* Abhay presents a long, rambling examination of the just concluded Brubaker/Phillips project Fatale that pretty much defines "mixed feelings." Like me, I get the sense Abhay wanted to like the book more than he ultimately did, and he nails some of the shortcomings of the series pretty well.
* Starting back with Sleeper, I was absolutely in love with the Brubaker/Phillips collaboration, a love that sustained through Criminal and in fact inspired me to create a blog solely dedicated to the team's second title together, A Criminal Blog. I don't have anything to do with ACB anymore, but I still admire the work Ed and Sean did on Criminal.
* It was with Incognito that I started to not be as passionate in my enjoyment of Brubaker and Phillips's collaboration. Sure, the book was tight and entertaining and beautiful to look at (artistically, Phillips always delivers), but the story seemed driven far more by the desire to sell comics than to tell a story that demanded telling.
* I was initially excited about Fatale, and curious to see what Ed and Sean could do. It seems like the book went from limited to ongoing to ending with #24 over the course of its existence, and I felt like there was clearly a lack of direction behind the scenes and confusion over what the book should and would be. While there were still excellent issues and gorgeoous artwork, I think some of the inconsistency Abhay talks about may stem from that.
* The duo's next collaboration is The Fade Out, which from what little preview material I've seen seems most comparable to Criminal of all the other titles in Brubaker and Phillips's growing library of titles. I am looking forward to reading the first issue and hoping that there's a true return to form for one of my favourite creative teams. Incognito and Fatale filled me with mixed feelings, and it would be nice to once again have a Brubaker and Phillips book I can feel unreservedly passionate about again.
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