An Eisner for "Last of the Innocent" -- and Where It May Lead.

We would be remiss to let July come to a close without noting that, this month at Comic-Con International, Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips' Criminal was honored with the Eisner award for Best Limited Series for "The Last of the Innocent."

(It really is a great story, even apart from the references to Archie comics and other classics for adolescents:  it's a dark look at nostalgia and self-centeredness that wouldn't be half as effective without Sean Phillips' shifting between the desperate present and an idealized past.)

Criminal has received quite a few nominations since its debut in 2006, and it won the Best New Series Eisner in 2007. Ed Brubaker has also been thrice honored as Best Writer for his work at Marvel, within the mainstream superhero universe and beyond to his work with Sean Phillips.

In the back pages of Fatale, their surprise hit combining noir and Lovecraftian horror, we've seen an ad for all the previous collections of the most prominent works in Brubaker and Phillips' canon.

There's the espionage thriller of Sleeper, for DC's Vertigo imprint.  In the creator-owned category, we have the straight-up crime stories in Criminal and the "apocalyptic pulp noir" of Incognito, both published through Marvel's Icon imprint.

(For my money, Criminal is the magnum opus, and not just in terms of size. Readers might be interested to note that we've already compiled a more complete list of their collaborations.)

It's my hope that these honors, awards, and stellar reviews continue to encourage new readers to give Brubaker/Phillips a try, so that the market can sustain their moody and sometimes quite sophisticated noir comics.

Earlier this month, in an exclusive interview with Comic Book Resources, John Layman discussed his upcoming work on Detective Comics and put it in perspective alongside his twisted, hilarious crime comic Chew.

The good thing about the success of "Chew" is that I don't have to take work. I am in this really great position where if I am doing something, it's because I want to do it, not because I have to pay the phone bill. Basically, I looked at my schedule and said, "Yes." And also, it's awesome.

That's what I'd like to see for Brubaker and Phillips -- and, really, all the great talents who I see take chances on telling their own stories, their own way:  not just John Layman and Rob Guillory, but Scott Morse (Strange Science Fantasy) and Ken Garing (Planetoid).

A world where great writers and artists work on the intellectual property of others only when they want to:  they can reach for this prize with great work, and they can get there with support from us, their readers.

Bullets: Indie Comics and Interesting Links.

A quick clearing of the decks before new comics arrive tomorrow.  For a week without a publication from Brubaker/Phillips, there are still plenty of reasons to visit your kindly local comic shop.

• Sean Phillips Cover for Tomorrow's Walking Dead #100.  Some of the oldest Criminal fans may remember that the five-page "trailer" for the first arc "Coward" was published, in color, in issue #30 of The Walking Dead.  Nearly six years later, Sean Phillips returns to the series for one of the variant covers for the milestone 100th issue, out tomorrow.
  
  
  
  At his blog, Sean has pulled back the curtain to reveal the process in creating the acrylic painting, including the photos that were used as references.   A comment elsewhere on the blog confirms that I'm not the only person to suspect that the zombie on the left, looking at the reader, is the artist himself.


• Walking Dead Cover Art Up for Auction. Since posting the cover, Sean Phillips has announced that the original artwork is being auctioned at Splash Page Comic Art, where much of his original work is for sale alongside work from Brubaker collaborators Michael Lark and Warren Pleece. The Splash Page announcement relays that interested parties can bid at the blind auction online or at the San Diego Comic Con, where the work will be on display. Bidding ends at 5 PM Pacific Time this Saturday night, July 14th.


• Other Great Independent Comics On Sale Wednesday. We're not exactly in a golden age for superhero comics from the "Big Two" publishers, but there are quite a few creator-owned titles that are worth checking this week alone. Along with The Walking Dead, there are the latest issues of Atomic Robo Real Science Adventures, Massive, Bulletproof Coffin Disinterred, and American Vampire.
  
  There's Chew: Secret Agent Poyo #1, a one-shot branching off one of my favorite comics currently in print, and there's Planetoid #2, a (so far) traditional sci-fi comic that is very well executed.
  
  In his latest "Tilting" article, Brian Hibbs celebrates the growing success of creator-owned work as The Walking Dead continues to creep up the sales charts with other titles -- like Fatale -- not too far behind. Not every title will appeal to every reader, but we really are getting closer to the ideal of something for everybody, something that really excites the reader.


• Other Articles of Interest. Along with Hibbs' article, a few more pieces online caught my eye recently, both tying back to our favorite comics.
  
  First, CBR's Robot 6 blog discusses how DC's soft reboot is too "superficial" for really interesting excursions such as Brubaker and Greg Rucka's Gotham Central. I agree that that's probably the case, but it need not be so: Batman and even the crime-ridden city of Gotham have high enough profiles that the premise of Gotham Central would still work. Since I wasn't familiar with most of the previously established officers who would work for the Major Crimes Unit, I can confirm that the work really does stand alone. If anything, the title suffered from being dragged into the broader continuity, and the only back story that really mattered was that the series took place between "Officer Down" and Gordon and Bullock's return "One Year Later." I thought the series was better without a prominent role for Gordon, both in making every character's life seem more precarious and in hightening the antagonism between the police and the city's nearly omni-competent vigilante.
  
  Second, Vanity Fair published an article earlier this year on how art is paralyzed from fashion to architecture, and from movies to music. I disagree with Kurt Andersen's diagnosis that the 21st century is less stable than, say, the 1944 or 1969, but he is right that no 20-year gap is as small as between 1992 and today. The changing fashions is probably one reason that books like Fatale and Criminal are so effective. When we jump from one era to another, we can see the difference on every page.

There are lots for our readers to peruse, online and on the shelves, and we hope that you find something that provokes thought and lingers in the memory.

Newsworthy Comics Reporter Interview and Other Miscellany.

I see that ADD has already linked to the Spurgeon interview, but it may be worth reporting a few of the details along with a few other items I didn't catch yesterday, all spotted on Ed Brubaker's Twitter feed.

To reiterate, the Comics Reporter just posted today Tom Spurgeon's quite lengthy Sunday interview with Ed Brubaker.  He discusses working with Image Comics and his decade-long collaboration with Sean Phillips, explaining that, ideally, he would only work with Phillips writing a single book each month.

Brubaker warns that the interview contains spoilers, but I didn't see much that would ward off fans of Fatale, about which he mostly explains how he has been challenging himself with horror.

The spoiler is evidently on the production side. 

[MARVEL UNIVERSE SPOILER AHEAD]

Ed Brubaker announced that, after almost eight years, his critically acclaimed run on Captain America will soon be coming to an end.  Comic Book Resources isn't the only site treating this as breaking news, and its Robot 6 blog estimates that the final issue will be issue #18.

Winter Soldier is now the only Marvel book that Brubaker will be writing:  he planned to have his final issue of Cap written before this interview was published.  Brubaker says, "I'll do The Winter Soldier as long as it lasts... or, I'll do it for as long as I can."

He also says that he's been "winding down the superhero work-for-hire part of [his] career."

He reassures Spurgeon, "I wish this were a more dramatic story for you, but Marvel have treated me really well over the past 8 years. I'm just ready for a change."

I cannot stress this enough, that I have ABSOLUTELY no insider knowledge about this, but I wouldn't be surprised if future arcs of Criminal and Incognito are published by Image Comics rather than through Marvel's Icon imprint for creator-owned comics -- especially if Brubaker's run on Winter Soldier ends before Fatale concludes early-to-mid 2013.


On subjects that aren't so directly focused on his own career, Brubaker discusses the recent turmoil at Marvel and DC, and he discusses creator rights and the firestorm surrounding DC's Before Watchmen comics.

In my opinion, he does so quite sensitively, but it's worth reading in toto.

Brubaker adds, almost as an aside, "If I'd owned Sleeper, my whole life would be different now. Other opportunities would have opened for me long ago."


Second, on the subject of Sleeper and other adaptations, Brubaker tweeted this past week, "I heard that Sleeper may be dead, but I'm polishing the Coward script and it's still a very active movie project."

Criminal fans should keep their fingers crossed.


Next, Brubaker confirms that the Incognito film adaptation is "still in the works" -- we last reported on the film in 2010 -- and he writes today, "There may be more Incognito."

Considering the cliff-hanger ending of "Bad Influences," I wouldn't be surprised, and my guess continues to be that we'll see more than just one more arc -- or as I put it before, we wonder if this closes the door for just one more sequel to the "apocalyptic pulp noir."

I imagine we might see at least enough for a second hardcover collection... eventually.


Finally, Brubaker approvingly linked to Robot 6's June 20th "Quote of the Day" by Kelly Sue DeConnick absolving readers of any guilt for "waiting for the trade."

She admits that trade-waiting isn't as helpful as picking up monthly issues, but...

But sweetheart, there’s only so much I’m willing to ask of people, only so much I think is fair. If someone is planning on buying the pamphlets/floppies/singles/comics anyway, I am willing to beg ask them to preorder. I am not willing to ask that you buy a format that is not your preference — ESPECIALLY not when a company like Dark Horse puts out such gorgeous trades. I hereby absolve you of all guilt associated with your purchase, and most importantly, I thank you for your support and hope you enjoy the book.

In the Spurgeon interview, Brubaker mentions people are choosing to wait as many as five years for the deluxe hardcover, and I think that might be pushing it.

Speaking for no one else, I say that we should support great art however we can, but there are some books that are simply more enjoyable reading monthy by month.

At least as much as Criminal and Image's Chew, Scott Morse's trippy mini-series Strange Science Fantasy seemed particularly well-suited to the single-issue format.

But that's looking back.  Looking ahead, I'll repeat ADD's observation that readers can catch up with Fatale with the first trade paperback and the sixth issue, both in stores this week.

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.