Love from the Shadows

The Fritz B-Movie Books

by Gilbert Hernández

The third in Gilbert Hernandez’s line of original hardcovers featuring Love and Rockets’ “Fritz” in her guise as a Z-movie actress (the first two were Chance in Hell and The Troublemakers) is a trippy thriller that stars Fritz in no fewer than three roles.

A beautiful waitress (Fritz, of course) and her hospital nurse brother (also Fritz) visit their estranged father, a once successful but now retired writer (amazingly enough, also Fritz), in order to find out the true reason why their mother committed suicide. When dad’s health fails, the siblings are then more concerned with the money he might leave them.

The story weaves in and out of reality and hallucination and possibly back in forth in time, and to complicate things further, the sister is sexually obsessed with a mysterious man throughout the tale — or is it her brother (at one point posing as his sister so that he might gain his and her inheritance) that is so hot and bothered by this mystery stud? And that’s only the tip of the iceberg. There’s also a venture into ghost territory, with frauds bilking the gullible and Fritz’s character(s) right in the middle.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Comix, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics, Sequential Art, Adult

120 pages, Hardcover

First published December 22, 2010

About the author

Gilbert and his brother Jaime Hernández mostly publish their separate storylines together in Love And Rockets and are often referred to as 'Los Bros Hernandez'.

Gilbert Hernandez is an American cartoonist best known for the Palomar and Heartbreak Soup stories in Love and Rockets, the groundbreaking alternative comic series he created with his brothers Jaime and Mario. Raised in Oxnard, California in a lively household shaped by comics, rock music and a strong creative streak, he developed an early fascination with graphic storytelling. His influences ranged from Marvel legends Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko to the humor and clarity of Hank Ketcham and the Archie line, as well as the raw energy of the underground comix that entered his life through his brother Mario.
In 1981 the brothers self-published the first issue of Love and Rockets, which quickly drew the attention of Fantagraphics Books. The series became a defining work of the independent comics movement, notable for its punk spirit, emotional depth and multiracial cast. Gilbert's Palomar stories, centered on the residents of a fictional Latin American village, combined magic realism with soap-opera intimacy and grew into an ambitious narrative cycle admired for its complex characters and bold storytelling. Works like Human Diastrophism helped solidify his reputation as one of the medium's most inventive voices.
Across periods when Love and Rockets was on hiatus, Hernandez built out a parallel body of work, creating titles such as New Love, Luba, and Luba's Comics and Stories, as well as later graphic novels including Sloth and The Troublemakers. He also collaborated with Peter Bagge on the short-lived series Yeah! and continued to explore new directions in Love and Rockets: New Stories.
Celebrated for his portrayal of independent women and for his distinctive blend of realism and myth, Hernandez remains a major figure in contemporary comics and a lasting influence on generations of artists.

Reviews

[Drew Canole · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one is odd! A Fritz B-movie with Fritz playing multiple roles.

Fritz meets up with her brother and they visit their Dad who has a successful career as a novelist. The Dad goes insane when he enters a cave. Fritz leaves and joins up with some conmen. When the dad dies, the brother is screwed out of his inheritance - it all went to Fritz! But with Fritz off on her adventure with no indication she's coming back... he does the sane thing and undergoes a sex-change to look like Fritz.

Hmm... I don't think I'm capturing quite how insane this book is with that intro! It becomes a very confusing journey with it being unclear at times what the reality is and what's just fantasy.

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Third book telling the story of one of Fritz's pulpy B movies. The first two were Chance in Hell and the second The Troublemakers. Funny, when you think of it as a deliberately B-movie plotted story. Also, Los Bros have always been interested in pulp/sci fi/noir, which never are as good as their other work, but it has a certain pulp/cult appeal.

[Ademption · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably the best of Gilbert's recent series of graphic novelizations of the films that Cousin Fritz made when she was not practicing psychoanalysis. To those who have no idea what I'm talking about, this book, The Troublemakers, Speak of the Devil and Sloth are graphic representations of the movies that a character from Gilbert Hernandez's Luba series made before she became more milquetoast. So this is a book that is a movie starring a character from another book. Also, one of the aforementioned books is an actual story and the other is the "movie" of that story. (I can't be bothered to keep these Russian Doll-like stories within stories that aren't that compelling straight). I think this is just a clever dodge by Hernandez for turning in two copies of roughly the same homework due at the same time for different publishers. The other books in this series are unhinged, random weirdness attempting to approximate David Lynch. This one is the best of these attempts.

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gilbert's best effort since the brilliant Speak Of The Devil. Beto's at his best when he engages in creepy surrealism because he's one of the masters. What can you expect in Love From The Shadows?

Let's start with a middle-aged woman in a bikini who hooks up with a fraud occult scam a la Stanton Carlyle "Nightmare Alley", her jealous gay brother who performs the ultimate identity theft - you have to see it to believe it, mental abuse from a hack writer Dad, an Alice In Wonderland rabbit hole in the form of a yawning cave, and last but not least - a bow and arrow castration scene for all you Hunger Games fans. And it's wrapped up a la Lost Highway where it begins after the end of the book (I reckon our story really begins on Page 20 when Dolores is blond).

[Rick Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another of Fritz Martinez' B-movies made into comic form, with Gilbert Hernandez tapping into his distinctive brand of infusing sex and violence to craft a pulp thriller. I really like these Fritz B-movies simply due to the sharp juxtaposition they present since Beto's "Palomar" stories are much lighter, slice-of-life stories set in a quaint little town (for the most part). You don't have to have read a single Love and Rockets story to enjoy this one, though I do think contextualization of what exactly this is will make the experience all that more enjoyable.

"Love from the Shadows" is even more Lynchian than some of the previous Fritz projects as the story involves doppelgängers, conmen and tons of sex all jumbled up into one winding tale involving double-crosses and intrigue. It's a bit of a messy narrative to be sure, but it's a great distillation of Beto's eclectic but crass humor into one self-contained story. It's a fun comic that features Gilbert Hernandez drawing what he loves most - graphic sex and bizarre visual gags.

[Helen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was not the sort of graphic novel I usually read - since it contained explicit content; usually, I don't think everything has to be shown in an art work, film, etc. Having said that though, the book consists of an extremely clever, humorous series of plot reversals, many ironic, pertaining primarily to the protagonist, Dolores, the voluptuous sister of Sonny. Dolores seems to live a somewhat aimless life of random occurrences, including pointless hookups. Sonny's past life isn't dwelt upon too much, other than that he's a gay man. Both siblings have beefs about their father, a successful writer, whose books they hate, along with the fact that their mother killed herself because of him, i.e. he drove her to suicide. The siblings plot in a not too serious manner to do away with the father, in revenge for the mother's death and his mistreatment of the children, and thus gain access to the money they think he's accumulated from the sale of this books. I will not give away more of the plot - the book only takes about an hour or less to read/view; suffice it to say there are many plot twists and events that occur, many surprising "comeuppances" - the book ends on an ambiguous note, and I will also leave that to the reader's imagination.

I suppose I would recommend the book - as an amusement, although it does contain material that may be gratuitous. In today's society, none of it is too surprising or shocking. The writer may have created the character of Dolores to live out a fantasy of a shapely, statuesque "bimbo" who is only too willing to do the bidding of random men, who has no particular aim in life, other than to attach herself to men who attract her. There is shallowness in Dolores but also a pathos, in that she understands despite her wandering - in a skimpy bikini - there must be more to life than sex, or defrauding victims of scams. Even if she and Sonny acquire the money, it's not likely the money is going to confer anything more meaningful on their lives than an enhancement of their previous existence of the senses - perhaps enable a more luxurious version of their prior lives. They deal with various shady equally "unenlightened" characters on this portion of their life journeys - the book seems to portray characters that are more caricatures or fantasy figures, or symbolic characters living out fantasies. There isn't much depth to the characterizations but that may be the point - the creation of "plastic" people, living in an artificial urban landscape, maybe cheap thrills is all that is possible in the vacuous area they live in.

Some might call the narrative sexist since Dolores is obviously objectivized as a living "doll" either submitting to or initiating sex with random men frequently. Rarely does she seem to enjoy the sex act - many times it's simply a price she has to pay, in business arrangements, or to compensate a victim of a scam. I guess the book may be the visualization of a male fantasy about a large, empty-headed, shapely female wandering the world in a skimpy bikini, but most readers will easily see through that and still enjoy it for the numerous plot twists and ironies. This is a quickly read - and actually enjoyed - book, which leaves you wondering in the end where the characters' (Dolores and Sonny) adventures will lead them next, and what the denouement of the inheritance struggle will lead to.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I'm starting to lose interest in Beto's B-movie books. This one just feels creepy and exploitive, which is the point to a degree - but this one feels like going back to the well too often.

[Norman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed quite a bit. Feel like this one’s more cohesive than these other Fritz things. I am in awe of how masterful Gilbert Hernandez’s transitions are between inner stories. I did feel uncomfortable with the whole sex change thing as it probably downplays transgender and gay struggles as novelty, but it was acceptable since it’s supposed to be all pulpy. I also found more grammar errors than in previous books, and I was left wondering what happened to the editing? Overall, a fun and strange and convoluted story (stories?) filled with deception, sex, and violence.

[Sumit Singla · Rating 2 out of 5]

Weird and disturbing, but pointless at the same time. The black and white artwork is well-done but the cruelty and the disturbing elements of the story feel contrived and redundant.

[Alex E · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Fritz series continues with this volume, which is one of the strangest of Gilbert Hernandez' yet.

So Fritz plays three parts in this story, which I actually didn't realize until afterwards. She's the sexy bombshell girl, the brother of the girl, and the dad of both of them. It was interesting going back and seeing how Hernandez "disguised" Fritz in the other two parts. The bombshell girl becomes part of a grifting act, very similar to Guillermo Del Toro's "Nightmare Alley", and becomes involved with the guys on the crew. And being that this is a Fritz story, by involved I mean sex. From there, the story becomes this weird surrealistic tale about the father dying and leaving an inheritance, the brother wanting it for himself so he gets a sex change (into Fritz), and much more weirdness.

The thing about the story is that it's supposed to be... cheesy and bad. Its a "pulp" exploitation movie after all, so it kind of explains the weirdness, bad costumes, and gratuitous sex and violence. Which is interesting if you keep that in mind. But ultimately, the story is weird for weirdness sakes and the sexual aspects once again seem like Hernandez fixating on Fritz yet again.

This one was ok, but not really near the level of quality of his Palomar stuff.

[Grégoire Maillard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love from the shadows is the third book from the Fritz B-movie collection by Gilbert Hernandez (I reviewed Chance in Hell back in the time!). I find the concept quite fun. The author uses a character (the glamorous Fritz!) from his main serie. For the context, this character played in different B-movies in her career and this collection gathers the movies she is playing in.

In this “movie”, there’s a complex sequence of scenes in which, after a mysterious introduction, Fritz’s character (who has a weird chemistry with her boyfriend) goes with her brother to her soon to die father. Follows different scenes of romance, paranoia, bloody action, gender change, and scams. The plot and how it progresses is not very understandable, most of it remains incomplete or without much meaning. But it’s actually not the point here.

I would see this book, as well as the rest of the collection, as a fun guilty pleasure. It’s actually as it’s supposed to be, a sort of B-movie/exploitation movie, but on paper. The scenario isn’t very strong, it’s crude, sensational, extreme, violent; all that without much justification. But it’s short and entertaining, so actually quite enjoyable!

A great addition to the Hernandez empire!

[George K. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Χμ, παράξενο κόμικ με κάπως περίεργη ατμόσφαιρα και ακόμα πιο περίεργους χαρακτήρες, δεν μπορώ να πω ότι κατάλαβα τα πάντα ή ότι το απόλαυσα, όμως σίγουρα είχε τις χάρες του (και δεν εννοώ τις βυζάρες της "Ντολόρες", έτσι;). Και μπορώ να πω ότι αυτό το στιλ σχεδίου μου άρεσε στο μάτι, χωρίς πάντως να με ενθουσιάσει κιόλας. Ιδιαίτερο κόμικ και σίγουρα όχι για όλα τα γούστα, θυμίζει διάφορες b-movies, ίσως και λίγο Ντέιβιντ Λιντς, γενικά όμως η ανάγνωσή του είναι δίκοπο μαχαίρι. Εγώ είμαι κάπου στη μέση, μου άρεσε και δεν μου άρεσε. Πάντως ευχαρίστως θα διάβαζα και άλλα πράγματα του συγκεκριμένου συγγραφέα/σχεδιαστή.

[Zack! Empire · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of Gilbert's more surreal novels. It almost reads like a fever dream. It reminds me a bit of "Like a Velvet Glove...". It just has that same dream like quality where your never to sure what is really happening. Definitely a fun and interesting read though.

[Kenneth Hjellum · Rating 1 out of 5]

Incomprehensible plot, dialog that makes no sense, gradschool art. So bad. I get the notion that this is supposed to be som kind of B-movie, but at least B-movies have Some kind of plot that makes sense.

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

The most bizarre book of the series depicting the Fritz B movies. Surreal in most instances, with hints of scifi and grifting paranormal. Looking for explanations for anything? Forget it.

[Komuniststar · Rating 1 out of 5]

dojam nakon što sam zatvorio strip je bio da sam čita lošeg imitatora Gilberta. Da nije bilo njegova imena na naslovnici odložio bi puno ranije.

[Salty Swift · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gilbert Hernandez graphic novel without big-breasted woman playing the protagonist is like having cookies without milk....

[Jordan Brantley · Rating 2 out of 5]

ComicWorm Speaks!

Love from the Shadows (Love and Rockets)

by Gilbert Hernandez


****
The Story: The third in Gilbert Hernandez’s line of original hardcovers featuring Love and Rockets’ “Fritz” in her guise as a Z-movie actress (the first two were Chance in Hell and The Troublemakers) is a trippy thriller that stars Fritz in no fewer than three roles.

A beautiful waitress (Fritz, of course) and her hospital nurse brother (also Fritz) visit their estranged father, a once successful but now retired writer (amazingly enough, also Fritz), in order to find out the true reason why their mother committed suicide. When dad’s health fails, the siblings are then more concerned with the money he might leave them.

The story weaves in and out of reality and hallucination and possibly back in forth in time, and to complicate things further, the sister is sexually obsessed with a mysterious man throughout the tale ― or is it her brother (at one point posing as his sister so that he might gain his and her inheritance) that is so hot and bothered by this mystery stud? And that’s only the tip of the iceberg. There’s also a venture into ghost territory, with frauds bilking the gullible and Fritz’s character(s) right in the middle.

Lets get this out of the way, the main attraction to this book was the well-endowed women both on the cover and on the pages within. Stereotypical, anti-feminist, sexist and very, very, arousing. It can’t be helped.

The wasp-waisted, huge breasted women are nice but that is just one aspect of this work’s distinctive style. The story is drown in black and white with a great emphasis on shadows and light. Film-Noir is a very dramatic style that really needs more exposure in popular media.

An interesting thing to note is that this book and the artist it reflects: harkens back to the olden days of smut and sex. There was no internet, video and photography was not as common. There were videos but they had to be bought or rented or found on a tv channel late at night. Comics and magazines were often the way for young boys (and a few girls) to get their first taste of the delights of the mature woman. The noir-esque atmosphere of the artwork and the old-fashioned style reinforces the illusion that we are reading some reprint from the seventies.

There is a pulpy quality to the art style, following an aesthetic from the mid-twentieth century. It has a minimalist approach that makes it more universal.

This is ComicWorm’s first experience with the work of Gilbert Hernandez and was thusly unaware this was the third in a series. Ultimately, though, that should not detract from the quality of the work. Well…

The story is extremely hard to make out. Surrealism appears to be the flavor of voice for this work. As best as ComicWorm can make out: it involves a person named Fritz, who is able to swap appearances and genders, who meets up with a brother to discuss their father’s inheritance. All the while, the woman sleeps around with strangers. It is very confusing. The surrealist manner of the storyline appears to be a signature of the artist’s work and apparently has been to some great acclaim. However, in the case of the Worm, it was way too confusing and dark to derive any real enjoyment.

Final Verdict: The buxom women are nice to look at, but honestly, the strange story negates most of the pleasure. If one wishes to look at women’s breasts, go online.

Two out of Five Stars

thecultureworm.blogspot.com

[Jay Daze · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is quite high on the weird meter from Gilbert. I love the way it takes some time (sometimes multiple readings) for me to understand just what the hell is going on in his work.

Fluid gender. Grifters. An abusive father. Sun-glass-wearing cultists. A mysterious cave - what the hell was up with the cave? The way that the same 'actor' play multiple roles. You could say that Fritz plays four roles: mother, father, brother, and sister.... I think. Man, will re-read this in a while and hopefully remember to check back in.

[Celtic · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this more on re-reading, probably partly because I've recently read the previous Fritz 'B movie' books and have read more of the context for these stories in more recent L&Rs. This lives up to its billing on the flysheet as "a hallucinatory and violent and sexy crime thriller" and probably marks the start of Beto's doppelganger obsession, though with a much shorter list of lookalikes than his more recent Fritz stories - in comparison to which a single pair of identical sex swapped twins make for an 'easy' to follow storyline.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

so fucking weird. recommended!

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bonkers and amazing. Like most of Beto's work.

[Will · Rating 4 out of 5]

What Richard said.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hated the cover art but loved the book. Twisted.

[Sonic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very weird and wonderful with a David Lynch kinda vibe.
I could not explain what I just read, but I enjoyed it.

[Matt Gallant · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was just straight up weird. It wasn't bad, it wasn't great, but it was just very odd.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

More weirdness from Gilbert Hernandez.

[Jeff · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not much for graphic novels, but this one is just plain bizarre.

[Liz Yerby · Rating 2 out of 5]

meh

[Romela Rojas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would say, when love amongst siblings is destroyed by 💰money. This story broke my heart and I am disappointed 😔. Poor Dolores