The Fade Out, a new comic book series by Ed Brubaker and his partner Sean Phillips (together they've done Sleeper, Criminal, Incognito and Fatale), is a kind of meta-noir story about a screenwriter in Hollywood in 1948. Brubaker grew up inspired by older comics, including Jim Steranko's run on S.H.I.E.L.D. for Captain America, and fascinated with the period right before the post-war Boom days came crashing down. Brubaker shares his secrets for how to avoid being cliche in a genre that people have seen a million times. Plus, how he pulled off bringing back Captain America's sidekick Bucky Barnes while writing the story for this year's megahit, Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
Banner image courtesy of Image Comics.