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[Punchy]

Brubaker and Phillips deliver their usual high-quality package here as the mystery continues to develop and the aura of the supernatural gets bigger and bigger. This issue expands the world of Fatale a little more and introduces us to the character who is (I assume) the major villain in Mister Bishop, who is delightfully creepy. I wasn’t sure at first if a Noir/Horror mash-up would work as well as Brubaker’s previous straight-up Noir, but he’s proving me wrong here and I’m pleased as hell. I was surprised that this issue did not feature any scenes set in the present with Nicolas Lash and his missing leg, it was all flashback, I wonder when we’ll get back to him, or was he just a framing device only to be revisited at the very end? Phillips’ art was of course fantastic, he manages to make the horror elements seem of a whole with the realism of the world, which manages to make it all the scarier. His painting of Poe was also brilliant. It’s hard to write about a Bru/Phillips joint without repeating yourself at times, they are just modern-day comics perfection, almost every time.

[Chris]

Definitely enjoying this moreso than I did Incognito through two issues.

[Eli Katz]

I find it slow and the characters uninteresting. I think Bru is doing some big plot- and world-building here, and that the story will pick up in upcoming issues. But so far, it does not read well in singles.