The Fade Out: The Complete Collection

This is a superb read - a tale of 1940s Hollywood, blacklisted screenwriters and Communist witch-hunts, war-haunted alcoholic screenwriters, a murdered starlet, and movie moguls and their security goons… it’s beautifully drawn and moves along at a terrific pace. Read it now!

Brubaker and Phillips, as always, deliver!

This is a stunning piece of noir artwork. Gripping story that made me hate and love the same characters. Perfectly drawn and colour. A gripping story. I felt right in the moment as if I was present in the silver screen of the 40’s and 50’s a must read for all film noir thriller fans

Vivid characters, an intriguing plot and outstanding artwork.

Great noir/detective story without detectives.

Ed Brubaker is famous for a lot of graphic novels, they range from superhero stuff to hard boiled crime stuff like the 'Criminal' series. He's not so famous for 'The Fade Out' which is a crime too.I say that because this is reflective of a deep interest in 40s style noir. The story setup is excellent with an unexplained event of foul play with the MC dragged into it by merely waking up hung over and not remembering the previous night.The characterisation is what shines though, all the classic noir stereotypes are here, the down and out screen writers, the stunning female stars who fall in love with the wrong guys, the corrupt director money spinners, the cheated housewives, and hired goon hardnuts. Each of them shine and inject their own purpose to an overarching story of love, lust, betrayal and murder.Furthermore, it excels in artistic panels assisted by Sean Phillips. The sultry, wry little looks speak more than the words sometimes and encases the reader in an atmosphere that suggests nothing is what it seems.Without any spoilers, the ending is pure grit and so hard to take. It's straight from classic noir devices that is little used in modern writing. However, that's why it's also brilliant. The good guys come out bad, the bad guys come out worse, deal with it, it's life's unexpected.I'd encourage anyone to give this kind of work a go as it may be an eye opener. It was an absolute treat to read and it's kinda good that these stories don't often get sequels as it wraps things up well, despite and ending that's hard to swallow.Note: It brushes shoulders with real life stars not just with namedrops, but actually features Clarke Gable, which is neat.

A well written and illustrated book by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips their best since Velvet which is also worth checking out.,not forgetting Elizabeth Breitweisers excellent color pallet cant wait for whats in store by this trio.