Red City #1

By Daniel Corey, Mark Dos Santos & Chris Fenoglio

It’s been discussed here many times before, but sometimes you go into a review without any prior knowledge of the series in question, only to find a very pleasant surprise waiting for you. Red City #1 was one of these surprises, delivering great story and tons of style.

Right from the start, Daniel Corey reveals an interesting plot with a terrific setting. The solar system is fully inhabited now with each planet serving as a “state” for all practical purposes. Different alien species abound, and the dominant culture varies heavily from planet to planet. There are times where this first installment had a similar feeling to Firefly without any of the western sensibility. Still following? Overall, this was a great space romp that emphasized fun. Red City #1 also sets this series up as an intriguing detective story, as the main character is sent to the capital city of Mars to search for a missing person. Despite the science fiction elements that pervade the book, the detective aspect is played very well and everything is fitting together perfectly at this early stage. There were moments that seemed to drag on a little bit, but for an opening installment, this one had some interesting twists and turns with enjoyable narration and character interaction.

The artwork in this first installment was also terrifically executed. The thick line work by Mark Dos Santos really made each image leap off of the page with a very solid overall appearance. The interesting characters were also creative and well-designed. There’s a lot of attention given to minor details in the background which actually enhances the reader immersion. Chris Fenoglio’s colors also have a very solid look to them, with some great realistic detail and particularly vivid lighting effects. The overall appearance maintains the serious nature of the plot while simultaneously showing a subtle cartoony vibe.

Again, Red City #1 was quite a pleasant surprise. At this preliminary stage, the creative team has done a fantastic job of blending the science fiction and detective aspects of this series, and the story is already throwing unexpected developments at us. There’s a lot to enjoy about this one, and Red City will likely appeal to fans of a wide range of genres.