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FORTUNE AND GLORY Brian Michael Bendis
Comic review

Now I'm not going to pretend to be Brian Michael Bendis' biggest fan and start going on about how I've liked his work for years, ever since the first Jinx comics came out etc., because that would just be a lie. In fact the first thing I read of his was 'Sam & Twitch', but being more of an artist myself, I only ever really take note of the artists in comic books and not necessarily the writers.

I first started to take note of his work when the 'Hellspawn' series started up, closely followed by his own creation, 'Powers'. I couldn't believe how many titles this guy was writing at the same time. Then there was 'Ultimate Spider-Man' and the 'Daredevil Ninja' mini-series. I mean what is this guy, a robot?

But now I love his work and am trying to get my fluffy paws on his older stuff. He's primarily a crime fiction writer, with his first works 'Jinx', 'Goldfish' and 'Torso' no doubt making him the perfect candidate for the 'Sam & Twitch' Job. So trawling around Amazon the other day I found this little nugget: 'Fortune And Glory: A True Hollywood Comic Book'.

Now I'm pretty sure that my local comic shop guy, Steve, recommended this to me a while back, right around the time I placed my order for the 'Torso' graphic novel actually, but for some reason I forgot all about it.

'Fortune And Glory' is the autobiographical tale of when Bendis tried to get one of his early books, 'Goldfish', made into a movie. Of course, being pretty much an ordinary guy but with a lot of talent, and this being the first time he's tried it, you can imagine what kind of treatment he got out in Hollywood and his reactions to the moviemakers attitudes towards work with integrity.

I've always felt sorry for movie writers, they never seem to get the credit they deserve from a successful movie; its always the directors, unless of course the director also wrote the movie, then he is seen as some kind of God.

This comic is reminiscent of the Coen Brothers movie 'Barton Fink', which is the story of a young hotshot Broadway musical writer who is grafted in as a Hollywood movie writer. Although the film turned kind of freaky towards the end, the main plot of the story showed Barton not only trying to come to terms with writing for movies, but also trying to understand the way Hollywood works.

Upon reading 'Fortune And Glory' you may find it hard to believe what some of the film executives are saying and the ways in which they work, but due to the simplicity of the art and also the baby-faced cuteness and wide-eyed expressions of Bendis' character, you can't help but feel his sincerity in the telling of his tale.

All in all he manages this strange situation extremely well for a first timer. I'm sure there are a lot of writers out there who may have got lucky once or twice, but at times when it seems that he hasn't much left, you know that it is his talent, his wife and friends and belief in his work that pulls him through.

'Fortune And Glory' is a strange little comic. No superheroes, no saving the world, no killing of bad-guys; just the simple tale of a guy who loves to tell stories. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and I recommend it to anyone. Especially those who are expecting to try and get into Hollywood movie writing; it may be your survival handbook.

9/10


david twomey

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