Comic Vine Review

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Fatale #18

4

Jo's put a spell on you. And now you're hers.

The Good

This issue is all about consequences; no act occurs in isolation, whether it's Skip's death, the bank robberies, or the wide-ranging projection of Jo's fatale spell via music video. Jo herself is also experiencing the consequences of her actions, and learning that amnesia isn't such a permanent thing.

Bettie Breitweiser has been consistently delivering with the colors on FATALE, but this issue takes things even further in terms of visual heat. She gets the opportunity to play with more than the usual dim, desaturated gloom of Jo's victims (streaked, of course, with red), and pulls in vibrant yellows and oranges that evoke both the scene-required spotlights and the explosive nature of Jo's spell.

But first, in grey Seattle, we have bleakness to deal with. If there was ever a question of the effectiveness of the fatale trap, it's been answered: Jo sets things in motion with such detail and complexity that there's no way out. Darcy plays the voice of reason, but her protests fall on deaf ears because reason can't work when a situation has been so polluted with chaos. There are no escape hatches, just death and destruction, and more tears from Jo.

The Bad

I can't quite follow what Jo's impact on women is meant to be. In Darcy's case, it's mistrust and antagonism (which makes complete sense, given how Jo has transformed the band), but with the women in the music video, it seems to be something else entirely. Perhaps, as the captions over the video scenes note, it's just a feral responseā€¦but how does that explain Darcy's complex and rational aversion to Jo's suspicious presence?

The Verdict

Brubaker and Phillips have done a marvelous job of setting the stage -- literally and figuratively -- for Jo in this arc. Her entanglement with the band has been so much more than another variation on the femme fatale theme; it's groundwork for the revelation of how powerful Jo can be when amplified. Like a compelling song, she does things to people, and given a platform, she does it with exceptional force and magnitude. This issue was an exciting crescendo in an already fascinating arc, and I can't wait to see where things collide in its wake.

7 Comments

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manwithoutshame

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Still my favorite series, can't wait to see where it goes from here.

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longbowhunter

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Edited By longbowhunter

Eighteen issues in and I'm still not sure where we're headed. Either way I'm in too deep. I intend to see this series through to the end.

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1nceagain

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Great review. I almost feel that Darcy may have... How do I put this... Had a little bit more going on upstairs than those girls in the music video. This may have been the reason they were influenced by Jo so easily. Most of the time you see a lust over Jo, the rage that went on in the video shoot made me think it was because of her remembering things from her past. That mixed with her spell projected to everyone there sent them into a frenzy.

Still in my top 5. This series is great.

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kilomac29

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Loved this issue! While I also enjoyed the coloring, every time there was a panel with Darcy in it I kept thinking, "man, her hair is really orange." A bit distracting, but didn't detract from the quality of the issue.

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SavageDragon

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Edited By SavageDragon

Another fine issue, you said it Jenn Breitweiser is in fine form here, I loved the colors on the double page spread where Jo is regaining memories of past experiences from the song and we see the entity in its true form, "does colors doe." I love Fatale so much, its one of my top 3 books every month.

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fables87

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I think the point of this series so far is for the reader not figure out were it's going. Then when it hits you, most people will be in shock.