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Sable & Fortune #1
Review posted: 29 Jan 2006
Writer: Brendan Cahill
Artist: John Burns
Publisher: Marvel Comics
5.00 out of 5 Stars
Reviewed by Matt Rawson
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For the benefit of those with short attention spans, or those who
just simply don’t have the time to read a lengthy review to get
to the meat, I’ll give it to you here, up front: go buy this
book! In fact, go get some star stickers and stick a few more on
your screen for this one, because Marvel is doing a wonderful thing
and they need to know it (just in case, of course, they are watching
you stick things to your computer monitor). I had lost faith in
Marvel, chalking the publishing company up to selling out its
properties to Hollywood or the next highest bidder and leaving the
true comics fans in the dust, and now I am being brought back in.
For the benefit of those with short
attention spans, or those who just simply don’t have the time to
read a review, I’ll give it to you here: go buy this
book!
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I do understand that the movies have helped keep Marvel in the
black, so to speak, but I also saw a vast drop in the quality of the
comics. Quite simply, the writing started to really suck (and to some
degree still does) and the only heroes that we seemed to ever get to
see were the top tier “it” characters (whatever an
“it” character is). It seemed to me that if a particular
book couldn’t be pitched as, or tie into a feature film (i.e.
didn’t have Wolverine somewhere in the mix), then it
didn’t get the green light. Well, Marvel has apparently seen the
error of its ways and we are now being graced with books like Sable
& Fortune.
Brendan Cahill (Outside the Box), on his first tour of duty
with Marvel, has brought together two characters that in the past have
garnered cult followings, but never much more than that. Silver Sable,
appearing first in Spider-Man, and then in her own series for a couple
years has been relatively off the map since the mid-nineties. Dominic
Fortune, an adventure hero set in the 1930s was created by Howard
Chaykin way back in Marvel Preview #2 in 1975, has had sparse
appearances in books such as Marvel Super-Heroes, Marvel
Super-Action, Hulk Magazine, Web of Spider-Man,
Marvel Premiere, Marvel Team-Up, and
Iron Man. In fact, most modern comic readers first question when given
the name “Dominic Fortune” would probably be,
“who?”
If you are one of these modern merry Marvel marchers then fear not,
because this is apparently a new Dominic Fortune, possibly a grandson
of Chaykin’s adventure ace, or maybe someone who has
appropriated the name, or maybe something else entirely. One thing we
do know is that he is a private detective with a flair for the 007
lifestyle who is tangled with Silver Sable in a web of espionage,
adventure and murder.
Silver Sable and Dominic Fortune are bought together with a phrase
(Code word? Trigger word?) “single malt sunrise”. Fortune
and Sable begin their adventure with their guns a bit steadier than
their relationship as two leaders trying to take the lead in
uncovering a plot that could have global ramifications stretching from
a US Senator to the Prime Minister of Japan, and may go as personal as
a trusted friend.
If you happen to see a Marvel book on the stands and
the writer is unfamiliar to you, do yourself a favor and invest the
$3.00. You may discover a Brendan Cahill.
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The art in Sable & Fortune is provided by legendary
British artist John Burns (Judge Dredd), who has influenced
scores of comics creators, but hasn’t been given his proper due
in the U.S.A. And let me tell you, he deserves some due. The
painting in Sable & Fortune cries out with energy and
force, yet retains subtleties and nuances that separate the master
from the average artist. I sincerely hope that this is only the
beginning of John Burns contributions to American comics.
What more can I say? Buy this book! Marvel is doing a wonderful
thing, and lets all hope they keep it up. But then again, that part is
up to us readers. If you happen to see a Marvel book on the stands and
the writer is unfamiliar to you, and the character isn’t
“your friendly neighborhood blind lawyer who’s the best
there is at what he does”, do yourself a favor and invest the
$3.00. You may discover a Brendan Cahill. You may rediscover a Silver
Sable or a Dominic Fortune. But most importantly you’ll let
Marvel know that it needs some fresh blood. And let me tell you, once
the standard for Marvel storytelling and art reaches the level of
Sable & Fortune, you’ll be glad you took the chance
on that book. Raise your voices and open your wallets, because those
two actions together speak volumes and encourage change.
—CCdC—
Cover image used without explicit permission in accordance with the "Fair Use" provision of US copyright law.
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