Comic Rewind: The Fade Out

Story Synopsis: The Fade Out

Find out how deep the debauchery goes in 1948 Los Angeles as one screen writer tries to uncover the truth behind a murder in this week’s Comic Rewind, The Fade Out.

Charlie Parish woke up hungover in a bathtub after a night drinking at one of his movie star friend’s infamous parties.  However, Parish had no idea where he was.  As he looked around he realized he was at the home of the star of the film he was working on.  He realized this when he found her strangled dead body.

Who killed her?  Was he there when it happened?  Did he kill her?  These were just a few things racing through his head, but first he had to get out of there before someone came to find her.

Parish took it upon himself to find her killer.  However, first he had to traverse late 1940’s Hollywood and its corruption and cover ups.

The Fade Out was written by Ed Brubaker and art by Sean Phillips and Elizabeth Breitweiser.  Image Comics published the issues comprising the story from 2015 to 2016.

Fade Out Is Noir During The Noir Golden Age

You guys know I can’t stay away from noir for too long.  That’s especially true when it’s a story by Brubaker and Phillips.

I had watched a few Humphrey Bogart movies recently so I had old Hollywood on my mind.  This comic is very true to old Hollywood, the good and bad.  I read this before and loved it more than I expected to.  This time was no different.

Dripping With 1940’s Hollywood

We get a little glimpse into the studio system, mob connected clubs, love affairs and complicated friendships.  However, one of the little treats I loved was seeing celebrity cameos.  We get to see Desi Arnaz aka Ricky Ricardo from I Love Lucy playing in his band, Ronald Regan, Bob Hope and Dashiell Hammett aka the author The Maltese Falcon.  Speaking of Hammett we got to see the Hollywood Blacklist and the Red Scare.

I felt like I was in 1948 at the turn of every page.  The entire comic is soaked with the era and its style and fashion.  However, the bad parts of the era were not shied away from.  We see sex scandals, arranged romances to hide closeted gay actors, how WWII changed people and blackmail. However, even Parish shows the racism prevalent at the time.  

If you want to take a step back into 1940s Hollywood and I mean who doesn’t then this is an excellent read.  If you want a Brubaker/Phillips comic which has a lot of historical tie-ins then this is a must read.  This comic is just a must read for all comic fans and shouldn’t be skipped.

Rating:

5/5

Where To Buy This Comic

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