Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips bring the first act of “The Fade Out” to a close, and the mysteries of old Hollywood are only getting deeper.
Written by Ed Brubaker
Illustrated by Sean PhillipsSex and violence in the Golden Age of Hollywood. Charlie’s flashbacks to the war affect his work, and his secret mission to solve a covered up murder. And remember, like all BRUBAKER/PHILLIPS comics, the back pages of THE FADE OUT are filled with extra art and articles you can only find in the single issues!
“The Fade Out” exists in the murky haze where neon lights fade into a grimy alleyway. Ed Brubaker has created a cast of character that seem to be made of shadows, even when they’re standing under the brightest spotlights. Charlie Parish seems like he could be living a dream. He works in Hollywood, he gets to go to the fancy party and mingle with the stars, but, boy, is he ever miserable. The true mystery that the creative team presents here isn’t really about the identity of the murderer, but about why everyone is so ready and able to brush past it.
While the Hollywood presented in “The Fade Out” feels very deep and rich in detail, Brubaker and Phillips have so far accomplished this feat without appearances from real-life historical figures. There are bigger references to J. Edgar Hoover, Joseph McCarthy and the HUAC investigations, but it’s almost impossible to separate them from this historical era. The absence of cameos from famous characters from the Golden Age of Hollywood has been good for the series, as it very easily could have felt forced and too much of wink towards the audience. This episode changes the formula, and a couple of very, very famous faces appear to mingle with Charlie Parish and Earl Rath.
The tone of the series has been very political, with the spectre of the McCarthyism hanging over the characters. Hollywood unions were under constant suspicion, and the fact that leaders named names is a matter of historical record. That being said, it is still a surprise to see Ronald Reagan make an appearance in the issue. Given his presidential future, Brubaker plays the scene almost comedically, as Earl and Charlie gossip about his government dealing. The low-key presence of Reagan is contrasted with the near god-like moment when Clark Gable appears. What makes the moment even more special is that Brubaker takes what is definitely a show-stopping appearance and weaves it into the murky history of Charlie Parrish. It would have been the first true instance of all-flash-no-substance in the series, but the writer wisely anticipates this possibility and ensures the opposite outcome.
The appearance of real-historical figures, and world-famous ones at that, presents a different sort of challenge to artist Sean Phillips. When dealing with an American President and the biggest movie star of his era, it would be easy to see how an artist might basically just trace over a picture to create the scenes. The style of “The Fade Out” is certainly not surreally abstractionist, but is by no means photo-realistic, and having Reagan appear like he walked straight out of his presidential portrait would have greatly clashed with the look of the series. Fortunately, Phillips is a fantastic artist and manages to adapt the trademark aspects of his appearance, and present them in a way that is consistent with the rest of the book. Reagan, while looking younger, still has his classic hair peak, pointed chin and wry smirk. And even though Clark Cable looks like he came straight from the set of Gone With The Wind, Phillips’ use of smooth lines and detailed face work makes it seem totally natural for him to be hanging with a sad-sack like Charlie.
Phillips still gets ample opportunity to stretch his artistic talents with the flashbacks to World War II and Charlie’s hazy memories. The war scenes are presented in a stark black and white with minimal backgrounds. It appears has those they are being dragged from Charlie’s mind half-formed. He is clearly trying to suppress many events in his past, and the art makes his mental resistance visible on the page. Charlie can’t escape the night of the murder, however, and as more pieces of the puzzle fall into place, Phillips finds different ways to present the haze of memory. When Charlie berates himself as he tries to determine the identity of Reagan’s mysterious friend, his memories of the individual almost look like they are constructed of smoke, and are just as evasive.
Continued belowWhile southern California conjures up images of unchanging temperatures and never-ending soon, you certainly wouldn’t get the impression from reading “The Fade Out”. Colorist Elizabeth Breitweiser covers everything in moody shadows and de-saturated colours. The visual moodiness causes the few bright spots, like Maya Silver’s golden hair and the pale orange of the setting sun, almost pop off the page. It looks like the entire story takes place in a seedy backroom from which the characters cannot escape.
The creative team describes this issue as the end of act one of the series, and it’s interesting to note how satisfying a read it has been while exactly zero mysteries have been solved. From the outset, however, Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips have stay away from any indication that this is a traditional whodunit story. There is no detailed investigation, or a careful examination of possible subject. There is only a motley crew of morally dubious characters as they try to use the bright lights of Hollywood to keep their shadows at bay.
Final Verdict: 9.0 – Are you still not reading this?
