Red 5 Comics 2017
Written by James Carmelo Gilarte
Illustrated by Purste
Coloured by Paaris Alleyne
Stephenson and Dutch push survivor Christina for details she can't or won't respond while any day the Crippler may strike again.
Oh when I saw this in Previews for this weeks releases (that's how I know what is out each week) I was like hmm I recalled the name of the series vaguely and when I started to read this I got excited. It’s all coming back to me now (when you touch me like this, when you hold me like that) and with the opening of this issue the plan on how to get Christina in an open public setting is revealed and it really super scary to think that there are people out there who go missing like this all time, usually ending up in the sex trafficking trade or just plain murdered. So with a hot topic, rarely discussed premise here what James does is make an incredibly interesting story that could literally happen to anyone anywhere.
I am very much enjoying the way this book is structured. From the opening which is dramatic and filled with nothing people really want to see through the way the detectives work together to the cliffhanger ending the ebb & flow of the story is extremely well done. I also appreciate the fact that the story’s progression ties into the characters experiences and their characterisation so nicely. Everything is intertwined so that without one piece none of this works the way it should. Almost like a delicate house of cards kind of thing and that I am drawn to this.
Another aspect of this story that I am liking is the fact that Christina is the only survivor to date. So what makes her special, what is it about her that set her apart from the rest? She’s in the hospital and her parents aren’t keen on her answering any questions right now and the detectives well they are pressed for time and results, after all in real life the force is more than likely to pressure you to close and move onto the next in line. So it doesn’t surprise me that these two are asking questions as fast as possible it surprises me that they aren’t asking the right ones.
Bringing in someone to hypnotise the patient who has just built up those walls to hide what she has went through so quickly is asking for serious trouble. It is way too fresh, it is way too sensitive and the patient, Christina, well again why her and what makes her so damn special? No one here is prepared for what is about to happen and the fact that we can feel the tension that the characters do not only serves to enhance what I am experiencing.
The interiors here are okay, there are some very nice moments that show off the fact that the talent and skill are here and others that remind us that this is likely Purste’s first comic book work. Oh btw even in the age of the internet I cannot find out anything about Purste so I have no idea, gender or anything else so if you know I would love to. Still the utilisation of page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels shows a nice eye for storytelling. I will say that the dark road where she finds herself in her nightmare is so much more interesting than that of the real world we see. So much ambiance that’s beautiful ti is also where we see the best utilisation of backgrounds.
The ending took me by surprise and I loved that fact because not only hadn’t I been expecting it but it’s just that well done. I mean what I say about the writing here and how solid it is and the interiors do make a nice compliment to the story itself. This is just another of the growing reasons why you should reading more comics from outside the big two.