REVIEW: Velvet, #5

[CBR News]

In "Velvet" #5 by Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting, the revelation about Mockingbird triggers Velvet's memories about their love and loss and a related loss of her childhood hero and mentor.


Full review here.

[matt levin]

I really enjoyed issue 5! Always very glad when a comic makes space to deepen understanding of a character. I’ve a much better sense of who Velvet Templeton is now, and why, and far more reason now to follow her story, beyond that it’s well told and nicely pictured.

Was a little sad to see a new cover-style: issues 1-4 have a very distinct style with Velvet’s face, in several guises, looming over the ‘action’. Seems odd to go with a totally different look to issue 5, the bloodied glove and razor, in an arc-concluding issue.

[Gus]

I really enjoyed issue 5! Always very glad when a comic makes space to deepen understanding of a character. I’ve a much better sense of who Velvet Templeton is now, and why, and far more reason now to follow her story, beyond that it’s well told and nicely pictured.

Was a little sad to see a new cover-style: issues 1-4 have a very distinct style with Velvet’s face, in several guises, looming over the ‘action’. Seems odd to go with a totally different look to issue 5, the bloodied glove and razor, in an arc-concluding issue.

It's kind of odd to go with a whole issue of exposition and background for an arc's conclusion, but wow does it make the stakes so much bigger. Velvet's really been futzed over. I have to go reread the whole series now.

I agree the cover was different, and I'm not sure what they were getting at, but it feels symbolic. What it means I haven't sorted out, it makes me think of what happened to Velvet's mentor, but it's not that literal. It is dramatic, whatever the case.

[Lady Warp Spasm]

I look forward to reading this collected.

[banky]

It's kind of odd to go with a whole issue of exposition and background for an arc's conclusion, but wow does it make the stakes so much bigger. Velvet's really been futzed over. I have to go reread the whole series now.

I agree the cover was different, and I'm not sure what they were getting at, but it feels symbolic. What it means I haven't sorted out, it makes me think of what happened to Velvet's mentor, but it's not that literal. It is dramatic, whatever the case.

I agree though I really liked seeing the backstory of Velvet as a 16 yr old learning the ways of espionage from someone she deeply respected & admired. The way things came crashing down (literally) made me want much more exposition, esp with the twist reveal about Mockingbird at the end. I found myself wishing Brubaker had flashbacks in earlier issues to drop more clues or hints I could refer back to. I guess one of the traps with serial fiction is that changes in format/structure make the reader hungry for one style over the other. This may be a more rewarding read as a trade but I can't resist picking this up when the monthlies are there.

I like stark dramatic covers. Of all the female protagonist books on my pull list I'd say Velvet has had some of the best covers.

[Maxpower00044]

Really good conclusion to the first arc. I'll admit I'm a little spotty on why Velvet and her husband fought (I'm gathering that it's a combination of Mockingbird handing something to the enemy, and that Velvet had another husband, but I was a little iffy on that. Any clarification would be appreciated). The art is just fantastic, and anything Ed Brubaker writes is good, so this has met and exceeded my expectations. Can't wait for issue 6!

[klynn]

Really good conclusion to the first arc. I'll admit I'm a little spotty on why Velvet and her husband fought (I'm gathering that it's a combination of Mockingbird handing something to the enemy, and that Velvet had another husband, but I was a little iffy on that. Any clarification would be appreciated). The art is just fantastic, and anything Ed Brubaker writes is good, so this has met and exceeded my expectations. Can't wait for issue 6!

My take is that both she and her husband thought the other was a double agent. It was a little unclear to me how she came to this conclusion by following him. I was also confused about her phone call to the hospital--did it happen before or after the fight, was she checking up on him or another person (just pretending to be their wife for information)? Also, I think this all happened on their honeymoon (beach scene, her following him, the fight) but I'm not positive. The chronology was a little confusing.

But the reveal at the end about his not being a double agent was tremendously effective. Really looking forward to future issues.

[zebop]

I don't have to wait for the collection. One good afternoon takes care of all that.

I think Velvet is the best comic Brubaker has done since his Captain America run. I stayed with Fatale for a while, but I just couldn't get into the whole satanic cult/mysticism/crime noir mash-up. Maybe if read that in a collection it would come together, but really I'd just prefer if Brubaker and Sean Phillips could do another Criminal run.

Until they do, I'm with Velvet every stop of the way.

[Gus]

My take is that both she and her husband thought the other was a double agent. It was a little unclear to me how she came to this conclusion by following him. I was also confused about her phone call to the hospital--did it happen before or after the fight, was she checking up on him or another person (just pretending to be their wife for information)? Also, I think this all happened on their honeymoon (beach scene, her following him, the fight) but I'm not positive. The chronology was a little confusing.

But the reveal at the end about his not being a double agent was tremendously effective. Really looking forward to future issues.

Yeah, that's how I read it. She suspected he was a double agent because of the note and his meeting, which seemed to be confirmed when she confronted him, so she had to kill him. The revelation that he was being fed information so he'd suspect the same of her is horrifying.

[FHIZ]

I don't have to wait for the collection. One good afternoon takes care of all that.

I think Velvet is the best comic Brubaker has done since his Captain America run. I stayed with Fatale for a while, but I just couldn't get into the whole satanic cult/mysticism/crime noir mash-up. Maybe if read that in a collection it would come together, but really I'd just prefer if Brubaker and Sean Phillips could do another Criminal run.

Until they do, I'm with Velvet every stop of the way.

Yeah, the chronology with the phone scene also confused me. It seemed that whoever her husband met with was probably a known KGB or whoever operative due to his name, but the reader doesn't know who the hell that guy is, so we can only guess that's why she thought he was a double agent... No idea why Mockingbird though she was a double agent though.

But he's dead right? Not laying in a coma? Because at one point I thought the scene of her checking in at the hospital was in the present.

[banky]

Yeah, the chronology with the phone scene also confused me. It seemed that whoever her husband met with was probably a known KGB or whoever operative due to his name, but the reader doesn't know who the hell that guy is, so we can only guess that's why she thought he was a double agent... No idea why Mockingbird though she was a double agent though.

But he's dead right? Not laying in a coma? Because at one point I thought the scene of her checking in at the hospital was in the present.

He's dead. The phone call was definitely in the Bahamas 1956 (rotary pay phones, Velvet's hair) and was directed at the true, hospitalized "husband" whom Richard 'Mockingbird" was assuming the identity of. It really is vague as presented in flashback but that's the danger with espionage stories in serialized fiction.

The fight came about because both thought the other was double-crossing him/her. Velvet thought she had enough based on the note, the late night meeting w/Von Strauss and the phone call to the hospital. Richard's reaction was based purely on Velvet's expression I guess. As the conclusion to the first arc it was very dramatic but obviously leaves a lot of questions I wish we had more info / hints about.

[Maxpower00044]

So, I asked Ed Brubaker, and he was kind enough to respond.

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So, the phone call is actually a confirmation order to kill Mockingbird based on what she saw. I guess Mockingbird could tell she was going to kill him by the look on her face.

[banky]

very cool info! I'm going to start tweeting him for every question I have now as well.

[Red_11]

So, I asked Ed Brubaker, and he was kind enough to respond.

<snip>


So, the phone call is actually a confirmation order to kill Mockingbird based on what she saw...

Hunh...I didn't pick up on that. I though she was calling the hospital to make sure he was dead/not going to make it.

[Maxpower00044]

Hunh...I didn't pick up on that. I though she was calling the hospital to make sure he was dead/not going to make it.

Yeah, I thought she just had another husband that she was married to. The "he's not going to make it" was her cue to kill him.