Review- FATALE: THE DELUXE EDITION VOL. 2

FATALE: THE DELUXE EDITION VOL. 2 (Image, First Printing, 2015; Hardcover)

Collects Fatale #11-24 (cover dates January, 2013- July, 2014)

Writer: Ed Brubaker

Artist: Sean Phillips

Colorists: Dave Stewart and Elizabeth Breitweiser

I quit buying the trades after Volume Four, as the double dip game was getting old back then. I've since quit that merrygoround of upgrade insanity. The first two-thirds of this book were a reread for me, and if you want to see what I thought about Volume Three and Volume Four, feel free to click the links.

We see everything tied together nicely in the fifth arc and are brought to a satisfying conclusion. Fatale is/was a fantastic series. This was easily the best thing that Brubaker and Phillips did...until I read Kill Or Be Killed.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 5 out of 5.

The OCD zone- This is the part where I go into tactile sensations and materials used in physical media. Those with heart conditions, high blood pressure, or women who are pregnant should exit my blog at their earliest convenience, as their safety cannot be guaranteed beyond this point.

Paper stock: Thick coated stock with minimal glare.

Binding: Sewn binding. I dislike the squared spine found on so many hardcovers these days. While they look pretty on your bookshelf they are less enjoyable to handle when you actually read your books. Does anyone actually read these books though? It seems like collected edition fans buy stupid amounts of them and they sit unread.

Hardback cover notes: Image printed on the casewrap. No dustjacket required. The coating on the casewrap is matte and is resistant to scuffing. 

Review- FATALE: THE DELUXE EDITION VOL. 1

The double dip is the bane of the collected editions fan's existence. The upgrade is a never ending chase to experience a story in the finest “fidelity” possible. It's the comic book equivalent of being an audiophile. Collected editions are a curse, but so too is the femme fatale...

FATALE: THE DELUXE EDITION VOL. 1 (Image, First Printing, 2014; Hardcover)

Collects Fatale #1-10 (cover dates January- November, 2012)

Writer: Ed Brubaker

Artist: Sean Phillips

Colorists: Dave Stewart

Since this was a double dip and reread, I turn you over to my reviews for Volume One and Volume Two of the trades to see what I thought at the time. This held up every bit as well on the reread years later.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 5 out of 5.

The OCD zone- This is the part where I go into tactile sensations and materials used in physical media. Those with heart conditions, high blood pressure, or women who are pregnant should exit my blog at their earliest convenience, as their safety cannot be guaranteed beyond this point.

Paper stock: Thick coated stock with minimal glare.

Binding: Sewn binding. I dislike the squared spine found on so many hardcovers these days. While they look pretty on your bookshelf they are less enjoyable to handle when you actually read your books.

Hardback cover notes: Image printed on the casewrap. No dustjacket required. The coating on the casewrap is matte and is resistant to scuffing.

Review- FATALE: BOOK FOUR- PRAY FOR RAIN

FATALE: BOOK FOUR- PRAY FOR RAIN (Image, 2014; Softcover)

Collects Fatale Nos. 15-19 (cover dates June, 2013- January, 2014)

Writer: Ed Brubaker

Artist: Sean Phillips

Colorist: Elizabeth Breitweiser

Book four of Fatale finds Josephine in Seattle of the 1990s, where she has a run in with a one hit wonder band in a post-Kurt Cobain world named Amsterdam. I was “of age” during that era but have no nostalgia for that world. Still, the notion of a band being in the right place at the right time and being left out to dry rings true. I can name dozens of bands that seemed to come out of nowhere, sell millions of albums seemingly overnight, and couldn't even get arrested today. None of those bands had the misfortune of encountering Jo, though. There are women who drive men crazy, and then there are women who drive men to this. All ages reading this is not. 

If you like crime comics, if you like horror comics, or if you just like good comic books period, then this is for you. Fatale and a handful of other great titles currently being produced give me great hope for the future of the medium.

The team of Brubaker and Phillips has recently signed a five year deal with Image, which means that we will be getting boatloads of goodness for years to come. I couldn't be happier. Whether we get five more years of Fatale or other things is anyone's guess, but these cats get a free pass and are an automatic buy for me. If you haven't picked this series up yet, the first three books are all still available, and there is a deluxe hardcover coming out shortly which will compile the first two trades. Since I hate my money almost as much as I love high end hardcovers, I will of course be double dipping. Kill me now.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 5 out of 5. 

The OCD zone- Image makes nice quality books.

The covers are collected in a gallery in the back of the book rather than at their proper chapter marker places. This is a huge point of debate in collected edition circles. Some people like them in the back, others, like myself, do not. Your mileage may vary. As is always the case with my Consumer Reports style reporting, I merely present the facts about production values of these books so that you may make an informed decision for yourself.

The Ghost variant for #15 is not included in this book's cover gallery.

DVD-style Extras included in this book: None.

Paper rating: 5 out of 5. Decent weight coated stock paper with a slight sheen. It photographed poorly but looks great. In all honesty I have been sick as Hell with a wicked sinus infection this week and took those pictures in a dimly lit room while in a Sudafed haze.

Binding rating: 4 out of 5. Perfect bound trade paperback.

Cardstock cover coating rating: 5 out of 5. High quality thick lamination which will provide years of enjoyment when handled with reasonable care.

Buy FATALE: BOOK FOUR- PRAY FOR RAIN TP at InStockTrades!

Review- FATALE: BOOK THREE- WEST OF HELL

FATALE: BOOK THREE- WEST OF HELL (Image, 2013; Softcover)

Collects Fatale Nos. 11-14 (cover dates January- May, 2013)

Writer: Ed Brubaker

Artist: Sean Phillips

Colorists: Elizabeth Breitweiser and Dave Stewart

Great comic books excite me. Living through a great era of comic books is even more exciting, because I always have this feeling that the best is yet to come. Brubaker and Phillips are the Lennon and McCartney of crime comics. Fatale is crime/Noir with Horror overtones. It's like a bowl of French Vanilla ice cream with chocolate chip cookies thrown in. 

Josephine is apparently not the first woman with these abilities, or condition, as it may be. We're still not sure what she is exactly, but we're getting warmer. Things get turned on their head as we are shown more glimpses into her past as we are spun around and are looking toward the beginning now. 

The artwork and coloring are great. They fit the mood of the story perfectly. I love how these issues are all done-in-ones that form a greater whole when read together. This is an almost lost art in modern comics, with padded made-for-the-trade arcs and endless crossovers. Fatale remains one of the best titles out there today. If you are currently not reading this, then I strongly urge you to consider it. I know that there are a plethora of titles on the racks today and things can get by you. They get by me all the time. It is not too late to dive in and discover Fatale.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 5 out of 5.

The OCD zone- Image makes nice trade paperbacks.

Paper rating: 5 out of 5. Very nice coated stock paper, dull matte with a very slight sheen. It feels wonderful.

Binding rating: 4 out of 5. Glued binding.

Cardstock cover coating rating: 4.75 out of 5. The lamination on the cover isn't as nice as what DC or Marvel is using these days but should prove to be durable with repeated handling and wear and tear on your bookshelf.

Buy FATALE: BOOK THREE- WEST OF HELL TP at InStockTrades!

Review- FATALE: BOOK TWO- THE DEVIL'S BUSINESS

FATALE: BOOK TWO- THE DEVIL'S BUSINESS (Image, 2012; Softcover)

Note: Book actually released in 2013.

Collects Fatale Nos. 6-10 (cover dates June- November, 2012)

Writer: Ed Brubaker

Artist: Sean Phillips

There are a few titles that are so compelling that I am this close to breaking my “wait for the trade” policy because it is sheer agony to wait for the next collection. Fatale is one such title. The setting for this arc is Hollywood in the summer of 1978. The excesses of Hollywood and the holdover of 1960s drug culture hang over the proceedings like a dark storm cloud. A B-movie actor named Miles, looking to make the big time, gets invited to a party thrown by the cult Method Church, replete with a Charles Manson-like leader. He stumbles upon cult member, friend, and fellow junkie Suzy while some 8mm film is playing. Suzy has accidentally killed someone.

You never find out exactly what is on this film, suffice it to say that it is “sick shit”. Snuff, porn, scat...who knows. It doesn't matter what is on the film as much as the Method Church will do anything to get it back. The pair make a run for it and stumble upon a Hollywood mansion owned by Josephine, who is now a recluse some 20-odd years after the events in the first trade paperback. Everything goes off of the rails whenever Josephine is involved. Just ask Nicolas Lash, the son of one her former lovers. Lash is shown in the present day trying to piece together the whys and wherefores of this mysterious woman who was his father's muse. 

For my money, you can't do any better than Fatale. Anything that gives you more questions than answers is all right in my book.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 5 out of 5.

The OCD zone- Image makes nice, solid trade paperbacks.

Paper rating: 5 out of 5. The paper grade used in this book is a reasonably thick coated stock, more matte than glossy but with a slight sheen. I like it. It also smells nice.

Binding rating: 4 out of 5. Nice glued binding.

Cardstock cover coating rating: 5 out of 5. Image trades have the same thick laminated coating that Marvel and recent DC books have. Durable enough to survive repeated handling and shelfwear.

Review- FATALE: BOOK ONE- DEATH CHASES ME

FATALE: BOOK ONE- DEATH CHASES ME (Image, 2012; Softcover)

Collects Fatale Nos. 1-5 (cover dates January- June, 2012)

Writer: Ed Brubaker

Artist: Sean Phillips

Colorist: Dave Stewart

It must suck to be Ed Brubaker. You wake up in the morning, put on a pot of coffee, and shit out another great script. The guy really does seem to make this all seem so effortless, you know? Fatale is an unholy marriage of crime/noir and occult/Horror overtones. It works as both, and is just a swell read. At the onset, it all seems rather formulaic. Boy meets girl, girl is bad news, girl convinces boy to do things against his better judgment...yeah, on the surface this is something that we've all seen a million times. It becomes quickly apparent that this girl named Jo is far, far more than she seems, just like everyone else in this story. I love how it bounces back and forth between now and the '50s. 

Sean Phillips' artwork is a treat, and I must give props to Dave Stewart's extremely tasteful coloring. Every word and brushstroke in this book have meaning, and I even re-read this before filing it away. Brubaker is leaving Marvel to focus on his creator owned titles, and while I am sad to see his reign on Captain America come to an end, it will be worth it if we get more Fatale.

At the risk of sounding too hyperbolic, I'd like to say that Fatale is the best series on the market today. I can not say that, however, because I am too far behind on my reading of current titles. Suffice it to say, Fatale is easily as good a read as you can hope to find, and as far as I can tell, is head and shoulders above the rest of the titles on the racks today.

The OCD zone- This book has some great paper. It feels and smells nice, a coated stock with a slight sheen. My only gripe about this book is that the covers are in back in a gallery section rather than as chapter markers, the way that Godzilla intended.

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