Image Comics; $3.50 (comic), $5.99 (magazine)

Writer Ed Brubaker and artist Sean Phillips have produced some stunning work together over the years, including Criminal (which is rapidly headed to Amazon Prime as a series), Incognito, and Reckless, as well a number of one-off original graphic novels. Their combined noir sensibilities have worked to both expand the boundaries of crime comics and to reach fans who might not otherwise have tried the genre.

This series starts with another home run for the duo.

With The Fade Out, they place themselves squarely in post-World War II Hollywood. It’s still the era of powerful studios and cover-ups, and of course being a Brubaker and Phillips production there is something to cover up, a murder. There’s plenty of action, intrigue and off-kilter characters.

This first issue is 40 pages and it’s a great read, one that left us immediately ready for the second installment. By the way, in addition to the standard comic book format, the first issue was offered in a magazine format with a faux movie magazine period cover. 

This series has been collected in hardcover (a glorious edition) and trade paperback, and it makes a superb read.

– J.C. Vaughn