The Red #1

The Red #1

Virus/Heavy Metal Comics 2020

Written by Morgan Rosenblum

Illustrated by Jon Lam

Lettered by Voodoo Bownz

In the distant future, a nuclear world war has changed the course of history forever. A single government entity now presides over what's left of the world, and prohibits certain content that is deemed emotionally dangerous, or "red," in attempt to maintain order and keep society working. A collection of gifted musicians, who possess the rare ability to create red content, discover they are the key to overthrowing the totalitarian government that has taken their emotional freedoms.

Well I keep saying there is phenomenal storytelling out there where you aren’t looking and Heavy Metal’s imprint Virus is home to more than a few of those phenomenal books. This isn’t a unique idea, a future after some cataclysm that’s run by a dictator regime of some sort is as familiar as science fiction gets. So what makes this one stand out from the crowd you ask? I am glad you did because this has a very different and unique point of view to it. Jonny is a great central character to revolve the story around and as he introduces us to this new world he does it in a way that makes us not only want to see more but to be a part of this as well, as dystopian as this society is.

I am a fan of the way that this is being told. The story & plot development we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is extremely well rendered. The transition from narration to individuals being introduced is a seamless one and it has such a fantastic feel to it as well. The character development is sensational and while first impressions are everything people are multifaceted and these characters are no exception. I have to say I am going to enjoy getting to know these characters better. The pacing is superb and as it takes us through the pages revealing the story, the world and those who live in it, I found it hard not to want to wander it’s streets taking it all in.

The way that we see the book being structured and how the layering within the story begins it is extremely nice to see so much skill and talent on display. I like how we see everything working together to create the story’s ebb & flow as well it has a very easy vibe to how it moves.

The interiors here are absolutely stunning. The work is pretty blood brilliant and if this isn’t some first class computer generated artwork than i dodn’t know what is. This is some of the most amazing visuals I have seen in a while now and there’s this whole vibe that really brings you further into the story making you want to be there. The linework is phenomenal and how we see the detail work come to life is amazing. The tattoos on the door guy alone blew me away and that’s just the beginning of what i became enraptured by. The advertisements we see for The Distributor are among the creepiest and most fascinating things we see here. I am half tempted to call the number. The utilisation of backgrounds and how we get depth perception, a sense of scale and that overall sense of size and scope to the story is superb. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a remarkably talented eye for storytelling. The colour work is simply divine. How we see the colours pop is beautifully rendered as is how we see the various hues and tones within the colours being utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work.

​

This premiere issue is mind blowing in it’s intensity and how it manages to bring the reader into the story while bringing the story at us full force. Oh this world and those that live in whether fueled by jealousy, love or greed and turn folks in for their own failures and so-called revenge are going to get what’s coming to them. In the meantime however i am going to sit back and enjoy where this is going to take us. Heavy Metal is releasing some of today’s newest and hottest books around so jump in the waters fine.