Red 5 Comics 2017
Written by Hayley Nitz & Jay Nitz
Illustrated by Jethro Morales
Coloured by Marie Enger
Taylor and Walsh trail Hitler to the south of France and waiting U-Boat to take him to his remaining loyalists in hiding. Braving bullets and betrayal, the two commandos have this one chance to stop the Fuhrer from rebuilding his armies and starting his madness again.
I am such a huge fan of this series and it should be noted that the History Channel also has Hunting Hitler that has some of the very same ideas as we see here. Not the same by any stretch but I found it interesting to see the similarities and differences. Plus it’s nice to see that people, namely kids like Hayley, still remember Hitler and his atrocities because they say history repeats itself and this is one instance we never want to see that happen.
I got to admit that Taylor and Walsh are some great characters and I really enjoy the way they play off one another. So there has to be some way to describe what they are to one another I mean more than acquaintances and not friends but two men who have spent a lot of time together in close quarters and know each other really well. Their relationship feels authentic and the kind that you wish you’d have for yourself. It is almost simplistic and complicated and the writing for these two is impeccably well done,
Actually the way the book is structured is incredibly well done. The ebb & flow through it's pages is well executed and that we get to see not only the men’s relationship keep growing and evolving but it’s also a chance to see some scenery we aren’t used to and honestly I kind of like the fashions, which I want to make a comeback.
Jethro and Marie do some extremely good work here but I wish Jethro was utilising backgrounds. So much open space that could be used to show the warehouse or the docks or where they’ve been forced to do what they are doing. I feel like it’s somewhat of a wasted opportunity and that’s a shame. Still the way we see page layouts with how the angles and perspective are brought to us show a solid eye for storytelling. That this little man shaved off his famous moustache while not surprising it really is. The whole vibe they bring us visually does enhance the storytelling and that is nice to see.
So racing off to where the U-boat was pinged and reported as stationary our valiant heroes race off to catch Hitler and company. Ah if only things were that easy but thankfully for us they aren’t or else the story would be over much too quickly. Besides I have a feeling that once it’s all said and done Hitler and his cronies will end up in South America somewhere to live out the rest of their days planning on a time for the Fourth Reich to rise up. Then the possibility of another story arc exists as it forces them to search the region hoping to find what country allowed them sanctuary.
Do you see what I am doing, projecting and that’s the sign of not only a good story but of strong storytelling. If it weren’t I wouldn’t think past what we’re seeing here and so my mind and imagination have been engaged nicely. Kudos because the subject matter can be tricky but I am super impressed with Kayley and the way she wants to tell this.
This is a spectacular example of an up and coming storyteller as well as why you NEED to be paying attention to small press companies.