Recently, a really great comic series came to an end. A few days ago I read the final issue and wanted to write about it a bit and share it with you all. FATALE has been an absolutely amazing story from issue 1. Generally, I don’t read much noir/mystery/horror, not that I have anything against those genres I just don’t find myself typically drawn to them. But FATALE really changed that for me, the wonderful blending of surreal Lovecraftian horror with noir was masterfully done by writer, Ed Brubaker.
My husband was the one who initially picked up FATALE and after every issue he would urge me to read it. I always meant to get around to reading it but pushed it off in favor of other material. When the last issue was coming up I realized I really needed to sit down and get through the series. So I did. And I read all of the issues we had at the time in about two days then went out and picked up the final issues we did not have and read those. And it was freaking fantastic! The protagonist is a woman named Josephine, who has a strange power over men that even she does not fully understand. She is the ultimate femme fatale, and as is shown time and again in the series, men are more than willing to die or worse for her love. A mysterious cult is hot on Josephine’s trail and their intent for her is grim indeed. Throughout the series we learn just how grim that intent is and how some horrors go beyond death.
This is an amazing series, and I would definitely urge anyone with the time and resources (why are comics so expensive?) to spare to pick up a few issues to try out. There are tender moments as Josephine reflects on guilt she feels from ruining so many men’s lives to save herself. There is the tantalizing mystery of the cult and Josephine’s power that is slowly unfolded throughout the series though you shouldn’t expect the series to ever lay out a complete explanation. And there are plenty of tentacles to sate any Lovecraft nut out there (seriously, what a freaky monster concept). If I say any more I might start giving away juicy plot twists, so I will end my review here!
Bonus cake pic! Yesterday was my spouse’s birthday and here is the hummingbird cake he requested I make. I forgot to take a picture of it before we started nomming so it’s more like half a cake:
edit: Okay, since pictures seem to be huge for me today and I don't feel like resizing them.... spoilers for everything!