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In 1939 NYC, Max Winters is in the twilight of his life trying to survive in a country in a financial meltdown and on the brink of World War II by writing serialized pulp cowboy stories for a magazine. It doesn’t pay much, but that and his wife Rosa’s income earned by cleaning houses allows them to just barely get by. Until he learns that his publisher has a ghost writer penning continuation stories in his name as a contingency plan due to Max’s old age and for half the per-word cost. This revelation along with witnessing the physical and verbal abuse of a Jewish boy at the train station gives Max a heart attack at which time his meager earnings for his latest story are stolen right out of his pocket. What he does as a result could easily be classified as a last resort but it’s really Max taking back what’s his by the only means with which he’s familiar.
Max is such an amazing character and, even though we come from backgrounds that are polar opposites of each other, I totally relate to his frustrations and his anger and his love and his loyalty. Ed Brubaker’s characterization is dead on the money. Like everything he writes. Brubaker is the master of writing the Everyman who finds himself thrown into extraordinary, but realistic, situations. And Sean Phillips... don’t get me started on his artwork. So gorgeous and layered and mind blowing. This is one I can easily see myself reading over and over again.
I had read Brubaker and Phillips’ The Fade Out prior to this and loved it so now I’m going back to read more. Criminal may be next up.
Max is such an amazing character and, even though we come from backgrounds that are polar opposites of each other, I totally relate to his frustrations and his anger and his love and his loyalty. Ed Brubaker’s characterization is dead on the money. Like everything he writes. Brubaker is the master of writing the Everyman who finds himself thrown into extraordinary, but realistic, situations. And Sean Phillips... don’t get me started on his artwork. So gorgeous and layered and mind blowing. This is one I can easily see myself reading over and over again.
I had read Brubaker and Phillips’ The Fade Out prior to this and loved it so now I’m going back to read more. Criminal may be next up.