Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting have a thing that they do together, and that “thing” always seems to work, even in a story that’s deceptively familiar.
Written by Ed Brubaker
Illustrated by Steve Epting
Colors by Elizabeth Breitweiser
Lettered by Chris EliopoulosOn the run from her own agency, Velvet must find out what really got Agent X-14 killed, and the only way to do that is retrace his steps… and that’s a pathway of dead bodies, ruined lives, and angry mercenary soldiers. And along the way, one of Velvet’s darkest secrets is revealed. Don’t miss the second issue of this white-hot new series, from the hit creators of the CAPTAIN AMERICA: WINTER SOLDIER saga!
A corrupted spy organization. A secret agent gone rogue in search of answers. A car chase here. A gun fight there. Stop me if you’ve heard all of this before, because plot-wise, “Velvet” isn’t doing much that we haven’t seen before. In fact, two issues in, I’m not sure it subverts anyone’s exact expectations even once.
What “Velvet” has going for it, and what absolutely makes it worth reading, are two important points: It has a compelling female lead, for one. And for the other, it’s a rogue spy comic presented with the utmost professionalism on the part of its creative team. Should we be giving points to stories just because they have great female characters? In a male-dominated industry, in a male-dominated genre, yes, “Velvet” should garner praise for it. But ultimately it’s all a matter of execution. Velvet Templeton is a well-realized character, and her unique design plays into her character, even if we haven’t actually learned much about her true motivations yet. The white swath through her hair and the age on her face (compared to her flashback sequences, anyway) belie her utter competence and skill as a secret agent. As Velvet tracks down information on the death of a peer, she tumbles recklessly out of windows and down crowded streets without premeditation. She seems to make her own luck – and it’s entertaining as hell.
However, the defining sequence of “Velvet” so far come smack dab in the middle of issue #2. As we learn about Velvet’s past through a variety of dossier-type panels, we get a new impression of her as a female James Bond figure. Each panel is stylishly headed with an exotic locale, below which a slick static image of Velvet Templeton executes a different act of espionage. While the book has been an exercise in allowing Epting to let his super-spy visual skills shine in action set pieces and chase sequences, the dossier images do more to advance the concept of the book than anything else has to this point. They tell us about how others see Velvet. They help us to crystalize our impressions of her, as well. The give us an idea of the breadth of life’s experiences Velvet has lived through. Most of all, they just plain look cool.
Epting’s heavily shaded technique is common among artists working in the crime and espionage genres, but he’s one of the modern masters. Epting gets the little things right – giving punches the proper sense of weight and making the action scenes seem fluid and logical. Steve Epting is an artist of style and substance, peppering in details when necessary, but mostly focusing on crafting a mood and feel. An overly straightforward story never overstays its welcome under his stylish hand. Part of what makes “Velvet” such a thrill to read is the fact that the art matches heft and realism with the sort of outlandish spy situations that James Bond would find himself in. Hell, at one point, Velvet employs a glider-suit to aid her landing. This is 1970’s Roger Moore stuff, and it’s great.
Brubaker and Epting can do a book like this in their sleep. Their seemingly effortless ability to create an enjoyable, albeit simple (so far) spy story means that this was a book you could trust to pick up without reading a review of it. Their names alone are marks of quality. What I can tell you is that you’ll be getting a book that lives up to their unique pedigrees and delivers yet another female protagonist to love.
Final Verdict: 8.2 – Buy
