Shanghai Red #1
Image Comics 2018
Written by Christopher Sebela
Illustrated by Joshua Hixson
Lettered by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Red is one of hundreds shanghaied out of Portland in the late 1800s. Drugged, kidnapped, and sold to a ship’s captain, she wakes up on a boat headed out to sea for years, unable to escape or even reveal who she truly is. Now she’s coming back in a boat covered in blood to find her family and track down the men responsible for stealing her life out from under her.
I am already a fan of this one and while it isn’t quite what I was expecting it surpasses any and all of my expectations. Joshua’s cover had me all a twitter when I saw it and made me hope that we’d see sharks in the waters in a feeding frenzy attacking the crew that’s how powerful the image is to me. There really is a sense of a bygone era with the ship we see, the kind featured only in bottles these days, the waves and the port I the distance all of it conspire to bring us these thoughts that belie what’s inside.
Christopher really doesn’t waste any time throwing us into the action. Really there is no build-up and no preparation, see backstory or introduction, this is literally hell here we are enjoy the ride. Oh and if you get seasick then perhaps hanging out by the port holes is where you should be. What we do learn is that a portion of the crew were purchased by the Captain to work of their debt to society. Anything from gambling to bills on the mortgage etc. landed them there and now it’s the end of their service and they have a choice to make. Either sign on and earn wages now or leave when they dock in Shanghai and find their own way home.
Most opt to sign up to work, I mean so far from home and no money what else are they going to do. Jack however has other plans and this is when the story really begins. Oh by the way so far we’re still in the opening sequence of the issue so if you think I'm spoiling anything think again as there is so much more than you could possibly dream about. The way that this book is structured is utterly sensational to me and how Christopher goes about revealing certain plot points along the way engages the reader. Not only that though but it is the characterisation or sometimes the lack of overt characterisation that speaks volumes. Combine that with some hella interesting twists and turns and there isn’t one moment of this story that isn’t involved in a wow factor.
This is my introduction to Joshua and his work. I am extremely impressed I haven’t been this impressed in quite some time to be honest, not at this level anyway. That he’s able to do the entirety of the artwork on a schedule and make it look like this is amazing on too many levels. The utilisation of page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels showcases one hell of an eye for storytelling. Backgrounds are used judiciously and extremely effectively to expand the story and make things pop. The attention to detail and how he can manipulate the varying weights of the linework to create subtle moments is so nicely done.
Sometimes things just come together in a way that is unexpectedly welcome and this is one of them. The story just flows perfectly through the pages as the plot/story development moves forward and how the characterisation shapes the characters and the story is amazing. Christopher has such an amazing talent for storytelling and the more stories he tells the stronger it gets. With Joshua here the pair find themselves at the pinnacle of buzz-worthy storytelling, if this isn’t in your pull or not something you’ve brought home call your shoppe and make sure they set aside one for you.
Welcome to an ever changing world where no one is who they seem and some secrets that you have will get you killed.
Image Comics 2018
Written by Christopher Sebela
Illustrated by Joshua Hixson
Lettered by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Red is one of hundreds shanghaied out of Portland in the late 1800s. Drugged, kidnapped, and sold to a ship’s captain, she wakes up on a boat headed out to sea for years, unable to escape or even reveal who she truly is. Now she’s coming back in a boat covered in blood to find her family and track down the men responsible for stealing her life out from under her.
I am already a fan of this one and while it isn’t quite what I was expecting it surpasses any and all of my expectations. Joshua’s cover had me all a twitter when I saw it and made me hope that we’d see sharks in the waters in a feeding frenzy attacking the crew that’s how powerful the image is to me. There really is a sense of a bygone era with the ship we see, the kind featured only in bottles these days, the waves and the port I the distance all of it conspire to bring us these thoughts that belie what’s inside.
Christopher really doesn’t waste any time throwing us into the action. Really there is no build-up and no preparation, see backstory or introduction, this is literally hell here we are enjoy the ride. Oh and if you get seasick then perhaps hanging out by the port holes is where you should be. What we do learn is that a portion of the crew were purchased by the Captain to work of their debt to society. Anything from gambling to bills on the mortgage etc. landed them there and now it’s the end of their service and they have a choice to make. Either sign on and earn wages now or leave when they dock in Shanghai and find their own way home.
Most opt to sign up to work, I mean so far from home and no money what else are they going to do. Jack however has other plans and this is when the story really begins. Oh by the way so far we’re still in the opening sequence of the issue so if you think I'm spoiling anything think again as there is so much more than you could possibly dream about. The way that this book is structured is utterly sensational to me and how Christopher goes about revealing certain plot points along the way engages the reader. Not only that though but it is the characterisation or sometimes the lack of overt characterisation that speaks volumes. Combine that with some hella interesting twists and turns and there isn’t one moment of this story that isn’t involved in a wow factor.
This is my introduction to Joshua and his work. I am extremely impressed I haven’t been this impressed in quite some time to be honest, not at this level anyway. That he’s able to do the entirety of the artwork on a schedule and make it look like this is amazing on too many levels. The utilisation of page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels showcases one hell of an eye for storytelling. Backgrounds are used judiciously and extremely effectively to expand the story and make things pop. The attention to detail and how he can manipulate the varying weights of the linework to create subtle moments is so nicely done.
Sometimes things just come together in a way that is unexpectedly welcome and this is one of them. The story just flows perfectly through the pages as the plot/story development moves forward and how the characterisation shapes the characters and the story is amazing. Christopher has such an amazing talent for storytelling and the more stories he tells the stronger it gets. With Joshua here the pair find themselves at the pinnacle of buzz-worthy storytelling, if this isn’t in your pull or not something you’ve brought home call your shoppe and make sure they set aside one for you.
Welcome to an ever changing world where no one is who they seem and some secrets that you have will get you killed.
RSS Feed
