On the Coffee Table: The Fade Out, Act Three

Title: The Fade Out, Act Three

Writer: Ed Brubaker

Artist: Sean Phillips

via Amazon

Act Three is the conclusion of Brubaker and Phillips's comic noir series, The Fade Out.  Issues 9-12 are collected here.  The murder mystery is resolved, sort of.  To say much more would be to say too much for anyone planning to read it.  The resolution is satisfyingly unsatisfying if that makes sense.  Secrets are revealed and suppressed, maintaining the illusions befitting the late 1940s Hollywood setting.  Charlie, the protagonist, remains just short of likable yet thoroughly sympathetic.  The broken hero - also entirely fitting.

Overall, the series is excellent - the art is beautiful and the writing both cagey and suspenseful.  I'm definitely eager for more from these creators.  My reflections on the two previous collections can be found here and here.