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Ed Brubaker is working on a follow-up to The Fade Out that he did with Sean Phillips
Brubaker hasn’t gotten to the point of submitting scripts to partner Sean Phillips, but he does know the direction his not-quite-sequel will take
NewsbyGrant DeArmitt, Staff Writer
Published on Wed Aug 26 2026
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The patron saints of crime comics are at it again. Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips, creators of the Eisner-winning Criminal series (soon to be adapted for Prime Video) are setting their sights on a follow-up to Image’s The Fade Out. However, fans shouldn’t expect to be reading it in the immediate future, nor should they be expecting an exact sequel to the 2014 noir story.
Brubaker himself brought the topic up on a recent episode of Off Panel with David Harper. The Pulp writer, whose longtime partnership with artist Phillips has led to some of the most well-received crime comics in the past 20 years, spoke about what he was working on while he recovered from a recent surgery (a minor one, thankfully).
“There’s a thing I’ve been trying to figure out how to do for like eight years or so,” Brubaker explained, “That’s sort of like… I don’t want to say it’s a sequel, but sort of a follow-up to The Fade Out. [It] has some of the characters from The Fade Out like 10 years later and I’m circling that.”
Let’s be ultra clear here, reader – Brubaker is definitely not announcing that Image Comics (publishers of The Fade Out) have greenlit a follow-up story to the 1940s, Hollywood-set detective tale. In fact, he’s not even confirmed in the conversation that he has any part of the story written, much less sent off to Phillips for art. Still, it’s this kind of talk that has us keeping an eye out for any announcements coming from Image’s direction.
Maybe crime doesn’t pay, but waiting sure does.
The Fade Out is available now wherever you get your comics.
Interested? Here’s where to find your closest local comic store, courtesy of Sweet, and here’s a guide to how (and where) to read comics online. If you’re looking for the best comics in recent memory, check out the Eisner Awards winners and the Harvey Awards nominees. And if you like free comics, here’s everything we know about Free Comic Book Day 2027.
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Grant DeArmitt: Grant DeArmitt (he/him) likes horror, comics, and the unholy union of the two. In the past, and despite their better judgment, he has written for Nightmare on Film Street and Newsarama. He lives in Brooklyn with his partner, Kingsley, and corgi, Legs.
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