The second installment of Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips’, “The Fade Out”, was not quite what I expected in terms of plot development, but continued to excite nonetheless. In this chapter of the thrilling crime noire comic, Charlie continues to try and figure out who murdered actress Valeria Sommers as well as what their motive was. Not much progress is made in his personal investigation however, as the primary focus of this issue is instead on both character development and subplots. The second issue of the series gives us much more background information about Charlie’s life, specifically, the relationship he has with alcoholic friend and mentor Gil Mason. Their relationship drives the story forward, rather than the mystery surrounding the death of a young Hollywood starlet. Charlie and Gil’s tenuous friendship exemplifies the secrets one keeps, and lies people tell even their closest friends. They serve as the poster-boys for a city (Los Angles) that has been built on dark deeds and deceit.
The combination of Ed Brubaker’s story and Sean Phillips’ artwork has impressed yet again, with the two building upon their fantastic first issue of the series. Phillips’ work in particular is the reason I have become so heavily invested in this modern crime noire however. His dark and shadow-filled panels bring the story to life, and are so detailed (facial expression, body language of characters) that they could tell this chilling narrative without the help of any dialogue. The images he has created captivates readers, and has them dying to turn each page to reveal what is coming next.
On the fifteenth and sixteenth pages of issue #2, the “vast and profound” (McCloud, 192) differences between black-and-white and colour comics which affect “every level of the reading experience” (McCloud, 192) are put on full display. Here, Charlie is thinking about dressing himself up as the “Invisible Man”, a character in the movie which he is the writer for. The first three panels are done in colour, while the rest have been designed using black-and-white. This has been done to convey the dark and unhappy tone of Charlie’s thoughts, as he wishes that he could wear a “mask” to keep people from noticing him. The use of black-and-white is also effective here, because it transports both the main character and reader into the movie Charlie is working on. Charlie envisions himself as the masked man in the film, playing the part of the mysterious individual who wins the heart of a beautiful women. The reader feels as though they are watching the film, as each panel resembles a scene from a 1940’s colourless melodrama. In the final panel of the page, we see that several of the characters are watching the film themselves in a Hollywood studio suite. The black-and-white panels serve as a transition from Charlie’s thoughts of becoming the masked character, back to reality, where he is sitting in the film room with his coworkers.
In these four panels, the reader sees how “interdependent” (McCloud, 154) word and image truly are. The “words and pictures go hand in hand to convey an idea that neither could convey alone” (McCloud, 154), as Charlie has a flashback to a conversation he had with the murdered starlet. Valeria Sommers is laying on Charlie’s lap as the two converse with each other privately in a flirtatious manner. She says, “You know you’re kind of handsome from this angle...”, before starring up at Charlie’s shadow covered face. Without the speech bubble telling the reader what is being said, one would not know what the two characters were discussing. The panels of them starring back and forth at each other are simply not detailed enough to convey what is being discussed on their own. The words “RING RING” also appear twice in the third and fourth panels, with the first set bleeding out of the panel and into the white gutter. This has been done to show that Charlie is exiting from a flashback that he has been experiencing, and is re-entering reality. Once again the interdependence between word and image is on full display, as we are told by the text that Charlie’s office phone is ringing in the last panel. The way the phone has been drawn, it is unclear whether the device is ringing or silent without assistance from the accompanying text.
This set of four panels on the twenty-sixth page is an excellent example of a, “picture specific combination” (McCloud, 153), of word and image. This means that the, “words do little more than add a soundtrack to a visually told sequence.” (McCloud, 153), in this instance. Charlie and his friend Gil are clearly fighting each other in these panels, with the action words and dialogue presented inside the speech bubbles doing little but provide background noise. This portion of the story relies on the images to drive the narrative forward, with Gil attacking and beating Charlie to the ground. No words are needed to elaborate on, or explain to the reader what has just taken place. The colours used in these panels, primarily heavy blacks and bright reds, convey the dark and angry emotions the characters are feeling at that moment. The red background serves as a signifier to readers that Gill is acting in a fit of rage as he punches a defenseless and unsuspecting Charlie repeatedly. This is because the colour red is one readers often associate with feelings of anger or acts of violence. The strong background colours, combined with detailed facial expressions, and the physical actions of the characters push this narrative along brilliantly.
“The Fade Out” series continues to impress as the story delves deeper into the mystery of Valeria Sommers murder, while also examining Charlie Parish’s life in greater detail. Ed Brubaker’s writing is brought to life through Sean Phillips unbelievable artwork, with the images even overshadowing the dialogue at times. The storyline is not rushed, as a great deal of time has been invested to develop rich characters with well built backstories. I believe that I have already figured out which character murdered the young starlet, but it is still too early to be certain if I am right. Once again, I cannot wait to read the next installment in this series, as I am eager to learn the identity of the killer. I have no doubt that there will be a fantastic finish to this modern take on the crime noire genre.
Sources:
- McCloud, Scott. Understanding comics: the invisible art. New York: HarperPerennial, 1994. Print.
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