Velvet #5 – Review

By: Ed Brubaker (writer), Steve Epting (art), Elizabeth Breitweiser (colors) and Chris Eliopoulos (letters)

SPOILER ALERT

This issue acts as a capstone to the first arc of the series.  I’ve loved every issue of the series so far, so I wish I could say that this was a triumphant exclamation point to the first arc, but there’s something that just isn’t quite right about the issue.

The disconnect I felt with this issue actually made me slightly concerned for the future of the series.

The problem is the guys!  I love Velvet and I feel like I know her, but the dudes in this series are seriously blurring together.  I can’t keep track of which guys are main characters and which are background noise.  For example, when Velvet is forced to kill her fellow agent/lover in this issue, I couldn’t remember whether this was a character we’ve seen before or not.  Part of the problem is that none of these guys have been developed much and that’s probably intentional.  It sounds like Velvet’s past is a blur of lovers who she had to hang out with for the job – some she was fond of, sometimes it was just work.  Nevertheless, this issue asked me to feel an emotional impact from Velvet killing this guy and I just couldn’t because I didn’t know who he was.

And that is why I’m a little concerned.  Suddenly the story seems interested in making me feel things that it hasn’t earned.  The only character I’d be bummed about dying right now is Velvet herself.  The others are just background noise.  And all these guys look the same.  How am I supposed to get wrapped up in how Dude A (a fellow agent/lover who Velvet really liked) was betrayed by Dude B (random agency guy) and how Dude C (possibly a long-time friend) is dead and how Dude D (another possible long-time friend) is helping in the present day?  It’s too many easily forgettable dudes. Yet these guys seem important to the story.  I was happy when the story was simpler and it was just “Velvet was betrayed and must run!”  That was cool.  The nuance and complexity is escaping me right now.

Velvet #4 – Review

By: Ed Brubaker (writer), Steve Epting (art), Elizabeth Breitweiser (colors) and Chris Eliopoulos (letters)

The Story: Velvet tracks down a former KGB operative for assistance.

The Review (with SPOILERS): Another strong issue of Velvet.  That’s to be expected at this point.  You really wouldn’t expect this creative team to be tossing stinkers.  But having an issue like this allows you to appreciate some of the little things that make this such a special comic series.  You know how sometimes you see a comic from new(er) creators and it has some crazy-brilliant stuff, but also some things that just don’t work?    Not a problem here.  All of the creators on this series know what will/won’t work in a comic book.

Let’s look at some of the clever stuff that gives this comic a little more…

• Clever lettering: I can’t even type it here easily, but Chris Eliopoulos does this clever thing of making the Russian assassin say “sorry” by reversing the two Rs in “SORRY”.  It’s just a little trick that makes the guy sound like a James Bond villain in your mind, or Ivan Drago.  It’s important because there is nothing visually distinctive about a “Russian Assassin” – they are just white guys in tuxedos.  It’s just a little thing that makes the comic more effective AND it keeps Steve Epting from being tempted to somehow make the guys look Russian (however you do that) or make them spout some expository dialog during the fight (“Capitalist dogs!!!”).
• Older, more “mature” hero: I loved the scene of Velvet getting ready for the Carnival of Fools.  She is still undoubtedly attractive, but she’s also in her 40s and things aren’t quite as firm or as lean as they used to be.  She’s not Kate Upton anymore.  In fact, if this were a real life movie, there would be a misogynist article or two about how it was time for Velvet to keep her clothes on.  Here in this comic, it’s just a very effective reminder that she isn’t 22 anymore.  It’s amazing that Epting can capture the little subtleties of a mature woman.
• Velvet casing the party: When she is in the party and looking for targets, Epting uses this trick of drawing a detailed image of a single person inside a little ~1 inch circle and then having the rest of the party be vague.  It’s just a nifty way of showing, “I am focused on YOU…”  It’s also pretty accurate; if anyone has ever been in a crowded room and scanned it for threats or pretty girls or your spouse, you know the feeling of being hyperfocused and the rest of the room being reduced to white noise.
• Masks!: It is really hard to draw and color realistic masks.  Do it wrong and the depth gets all wonky and the mask looks like it is floating in space in front of the person’s face.  I’m not talking about a superhero mask either, those are just colored skin.  These are masks like you and I would WEAR that are sitting just off your face.  Super job by Epting and colorist Breitweiser.

Velvet #3 – Review

By: Ed Brubaker (writer), Steve Epting (art), Elizabeth Breitweiser (colors) and Chris Eliopoulos (letters)

The Story: Velvet continues tracking down the story behind the death of another agent.

The Review (with SPOILERS): This was very nicely done.  The first two issues of Velvet were focused on starting fast and creating excitement for the reader.  This issue really starts to dig into the story and the type of character Velvet is.

It isn’t a surprise that the story is coming together so nicely.  Brubaker is a pro and has told us a lot of excellent stories in the past.  Further, I’m sure he shared the whole story with his artistic collaborator, Steve Epting, and Epting clearly has turned down all the regular-paycheck work he was getting at Marvel to work on a sweat-equity project like Velvet.  Really, the presence of Epting is what tips off the quality. There is probably a long line of up-and-comer artists who would give their kidneys to work with Brubaker, but getting a big-time, Marvel-regular artist to do a creator-owned comic says a LOT about the artist’s confidence in the project.

Part of what makes this issue a little more special than the first two is that we get to see Velvet running a mission instead of just running for her life.  It’s always fun to see an agent/spy running a mission: They have a plan, they improvise and the plan works because they’re better/smarter/faster than the bad guys.  That’s exactly how it plays out in this issue: Velvet goes in with a plan, the situation on the ground wasn’t quite what she expected, so she improvises and still accomplishes the goal.

Velvet #2 – Review

By: Ed Brubaker (writer), Steve Epting (art), Elizabeth Breitweiser (colors) and Chris Eliopoulos (letters)

The Story: Velvet is on the run and needs to find allies.

Review (with SPOILERS): There is a wonderful sense of competence and confidence about Velvet (the comic).  Most new independent comic series spend a lot of time and effort trying to make sure you notice and pay attention.  It’s an important consideration if the creators are two unknowns because they have to do something to make the reader come back for the next issue.  But….when your creators are Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting, they don’t need all that noise because they’re professionals.  They’ve been around the block and they know they have a great story and they have confidence in their ability to tell that great story.  That isn’t to say they’re just coasting on their names and reputations, it’s just that they know what is necessary and unnecessary to the story and aren’t going to waste pages on bombast and splash pages just to get attention.

In some ways, it reminds me a lot of Lazarus from Greg Rucka and Michael Lark.  Lazarus is also very good and also comes from experienced creators who just tell a story rather than trying to wow us with plot twists and spectacular moments.  If a comic series is trying to court new readers the same way that a superspy might try to pick up women in the bar, Velvet is very much that self-assured confidence of Sean Connery’s James Bond.

Velvet #1 – Review

by Ed Brubaker (Writer), Steve Epting (Artist), Elizabeth Breitweiser (Colorist)

The Story: One of the top agents of Arc-7 gets killed during a mission. Thankfully, Velvet Templeton is on the case…

The Review: There are a lot of reasons to love Image comics right now. With so many high-profile creators making the jump to non-superhero work with their own characters and concepts, it’s a pretty great thing to behold. With Brian K. Vaughan on Saga, Matt Fraction on Sex Criminals and Satellite Sam, Greg Rucka on Lazarus and so on, it’s like a golden age of creator-owned comics.

Ed Brubaker, while already on track with his own Fatale, is getting even further along as he releases another one this week with Velvet. With his first Image series playing a bit with noir along with horror, this one deals with another type of stories that Brubaker is at ease with: espionage. With Steve Epting, his Captain America collaborator who brought Bucky back to life with Brubaker working with him, this seems like a dream come true for those who grew to appreciate the writers through the Winter Soldier storyline. However, do these two bring out the same amount of quality in this issue as they did in past comics?

Thankfully, they do, as this first issue show a great amount of confidence in both the style and world-building brought forth by Brubaker and the art of Epting. Already setting a conflict right in the very beginning of the issue as well as the tone, Brubaker does not lose a single moment in his script to get most of the series rolling. Doing this, he provides a basis for the characters and a world for them to develop in. It may not be the most original of settings, yet there are a lot of ways in which this first issue does its job really well.