The Fade Out: Act One

The Fade Out is the latest from comic book noir masters Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips. The Act One collected edition is now available.

Set in Hollywood, 1948, The Fade Out opens with screenwriter Charlie Parish waking in a strange place after an epic bender. Memories of the prior night are hazy for Charlie, who quickly makes two important realizations. One, he’s woken in the bungalow of Val Sommers, the female lead of the movie on which Charlie is working. Two, someone’s strangled Val to death.

In a panic, Charlie wipes out all traces of having been at Val’s and retreats to Victory Street Pictures. When news of Val’s death emerges, Charlie is stunned to realize someone has restaged the scene to make it look like a suicide. Charlie unwisely unburdens himself to Gil Mason, his secret writing partner who’s been blacklisted and can’t get any work from the studios. Gil’s heavy drinking and unhappy wife both weigh heavily on Charlie. So does the fact that he hasn’t written anything since his experiences in World War II and is dependent on Gil’s work.

Maya Silver, Val’s replacement on the troubled movie, navigates the fraught situation she’s eagerly entered. Haunted studio head Victor Thursby was obsessed with Val, but is slow to warm to Maya. Schmitt, the expatriate German directing the movie, chafes at Thursby’s timeline to finish the movie. Security head Brodsky does whatever he must to keep the troubled studio going, landing on both sides of the legal line. As Maya’s past threatens her new future, Charlie’s memories of his lost night begin to re-emerge. Another suspicious death makes Charlie think that McCarthy-ite spies are all around him.

The Fade Out is a dark, complex story from the Brubaker/Phillips team (Criminal and Fatale). Set in the waning days of the Golden Age of Hollywood’s studio system, it builds slowly, drawing in its expansive cast and the elements of the world around them. Brubaker embroiders the twilight of Old Hollywood, the emergence of the new era of celebrity culture, McCarthyism and Hollywood Blacklisting, the post-war evolution of social and sexual attitudes, racism and pervasive corruption into his deliberate, carefully-constructed plot. Brubaker doesn’t feel the need to rush the action, which is wise. The story unfolds like a hazy dream, slowly building intensity and atmosphere, while giving a lot of room for the intriguing cast to spread out. Brubaker is always adept at teasing out the emotions of complex, damaged characters with admirable economy and maximum impact.

In The Fade Out, Brubaker has crafted a noir fantasy that’s thoroughly grounded in its milieu. In addition to all the period-inspired plot points, Brubaker works in a cameo from screen legend Clark Gable and uses other Golden Age stars like Bob Hope, Bette Davis, Ronald Reagan, Ava Gardner and Frank Sinatra as touchstones at different points. A few Hollywood landmarks find their way into the action, as well.

Of course, none of this would work as well without the keenly observed art of Phillips. He brings his dreamy, soft focus approach to the story, utilizing shadows and contrasts to offset the emotional miasma that engulfs the characters. He mostly uses a standard panel format that keeps the story moving nicely. A couple of the dreamier panels, as Charlie’s repressed memories bubble up, are especially impressive. Phillips’s character designs are first rate, inspired by the fertile period in which The Fade Out is set. Elizabeth Breitweiser is a crucial collaborator on colors, expertly wrapping the shadowy action in soft, muted tones that enhance drama and mood, while deploying brighter contrasts to highlight the Hollywood artifice. It’s a beautiful visual package that captures enough vintage Hollywood glamour to spice the dark, noir atmosphere.

Some comparison to another, similarly-themed Image series is almost inevitable. Satellite Sam involves a murder mystery set in the world of 1950s New York television. While there’s a surface likeness, the two series are quite different. Sam tells its story with a certain wink and a love of outrageous plot twists. It’s heightened, with every issue ending on a “gotcha” moment that captures the spirit of the kind of adventure serial at the heart of its narrative. The Fade Out is serious noir, unfolding at a leisurely pace that allows Brubaker and Phillips to dig into the dark underpinnings of their characters and setting. Despite the similar plots and themes, one can read both series and enjoy the very different experiences each offers.

For fans of pulpy noir, and especially for fans of the past work of the Brubaker/Phillips team, The Fade Out: Act One is highly recommended.