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FADE FROM BLUE #1
Recommended (8/10)
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Second to Some Studios
Writer: Myatt Murphy
Artist: Scott Dalrymple
Letters: Stan Depain
Price: $1.00 US/$1.55 CAN |
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 many readers, but it's boasts a diversified feel that's bound to appeal to a wide audience... if they find it. One would think the low price would be its best selling point, but it's just a good and varied read.
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.
I would imagine there will be some who hail this book for its "female-friendly" quality. 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.
Those shifts from one character to another -- and one genre to another -- are 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
There are a number of influences at play in Dalrymple'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.
The creators have everything going here to make for a small-press success... not only talent, but smart marketing as well. The cover price has little to do with the quality of the book, but it strikes me as a smart move. Selling the book for a buck is bound to attract attention from readers who might not otherwise be drawn to a black-and-white, small-press title.
Note: Some of the comments in this review were reproduced from a previous feature on the website.
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