A dangerous seductress or a lady in distress? – review of the comic book “Fatale. Death follows me “

Fatale means trouble

Good crime stories often start with a funeral – this is the case of the Fatale comic . Death follows me . In the first pages, the reader gets to know Nicolas Lash, godson of the widely read writer Dominic Raines. The man does not seem particularly touched by the death of his godfather, but a spark of interest is aroused by the appearance of a mysterious stranger, introducing herself by the name of Josephine, at the funeral. Then things go very quickly: as soon as Lash comes across the manuscript of Raines’ unfinished novel, uninvited guests appear in his house, who interrupt his reading in a rather brutal way. As things develop further, Lash begins to understand that the novel is far more valuable than he initially suspected.

The comic book allows the reader an interesting journey into the past – the 1950s is one of the most iconic epochs in the history of the United States, which became virtually immortal due to its representation in the products of pop culture. The end of World War II and the boom in the entertainment industry meant that this time is commonly known as the “golden decade” of American history. Ed Brubaker shows this period from a completely different angle, inviting the reader to the criminal world of San Francisco. Your guide is Hank Raines, a married reporter on a police corruption track. Though he initially believes that Josephine will help him find evidence of the crimes, it quickly turns out that the woman is involved in something far more serious than conflicts between cops. Ritual murders,

The devil is in the details

However, we do not buy comics only for the captivating story – the graphic side also counts, which in the case of Fatale. Death follows me is a definite asset. This comic is the fruit of the collaboration of a proven duo: the drawings are the responsibility of Sean Phillips, who previously co-created bestsellers such as Sleeper and Hellblazer for the DC Comics Universe , while the colors were taken care of by Dave Stewart, a multiple winner of the Eisner Prize.

The illustrations recreate the disturbing climate of the criminal world – stuffy attics, claustrophobic corridors, and smoky pubs become the hotbed of all sorts of thugs. Particularly noteworthy is the way Phillips shows the emotions on the faces of his characters; Whether it’s anger, delight or weariness, the cartoonist has the rare ability to build tension simply by manipulating a line. The colors are also important – steel blue and scarlet dominate, making the reader feel an oppressive atmosphere all the time. Although each of the illustrations is extremely refined, the figure of the eponymous fatal woman, i.e. Josephine, definitely stands out against them – the style resembles the pin-up girls, who hosted many men in the form of posters on the walls in the 1950s.

Also on the technical side of Fatale. Death Follows me raises no objection: 136 pages of the mix between crime fiction and horror have been bound in a hardcover.
Inside, we find standard chalk paper and additional graphics for fans of Phillips’ work.

An explosive mixture

The Fatale comic book is definitely an ambitious undertaking – the authors decide to take an unconventional approach in the genre, which is a hybrid of crime fiction and horror, and the story itself, resulting in a non-linear story full of side plots. The characters created by Brubaker and Phillips also turn out to be extremely ambiguous – just like in cinema noir, there is no point in looking for protagonists and antagonists in comics. Each of the heroes is characterized by multidimensionality, which in turn makes subjecting their actions to any moral evaluation extremely difficult. Unfortunately, reading Fatale. Death follows meyou may feel overwhelmed. The comic book is extremely enigmatic; it can even be said that with the end of the first volume, there are definitely more questions than answers.

Untapped potential

Ed Brubaker managed to raise the femme fatale to the rank of a leading figure, but the feat was not without a stumble. Josephine is an almost perfect character – depending on the situation, the heroine is a lady in distress, a ruthless killer, and even a heroine who saves the skin of her admirers. Regardless of whether she is writhing in satin sheets or is currently executing, the dangerous temptress does not lose anything of her sensuality and enigmaticity. Unfortunately, Josephine was overshadowed by an extremely developed plot, which instead of exposing the character seems to outshine it.