Two-in-One Review: Fade From Blue Randy and Don take a look at the story of four women with relatively normal lives, a thoroughly unusual upbringing and an unconventional family bond with one another. Randy: Fade From Blue is a rarity in many ways. It is written by someone outside of comics (Myatt Murphy has written hundreds of articles for national magazines), it is aimed at a female audience and it costs a dollar for a 32 page black-and-white comic. Don: This small-press book is part Sex and the City, part Friends, part NYPD Blue and part Valerie Bertinelli-movie-of-the-week. And I mean all that in a good way. Fade From Blue could easily slip by your comic-book retailer, but you would be well advised to let him/her know about it for pre-order. One would think the low price would be its best selling point, but it's just a good and varied read. Fade From Blue #1 published by Second 2 Some Studios written by Myatt Murphy illustrated by Scott Dalrymple Don: Fade From Blue tells the story of four very different women. There's Marit, the tough-as-nails New York cop. There's Iya, the drop-dead gorgeous bartender who's running from a dark past. There's Elisa, the carefree girl who falls for the wrong guy and dreams of a career as a singer. And finally there's Christa, the cynical freelance writer through whose eyes we meet them all. These women live together, but they share a closer though more unusual bond than that. Randy: Traditionally, the female-friendly comic is a hard sell in the comics market, because the female audience is smaller than most of us would like. However, Murphy has not painted himself into a corner here, because while Fade From Blue is undoubtedly friendly toward female readers, it's engaging and intriguing for anyone. The four main characters are fascinating enough with just their normal life elements, but the unusual family element that ties them all together takes the whole thing up a notch. Don: I don't think one needs to bill this book as "female friendly." Sure, it's great to have a comic book that's not about super-powers, muscles and T&A, and one featuring a female cast of characters. But its greatest strength is that it's just plain entertaining. What sets it apart is that it crosses genres. Each one of the four women brings a different atmosphere and plotline with her. Randy: Telling the story from the point-of-view of magazine writer Christa is a clever way to jump seamlessly between the various lives of the characters. Christa draws on her experience with her sisters to create magazine articles, which means that as her editor goes across various story ideas, the story can jump to whichever sister inspired them. The result is a comprehensive primer on the characters without the book feeling like it lacks a central story. Don: The book does shift from one character to another and one genre to another, but it's never too jarring, because it's Christa's patronizing banter with a magazine editor that holds the whole book together. Some strong lettering efforts maintains clarity and focus as we shift to different characters and settings. Randy: What kept my interest, however, was not Christa's conversation with her editor (entertaining though it was) but the way that Murphy defines the various sisters. They each are quite different, with their own problems and strengths, and in the course of only 32 pages, I felt like I knew them all well enough to want to know more. I was particularly pleased that none of them came off as stereotypes, from the remarkably sensitive and beautiful Iya to the tough cop Marit. They are instead four different women walking four different paths, and there's a lot of room to tell different types of stories given their varying careers. Scott Dalrymple is a new name, but I have a sneaking suspicion his is a name that comics fans will be hearing a lot. His work is strong on storytelling fundamentals and really terrific with character design, and he handles everything from a police sting to a night at a bar to a writer closeted in her apartment with equal skill. Don: There are a number of influences at play in the artist's work on this book, and they're as diverse as the main characters. Among them are Paul (Fantastic Four, DP7) Ryan, Terry (Strangers in Paradise) Moore, Mike (The Waiting Place) Norton and the late John Buscema. He has a sharp eye for perspective and anatomy. He grabs the reader's attention with his POV and a strong level of detail in the very first panel. Randy: Fade From Blue #1 is a terrific introduction to the characters and concepts of the series. It has some wonderful moments of humor and some solid artwork, and while the basic story stands well on its own, there are hints of a darker and more fantastic edge to the story for those who are looking for something more than "slice of life." For more information about Fade From Blue, visit www.secondtosomestudios.com. Email Randy and Don comments about this review, or discuss it on the Fourth Rail message board.