So, this wasn't a perfect 5 star story for me, simply because the ending to the mystery felt kinda flat and rushed. I had a hard time not putting up more images because there are just so many moments that stand out visually. I loved that you got a glimpse of some famous faces mixed up in this, too.Īnd the art? Everything about it was pretty much a perfect compliment to the story. It was just an extra layer of interesting that added to the smokey/boozy/cool vibe that oozes off the pages. On top of the regular smarmy movie mogul stuff, you also have Hoover's FBI on a witch hunt for communism in the Hollywood community. The story opens with him waking up in the same house as a dead starlet, minus any memory of the night before.ĭoesn't exactly make him the most sympathetic character, you know?īut Brubaker manages to make you not only care about this extremely flawed guy, but also the rest of the cast of damaged people. The main protagonist is a functioning alcoholic with writer's block, who has a thinly veiled obsession with 'celebrity' that manifests itself in his day job as a screenwriter. I guess what I'm trying to say is that it's the way the characters and all of their failings come to life that makes this story shine, and not so much the whodunnit. It takes the form of a murder mystery, but to be brutally honest, I wasn't all that impressed with the mystery aspect, especially the conclusion.ĭon't get me wrong, I would absolutely recommend this to anyone who likes crime novels, particularly ones with noir settings. If you don't already know, The Fade Out is Brubaker's (rather excellent) graphic novel about the seedy underbelly of Hollywood in the 1940s.

Sean phillips ed brubaker