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Fade From Grace #4
Beckett Entertainment Comics
Written by Gabriel Benson
Art by Jeff Amano

Review by Fletcher Adams

The Least You Need to Know – When his fiancée, Grace, is trapped in a fire, John mysteriously gains the power to manipulate his molecular density. Wrestling with how this will affect their marriage, Grace ultimately encourages John to use his powers to protect and save others as the hero, Fade.

With issue #4, Fade From Grace reaches the inevitable moment where Fade truly comes between Grace and John’s marriage. In one sense, I’m a little disappointed with the title. The pacing of Fade From Grace has seemed a little off to me, as acts one and two almost blur together. With so much space devoted to establishing John’s role as Fade, the shift in this issue (which finds him more established in the role, at least enough to warrant having enemies) seems clumsy. Not to create excuses, but one possible reason of this could be the break in shipping between issue 3 and 4 (this may have caused the gap in story to seem wider). Despite these concerns, Fade From Grace is a title that has kept its place near the top of my “must read” pile. Benson does a great job of establishing a cinematic feel to the book, as well as using simple and naturalistic dialogue to create a sense of everyday reality.

Fade From Grace’s greatest strength is owed to both the writer and the artist. Together they create set such a mood to the title, it’s almost palatable. Every element of the tale reflects the ominous “from” in the title, seeming to indicate an inevitable down ending. Both creators also are willing to subscribe to the “less is more” school of thought, which helps give an unearthly silence and calm to the title, reminiscent of Fade’s own powers. The climatic sequence of this issue is simply magnificent, a true testament to both Benson and Amano’s abilities, which leaves readers dangling on a tantalizing cliffhanger for the final issue.

The Bottom Line – A good mix of superhero and romantic drama, Fade From Grace may be a little rough around the edges, but it has heart and originality that many new titles can only hope to achieve. Benson, Amano and Beckett Comics have proven to me that they have the ability to become lasting talents in the comic industry.