Comics
Review: ‘Velvet’ #1
A smart spy thriller, “Velvet” #1 will keep readers on their toes as each plot twist hits them hard. This is an exciting glimpse into a secretive world filled with gun-toting traitors, high-ranking schemers, and trained assassins. No one can be trusted as everyone is pretending to live a double life in the “Velvet” series.
WRITTEN BY: Ed Brubaker
ART BY: Steve Epting
PUBLISHER: Image Comics
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: October 23, 2013
The underground organization, X-Ops, has sent their top secret agent, Jeff Keller, on a dangerous assignment in Paris. With the Eiffel Tower behind him, Jeff ends up taking out his gun and shooting a room full of innocent civilians. After dodging the French police, Jeff jumps across the rooftops before finally reaching his parked car. Just when he thought the fiasco was over, Jeff suddenly sees the shotgun pointed at him. At point-blank range, the shotgun blast kills Jeff before he can take out his piece. At the X-Ops headquarters in London, Velvet Temptation has just been debriefed about Jeff’s murder. Velvet will have to go through her own team in order to find Jeff’s killer.
Writer Ed Brubaker takes his espionage-driven narrative through different foreign settings and time periods. What I liked most about Brubaker’s writing is how he transitions the timeline between Velvet’s past and present. With the story set amid the ’70s and late ’60s, Brubaker has a way with the hard-bitten dialogue as the narrative steers toward noirish territory. When a secondary character calls Velvet nothing more than a “secretary,” it automatically sounds misogynist and hateful.
During the time jumps, Brubaker is able to hint at the many layers behind Velvet Temptation. When Velvet is at the X-Ops offices, she is more of a bookworm, kind of like a librarian, as she goes through tedious amounts of paperwork. But when she is out in the field, Velvet lets loose her hair, becoming seductive and adventurous. And when she is at home, Velvet acts like a completely different person, living a comfortably quiet life. Notice in the bedroom how there is no personal item belonging to her.
Artist Steve Epting has an interesting character design for Velvet. When Velvet is at the X-Ops headquarters, her wardrobe is classy and business-like. To keep up the elegant look, Epting lets a white strand of Velvet’s hair curl around her face. Epting uses rain as a way to establish the noir themes. When Velvet is walking across the rainy streets of London, she uses a brown trench coat to cover herself, as if she is always hiding something.
Epting’s illustrations in the opening pages will instantly hook the readers. It’s an action sequence gone horribly wrong as Jeff finds himself suddenly comprised. A tribute to the James Bond movies, specifically the Pierce Bronsan ones, Jeff is wearing a black suit and a bowtie as he fights his way through security. The panels burst with red hues as Jeff is taken down by the hidden gunman.
“Velvet” #1 kicks off to a great start and I hope the excitement keeps up in the next issue. If you’re a fan of “24” and the Jason Bourne movies, you’re definitely going to enjoy the hell out of “Velvet.”
4/5 Skulls
Reviewed by – Jorge Solis
Comics
‘Curse of the Where Wolf’ Bites Into August Release With Trio of Werewolf Theatrical Screenings [Exclusive Preview]
Larry Chaney‘s hairy misadventures are continuing in the sequel graphic novel Curse of the Where Wolf from creative team Rob Saucedo, Debora Lancianese, and Jack Morelli, and its author is celebrating with a trio of horror’s greatest werewolf films.
The Curse of the Where Wolf hits shelves on August 7 from Encyclopocalypse Publications.
That coincides with the launch of a theatrical screening event in Houston, Texas, featuring a trio of seminal werewolf flicks turning 45 this year: The Howling on August 7, Wolfen on August 14, and An American Werewolf in London on August 21.
Each screening features a “werewolf in film” presentation as well as a book signing from Where Wolf author and River Oaks Theatre artistic director Rob Saucedo.
In the new graphic novel, “Being a werewolf sucks. Reporter Larry Chaney wanted to be a hero. Instead, he became a werewolf. Now, caught between incredible new powers and a desire to eat everything (and everyone) in sight, Larry must find a cure for his curse. Or die trying.”
“With Where Wolf, I wanted to tell a whodunit set in a furry convention, so the story was pretty contained within a very specific setting and genre. With Curse of the Where Wolf, I wanted to celebrate everything I love about the possibility of comic books. Curse of the Where Wolf is a funny book, in every sense of the phrase, but it’s also an earnest look at a person’s struggle to become a better version of themselves, especially when the alternative is to become a literal monster,” Saucedo says of Curse.
The original graphic novel was previously serialized as the first webcomic hosted on Fangoria before being collected by Encyclopocalypse Publications in 2023 and has already been optioned for film, podcast, and television development ahead of launch by producers James Fino (“The Freak Brothers” for Tubi, “Rick and Morty” for Adult Swim) and Charles Horak (First Date for Magnolia Pictures).
Expect Larry to find himself in even weirder situations in the 362-page full color sequel; Saucedo has provided Bloody Disgusting with exclusive art pages from the upcoming graphic novel that showcase lupine humor.
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