Reviewed: Fortune and Glory #3 by Brian Michael Bendis; published by Oni Press.
The plot: Having had his first film script put into "development hell," Bendis goes back to the well with another idea...hey, it's Hollywood!
The clerk of one of the comics shops I frequent was shocked and appalled when I bought the second issue of this title. He could not believe that the publisher would have the temerity to charge $4.95 for a black and white comic book. The fact that I had read the first issue and was more than willing to pay the price for this particular ride did not impress him in the least. "Books like this are why comics are in the toilet as an industry now," he said, or words very much like that.
I beg to differ. I think books like this are the salvation of the goddamned artform.
Brian Michael Bendis has now completed his three-issue Fortune and Glory graphic novel, and it is a wonder to behold. Rarely does the creator of a story, in any medium, allow his reader/viewer/whatever to get such an inside look at himself. It will come as no surprise to longtime Bendis fans, but by the time you are done with this series, you really feel you know the guy.
As you would expect of someone trying to sell a movie, Bendis achieves just about every emotion you can have. When the process seems to be going his way, he is ecstatic at finally being able to make his dreams come true. When it begins to sour, he gets depressed to the point he doesn't even want to answer the phone. He makes all the concessions you'd expect you'd have to make to get a feature film made, and never once seems to edit himself for fear of being accused of "selling out."
Probably the most entertaining part of the current issue is the sequence where Bendis and his partner try to sell the true-life "Torso" story. In addition to turning it into a comic book, Bendis and partner Mark Andreyko shopped the tale around in a series of meetings with producers, who asked such insightful questions as "Eliot Ness? Who owns the rights?"
The "We're going to kill the bear!" sequence speaks volumes about the persistence of hope in the creator. Bendis has been screwed by the Hollywood machine, but he keeps it in perspective ("To me hell is getting up at six in the morning to bake McDonald's biscuits..."), and remains aware how lucky he is to have the chances he has.
The story is told in a simple, engaging style that never interferes with the tale being told. If you're a Hollywood insider and you're bored to death with the stories of people who've found themselves out there trying to make their dreams come true, maybe Fortune and Glory isn't for you. But most of us have never been to Hollywood, and while this story doesn't make me anxious to experience what Bendis has, I am grateful that he has shared his story with his readers.
Properly marketed, a trade paperback edition should do wonderfully with non-comics readers. This, really, is how comics should be done. It's personal, it's witty, it's believable, and it's winningly appealing. I can't recommend Fortune and Glory enough.
The plot: Having had his first film script put into "development hell," Bendis goes back to the well with another idea...hey, it's Hollywood!