Comic Vine Review

3 Comments

Fatale #7

5

Miles meets the mysterious Josephine and leaves Suzy in her care...but is this really a good idea?

The Good

Anyone who has been reading this series knows that wherever Josephine goes death, bad luck and foul play are surely not too far behind. Not very long ago we were introduced to Miles, a typical B-list actor living in Hollywood struggling to get by. He meets Suzy at a party, covered in blood, and they both seek out Josephine to find out who is behind these occult activities. Things are getting more and more complicated, and I think the way Brubaker adds layers to his stories is really well done. It's not so difficult to understand or to follow, and he does it in a way that leaves the reader with more questions than before.

We're introduced to a new character halfway through this issue, a movie star named Claudia Constance -- formerly Carrie Conners. She's written to seem like a typical Hollywood starlet. The line "She was already bored of it, like success had always just been her destiny," is perfect. What a great, all encompassing line. You really get a sense for the character in this panel.

I really like the way the narrator follows Miles around in this issue, I felt like it was a great change of pace from before. I'm more and more convinced than ever that as good as this was as a stand-alone, single issue; this series is going to be fantastic once its been collected. Brubaker maintains the dark, mysterious overtones of the plot in this issue, but gives a new perspective on the events by telling the story through Miles.

The scene where Miles returns to Josephine's house after having paid a visit to Claudia, the way his dialogue suddenly becomes broken when he starts a conversation with Josephine -- it's perfect. A great example of how strong Josephine's power is over men. She left Miles stumbling over every word.

The Bad

Aside from the fact that this is definitely not a good jumping on point for new readers, (I would say start at issue #1) there's nothing 'bad' about this issue. Not knowing isn't necessarily a bad thing.

The Verdict

Another great issue from Brubaker who is magnificently weaving a dark, mysterious, occult story. I love the layers that are added with each introduction to a new character. The way that he portrays Josephine as this intoxicating vixen is brilliant -- she's seemingly irresistible. I love the way Brubaker begins to tie Josephine to the occult group towards the end of the issue -- it's really well done. Sean Phillips does a fantastic job setting the tone and mood of the story with his beautiful art and his selection of colors to depict the mood of each individual scene. Another fantastic issue that will leave you at the edge of your seat.