Trade Review: Faker

Mike Carey, author of the excellent Lucifer, as well as one of the best runs Hellblazer  has ever seen, and the shockingly good My Faith In Frankie, returned to Vertigo after a short absence with Faker, a six-issue miniseries about a group of college freshman who, after a wild party, find that no one but their small group of friends can remember Nick Philo, one of their most reliable friends.  They know that something’s going on, but as they try and prove that Nick exists, they begin to attract some unwanted attention.

The premise is interesting, and remains interesting throughout the book, but the characters kill it.  Carey is an expert at making self-destructive, horrific people into relatable characters.  He turned the Devil himself into one of the most fascinating characters in comics, almost daring us to root for him, popping in occasionally to remind us that he’s the Devil for a reason.  Here, Carey doesn’t want us to root for these people.  Yeah, bad things have happened to them in their lives, in the past, but that doesn’t even remotely excuse these kids.  It’s an interesting exercise, but it doesn’t quite pay off, because no matter how intriguing things get, you never forget that in this story, you really don’t care who comes out on top. 

Still, it’s not all bad.  The art from Jock is moody and expressive, and Carey maintains his talent for bizarre occult mystery.  While you pick up what’s going on with Nick pretty quickly, the story isn’t done - I promise, there are one or two twists still to come.  The climax is clever and depressing, a perfect match to the lives they were living before, and Carey refuses to pull any punches with the consequences of the actions of these characters, but I dare you to care.

Grade: D+

Tags: Vertigo, Mike Carey, Faker