atmospheric and real (Brubaker was so committed to period detail he hired a research assistant for this project), it envelopes the reader completely.
And what a fascinating - if sordid - world! Brubaker takes us behind the scenes to reveal drunken brawls between movie stars in studio bungalows, starlets lining up to service celebrities and studio execs in sleazy sex parties, substance abuse, violence, and studio PR hiding it all from the press, including keeping closeted famous actors in the closet (of course none of these things happen in today’s Hollywood… coughTomCruisecough).
While the mystery of the dead starlet plays menacingly in the background, we get to know the key players in the series. Our protagonist is Charlie, the screenwriter who was so traumatised by his experiences in the war, he’s unable to write. So how is he kept on the payroll? His buddy Gil secretly dictates the scripts and Charlie types them up. It’s a shadowy partnership because Gil got blacklisted from all of the studios during the McCarthy witch hunts. But who sold out Gil?
There’s Earl Rath, a Gregory Peck lookalike who’s always chasing the ladies; Maya Silver, Valeria’s replacement and a starlet who’s willing to do anything to get to the top; and Thursby, the studio head, whose own past is mired with illicit dealings. There are more but those characters’ pasts are explored the most in this first volume. Real movie stars like Clark Gable are thrown in to make the world that much more convincing.
The characters are so compelling. They easily make this book stand out as a high quality work and Brubaker ensures no-one is free from blame - not everyone is a villain but everyone’s complicit in the harsh reality of make believe.
The Fade Out is such a smooth read, it doesn’t feel like reading. With the words on the page, it’s more like watching a brilliant, stylish subtitled movie (about the movie business!) so it’s easy to take for granted Sean Phillips’ artwork. But every single page is first rate and, coupled with Brubaker’s script, they fly by.
And then you come across a panel without words and the imagery stops you dead. For me that panel was Charlie stepping into his apartment building at night in a dingy part of town, and it was stunning. So elegant, so understated in its beauty - amazing. Colourist Elizabeth Breitweiser is the icing on the cake with her choice of aquamarine for the sky and the land, the colour bleeding together in the panel? Inspired!
In The Fade Out, everyone has secrets and there’s a tantalising mystery at its core, but this first volume doesn’t have much of an arc. That’s fine though when the characters are so well created like they are here. It’s the first volume and I can’t wait to read more about both the plot and the characters.
I loved Criminal (which is getting relaunched this year, hooray!) but The Fade Out, for me, is now definitely the best of the Brubaker/Phillips collaborations. James Ellroy fans especially will get a kick out of this as it’s very much in the vein of LA Confidential and The Black Dahlia, though I recommend this book to EVERYONE! Besides being Brubaker/Phillips' finest, The Fade Out is easily one of the year’s best comics!
Cut!
October 28, 2015
There is something to be said about an author who manages to make a basic noir plot set in post-WWII Hollywood exciting. The genre has become so formulaic over the years it's pretty much become a cliché in itself: sex, drugs, scandal, murder, blah blah blah. Enter Ed Brubaker. I think I'm a little in love. I wouldn't say he did to the noir genre what he did to James Bond in Velvet (where clichés were appropriately shaken *and* stirred) but he came pretty close.
Granted, the story has an unoriginal premise: a Hollywood writer wakes up in a strange place after drinking himself to oblivion and finds the dead body of an up-and-comic actress in the next room. Think this is boring and oh-so conventional? Don't yawn just yet! Because Brubaker is here to work his magic. I picked this up thinking I'd read a few pages and finish it the next day. Silly little me, I couldn't put it down. The characters are complex and the plot is compelling. What makes it really interesting is that Brubaker keeps adding new layers to the story as it progresses, giving it much more depth.
Sean Phillips' art might not be as atmospheric as Steve Epting's in Velvet but it really adds to the noir setting. The panels are brilliantly laid out and the color scheme complements the story perfectly. This is pretty awesome stuff.
And look at that cover! And at all the covers for the individual issues! I love them so much I'm actually tempted to buy each of them separately. Too bad my bank account doesn't agree.
But I have to admit one thing really really really pissed me of here. That ending? Seriously? When I don't have volume 2 handy and have yet to order it?! You have got to be kidding me. How am I supposed to sit here and wait for 8 whole freaking days until it gets here?! Not so in love with you right now Mr Brubaker. I guess all that's left for me to do is to read Fatale while I bite my nails in frantic anticipation. Then again I could also reread James Ellroy's L.A. Quartet series. Yeah, that could definitely work.
Granted, the story has an unoriginal premise: a Hollywood writer wakes up in a strange place after drinking himself to oblivion and finds the dead body of an up-and-comic actress in the next room. Think this is boring and oh-so conventional? Don't yawn just yet! Because Brubaker is here to work his magic. I picked this up thinking I'd read a few pages and finish it the next day. Silly little me, I couldn't put it down. The characters are complex and the plot is compelling. What makes it really interesting is that Brubaker keeps adding new layers to the story as it progresses, giving it much more depth.
Sean Phillips' art might not be as atmospheric as Steve Epting's in Velvet but it really adds to the noir setting. The panels are brilliantly laid out and the color scheme complements the story perfectly. This is pretty awesome stuff.
And look at that cover! And at all the covers for the individual issues! I love them so much I'm actually tempted to buy each of them separately. Too bad my bank account doesn't agree.
But I have to admit one thing really really really pissed me of here. That ending? Seriously? When I don't have volume 2 handy and have yet to order it?! You have got to be kidding me. How am I supposed to sit here and wait for 8 whole freaking days until it gets here?! Not so in love with you right now Mr Brubaker. I guess all that's left for me to do is to read Fatale while I bite my nails in frantic anticipation. Then again I could also reread James Ellroy's L.A. Quartet series. Yeah, that could definitely work.
September 16, 2023
Read as part of The Fade Out Complete Collection.
November 25, 2015
Los Angeles 1948. Charlie Parish wakes up after a wild party in an actress apartment. The problem is that the actress is lying in the apartment murdered. Charlie sneaks away from the apartment and is later stunned when he finds out that the murder has been covered up as a suicide. Now is he plagued by guilt that he didn't report it and he also knows that there is a murderer out there...
A really good story that actually captured my interest more than I thought it would. I was a bit surprised how much I enjoyed the graphic novel, mostly because I wasn't really that fond of the art, it was OK, but nothing spectacular. But when I came to the ending, I just wanted more, so now I'm waiting to read vol. 2!
I received this copy from the publisher through Netgalley in return for an honest review!
A really good story that actually captured my interest more than I thought it would. I was a bit surprised how much I enjoyed the graphic novel, mostly because I wasn't really that fond of the art, it was OK, but nothing spectacular. But when I came to the ending, I just wanted more, so now I'm waiting to read vol. 2!
I received this copy from the publisher through Netgalley in return for an honest review!
July 11, 2018
The Fade Out is everything you could want from a noir-inspired graphic novel. It's set in the late forties in Hollywood in brilliant artwork and is filled with pulpy themes like the lead character, the screenwriter, waking up after a party knocked out drunk with a beautiful corpse just feet away from him. Pretending he knew nothing about it. Hollywood is filled with glamour here, but the producers are all hands on with the willing female talent, the stars rampage drunkenly through town, and the local authorities are all bought and paid for by the studios. It's filled with the Commie scare and Hollywood blacklisting. Mean, tough, and just a real good story.
July 5, 2015
4.5 stars!
This was brilliant, Brubaker is fast becoming my favourite writer and Sean Philips is definitely my favourite artist. I would like to give this five stars just for the artwork, it's sublime and fits the time piece and story perfectly. It was like walking on the set of that old film 'Sunset boulevard'. I loved that film and this is very similar. It's about movie stars, writers, directors, producers, ego's, womanising, secrets, blackmail, homicide and mystery.
An actress is killed and someone covers it up, they say she committed suicide, but the writer, 'Charlie' knows different and let's it slip to his best friend who seems to be an alcoholic. Can he be trusted to keep the secret??!
This book has a lot of charm and again, it's Brubaker's exceptional ability to wright crime noir stories effortlessly. This story was good and really kicks in at the end of this volume, but it was the artwork that drew me in and kept me hooked. At some points I would just stop and stare at the pages and notice the detail in the colouring and sketching.
Bloody brilliant.
This was brilliant, Brubaker is fast becoming my favourite writer and Sean Philips is definitely my favourite artist. I would like to give this five stars just for the artwork, it's sublime and fits the time piece and story perfectly. It was like walking on the set of that old film 'Sunset boulevard'. I loved that film and this is very similar. It's about movie stars, writers, directors, producers, ego's, womanising, secrets, blackmail, homicide and mystery.
An actress is killed and someone covers it up, they say she committed suicide, but the writer, 'Charlie' knows different and let's it slip to his best friend who seems to be an alcoholic. Can he be trusted to keep the secret??!
This book has a lot of charm and again, it's Brubaker's exceptional ability to wright crime noir stories effortlessly. This story was good and really kicks in at the end of this volume, but it was the artwork that drew me in and kept me hooked. At some points I would just stop and stare at the pages and notice the detail in the colouring and sketching.
Bloody brilliant.
November 10, 2021
Gorgeous, gritty artwork and an excellent post-war noir atmosphere full of slick and slimy Hollywood types. It has a kind of James Ellroy feel, with everyone either a victim or a predator, sullied to some extent by the overwhelmingly corrupt environment. Be warned that Act One is apparently all setup for the two later volumes. I'm not sure I would have started this had I known that.
September 9, 2015
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.
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.
June 8, 2024
After Fatale, it almost seems weird to read a Brubaker and Phillips comic without blood and gore on every other page (not that Fatale ever over did it). But there's just as much sex and character paranoia and downfall as their other books. It's set in 1940s Hollywood, which is the creative teams favourite period and why most of their work has a very noiry feel to it.
I'll be honest, it's a comic I probably wouldn't read if not for the creative team. It's a lot of men in suits talking and smoking and there's not always a lot going on at times, but it's drawn by sean Phillips and has the usual inner monologue of Brubaker. So if you like both those things, you'll probably like this.
I'll be honest, it's a comic I probably wouldn't read if not for the creative team. It's a lot of men in suits talking and smoking and there's not always a lot going on at times, but it's drawn by sean Phillips and has the usual inner monologue of Brubaker. So if you like both those things, you'll probably like this.
November 2, 2018
It was always little things that unlocked the blackout doors. Details... the lipstick makes him remember a smile. The smile leads to a voice...then a face. And that's how Charlie realized whose house he'd woken up in...right before he found her lying dead on the living room floor.
Bars, blackouts, limelight and lowlifes. The Fade Out is A-grade noir set in the Hollywood's golden era of film, where stars shone their brightest and studio cover-ups were commonplace - it was a time where murder was more hindrance than heinous .
When screenwriter Charlie Parish stumbled upon starlet Valeria Sommers lifeless body less than twenty feet from where he was sleeping off 'the night before' in a bathtub, his first thought was to cover his tracks, his second thought, was the studio, the third - panic, for last night was drowned out in a watery wall of booze.
What follows is a murder mystery, a studio cover-up to make Sommers' untimely death a suicide, and the introduction of a bunch of seedy bit players all with something to gain by ignoring the murder.
The only thing holding The Fade Out (Act One) back is the incomplete ending. Rather than tying loose ends, the story progressively evolves as the fictitious Hollywood branches out into new character side stories - each interesting enough but given this arc ran for 4 issues, the core plot element is largely left unresolved.
A brief note on the art: Fantastic, moody, perfectly captures the essence of noir soaked Hollywood.
My rating: 4/5 stars. As mentioned early, The Fade Out (Act One) lacks a conclusion and fails to deliver a single cohesive and self contained story, rather, continuing to build an elaborate and intrinsically linked cast of characters with backstories as dark as the back-alleys they deal. I loved this story arc, but think it would've been better with an extra issue or two, conceptually - 5/5.
Bars, blackouts, limelight and lowlifes. The Fade Out is A-grade noir set in the Hollywood's golden era of film, where stars shone their brightest and studio cover-ups were commonplace - it was a time where murder was more hindrance than heinous .
When screenwriter Charlie Parish stumbled upon starlet Valeria Sommers lifeless body less than twenty feet from where he was sleeping off 'the night before' in a bathtub, his first thought was to cover his tracks, his second thought, was the studio, the third - panic, for last night was drowned out in a watery wall of booze.
What follows is a murder mystery, a studio cover-up to make Sommers' untimely death a suicide, and the introduction of a bunch of seedy bit players all with something to gain by ignoring the murder.
The only thing holding The Fade Out (Act One) back is the incomplete ending. Rather than tying loose ends, the story progressively evolves as the fictitious Hollywood branches out into new character side stories - each interesting enough but given this arc ran for 4 issues, the core plot element is largely left unresolved.
A brief note on the art: Fantastic, moody, perfectly captures the essence of noir soaked Hollywood.
My rating: 4/5 stars. As mentioned early, The Fade Out (Act One) lacks a conclusion and fails to deliver a single cohesive and self contained story, rather, continuing to build an elaborate and intrinsically linked cast of characters with backstories as dark as the back-alleys they deal. I loved this story arc, but think it would've been better with an extra issue or two, conceptually - 5/5.
July 13, 2019
This story is bland. The Fade Out is about a noir film actress being murdered and the several cover ups that surround it.
A lot of the characters are sexist and racist, and I understand that it takes place in 1948 but it’s just boring to read about successful white men being sexist and racist.
The art style bothered me a bit because the characters would like vastly different in different panels. The only way I could figure out who was who was because they mostly wore the same outfits, but yeah, the consistent illustration was not there.
I bought Acts 1-3 at a book sale so I’m going to continue the next two installments, but I didn’t really enjoy this.
A lot of the characters are sexist and racist, and I understand that it takes place in 1948 but it’s just boring to read about successful white men being sexist and racist.
The art style bothered me a bit because the characters would like vastly different in different panels. The only way I could figure out who was who was because they mostly wore the same outfits, but yeah, the consistent illustration was not there.
I bought Acts 1-3 at a book sale so I’m going to continue the next two installments, but I didn’t really enjoy this.
June 4, 2022
Hollywood noir with a penchant for alcoholic protagonists and pages of what appear to be gratuitous female nudity. I can’t admit that I was ever engrossed despite the intriguing milieu. Even cults and communists couldn’t make this interesting. It felt completely derivative and without a heady reconfiguration.
September 2, 2015
Bullet Review:
She likes it! She really likes it!
I did! It was dark and gritty, mysterious and adult. It's almost like that horrible movie, "Black Dahlia", only well done.
I didn't care for Charlie but I almost never like the male protagonist wash-out. No, what I loved was the atmosphere, the golden shiny exterior of Golden Age Hollywood and revealing the dirty bits inside, the nuanced characters, the smell of fear and filth and sleaze and drugs and sex and smoke and booze.
I don't typically LIKE this era because it's so overdone, but this almost makes me want to change my mind. If all post-WWII media were like this, the underside of the Golden Age of Film, the sweat and fear of McCarthyismm, blowing apart the myth of the Perfect Nuclear Family (seriously, my grandmother had a shotgun wedding, and all my grandparents have been divorced at least once - so much for that "perfect wonderful family" image, amirite?), I think I could finally put away the groans and embrace this.
My feelings when I got to the last page? "Can't wait for Act 2!"
She likes it! She really likes it!
I did! It was dark and gritty, mysterious and adult. It's almost like that horrible movie, "Black Dahlia", only well done.
I didn't care for Charlie but I almost never like the male protagonist wash-out. No, what I loved was the atmosphere, the golden shiny exterior of Golden Age Hollywood and revealing the dirty bits inside, the nuanced characters, the smell of fear and filth and sleaze and drugs and sex and smoke and booze.
I don't typically LIKE this era because it's so overdone, but this almost makes me want to change my mind. If all post-WWII media were like this, the underside of the Golden Age of Film, the sweat and fear of McCarthyismm, blowing apart the myth of the Perfect Nuclear Family (seriously, my grandmother had a shotgun wedding, and all my grandparents have been divorced at least once - so much for that "perfect wonderful family" image, amirite?), I think I could finally put away the groans and embrace this.
My feelings when I got to the last page? "Can't wait for Act 2!"
February 22, 2023
if you like this review, i now have website: www.michaelkamakana.com
130719 first review: second reading. rather than review each act of ‘fade out’ separately, this will cover them all. i do not know how i gave this less than five before, as it does capture several interests: film noir, crime pulp, 40s into 50s america, dream and nightmare... some years (decades...) past, i worked video rental place, I took film studies at u, i watched a lot of films, i knew some history of hollywood and the era just after ww2 when studios are broken up, blacklist on writers, dream machine smothers anything like art...
and then i stop. i no longer watch near as much, mostly i think because movies are social experience and my tastes are somewhat different or avant-garde or basically not what others want to watch.. my hearing is injured, i need subtitles, i no longer want to live in that past as i now have my own past, i no longer have someone in particular to watch with etc... so this book is sentimental favorite as well as, now, being more educated about graphic works, i can see it is beautifully constructed...
three acts. noir character (s) and plot (s). patsy, femmes, money, corruption... great use of cinematic techniques: close-up, pan, tracking, zoom, cuts, mise-en scene of shadows, high perspectives, venetian blinds... very concise, we see only what we need to follow the story. and this is always no more than our viewpoint, who has that typical noir defect of passing out drunk and forgetting important things... but this is individual-authored and not industrial production so you get more than movies... more like chandler... heartbreak order of the day, that is no less than ‘chinatown’ in graphic format...
230212: first review: third reading. again review of all three. not much to add but that I still really really really love it. and more interest in commie-hunting paranoia than prosecuting child sexual abuse...
130719 first review: second reading. rather than review each act of ‘fade out’ separately, this will cover them all. i do not know how i gave this less than five before, as it does capture several interests: film noir, crime pulp, 40s into 50s america, dream and nightmare... some years (decades...) past, i worked video rental place, I took film studies at u, i watched a lot of films, i knew some history of hollywood and the era just after ww2 when studios are broken up, blacklist on writers, dream machine smothers anything like art...
and then i stop. i no longer watch near as much, mostly i think because movies are social experience and my tastes are somewhat different or avant-garde or basically not what others want to watch.. my hearing is injured, i need subtitles, i no longer want to live in that past as i now have my own past, i no longer have someone in particular to watch with etc... so this book is sentimental favorite as well as, now, being more educated about graphic works, i can see it is beautifully constructed...
three acts. noir character (s) and plot (s). patsy, femmes, money, corruption... great use of cinematic techniques: close-up, pan, tracking, zoom, cuts, mise-en scene of shadows, high perspectives, venetian blinds... very concise, we see only what we need to follow the story. and this is always no more than our viewpoint, who has that typical noir defect of passing out drunk and forgetting important things... but this is individual-authored and not industrial production so you get more than movies... more like chandler... heartbreak order of the day, that is no less than ‘chinatown’ in graphic format...
230212: first review: third reading. again review of all three. not much to add but that I still really really really love it. and more interest in commie-hunting paranoia than prosecuting child sexual abuse...
December 8, 2021
Definitely not knock-me-out-amazing, but still very good. The mystery has my attention enough to go for vol 2. I'm not huge on the artwork but the colors are handled well and the writing is solid.
September 29, 2016
I had no clue what I was getting myself into when reading this graphic novel and now that I have finished reading it I can say that this series is spell-binding, suspenseful, and provides the dark side of old glamour Hollywood! I will definitely be reading the rest of the series and I highly recommend to pick this up and invest a few hours of pure entertainment.
1948
Hollywood, California
The Fade Out introduces us to a man named Charlie Parish who is slowly waking up from his hangover and he is trying to connect the missing dots to his memory. He immediately knows something is quite wrong because he's not at home and instead in one of the apartments that the film studio provides and sure enough when he makes most of the connections he figures the impending doom that awaits which is the death of an actress who has been choked to death. There is blood and other incriminating evidence and Charlie believes he is innocent but does not want to leave any suspecting evidence that can frame him so he wipes the evidence away and rushes out the door pretending that he did not witness anything.
The story shifts to different characters and for the most part we see how the death of Valeria Sommers affects everyone while maintaining Charlie as the main character. He feels awful that by tampering with evidence it closes the window for justice but the scary moment arrives when he discovers that the film studio is covering up her murder by saying she committed suicide and they are getting away with it.
Charlie has mixed feelings through the course of the story because on one hand he is dealing with traumatic events from WW2 that has caused him to suffer from writers block. Since we are entering the blacklist era of Hollywood, Gil Mason who is a screenwriter and close friend of Charlie is being blacklisted from Hollywood. Gil realized that Charlie has lost for the meantime the talent of writing screenplays so to save both their asses, Gil told Charlie to give his name to the list of Communist people so that way they both still have a job and are getting paid for it.
Throughout the whole graphic novel, you are trying to figure out who could the murderer possibly be and Ed Brubaker is brilliant at keeping the suspense alive by drops bits of information that sucks you into the story and will make you beg for more. I have never read or seen anything that deals with Noir so it is refreshing entering this series with blind eyes. I love the illustrations with the wild and chaotic colors in the background to showcase the intensity of the situation.
When reading this graphic novel I could not help myself picturing this as a film or a miniseries because if they were ever to adapt this series to the screens it will translate well and still maintain that whiff of mystery. While all these characters are fictional it was interesting to discover characters who are actual real Hollywood actors and makes the crossover smoothly and fascinating. It breaks the 4th wall in my opinion and blends the story around making it a foggy memory as if this story was real just like Charlie's memories.
This book scared me a bit and not in the sense of Horror but by the shroud of mystery over this poor girls death. Valeria Sommers reminds me of a mixture between Lauren Bacall and Veronica Lake. Hollywood in that period was a dangerous field to be invested in because everyone wanted to become famous so there are many film studios that took advantage with leading actresses because if they did not give in to sexual favors or other filthy acts of horror they could lose the deal of being the star in the film. This theme of ugliness is shown in pieces throughout the narrative and I have no doubt that it will get worst in the future.
I know this story is fictional but it makes me wonder how many stories are out there hidden in peoples memory never to see the light of day on how Hollywood took innocent people and turn them either into monsters or unrecognizable version of themselves that ruined lives, marriages, and families all to have their dazzling faces up on the big screen. There are countless rumors and conspiracies that still lurk today when it comes to talking about the past and for many people including Valeria Sommers their deaths can remain as a mystery forever.
I do not know why but this book reminded me a lot of Hollywoodland with Ben Affleck which was a great film when I saw it many years ago and it had that vibe throughout the book so I am curious what will happen in the upcoming volumes and see if they can keep this perfect flow going until the grand finale!
1948
Hollywood, California
The Fade Out introduces us to a man named Charlie Parish who is slowly waking up from his hangover and he is trying to connect the missing dots to his memory. He immediately knows something is quite wrong because he's not at home and instead in one of the apartments that the film studio provides and sure enough when he makes most of the connections he figures the impending doom that awaits which is the death of an actress who has been choked to death. There is blood and other incriminating evidence and Charlie believes he is innocent but does not want to leave any suspecting evidence that can frame him so he wipes the evidence away and rushes out the door pretending that he did not witness anything.
The story shifts to different characters and for the most part we see how the death of Valeria Sommers affects everyone while maintaining Charlie as the main character. He feels awful that by tampering with evidence it closes the window for justice but the scary moment arrives when he discovers that the film studio is covering up her murder by saying she committed suicide and they are getting away with it.
Charlie has mixed feelings through the course of the story because on one hand he is dealing with traumatic events from WW2 that has caused him to suffer from writers block. Since we are entering the blacklist era of Hollywood, Gil Mason who is a screenwriter and close friend of Charlie is being blacklisted from Hollywood. Gil realized that Charlie has lost for the meantime the talent of writing screenplays so to save both their asses, Gil told Charlie to give his name to the list of Communist people so that way they both still have a job and are getting paid for it.
Throughout the whole graphic novel, you are trying to figure out who could the murderer possibly be and Ed Brubaker is brilliant at keeping the suspense alive by drops bits of information that sucks you into the story and will make you beg for more. I have never read or seen anything that deals with Noir so it is refreshing entering this series with blind eyes. I love the illustrations with the wild and chaotic colors in the background to showcase the intensity of the situation.
When reading this graphic novel I could not help myself picturing this as a film or a miniseries because if they were ever to adapt this series to the screens it will translate well and still maintain that whiff of mystery. While all these characters are fictional it was interesting to discover characters who are actual real Hollywood actors and makes the crossover smoothly and fascinating. It breaks the 4th wall in my opinion and blends the story around making it a foggy memory as if this story was real just like Charlie's memories.
This book scared me a bit and not in the sense of Horror but by the shroud of mystery over this poor girls death. Valeria Sommers reminds me of a mixture between Lauren Bacall and Veronica Lake. Hollywood in that period was a dangerous field to be invested in because everyone wanted to become famous so there are many film studios that took advantage with leading actresses because if they did not give in to sexual favors or other filthy acts of horror they could lose the deal of being the star in the film. This theme of ugliness is shown in pieces throughout the narrative and I have no doubt that it will get worst in the future.
I know this story is fictional but it makes me wonder how many stories are out there hidden in peoples memory never to see the light of day on how Hollywood took innocent people and turn them either into monsters or unrecognizable version of themselves that ruined lives, marriages, and families all to have their dazzling faces up on the big screen. There are countless rumors and conspiracies that still lurk today when it comes to talking about the past and for many people including Valeria Sommers their deaths can remain as a mystery forever.
I do not know why but this book reminded me a lot of Hollywoodland with Ben Affleck which was a great film when I saw it many years ago and it had that vibe throughout the book so I am curious what will happen in the upcoming volumes and see if they can keep this perfect flow going until the grand finale!
August 24, 2020
There is really only one thing wrong with this book: it's too short!
Frequent collaborators Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips have already brought us The Sleeper Omnibus, Criminal: The Deluxe Edition, Vol. 1 & Criminal: The Deluxe Edition, Vol. 2, Incognito: The Classified Edition, as well as Fatale, Vol. 1: Death Chases Me and its four (so far) subsequent volumes. As far as crime comics go (arguably, even crime fiction), these are top-notch books.
Don't be surprised when I tell you that this first collected edition of their new series is already shaping up to be worthy of the same praise. With only 4 issues collected, however, the pleasure ends way too soon. Best thing to do is just to re-read a couple times it until the next volume comes out.
More, please.
Frequent collaborators Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips have already brought us The Sleeper Omnibus, Criminal: The Deluxe Edition, Vol. 1 & Criminal: The Deluxe Edition, Vol. 2, Incognito: The Classified Edition, as well as Fatale, Vol. 1: Death Chases Me and its four (so far) subsequent volumes. As far as crime comics go (arguably, even crime fiction), these are top-notch books.
Don't be surprised when I tell you that this first collected edition of their new series is already shaping up to be worthy of the same praise. With only 4 issues collected, however, the pleasure ends way too soon. Best thing to do is just to re-read a couple times it until the next volume comes out.
More, please.
November 23, 2015
Hollywood! Casting couches, blacklisted screenwriters, glitzy stars, murder and corruption. What more can you ask for?
But damn it! It's the first part of, what, a trilogy? I'm an American. I hate waiting. Oh well, suck it up, Tom. while you wait you can work on an "Anything that's worth having is worth waiting for" needlepoint.
But damn it! It's the first part of, what, a trilogy? I'm an American. I hate waiting. Oh well, suck it up, Tom. while you wait you can work on an "Anything that's worth having is worth waiting for" needlepoint.
February 25, 2016
...SOMETHING IN THE AIR MADE IT EASIER TO BELIEVE LIES.
This is my first graphic novel and YESSSS it wont be my last LOL! It was a weird ending though, but I'm looking forward to finishing it. I really am anxious to know what happens next.
This is my first graphic novel and YESSSS it wont be my last LOL! It was a weird ending though, but I'm looking forward to finishing it. I really am anxious to know what happens next.
April 3, 2015
Charlie wakes up from a black out drunk night in a tub, in a house that isn’t his. Means he must have had a great time right? Nope, not so much. Because there happens to be body of a murdered actress in the adjoining room.
Unsure of what to do, and knowing that this would reflect poorly on him, Charlie decides to do the honorable thing… or not. He erases all evidence that he was there, leaving the body for someone else to find.
When he does eventually hear news about her death, it has been ruled a suicide. Sounds like conspiracy is afoot! This is the end of the Hollywood golden age after all, where all the sex, murder, drugs are covered up. And this is clearly no different. What follows is Charlie’s struggles with what he has done and recognizing the harsh realities of the world.
The artwork and text are well done, and blend perfectly. I also found the use of real actors and characters based on other ones allows for the creation of a very captivating world.
The reason why this didn’t get more stars from me is because this whole book seemed to be about contemplation and complaining without any real action or resolution. That being said, the ending does promise an improvement in this category in the next issues to come.
(I received this free ebook from NetGalley in exchange for this honest, if poorly written, review.)
Unsure of what to do, and knowing that this would reflect poorly on him, Charlie decides to do the honorable thing… or not. He erases all evidence that he was there, leaving the body for someone else to find.
When he does eventually hear news about her death, it has been ruled a suicide. Sounds like conspiracy is afoot! This is the end of the Hollywood golden age after all, where all the sex, murder, drugs are covered up. And this is clearly no different. What follows is Charlie’s struggles with what he has done and recognizing the harsh realities of the world.
The artwork and text are well done, and blend perfectly. I also found the use of real actors and characters based on other ones allows for the creation of a very captivating world.
The reason why this didn’t get more stars from me is because this whole book seemed to be about contemplation and complaining without any real action or resolution. That being said, the ending does promise an improvement in this category in the next issues to come.
(I received this free ebook from NetGalley in exchange for this honest, if poorly written, review.)
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