ARC provided by NetGalley
I honestly went into this graphic novel completely blind and I was far from disappointed. The story is dark and a but gory but full of twists and turns. I really enjoyed the journey. Highly recommend.

Maybe I don't get Ed Brubaker's stories because I felt similarly about Fatale: the plot is disjointed and tough to follow. Night Fever feels more like Brubaker's attempt to parse out his own demons in a fever dream--he implies this much in his author's note--than a coherent thriller, but it suits Sean Phillips' art nicely.

Night Fever is an apt title for this fever dream of an experience for an average, yet unhappy middle-aged man who seemingly "has it all." Like a more violent Eyes Wide Shut, Night Fever takes the reader on a surreal journey with an unreliable narrator who gets much more than he bargained for.

Night Fever was an interesting look into the potential for violence inside even the most mild individuals. It considers who we are and who we want to be and who we can be, and how much our secret wants and prospective choices influence our lives. Jonathan thinks he wants to be a particular type of person, he wants to be seen a certain way, and he makes decisions reflecting those hidden wants, but once he's in the thick of things he's eager to go back to his real life. However, the things he chose to do would have certainly changed him from the person he was before. I found myself wondering at the end whether his stint as Griffin was the departure from who he has been, or if his normal life is a mask for who he always was.

Language: High
Drugs: High
Sex: High
Violence: High

My thanks to Image Comics for a temporary digital review copy via NetGalley of ‘Night Fever’ by Ed Brubaker & Sean Phillips.

This is my first experience of the creative team of Brubaker & Phillips; though in a section titled ‘And For More From’ there’s a collection of covers from their many publications.

The story itself was fascinating, very much a noir thriller with touches of horror.

May 1978 and Jonathan Webb is flying to Italy on business. During the flight he is reading a proof of ‘And Then the Fire’ by Denn Pickett, one of his companies fall titles that Webb will be selling to foreign buyers. He is startled when one of the scenes in the strange book reflects a disturbing recurring dream of his. He remains deeply bothered by it.

Unable to sleep Webb finds himself wandering the streets. He decides to follow a couple in evening clothes and masks. He manages to bluff his way into the exclusive and very ‘Eyes Wide Shut’ club by assuming a name from the authorised list. From there things get progressively strange. He is befriended by the mysterious Rainer, who becomes his guide to the hidden world of the night, a world without rules or limits. When the fun turns to danger, will Jonathan be able to return to his former life?

Sean Phillips’ art captures both the mundane elements of Jonathan’s time at the book fair and the contrasting neo-Gothic ambience of the city at night.

Overall, I found ‘Night Fever’ an impressive combination of storytelling and art. I hope to read more graphic novels by Ed Brubaker & Sean Phillips.

Thank you to NetGalley, the authors & publishers for a copy of this eARC in exchange for a review.

This was an okay read wasn’t for me but I somewhat enjoyed it. Art style was cool and story line was a bit strange in some places but different.

This story offers a gritty glimpse into the life of a man experiencing a midlife crisis, steering his course into a realm reminiscent of the thrilling mystery novels he's been reading. Yet, the predicaments thrust upon this ordinary individual lead to some truly unforeseen outcomes. What truly stood out for me was the conclusion, which masterfully tied together this dark narrative with a sense of authenticity, all underscored by the consistently stellar artistry of the talented Phillips. This creative duo never disappoints, consistently delivering a compelling narrative. While it might lean more towards a 3.5 rating, I'll round it up to a 4 due to the audacious and satisfying conclusion.

Night Fever is a fast paced graphic novel that depicts the story of a middle aged family man on a business trip, who wishes for more excitement in his life. He finds the excitement he’s looking for but realises too late that it is much more dangerous than it seems.

Night Fever was a very exciting read, I loved the suspense and danger that built as Jonathan gradually gave in to the excitement of a life of crime. The art work in this graphic novel was excellently done and really helped to capture the atmosphere of the story.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and would definitely read more of Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips’ work.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Image Comics for providing me with this arc.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Image Comics for the ARC!

Night Fever is about a middle-aged man flying to France to sell a client's book to international booksellers who makes a life changing decision to follow a masked couple into an exclusive, anonymous party that ends up being more dangerous than he could have ever expected

The story was very intriguing and kept me on my toes. The artists and author did an amazing collaborative work getting the story across with words and picture; it's tricky to figure out what needs to be shown versus told, and they did an excellent job.

The colors during the car chase are so vivid, and the shift from cool to warm colors as the tensions rise from it is such a clever transition, and I really love the way they depicted the mental explosion from the onset of the drugs.

Highly recommend it

My Rating: 3⭐️

My first graphic novel as an adult! (I used to collect Buffy comics lol)
I can say though that even though I enjoyed the story line, graphic novels aren’t for me.

This was a fast paced ride. Drug, sex and murder. It gave me Gotham night vibes. Glamorous yet gritty, we follow our MMC on a European business trip but he’s having a midlife crisis. Things start to get weird, he meets the mysterious Rainer….

I won’t say much as I do think it’s worth a read. I just didn’t feel for the MC at all.

Visually this is a stunning graphic novel. Recommend if you like comics style format and a quick read!

From the cover I was expecting this one to be a bit "darker". I feel like the art style was dark, but the story itself, not so much. This story really does make you think deeper than surface level and its very psychological, which I enjoyed. I did not have any real expectations for this one but the cover in my opinion is a little misleeading but maybe I am not "intellectual" enough to fully grasp the deeper meanings. I didnt love it and I didnt hate it. It was good.

Enjoyed this read and would recommend it. It wasn’t anything that blew me out of the water, but it was enjoyable and I did finish it in a couple days.

I’m really on a roll with noir fiction lately. I like the slightly nostalgic vibe, the snarky and nihilistic narrators, and the edge of suspense. Of course, one main staple of the noir genre is *crimes at night* , which is the exact subject of Night Fever. A gorgeous and suspenseful graphic novel, the story follows Jonathan, a middle-aged family man on a business trip who suffers a bout of insomnia and finds himself wandering the dark streets of Paris in the middle of the night.

You can practically hear the saxophone luring you into dark alleys and underground bars. In one such bar hosting a sexy masquerade party, Jonathan assumes an alter ego and makes a new friend - a mysterious and confident man named Rainer. The two embark upon a crime-ridden nighttime adventure, opening Jonathan’s mind and world to a place of darkness, danger, and anonymity. But in the morning, things don’t seem quite right to Jonathan. Why did he let Rainer talk him into such a dangerous escapade? And why would he risk his life and family to follow this man into the night? What will the consequences be? Jonathan may have awakened something primal within…something that can never be put back to sleep.

Exploring the contradictory and compartmentalized nature of existence, Night Fever shows a man on the edge, staring straight into the abyss of his inner demons. Would you flinch? Are you as good as you think you are? Or is the night fever laying dormant in you as well? Maybe we only find out under the right (or very very wrong) circumstances…

My inner narrator is sitting in a smoky room under the harsh light of a streetlamp cutting through the horizontal blinds. There’s that saxophone again. And the voice is saying something like “Kid, we’re all just one bad night of sleep away from our own Night Fever. Even when you turn on the lights, the darkness still knows you’re there.” The scene dims as the streetlight flickers. Somewhere beyond, sirens are wailing, and the jazz sax lulls us back into the darkness. Fin

Thank you to Netgalley and Image Comics for the arc!

A great offering from Ed Brubaker & Sean Phillips. There was plenty of ambiguity as to whether this was all a dream, or split personalities at work. The ending was a bit meh, definitely felt rushed and unexplored.
This will appeal to fans of Jekyll and Hyde and Fight Club.
Big thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Night Fever is a fever-dream thrill ride until the last panel!

What would you do if you had a special guide to the nightlife of the underworld of a gritty city? What if that guide might not necessarily have your best interests at heart? But..... what if you didn't care or (at least you didn't care until it might be too late)? That is partially what Night Fever covers and more.

This is a dark and gritty thriller from start to finish. It felt like such a fun setting (if super dangerous at times). Our main character seems to be such a straight-laced human and as the story progresses you start to realize that he might be letting go to discover some of the darker sides of himself. This story is described as a Jekyll & Hyde thriller for a reason. I really enjoyed this and have loved all of the work from Brubaker & Phillips and can't wait to see what these two come up with next.

Check this out!

This is Brubaker and Phillips at their top game. Dark sexy and creepy with excessive violence and sex. By using a European setting it feels different to their previous collaborations but still has the power you would expect from two of the best in the business. Thanks to Netgalley and Image Comics for the chance to read this. Highly recommended

Night Fever
Ed Brubaker, writer; Sean Phillips, artist; Jacob Phillips, colorist
Image Comics, 2023

The creative team took a break from the Reckless series of graphic novels for this stand-alone story. Publisher’s agent Jonathan Webb is in Europe on a business trip for a book festival and can’t sleep. He finds himself wandering the night in a strange foreign city with his new friend, the mysterious and violent Rainer, as his guide. Rainer shows Jonathan the hidden world of the night, a world without rules or limits. Soon Webb finds himself engaging in all sorts of unusual behavior (for him): fearless gambling, followed by vengeance against those who ran him down and robbed him, then an encounter with a young French woman.

Arriving back at the hotel late, he remembers that he used to send his wife a postcard every day he was away from home. But now it feels awkward, and he can’t find the words. Plus, he begins to abandon his professional responsibilities at the publisher’s booth: he really does not feel like himself. Thinking the previous night’s adventures were a unique experience, never to be repeated, he goes into the evening with no plans. But Rainer comes by to drive to a new caper, a burglary. As usual unexpected things happen, ending with a confrontation with an author that Webb represents. In the morning the police ask him to identify the body, and Rainer is talking about a deal they made (which he does not remember). In the end the two meet up, and it is clear that Rainer intends to set Webb up for a murder, as well as the break-in earlier. Webb surprises him, and next thing we know, he is headed home, in the clear.

This is a story with an unusual character arc: regular guy discovers that he has criminal tendencies; acts on them and gets away with it; then goes back to his life, happy to be back to normal. It’s a little like Kill or Be Killed, with a bit of Criminal flavor. But it has a unique tone, and is highly recommended to Brubaker/Phillips fans.

This was my first graphic novel from this duo and it will not be my last! What an unexpected crazy ride! Loved both the art and the story so much I ordered a copy. Good Reads review left, A link to my booktube video to come!

This is the first book I've read by these authors. I liked it. The main character was an unreliable narrator but all the crazy things he did was interesting to read about. I'd read more by this pair.

This is a what’s happening book? As you read it you think what’s happening OMG!

Then afterwards you realise that you have no idea what actually happened but it gave you a rush when you read it. The artwork was great too.

Not really one for me but still a good read which left me with plenty of questions and by the way what was happening?