My heroes have always been junkies : a criminal novella
(Graphic Novel)

A femme fatale with an odd obsession comes to life in lush color in the first original graphic novel from Brubaker and Phillips (Kill or Be Killed). Elle's in rehab, though she has no interest in quitting drugs. She is much more interested in Skip, a fellow patient. Elle entices Skip at every turn and destroys his attempt to stop using. When the two are caught together after curfew, Elle convinces Skip to run off. Brubaker craftily uses Elle's musings to unveil her romanticized perspective against a backdrop of striking pastels and evocative grayscale visuals. Elle's obsessed with talented junkies; talking about them is how she relates and processes her feelings. Indeed, every memory of Elle's connects to music and drug use. Brubaker never attempts to garner sympathy for Elle or glorify drug use, instead deepening the mystery around Elle and her agenda. Readers of postmodern pulp will enjoy this intense story and unapologetically cunning character. (Oct.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Brubaker and Phillips (Kill or Be Killed) are the most dependable duo in comics today, routinely producing hard-boiled, literary crime thrillers. Their latest follows the trend. As an orphaned child, Ellie develops a fascination with famously drug-addicted musicians and artists. Her hero worship follows her into adulthood and finds her placed against her will in a rehab facility where she meets a young man named Skip, who is desperate for a new lease on life. Soon the two are drawn together and propelled into real trouble by Ellie's impulsive, self-destructive behavior. Will true love save these tortured souls? Who are the mysterious men who seem to follow their every move? Close readers of the creator's oeuvre will catch connections to their earlier series, Criminal, but this one still provides plenty of truly twisted twists and wraps up with a pulpy punch of an ending that's satisfying—and heartbreaking—on its own. VERDICT While lacking the scope of Brubaker and Phillips's longer, serialized stories, this stand-alone novella is a fine addition to a staggering body of work.—TB

A femme fatale with an odd obsession comes to life in lush color in the first original graphic novel from Brubaker and Phillips (Kill or Be Killed). Elle's in rehab, though she has no interest in quitting drugs. She is much more interested in Skip, a fellow patient. Elle entices Skip at every turn and destroys his attempt to stop using. When the two are caught together after curfew, Elle convinces Skip to run off. Brubaker craftily uses Elle's musings to unveil her romanticized perspective against a backdrop of striking pastels and evocative grayscale visuals. Elle's obsessed with talented junkies; talking about them is how she relates and processes her feelings. Indeed, every memory of Elle's connects to music and drug use. Brubaker never attempts to garner sympathy for Elle or glorify drug use, instead deepening the mystery around Elle and her agenda. Readers of postmodern pulp will enjoy this intense story and unapologetically cunning character. (Oct.)