It's nice that we can sit back and enjoy a series that was forged from a long working friendship. Velvet truly does feel like both of these guys at the top of their game doing a series perfectly crafted to each of their artistic strengths. If you are a fan of either Brubaker or Epting then you probably already plan on getting this but I do suggest anyone who is looking for something new to get into and enjoy classic spy thrillers or just great crime mysteries to at least give this a shot. Read Full Review

VELVET is utterly fantastic, and I could not give this book higher praise. When it was announced, I couldn't wait for it, and now that it's here, it's exciting to know that so many people will be exposed to this fantastic book. Now, I just have to impatiently wait for the second issue, lurking in the shadows… Read Full Review

This is my pick of the week! It's simply excellent! It all works perfectly. It's thrilling, the dialogue is great, the art is the perfect accompaniment… I have no complaints! Okay one minor one. Velvet sounds like a stripper's name. But that's it! And that's not enough to deduct points from my grade. Read Full Review

If you're a fan of Brubaker or Epting's work, you definitely won't be disappointed. Velvet shows to be a serious, stylish, book that's going deliver something new to the spy genre, and I absolutely love it. Read Full Review

This was a truly amazing issue, and I couldn't think of a better start for the series. Brubaker give a unique twist to the spy genre that helps make this issue even more dramatic and suspenseful, and the tone and atmosphere of the story was just perfect, with the mystery making it even better. It also introduced and gave a lot of depth to the characters involved, with a very intense story development and I could easily see this becoming my favourite series out the now. Due to all this I'd highly recommend this issue and I for one can't wait for the next issue. Read Full Review

Velvet is so much more than a female version of the regular male agent in an espionage genre. She is complex, intriguing and out for vengeance. This first issue is an amazing one and you could not have asked a new character to be introduced to the market in a better way than this. This issue treats Velvet Blonde as the star she is destined to be. Read Full Review

This is a series that will make you want to personally thank Ed Brubaker for coming up with. It's always great to have a comic series that stands apart from the others on the shelves. Getting some variation in our reading is crucial and Brubaker gives us a different sort of spy story. Rather than focus on the unstoppable secret agent, we actually see someone else in the organization take the spotlight. It might be easy to think that just because we have a new espionage series with a female lead that things would get overly sexual. Brubaker shows that isn't the case. Velvet is not your typical female comic character and in just a few pages, she shows she can kick all sorts of ass. Steve Epting's art and Elizabeth Breitweiser's colors put this over the top. You can tell right away this is going to be a great series to read and enjoy. It's time to make room on your pull list because this is one that deserves to be on it. Read Full Review

Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting are one of the most important teams in comic book history. Velvet is a book that would bring smiles to the faces of Dashiell Hammett, Ian Fleming and John le Carre. Read Full Review

Velvet is all you could want and more from a dark espionage period piece from two creators who maneuver through the medium with ease and grace. There's a multitude of reasons this book is already going back for a second printing but for fans of gritty spy stories it's simply a book that hits on all cylinders and only promises much more of the same. The first issue kicks off in high gear and never lets off the gas. It's simply as good as a comic can get. Read Full Review

Velvet Templeton is no Bond girl, nor is she a feminized Bond. She is a complicated, conflicted character with an espionage skill set that's gone somewhat rusty with disuse but is no less impressive. Epting's art brings Velvet and her surroundings to life; the combination of his masterful framing and Elizabeth Breitweiser's atmospheric colors lend a cinematic quality to the book's art. The story's visual and textual elements combine to create something truly unique, and Velvet is a series not to be missed. Read Full Review

The twist at the end is kind of given away by the cover, but the narrative makes you wonder and eventually convinces you the story is going to head in a different direction, only to leave you amazed by the outcome and excited for the future of this series. Read Full Review

The book ends on a confrontation, and a heck of a cliffhanger. Yes, like a lot of the James Bond franchise and other spy fiction, a certain amount of suspension of disbelief is required to engage in such fantasies. But if spy fiction and action is your double martini, you might want to check out the book. Read Full Review

A brilliant start to a series I am over the moon to see on the stands, Velvet #1 is yet another masterpiece waiting to happen from the hands of Brubaker and Epting, and fills a lovely void in the market that of the comic featuring an older woman not just in a starring role, but in one that breaks through a significant genre fiction trope. Enough with middle-aged men moving real life chess pieces across a desk, with the ladies in slinky dresses simply standing by with the martini shaker in hand. A story of accomplishment and loss, honor and loyalty, Velvet is guaranteed gold for readers ready to see asses kicked across London, with enough mystery set up along the way to tickle your brain as well. Welcome back to the agency, Velvet. We didnt know how much we were missing you until just now. Read Full Review

This really is a fantastic first issue all round, everyone involved has bought their A-game, now the only problem is waiting for issue 2. Read Full Review

Image Comics has been rolling out a lot of new series lately. Many of them (such as this week's Pretty Deadly) have had promising but flawed first issues. Velvet #1 is probably the strongest first issue of any new series Image has released over the past few months. With a set-up so promising, I'm really looking forward to seeing where Brubaker and Epting take Velvet Templeton in this series. Read Full Review

If you wandered out of Skyfall somewhat dissatisfied with the treatment of Miss Moneypenny, then Velvet might just be the series for you. The original Winter Soldier team of Brubaker and Epting reunite for something a bit special, as they once again turn their gaze to super spies in this incredibly taut thriller that gets the mix right as soon as it gets out of the gate. Read Full Review

Velvet is everything done in your spy novels, Captain America comics, as well as the unrestrained freedom that Image allows. With a book that has high caliber talent such as Epting, Brubaker, Elizabeth Breitweiser on colors and Chris Eliopoulos on letters, there's no reason that this book shouldn't be on your buy pile already. Read Full Review

Sexy and provocative, with a dark twist on the spy genre, this EXTRA-LENGTH first issue by two of the industrys best-selling creators will knock you out! I expect this one to be a sell-out and Image's next big hit. Read Full Review

What else is there to be said? Velvet is a hell of an arresting personality negotiating a deadly and complicated landscape. There's no telling where she's going next, but good lord does this reviewer want to find out. Read Full Review

As good as the script is, any comic need to have an artist that can actually pay justice to the strengths of all these elements, which is thankfully what Steve Epting is able to do here. The moody panels are all able to convey a certain sense of mystery and dread thanks to his heavy use of shadows, the seriousness of it all clashing a bit with some of the narration to great effect. The backgrounds, along with the sense of depth, are truly well-done, adding to the general ambience of each panels, which is something that Epting is really able to put to the forefront in here. This ambience is also shared with the characters, as their expressions are minimal in their faces, with close to no exaggeration brought forth in order to sell the readers on their veracity. Read Full Review

Velvet #1 is probably on the best first issues I've read from Image since the debut issue of Lazarus. There's great setup, a well-defined character and plenty of mystery and intrigue to pull in the audience. The main story hasn't necessarily gotten going, but I'm fully confident it is going to be great if this issue was any indication. Highly recommended. Read Full Review

Velvet #1 captured my attention from the opening page and it never let go. Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting work the same magic that they used to make Captain America such a special comic with this new series. The world around Velvet Templeton is rich with detail around every corner and Velvet herself has been shown to be a multi-layered character with everything we learned about her. Reading Velvet #1 reminded me of how special watching James Bond and Jason Bourne movies are. Steve Epting deserves just as much credit because his artwork captured the espionage setting perfectly as he was able to make subtle changes to fit with each time period we visit throughout Velvet #1. If youre into espionage comics or enjoyed Brubaker and Eptings run on Captain America do yourself a favor and pick up Velvet #1. This has all the makings for a special comic. Read Full Review

Velvet for me is another Image hit but then again I was expecting that with this particular creative team. There has been a lack of good noir/spy books of late so there is definitely room for this one especially with it being as good as it is. Read Full Review

Spy stories, like revenge, are best served cold. Set in the mid-1970s, Velvet has the ability to draw on Cold War tensions and the nostalgia of old school espionage that should play into the strengths of the kind of story Brubaker and Epting wish to tell. The first issue sells me on both the character and the comic's opening arc as Velvet left to her own devices to both clear her name and uncover the mystery of why two of her old friends were killed. Best of the week. Read Full Review

This book is highly recommended if you like noir stories with just as much story as action. Velvet has a strong start and shows a lot of potential down the road given what this issue leaves you with. Pick it up, enjoy it, and anticipate the next issue because Brubaker really has done it again with this complex heroine, giving her a voice and appealing direction. Read Full Review

Overall, Velvet #1 was a resounding success. Of course, I expected it to be. Image is really spoiling us in 2013 with this ridiculous number of quality comics. It seems like near every week theres a new noteworthy debut from the company, with more and more high-profile creative teams launching exciting new projects with them. Im starting to think were in the most exciting time for comics since the proto-Vertigo of late 80s DC with Alan Moores Swamp Thing paving the way for the likes of Hellblazer, Grant Morrisons Animal Man and Doom Patrol relaunches, and The Sandman. Read Full Review

In Velvet Templeton, Brubaker gives comics a new strong, capable character you didn't know you were waiting for. Velvet is uncomplicated in so many ways but is a character whose life is made complicated by the decisions of others. That's where her biggest challenges come from and the true driving force behind this story. I'm definitely all in. Read Full Review

So when this issue ends with a familiar cliffhanger, it's impossible to know if that ending's some sort of red herring or a postmodern tip of the hat to a familiar trope or if it's meant to be read literally. Of course, after reading this first issue, we know that it's all three and we love this comic for all its transgressive, thrillingly fun glory. Read Full Review

Velvet looks to be another hit for Brubaker and Epting. It will be interesting to see the depth to this story as the first issue is mostly world-building with a ton of back matter to round out the reading experience. This is a comic book to pick. Read Full Review

This isn't an espionage story; it's a mystery, a whodunnit set in a world of spies. As Velvet tells us, "The Agency where every mission is a Black Op" and every dollar of funding is hidden"" These are people whose very lives are secret and off the books. Brubaker and Epting create the best James Bond comic in Velvet #1 by murdering James Bond and then leaving the secretary to be the one who has to find the killer. They're playing with the toys of a spy story while changing the game up by recasting familiar cliches of the genre to transmogrify it into a whodunnit. Read Full Review

“Velvet” #1 kicks off to a great start and I hope the excitement keeps up in the next issue. If you're a fan of “24″ and the Jason Bourne movies, you're definitely going to enjoy the hell out of “Velvet.” Read Full Review

Image have another winner on their hands with this title as Brubaker comes up with a thriller to rival his Sleeper and Criminal books. Brubaker has created one of the strongest heroines in a long time, a woman who is equally at easy in the meeting rooms as she is kicking ass in a fantastic fight scene towards the end of the book. Epting's art is stunning, giving Velvet a timeless beauty. The colours give great depth to this nourish cold war thriller. Read Full Review

Oh and did you know that there was talk on making Lois Maxwell, the original Miss Moneypenny, the new M, back in the day. But it was turned down, unfortunately. Read Full Review

On the whole, "Velvet" is yet another strong and interesting book, both for Brubaker and for Image. In fact, "Velvet" should move to the top of any reading pile immediately. Read Full Review

The book has great pacing, and in 22 pages has created a spy story that builds it's world, doesn't burden the reader with too much work, and has a spy story we are all familiar with. I only hope that there is a true espionage story at the heart of it. I'm hoping that there are several twists and turns, and by the time the dust settles on this book, these obvious actions in issue #1 were setting us up for a greater, deeper rabbit hole to fall into. Read Full Review

While this installment does seem to have a stronger first half, there is a lot to like here. It is also not up for debate that the writing and art are both superb, even with some minor issues here and there. For the next evolution of the art form, look no further than Velvet. Read Full Review

Velvet #1 is an ongoing comic book by Image Comics. It is available October 23, 2013 at your local comic book stores and whatever digital outlet you prefer to by your comics from. You can expect to find Issue #2 of Velvet to be released sometime around late November of 2013. Do you agree with this review? We love hearing from you guys so please comment your thoughts below. Read Full Review

Velvet #1 is, of course, a very well-made comic. Brubaker and Epting are both pros who work well together, so their debut issue is fine. But it wasn't very exciting or original, and that can be a killer of Indie comics like this. ARC-7 and the agents within are as cliche as these things come. So there's a traitor within a super secret spy organization? There are always traitors within these super secret spy organizations. They could have gotten some mileage out of the idea that Velvet is only the secretary, yet still gets wrapped up in this caper, but the very existence of the comic, and a picture of her with a gun on the title page, give away the surprise that she's actually a badass agent herself. So short of the idea of Brubaker and Epting working on a spy comic together, there's not much I can recommend about Velvet going forward. It seems to be cliche spy stuff, but if that's your cup of tea, you probably won't find anyone doing it better. Read Full Review

- For additional ratings and previews of this issue, visit my blog at Images Unplugged

I'll stick with it because it's Brubaker, but honestly this was not that impressive. Hope it goes somewhere interesting. Mediocre 1st issue.