Fatale: A Preview of the New Arc, and a Look Back at the First Arc.

It appears that this Wednesday, June 27th, sees the release of the first trade paperback for Fatale -- "Book One: Death Chases Me," collecting the first five-issue arc -- and the release of issue #6, kicking off the next arc, which is set primarily in the festering Los Angeles of the 1970's.

Comic Book Resources recently posted an exclusive five-page preview of Fatale #6.  It includes Sean Phillips' reworked cover art, and it focuses on the prologue and Nicolas Lash's present-day obsession over the mysterious Josephine.

To promote the release of the first trade collection, Brubaker and Phillips will each make a public appearance on their respective sides of the Atlantic.  Ed Brubaker will appear at Meltdown Comics on Sunset Blvd in Los Angeles, on Tuesday night, June 26th.  Sean Phillips will appear at Gosh! London on Saturday night, July 7th.  The trade paperbacks on sale at both events -- at Meltdown and Gosh! -- will feature a limited bookplate with new art by Phillips.

The bookplates appear to be identical except for the location's URL and the limited numbering, both at the bottom.  It appears that the Meltdown bookplate is limited to 100 copies and is available to those who pre-purchase the book, and the Gosh! bookplate is limited to 200 copies.

"Death Chases Me" was the subject of an essay by Abhay Khosla at The Savage Critics, and I think it's worth a read even though I don't agree with everything he says.

Khosla wonders whether the five reprints of the first issue reflects a deliberate attempt to generate buzz by underproducing, but that theory is completely undone by the interview Brubaker gave CBR last month.

Each issue of Sleeper sold around 13,000 copies, with a maximum of about 17,000.  Criminal stabalized at around 17,000.  The first printing of Incognito #1 was set at 25,000 and still sold out, but its sequel didn't maintain the high numbers.

So when we did "Fatale," I didn't know what to expect. We got in the orders, and they were higher than I expected them to be. Then [Image publisher Eric Stephenson] and I went back and forth trying to set a print run because I didn't want to get stuck with tons of copies, but I also didn't want to sell out. And we noticed between initial orders and the final order cutoff, the orders were going up by like 20%. So we did a pretty big overprint on the first issue, and that was sold out through Diamond before we got to the stands. There have been a ton of backorders, and I know there are still stores that ordered enough of #1 where they probably have the first printing on the shelves. But that book is selling for like $15 or $20 on eBay right now, so I know we've been selling out at some stores. My local store couldn't keep #1 in stock and still can't. That's really bizarre to me. I don't know if we were ready for success after 12 years of hard work.

Brubaker notes that subsequent printings are more costly, and he states, "We really, really tried to anticipate demand, but the demand was just so much higher than it'd ever been for what Sean and I do that it's overwhelming. I'm really glad it's happened that way, but I just wish we only had to do two printings."

The interview references a blog entry by Eric Stephenson about selling out and multiple printings, and it' worth a read if you haven't already seen it:  "Selling out – it's great PR, but ultimately, it's not exactly great business. It creates a roadblock between readers and the material they want to read, and between retailers and the books they want to sell. In short, it does more harm than good."

Khosla writes, "It’s a fuzzy comic: strong on mood but all of the details so far seem just off-panel."

The comment reminds me of a quality that Fatale shares with Incognito:  while Criminal is set in a naturalistic universe and the premise of Sleeper was explained in the very first issue, these other two major Brubaker-Phillips collaborations both present worlds where the rules aren't clear -- where the rules are another layer of the mystery and discovering the rules is part of the ride.  That demands an early commitment on the part of the reader, and I can see how some readers might be turned off by the demand.

And, this approach to storytelling probably requires a careful balance between revealing too much and revealing too little.  A tale that has both the narrative mysteries of noir AND the metaphysical mysteries of Lovecraftian horror might reman too obscure even by its conclusion, or its great revelations may be poorly received, showing too many of the machinations behind the world we take for granted.

Khosla wonders, "if the male characters’s agency is being controlled by magical forces rather than human weakness… isn’t human weakness let off the hook? And isn’t the audience thus let off the hook? How long can a noir story or a horror story sustain itself if it lets human weakness off the hook?"

Because of how much remains hidden, we actually cannot say whether human fraility is truly being undermined.  We may not be able to evaluate what the story says about humanity until after it's over, if even then. 

I will say that Josephine's supernatural power over men is, philosophically, much more hazzardous than Holden Carver's super-powered inability to feel pain.  Both are well conceived ways to externalize the more tragic tropes of their respective genres -- Fatale's noir and Sleeper's espionage -- but the latter is less problematic because it tortures the character rather than manipulates those around him.

Later in the comments, Khosla writes about Los Angeles' appeal as the setting for crime stories.

It’s a paradise. It’s beautiful all year, filled with money, beautiful people, different environments– beaches, mountain-y areas, suburbs, urban areas, whatever you want; and at the same time, there’s gangs, eons of police corruption, grotesques, freeway shootings, race riots, serial killers, Lakers-won-something riots, some bad juju. Paradise only goes so far. It’s an immigrant city– a 15 drive minute in any direction can take you to another world. It’s not just that it’s show business– show business means some people care about dreams or art or whatever, and other people are just on the hustle, and sometimes those are the same people. Also: show business means it’s a breeding ground for New Agers, weirdo beliefs, cults, porn, drugs, delusions; there was an LA Weekly article a year ago or so about a porn actor coked out of his mind running around with a goddamn samurai sword; it’d be too cold to do that in Chicago. It doesn’t feel as calcified as an East Coast city does to me– it’s more a city of Gatsbys; there’s more self-invention going on. It’s a city that doesn’t really work– Mike Davis wrote this beautiful book, City of Quartz that’s all about how that’s woven into the architecture and urban planning of the city, how it’s always just been this apocalyptic place.

David Brothers agrees.

LA’s paradise, but it’s also a site of massive social unrest, from the King riots to the Black Cat Tavern beatings to Watts. It’s also a hop, skip, and a jump from San Francisco, Oakland, and Vegas, which open up even more avenues without decreasing the LA influence, if that makes sense. They’re adjacent enough to LA to be part of the scenery when viewed briefly. A day trip. And LA is already wild diverse — Hollywood, black hoods, latino hoods, wherever it is that regular old white people live (Pasadena? I visit Pasadena a couple times a year, I think it’s probably Pasadena)… it’s rife, man. You won’t find a better setting. Also the name alone is ill: Los Angeles/The Angels/Lost Angels/(work) The Angles, it’s corny but it’s so goooooood.

Their two riffs on the City of Angels is a good primer to the next lurid "book" in Fatale, in stores this week.

Brubaker's Deadenders, Collected This Week!

I somehow completely missed this, but Ed Brubaker's Deadenders is being collected in trade paperback and will be reaching stores this week.  Brubaker collaborated primarily with penciller and co-creator Warren Pleece on this "mod" sci-fi series, and the two shared the copyright.  The series was published by DC's Vertigo imprint in 2000 and 2001 -- after Brubaker's work on Lowlife, Dark Horse Presents, and Scene of the Crime, but debuting prior to his first mainstream work on Batman.

On Twitter, Brubaker writes that he had forgotten that, like the recent arc in Criminal, the series includes a nod or two to Archie Comics, and he writes that this may be readers' "only chance" to read the complete series.

As best as I can tell, the series did present a complete story -- I've had trouble finding all the back issues -- but only the first four issues were previously collected. Nearly 400 pages long, the softcover collects all 16 issues and an additional short story from Vertigo's Winter's Edge holiday special, and the collection retails for just under $30.

Bullets: Fatale Out Today, Collected Next Month; Two Deluxe Hardcovers This Fall; and More.

News from the world of Brubaker and Phillips, mostly from the former's Twitter and the latter's blog.

• Fatale's First Arc, Concluding Today and Collected Next Month. The horror noir's first arc, "Death Chases Me," concludes today with issue #5. Previews are available at The Beat and CBR, the latter of which also features an interview with Ed Brubaker.
  
  The interviewer mentions that today also sees an astounding FIFTH PRINTING of January's debut issue. Brubaker also mentions that this first "book" is a "full story arc," and elsewhere he writes that only a few questions will be answered, but the arc should still have a "satisfying" conclusion, "even if the mystery continues."
  
  The title is designed to have three arcs "which all work as trades," but the CBR interview reveals that the story is continuing to grow beyond the beats that have already been plotted out; the first arc was originally planned to be only four issues.
  
  In a Comics Bulletin story covering an appearance in Hollywood, Brubaker mentions that "The Last of the Innocent" is his favorite creation, V for Vendetta is his favorite comic, and Locke and Key is his favorite series produced today. He mentions the last two works in the CBR interview, as he ran Fatale past Locke and Key creator Joe Hill "to make sure I wasn't committing any amateur mistakes."
  
  Brubaker also summarizes his approach to writing Fatale: "Use the tropes of noir to write a Lovecraft story."
  
  He also mentions that the germ of the story is "a mashup of 'Double Indemnity' and 'Rosemary's Baby.'"
  
  This first arc will be collected in June, probably released on the same day as issue #6, and this second of three planned arcs will transition to the 1970's.
  
  
• Two Hardcovers in the Fall. We previously announced the deluxe edition for Incognito, and Sean Phillips has made official the upcoming release of a second Criminal hardcover. The oversized edition will include "Bad Night," "The Sinners," "Last of the Innocent," and bonus features.
  
  Incognito: The Classified Edition will be released in September, with an MSRP of $44.99.
  
  Criminal: The Deluxe Edition Vol. 2 will be released in October, with an MSRP of $49.99.
  
  
• More Posters from Phillips. Sean's blog continues to feature preview art and works-in-progress for Fatale and other projects, but collectors might be interested to know that he's released more posters through his CafePress store: posters for the two covers to the debut issue of Fatale and the striking painting that accompanied the recent essay on the Hawaiian detective, Magnum, P.I.. Capturing one of my mom's favorite actors, the artwork deserves to be seen far and wide:
  
  
  
  
• Possibly Bad News for a Sleeper Film? Finally, in response to a fan's desire for a movie adapting their earliest major collaboration, Brubaker briefly commented, "I want that, too, but it's never going to happen."
  
  I believe the last time we noted any news on the upcoming adaptation was in August, 2008, when the Tom Cruise vehicle was being considered for a movie franchise. IMDB comes up blank about the film: here's hoping that it hasn't fallen into limbo.

Bullets: New Fatale, Loads of Reprints, the Deluxe Incognito, and Eisner Nods.

The latest news, in rapid fire.

• New Fatale, In Stores Today. The fourth issue of the horror noir tale is in stores now, and Comic Book Resources has a five-page preview.
  
  
• Lots of Fatale Reprints. Additional printings of Fatale keep coming out as the maxi-series is experiencing a level of success that is quite unexpected and unprecedented for Brubaker and Phillips' collaborative work. Comic Collector Live has a listing of the issues that have been released, and even they have yet to account for the issue #3's second printing, which also arrived today. Collectors take note:
  
  Issue #1 had the "beast" variant cover, and it has since gone through four printings.
  
  Issue #2 has gone through three printings.
  
  Issue #3 had its second printing released today.
  
  Issue #4's first printing was also released today.
  
  As Image Comics put it in its March 15th press release, "the Dame's a three-time sell-out."
  
  
• Incognito: the Deluxe Edition. At his blog, Sean Phillips confirmed our earlier suspicion and announced Incognito: The Classified Edition, an oversized hardcover due in September. It collects the original mini-series, the sequel "Bad Influences," and lots of extras.
  
  We imagine that this hardcover will complement the deluxe hardcover for Criminal, we wonder if this closes the door for just one more sequel to the "apocalyptic pulp noir," and we note that we do seem to have enough new stories for a second deluxe volume of Criminal, a volume that would contain "Bad Night," "The Sinners," and the spectacular "Last of the Innocent."
  
  Speaking of which...
  
  
• Eisner nods for Criminal and Phillips. Sean Phillips just posted today that he and Brubaker have been honored once again with Eisner nominations.
  
  "The Last of the Innocent" was nominated for Best Limited Series.
  
  Sean Phillips was nominated for Best Cover Artist, for his work on "The Last of the Innocent."
  
  And Nelson has been nominated for Best Anthology, and it includes work from Phillips.
  
  This isn't the first time that the Eisners have noticed Brubaker and Phillips. The awards will be announced Friday, July 13th, at Comic-Con International.

More to come, as time permits.

Sean the Barbarian!

In stores today you'll find Robert E. Howard's Savage Sword #4, which features "White Death," a nine-page story written by Pete Doree with moody, monochromatic art by our own Sean Phillips, who has been showing us preview art since October. (Search his blog for "Conan".)

Like the previous issues, the book reaches beyond the sword-and-sorcery genre to feature a wide range of the famed writer's pulp characters in new stories and classic reprints. The Dark Horse title includes sketches, the occasional illustrated prose story, and not too many ads. Published every five months, the 80-page anthology really is worth the eight-buck cover price, even for those who are, like me, only passing tourists in Howard's world.

Fatale #3, In Stores Today.

Since Image Comics' May solicitations [Comic Book Resources] points to issue #5 as the "crushing end" of the series' first arc, "Death Chases Me," we can look to Fatale #3 as the arc's midpoint.

This third issue is in stores today, and from his Twitter page, Ed Brubaker points to a some advance press.

There's an early, very positive review from Comics Bulletin, a review I'd actually recommend avoiding until after you read the issue, at least if you don't want to know too much about the plot.

The review link includes a few preview pages, and the book's five-page preview was officially released at Multiversity Comics.

With the first two issues both in multiple printings, and with Brubaker and Phillips putting their moody noir spin on supernatural horror in a tale story that isn't giving up its secrets easily, it should go without saying that you should pick up a copy (or two!) while you can.

Back to the Presses, In More Ways than One.

Just found out from my local comics shop, Great Escape in Marietta, Georgia, that a couple new printings of Fatale are on their way to the shop. A January 31st press release from Image Comics confirms that a second printing of issue #2 and a third printing of issue #1 had been ordered even before the initial release of issue #2.

Both new printings were scheduled to reach stores last week. Check with your local retailer to confirm their schedule.

Looking even further ahead, Sean Phillips has published cover art for the trade collection...



...or rather, the first trade collection. The first trade, which has yet to be formally announced or solicited, is Fatale Book One: Death Chases Me. This first "book" was referenced in the first page of the debut issue, and this confirms that the series of approximately sixteen issues is being broken into several "books."

I was wondering how the title was going to be collected. Trade collections of recent work tends not to cost significantly less than the monthly issues, and sixteen issues of Fatale works out to $56, probably far too much for impulse purchases.

There is something to be said for a complete story in a single trade collection, like with the 12-issue collections for Watchmen and Batman: The Long Halloween. I wonder if the prominence of a work like Batman: Hush suffered because it took about five years to see an inexpensive single-volume paperback collection, and there are other self-contained stories that are still inexplicably split among several volumes.

But fifty bucks would be just about the right price for a "deluxe" hardcover edition of Fatale...

...and there may already be a different deluxe edition on its way. Just a few days ago, Sean Phillips posted, without comment, an image for Incognito: The Classified Edition.



The filename for the cover image is incognitodeluxecover.jpg.