Review by Booklist Review
Waking up from a complete blackout, screenwriter Charlie Parish finds himself half drunk next to the dead body of Valeria Sommers, the starlet of his latest film. As Parish struggles to cover his tracks and uncover details about her death, the studio and its players attempt to distance themselves from Sommers and finish the picture without her. Similar to Brubaker's Fatale series, this is noir at its finest, filled with gritty, deeply flawed characters with twisted motivations, trying to stay one step ahead of each other. Pacing at times takes a backseat, as Brubaker slowly floats through the story rather than strictly tells it; in turn, he creates a nostalgic, airy environment for his characters and his readers to get lost in. Artist Phillips captures the mood diligently he routinely hides characters in shadow, so they rarely look the reader in the eye or give away emotion or intention. Brubaker and Phillips are a team that have truly hit their stride, and this is yet another of their impressive and well-crafted series to watch.--Blenski, Peter Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
This noir graphic novel by the prolific and award-winning Brubaker-Phillips team (Criminal, Fatale) is set in 1950s Hollywoodland and follows the mysterious murder of Valeria Sommers, a young movie star. Screenwriter Charlie Parish goes against his instincts as he tries to unravel what really happened to her and the scandal at the rotten core of the movie studio system. Brubaker honors and echoes the noir genre without stumbling into parody. Third-person captions provide insight into despicably selfish characters that still remain relatable and sympathetic. The superior art by Phillips combines effortlessly clear narrative with hazy, half-remembered dreams. Elizabeth Breitweiser's colors establish the mood and atmosphere of a post-war Los Angeles where danger waits around every corner. The "act one" of the book's title accurately describes its major flaw: this is only the beginning of the story. Like a held-in breath, there is no release of tension, nor is the mystery of Valeria's death answered. But it's a strong beginning to a serial mystery that offers a fresh spin on the genre. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
Eisner Award winners Brubaker and Phillips have teamed up again (Criminal; Fatale) on a new series. Set in Hollywood in 1948, the story revolves around an alcoholic screenwriter named Charlie who wakes up after a party to find the leading lady in his current film strangled to death. Soon afterward, though, someone has made her murder look like a suicide. Charlie's mentor Gil is a blacklisted Communist sympathizer who is covertly helping Charlie through his writing block, which has lasted since his return from fighting in World War II. The studio mogul and the security head are doing their best to keep the current studio system alive by any means necessary, and they are quick to replace the dead star. The mostly color illustrations display the turmoil of Charlie's sad life. The emotions drawn onto the characters' faces pull readers into the story as much as the writing. Verdict A fun, fast read that is fully engaging. The multiple story lines and deeply flawed characters will keep the reader invested. Some of the content is for a mature audience, but this should not deter a worthy library purchase. For fans of Brubaker and Phillips, film noir, and Golden Age Hollywood stories.-Jason L. Steagall, Gateway Technical Coll. Lib., Elkhorn, WI (c) Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
