Redemption #5

Redemption #5

AWA Upshot Studios 2021

Written by Christa Faust

Illustrated by Mike Deodato Jr.

Coloured by Lee Loughridge

Lettered by Steve Wands

The dusty desert town of Redemption survived the apocalypse but is hanging on by a thread. A despot rules the town with an iron fist and controls its most precious resource: water. When that strongman marks her mother for death, young Rose Obregon ventures into the perilous wasteland to seek the help of the legendary gunslinger Cat Tanner, only to discover that the so-called "Butcher" is long retired, living in solitude, far from what's left of the world, and preferring to keep it that way. When Rose arrives on Tanner's doorstep, with gunmen hot on her trail, the Butcher has a choice to make: sit on the sidelines or pick up her guns and do what she does best? In this concluding issue, Rose returns to Redemption? Will she be alone?

I have to say that I am thoroughly impressed with the way that Christa has completed this story. It feels utterly complete to me as in it’s done and no need to revisit this world or this town. That for me in this day and age is a feat unto itself and I applaud her for making it feel so finished.

I really like the way that this is being told. The story & plot development that we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is presented exceptionally well. The character development that we see through the dialogue, the character interaction and how they act and react to the situations and circumstances they encounter is spectacular to see. It really does wonders in bringing these characters to life. The pacing is superb and as it takes us through the pages revealing how the story comes to a close it takes the reader through the full gamut of emotions.

I am incredibly impressed with the way that this is structured and how we see the layers within the story continue to grow and strengthen right up until the end. The plot twists, the intense characterisation and the unexpected moments add work with or around the main arc to really add more depth and complexity to the story. How we see everything working together to create the story’s ebb & flow as well as how it moves the story forward is achieved beautifully.

Mike’s work on the interiors really is just bloody mindbogglingly brilliant work. The linework is exquisite and how we see the varying weights and techniques being utilised to create this level & quality of detail work is extraordinary to see. That we see so much background work here makes me such a happy camper and they expand the moments beautifully as well as work within the composition of the panels to bring out the depth perception, sense of scale and the overall sense of size and scope to the story. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a masters eye for storytelling. The colour work is bloody brilliant work as well. The various hues and tones within the colours being utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work we see shows an incredible understanding of how colour works and how maximise the affects they have.

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This is an incredible story from start to finish. It is so easy to understand why these creators are in demand and deserve to have a place they can unleash their creativity and imaginations. AWA Upshot is the perfect place for these guys and the level & quality of work that we see within these pages is truly extraordinary and I’m thankful that there are outlets like this one where we can see this magnificent writing & characterisation alongside some of the best artwork in the business.