Brubaker/Epting

Jim’s Review

Velvet #7 picks up the chase for Velvet from the points-of-view of Colt and Roberts. Actually, but for a few panels, this issue offers very little of Velvet herself. It’s not the greatest way to pick up the story arc, and it doesn’t do very much to advance the narrative or tell us anything we didn’t already know, but it does offer glimpses into the minds of Colt and Roberts. Those characters are a little more fleshed out here, and so the world of Velvet feels slightly more populated. The big payoff for this issue is in the cliffhanger, so rest assured, the story-telling pace here won’t slow for long. Steve Brubaker’s command of the hard-boiled/noir voice is as engaging as ever, and thanks to Steve Epting’s art, and Elizabeth Breitweiser’s ink work, Velvet’s aesthetic appeal continues to excel and immerse us in the environment of Cold War Europe.

If you’ve been reading this title, it’s safe to say you know what’s going on, and this issue won’t really do much to move the story forward, but it’s a solid installment. If you haven’t read the initial arc (issues #1-5), you’ll have a tough time fully investing, or seeing this book as much more than a run-of-the-mill, “Spy on the Run” story, but if you’re a fan of Ed Brubaker’s work, or of hardboiled/noir storytelling, this series is still young enough to be worth your time to catch up on.

Verdict: Worth a look.