Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips’ Fatale blends film noir and horror tropes to explore the nature of the femme fatale archetype. Their story follows Josephine (Jo), an immortal woman who has the ability to hypnotize men, whether nor not she intends to do so. While she works to control her powers between the 1930s and the present day, a violent cult pursues her to use in their rituals that involve Lovecraftian gods and the hidden reality just beyond the surface of our own. Brubaker, a master of crime fiction, spins a thrilling story reminiscent of pulp crime novels while using the horror elements to deepen the mystery, much like Lovecraft’s own work. Phillips’ are perfectly compliments Brubaker’s story, with heavy lines and shadows adding atmosphere and a cinematic quality. An entertaining story for horror and mystery fans that demonstrates a thorough understanding of the histories of both genres. Fatale: The Deluxe Edition Volume One collects the first twelve issues of the narrative with stories set in the 1950s and 1970s. ( )

Fatale is about the classic Femme Fatale character, (in this case, her name is Josephine), except this time the story is from her point of view. Plus, she doesn't want to be what she is. Her powers draw men in even when she tries to stop it from happening. By taking a character trope that has long served as an evildoer and turning it on its head to have it become a sympathetic character instead, a whole new world of story-telling possibilities opens up! I hope to read all of them.


I loved every aspect of Fatale. I loved the intro from Meggan Abbott. I loved the two essays in the back, (one about Lovecraft and his impact on the horror genre and the other about Edgar Allan Poe and his influences), both written by Jess Nevins. Also, the artwork kicks major ass. This deluxe edition is gorgeous, the story is super cool, (Noir meets Cthulhu), and I can't wait to get my hands on the next one!

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This was pushed into my reluctant hands. I may have been smiling but I was moaning inside, no, I just want to read Arno Schmidt. His stories are so volatile and erudite and I've worked 12 hours a day all week. I just want to read Arno Schmidt. So -- instead my whiny self said, sure, thanks and I promptly retired inside and read this within two hours. Fatale concerns Jo -- a cursed woman whose presence causes men to fall for her. This unravels in three time lines from the mid-50s, the late 70s and a more or less contemporary story. Unfortunately all feature a similar affected tone. There is a cause for her curse, an otherworldly Lovecraftian demon who was brought to the fore by Nazis. I wish I could admire the artful nature of this narrative, but I found little there but cliché. Crooked cops, satanic cults -- even Woody Allen and Burt Reynolds at a swinging party: if only there were communists and Black Panthers. I should be less polite in matters of literary etiquette. ( )

Police/detective thriller with supernatural elements

This is a comic collection about private detectives and journalists and the seedy underworld. Floating through all this is Josephine, the femme fatale from the title, a literally irresistible gorgeous never-aging woman who can make men do what she wants. This arises from some supernatural power.

There are also other supernatural forces at work out to get her and she uses men around her to stay ahead of the game.

Characters are well-developed and the plot is well-written. The illustrations are also good although sometimes I struggled to remember which man was which. There is more than one story but there is a common thread surrounding Josephine throughout.

Highly recommended. ( )