Hardcover edition of the Eisner-nominated series out in March from Image Comics
Josephine is everything a femme fatale should be—beautiful, alluring, dangerous. And she’s also cursed. The heroine of the Image Comics series FATALE by Ed Brubaker (VELVET, Captain America: The Winter Soldier) and Sean Phillips (Criminal) is irresistible to men, who will do anything to be with her once they’ve fallen under her spell, inevitably leading to their ruin and unimagined horrors. Immortal, Josephine must bear witness to their suffering again and again as she struggles to unravel the mystery of her own existence.
A lush combination of crime noir and Lovecraftian horror, FATALE was nominated for five Eisner Awards in 2013 (Best Continuing Series, Best New Series, Best Writer, Best Penciller/Inker, Best Cover Artist). And now Image Comics is proud to announce a special hardcover edition that collects the first ten issues of the critically acclaimed series. In this first volume, Josephine’s quest will lead her into the depths of an ancient evil, a path that takes her from 1950s San Francisco, where crooked cops hide deeper evils, to mid-'70s L.A., where burnt-out actors and ex-cult groupies are caught in a web around a Satanic snuff film.
Fatale: Deluxe Edition Volume One is a 288-page full color, oversized hardbound book, packed with behind-the-scenes extras from the creative team, including art, stories, sketches, and layouts. The collection will also include several essays on genre fiction by Jess Nevins, which previously appeared only in the single issues.
FATALE creators Brubaker and Phillips made news in January when they announced a revolutionary five-year publishing deal with Image Comics at the publisher’s Image Expo event. Image Comics, the largest independent comic book publisher in the United States, will be the sole publisher of the team’s work, giving the the longtime collaborators freedom to develop whatever new projects they choose. After FATALE ends at issue #24, their first new work will be THE FADE OUT, a crime story set in 1940s Hollywood.
- Fatale Deluxe Edition Volume One by Ed Brubaker, Sean Phillips, and Dave Stewart
- ISBN 978-1-60706-942-3
- 288 pages, full color, hardbound
- $39.99
- Collects FATALE #1-10, plus bonus material
- In comic book stores March 5, 2014
- In bookstores, Amazon, and BN.com March 18, 2014
- Available for pre-order now
Praise for FATALE:
“The top-notch team of Brubaker and Phillips (known for their collaborations on Criminal and Sleeper) launch another series that gives familiar tropes an entertaining tweak…. [A]ny resemblance to standard detective fare ends there, as the creators mix in magic, cults, human sacrifice, and the possibility of eternal life to create a potent cocktail with any number of twists. Brubaker doesn’t write a word more than necessary, and Phillips’ scenery has all the right angles, evoking a film-noir feel without slavish imitation. If the words ‘last call’ make you think of ‘The Call of Cthulhu,’ this is your kind of hard-boiled tale.” –Keir Graff, Booklist (starred review)
“The minute Nicolas Lash encounters Jo, femme fatale extraordinaire with more dark secrets than Faust, things go from bad to worse in this captivating noir. Occult forces and gut-wrenching horror collide in 1950s San Francisco, as a corrupt cop and a smitten reporter go toe-to-toe over Jo, an ageless beauty with the looks of a Vargas girl and the heart of a rattle snake, who is desperate to escape the grasp of a satanic cult and their demonic, shape-shifting leader. Graced with a suspenseful plot that has more twists and turns than an alpine road, and deliberately understated artwork, Fatale boasts both intrigue and an atmosphere that feels as densely bleak as a San Francisco mist at the tip of Fisherman’s Wharf at dawn. Colorist Dave Stewart deserves special mention for his subtle, highly evocative use of neutral tones and earthy shades. This is a universe of darkness and gray shadows, and the palette perfectly fits the angst-ridden, desolate, catch-22 world of supernatural horror the protagonists must face-off against. Immortality may be a double-edged sword, but it’s one the intoxicating Jo wields with a boundless grace in this addictive page-turner.” –Publishers Weekly (starred review)