The Fade Out, Vol. 2

'Fade Out' is the top level, totally 'Classic' noire graphic novel from Sean Phillips, Ed Brubaker and colorist Emily Breitweiler. It is important for new fans to start at the beginning and to move through the volumes in order to get the great impact written into the story. Artistically, the writer 'Charlie' looks a lot like 'Jacob', the artist in the 'Criminal Series.' Anyway, here the character is a washed up writer who teams with his Black Listed friend, Gil to do a movie script for a classic 'Golden Age' 1950's film studio. The project hits a snag when the female lead is murdered. 'The Show Must Go On' as far as the studio heads are concerned and a starlet is found to begin anew. Both the deceased and the new babe are attracted to Charlie...and so is the studio PR kitten. Lots of sexy situations here...and Charlie ends up in bed more than you would think happens to writers. The art is 'period' accurate and atmospheric and the lines are given increased aura by the fine coloring found throughout the series. This is like a Hollywood Noir picture brought visually and in text to the page. I own two volumes in Kindle E-books and purchased this in soft cover. Either format works find for viewing and for reading.

The Fade Out: Act Two is the second book in what I think is one of the five or ten best series in comics today. I started reading it in floppy form, and the other titles I read this way are East of West, Lazarus,Saga, Southern Bastards, and Velvet, so if you like those comics, you'll probably like this one. The Fade Out:Act Two continues the story of Charlie Parish, the 1940s screenwriter who woke up with a dead starlet in his bungalow and no memory of the night before.Ed Brubaker is really in his wheelhouse with this one. He's really great at creating dark, moving comics,and what better setting than behind the scenes of a noir film? Sean Phillips, who has worked with Brubaker in the past, renders fine details throughout the series. Still, I get the feeling that Act Two was more of a “placeholder” collection. It does have a funny moment or two, and the finale is excellent, but I'm only rating it ****1/4.

Another great outing from Brubaker and Phillips. Would highly recommend to any noir fan. Read this book :) :) :)

Came in perfect condition and is an amazing series. For Film Noir lovers, this is the series for you. A Hollywood Mystery set after WWII and during the blacklisting of Communist screen writers. The times were tough and they keep getting tougher for these Hollywood Starlets and writer. A must have for any collector of great stories. Came on time too.

Product said “good” condition however, it was very used and warn. If that is “good” condition I’d hate to see anything considered anything below good..

The story and the artwork are utterly engaging. There no escaping the pull of the story as we become emotionally connected to the flawed characters and interested in the plot. Set in the Hollywood film industry during the red scare, this is a masterful work. Highly recommended.

Go for it! if you enjoyed Brubarker's and Phillips work in Criminal,Incognito or Sleepers (and if you don't know what I am talking about,please get'em right now!) you really cannot miss this shot.

thank you

The middle portion of a story like this is always going to struggle to provide the freshness of the first arc or the impact of the conclusion that will follow it. That being said The Fade Out is one of the best comics currently being made with an nuanced mature narrative and simple yet extremely effective artwork. We learn a lot about the dark side of Hollywood and the ongoing mystery surrounding our Charlie and the dead starlet Val Sommers. I highly recommend the whole series, but this book doesn't work as a solitary offering. You won't get it if you haven't read the previous volume.

Brubaker and Phillips - what's not to like? Comics don't get better than this. My only quibble is that, much as I'm enjoying the ride, it is starting to feel a little spun out. With the Criminal series, Brubaker can tell a whole story in 120 pages. Here we get mystery piling on mystery, but I'm hoping the next volume will, if not pull it all together, at least tie up some story threads in order to feed it on to the next stage.

Great book from great writer and Artist

Can Ed Brubaker do any wrong? NO!

Intriguing mystery despite what I'd call generic characters; Artwork has a coloured noir feel. Definitely re-readable--enough of the mystery is hidden so that it keeps you turning pages to want to find out what exactly has happened.