The world’s deadliest woman fights for her life in this epic espionage thriller, brilliantly narrated by Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting and now collected in a velvet omnibus edition by Panini Comics.
In general, there are series worth collecting in the deluxe edition, and Velvet is without a doubt one of them. Now, thanks to Panini Comics, we can enjoy this little gem, which until now was available in three volumes, in one perfectly curated volume.
Black team
To this day, the name Ed Brubaker is immediately associated with the name Sean Phillips. In recent years, both of them considered their work as a masterpiece, probably being the most reliable stable team in the entire comic industry (criminal, careless, blurred…). Specializing in the noir genre did not cause them problems, and their work continues to be as fresh as the first day.
However, both have a past. And in Brubaker we find not only works of questionable quality, but also collaborations with other artists. And the one she married, surprisingly, was Steve Epting. They’ve both managed to create the best Winter Soldier and everything in Captain America’s publishing life, and they’ve proven to work well together with Velvet.
It is on that Steve Rogers level that parallels to this work can be sought. The gritty tone of the old-fashioned spy story, with its rawness and realism and the occasional lack of glamor it implies, is what sets both comics apart.
Velvet, a secretary by profession
Although they draw on the clichés of the spy noir genre, the authors aim to subvert them as well. A good example of this is the choice of the main character, who is far from what anyone would normally expect in this type of story: Velvet Templeton, a cross-dressing writer of a certain age. Between Valentina Allegra de la Fontaine with Nick Fury and Moneypenny with James Bond.
It is true that this has a trick. As is common in many eighties and nineties action movies, our heroine may have a boring career (she works as the head of an intelligence service in England, although not boring), but in the past she was a real beast.
The authors rely on the premise of the fictional criminal to put our heroes into action. She is accused of the death of an agent of the organization and knows that being innocent is not enough to get out of the trouble she has to face.
The time when the action took place, in the late 1970s, would be suitable for the type of story that this work wants to tell us. We are not talking about a plot where the use of new technologies becomes crucial when life is at stake, but rather the cunning, ingenuity, experience and courage of this writer that drives the plot forward. .
A rich environment of secondary characters also receives light, but through various flashbacks we get to know our protagonist better. Attention: on more than one occasion. From here, you have to be prepared for a series of intrigues, betrayals and surprising revelations that unfold in a relentless story from the beginning.
Seventies style
On these grounds, any regular Brubaker reader can assume that what we have here is a must-read comic. The master of noir deploys all his skill to develop that kind of story, which he always excels at. But this wouldn’t be as bright and perfect as it is if Epting hadn’t done his life’s work.
The artist takes us back to a time when the Russians were the enemy and the best way to convey information was through microfilm, smoking is not harmful to health and aiming guns with amazingly intoxicating designs. Your jacket pocket is a stylish way to do this.
Colorist Elisabeth Breitweather deserves credit as well, with plenty of nocturnal blues that the story’s tone calls for. It’s a shame that in recent years, politically, this professional has gotten along so badly with authors like Brubaker, because it’s less than her job deserves.
As for the amazing edition, the deluxe hardcover edition by Panini Comics has 416 pages of size 18 x 27.5 cm. In color, very manageable despite its massive dimensions and weight. Includes translations of the American version of the fifteen issues that make up the series in its entirety. The recommended retail price for this size is €48 and it goes on sale in September 2023.
Velvet for everyone
The unique creative team formed by Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting, who revived Captain America, created the Winter Soldier and sent the Liberty Sentinel to death, presented their greatest work yet.
The world’s best spy has been killed and all evidence points to Velvet Templeton, the agency director’s personal secretary. But Velvet has a hidden secret… because she’s also the most dangerous woman alive!
Autores: Ed Brubaker, Elizabeth Breitweiser and Steve Epting