🥃 A man working in the publishing industry takes a trip to France that turns into an alcohol and drug infused fever dream of the rich, violence, and an introspective reflection.

🥃 Sit down with a cold glass filled with a beverage of your choice, light a cigarette and prepare for a visually stunning story reminiscent of "American Psycho". An enjoyable, but dark tale that leaves readers pondering their own lives by the last page.

Night Fever
By Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips
Color By Jacob Phillips
Thank you to Netgalley for a copy for an honest review.
I was able to read Night Fever in one sitting. This was the first time reading anything from Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips, artwork was great and the story was interesting and thrilling but I felt the ending was a little anti climatic. To me it felt a bit rushed and might of benefited from a second volume. Night Fever has sparked my interested in looking at more of Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips work though.
Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Confession: I almost never read graphic novels. I'm very word-oriented and have a hard time connecting with the more visual comix format. That being said, I found Night Fever to be stunning, unsettling, and memorable.

Firmly in middle age myself, I felt the truth of protagonist Jonathan Webb living on autopilot, not quite sure where the time has gone, but certain that he isn't living the life he set out to live. I believed his mid-forties angst, which was evident in both the writing and the art. And speaking of the art, it and the colorwork did a bulk of the heavy lifting in this story, and they did it beautifully. Both are, quite simply, astounding.

For as quickly as I devoured this novel, I'm surprised by how much it has stuck with me and made me think. Who are we, really? What would we do if we could step outside of our work-a-day lives and rewrite our own stories? And what would we regret in the end?

My one disappointment actually is with the novel's end. I would have liked to see some repercussions for Jonathan Webb, some consequences beyond a vague sense of relief and a renewed appreciation for his picket-fence life. After every dark thing that happens in Night Fever, the neat bow of an ending is what unsettles me the most.

Swift, dark, grim, scary, evocative. I really enjoyed this quick read, of losing yourself to insomnia and the feeling of not being who you wish you were. The whole story was like a fever dream, and I found myself having to go back a few pages to remember what had just happened due to the quick action. It was so so good.

What a wild ride. Brubaker brings a dark tale of personal exploration to life in this one, and it did not go where I was thinking. Sean Phillips is excellent as always.

Truly a fever dream of a read! Gritty technicolor noir that makes you question whether you should feel sorry for the main character or not. A tale middle-aged horror story that centers around longing and what you would do when presented with the opportunity to be someone else.

Great illustrations. I don't think I'm the audience for this book. Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for this early ebook availability.

I liked this overall as it was an interesting and well-thought-out plot. I liked the art style and felt liked it added to the drama and action of the story. The action made me really get into the story and I enjoyed other writing by both writers. I would read more in this series as I loved what Brubaker and Phillips did with this. If there followed more in this series and character i'd read it!

I absolutely loved reading this dark adventure comic. I was completely drawn into the topic and could not stop reading it.

This take on the noir mystery thriller is not for me. I assume it's demographic is men, probably older 30s-50s that also enjoy things like Clive Cussler or Lee Child (which I have never read). A man on a business trip stumbles into this under-city nightlife and for some reason decides to impersonate another guy to get into a party. A man, Rainer, he meets at this party convinces him to do a lot of dangerous, unhinged, and destructive stuff (which involves murdering someone).

Our main character, Jonathan Webb, goes along with these things-keeping the charade of being this character of the man's name he stole at the first party, asserting he isn't the one committing these crimes which references Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde of the duality of man. It's also riddled with the anxiety of Jonathan Webb wondering if or when he would get caught.

This book was not for me, and so I did not really enjoy it but I also don't think its a bad book. It harkens back to other stories of a straight=laced man loosening his collar which leads to him losing control of himself and everything spiraling out of control.

"That's the magic of guys like Rainer... Somehow the rules of the world don't apply to them. Which means the rules done apply to you, either, when you're with them."

Though I was a little confused at points, I genuinely enjoyed this thriller. Nearly every mystery wrapped up with the surprise ending in a nice, creepy bow.

This was a hell of a thing to pick off my tbr when I couldn’t sleep. I hadn’t read the description; the cover pulled me in and once I saw the creative team it was a done deal. I like what I’ve read of Brubaker and Phillips and I’ve got more of their work on my list.

Going in blind I was a bit concerned at the start that we were going to have a very violent midlife crisis on out hands. And while that isn’t entirely untrue it also doesn’t capture just what the story is about.

Jonathan Webb can’t sleep. On an ill-timed expedition for… we’ll call them sleeping pills — he follows a domino-masked couple into an underground speakeasy for the very rich and gets saved by a manic pixie dreamboat with a violent streak that makes me think I probably should have read/watched Fight Club.

Things get progressively more interesting and convoluted as our storytellers slip into their familiar mashup of spy noir and the reader os left just as confused about the reality if the situation as Webb himself.

I was pleasantly surprised by how it all wrapped up and I look forward, as always, to seeing more work from Brubaker and Phillips.

A big thanks to NetGalley and Image Comics for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

..............I honestly only read the part of this having Jekyll and Hydes vibes, and completely missed the part about how it was dark noir.

Night Fever is a graphic novel about Jonathan Webbm who suddenly finds himself unable to sleep in his new home of Europe. So he takes to wandering the streets with his friend Rainer as his body guard and guide. Rainer shows Jonathan the hidden world of the night, a world without rules or limits. But when the fun turns dangerous, Jonathan may find himself trapped in the dark... And the question is, what will he do to get home?

This was a wild ride from start to finish, so I honestly can't say for sure WHAT exactly are my thoughts are on it. Save for.....it was weird and a lot darker than I was expecting. Give it a try if that is your kind of tea.

Not my favorite graphic novel. The plot is overlooked, think any action movie such as James Bond, Mission Impossible, add in sexist remarks about women, topless bartenders and extra marital affairs and you got yourself a graphic novel that most women will probably roll their eyes at. Predictable and pushed plot. Aside from the beautiful artwork, this one is a dud.

I enjoyed this book. But I don't think the genre of this type of graphic novel is really for me. There is a ton of speculative elements due to drugs, alcohol, etc. impairing the main characters ability to be reliable. I also don't think the man suddenly indulging in his worst impulses fiction is meant for me as well.

However, I did enjoy the commentary on male mental health, lost dreams, and becoming stuck in your everyday world. I loved the use of color to portray mood and action, moody dark colors were used in moments of action and mystery, while the mundane world was bright and warm tones, much less sexy. I think this does portray how we perceive darkness within ourselves as the more mysterious and sexual side.

I'm giving this book 4 stars. While it wasn't really for me, I did thoroughly enjoy it. I think it masterfully told a story through color and art, with the use of speculative elements (despite that being one of my least favorite methods to tell a story).

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Ed Brubaker for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for Night Fever. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Who are you deep down? Are you the things you do, or are you the person inside your mind?
 
On a business trip in Europe, Jonathan Webb finds himself spending many sleepless nights. Instead, he wanders the night in a strange foreign city, with his new friend, the mysterious and sometimes violent Rainer. Rainer shows Jonathan the hidden world only found at night, a world without any rules or limitations. But when the fun turns sinister, Jonathan may find himself trapped in the dark... And the question is, what will he choose to do?
 
I love comic books and graphic novels! I think the graphics were amazing. The story was fun and fast paced. I think it’s relatable to feel stuck in your life and seek out something new and exciting. Jonathan definitely found himself in a different world.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys action packed graphic novels!

This is VERY GOOD. This is a sleek, stylish, European neo-noir that plunges the reader and it's main character into a increasingly wild, thrill-a-minute adventure.

My initial thoughts, prior to reading, were that this was going to be a noir thriller about a man floundering within himself. I didn't have any particular movies/tv show vibes other than the cover gave me a general secret society vibes. I was intrigued because the synopsis stated this was like a Jekyll/Hyde type of story and I haven't read enough of those in my time.

The art style heavily gives the noir punkish vibes and set the mood/atmosphere for most of the graphic novel. It had a delicate sort of vibe to it however that gave a more mysterious allure which I wasn't expecting but I think helped. This sadly is the only good part of the book I saw. I read other reviews after finishing to see if maybe there was a consensus and I was shocked that I was one of maybe a few that didn't care for the novel. That isn't to say its bad. It has a clear plot, the art style fits, the events all fall together to the point you have a very clear story. Altogether this novel should be spectacular, the majority has agreed so. The novel wasn't for me though.

I personally didn't care for the main character. The motivations seemed bleak to me. The concept was overdone. Who cares if a middle-aged man has a midlife crisis and does stupid things only to realize he had it best before he went on this journey? The murders were the only interesting part. The entire book felt like a fever dream. Kind of like if you were to have gone to Las Vegas, pretended to be someone else and got completely trashed and then realized the sex, drugs, etc. wasn't worth it because you have a loving wife and children at home. But now there is no responsibility or accountability because you went back to real life and pretended you didn't just take this journey. I didn't see how this correlated with Jekyll/Hyde other than the drugs and booze making him black out.

The only part that I thought was interesting was his monologue on view points changing perspectives to fit what you want. I think that was an interesting point but it didn't make up for the lack of intrigue the rest of the novel had.

Overall, I think I was not the target audience. I can see why others would really enjoy this. It has a clear and concise storyline. The main character is morally grey and jumps down a rabbit hole to realize his own life's worth. The art style is delicate yet gritty the way that noir styles should be. And it has some good themes/one off thoughts that are provoking. It should be a 4 star for most people.

I would like to thank the Publisher (Image Comics) and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this ARC.

This is my second read from Brubaker/Phillips and I have to say I do like the retro feel of what they do, this too read like an old crime noir but with a bit more violence.

We follow 'Griffin' on his journey, delving deeper into the dark underworld as it were. There's a lot of built up tension throughout, and there's a bit of turning and twisting. The ending was particularly good I think.

I do want to comment this time on how gorgeous the use of colour was, some of these pages were superb.

There's some things I feel never get resolved like the dream and the aliens, but overall a solid read.

ARC courtesy of NetGalley.

Brubaker and Phillips have done it again.

Jonathan Webb is an American man attending a work conference in France, something he's done a million times. This time, however, he's having difficulty sleeping. It started on the plane ride to France, when he was reading a manuscript for work and noticed that a dream described within it is one he had before when younger. Since then he hasn't slept. It's been three days.

While wandering the streets of the city he comes across a strange club. On a whim, he takes the name of one of the attendees who isn't yet there and begins to assume a different identity. He runs with a dangerous, elite crowd and begins to learn some strange secrets. He still has yet to sleep. Things take on a dreamlike quality - pieces are missing, but slowly they all come together.

What now? What about the life that Webb left?

Brubaker and Phillips are an impeccable team. NIGHT FEVER was an electric read, dark and contemplative with a throughline of philosophical considerations about the human condition and what our true self is. It's a story that will live on in my mind for quite some time to come, mulling over the different implications that exist within the story.

If you're a fan of RECKLESS or VELVET I highly recommend picking this book up. If you're new to Brubaker and Phillips, this is quite a strong entry point as well. It'll stick with you.