Red Coat #1 came out swinging with impeccable art and a reluctant antihero firmly established at the start of American history. The second issue comes out this week, and not a second too soon, given the cliffhanger of the last issue. Folks who look similar to those who gave him his immortality want him dead, while a young Albert Einstein wants to keep him alive. But to what end?
Red Coat #2 kicks off where we left off as Simon Pure, our main character, and Albert Einstein must fight off red-hooded bad guys. Through the chaos of battle, the captions keep us inside Simon’s head, who is doing a bit of the “you’re probably wondering how I got in this situation” sort of monologuing. By the end of the issue, it’s quite clear the stakes Simon is facing, Albert’s interest in him, and another major player who lives forever.
This story employs some heavy exposition via captions, usually explaining what Simon learns fairly efficiently. That doesn’t prevent the captions from running pretty long, but the voice is good, and the adventure is fun. However much the story reminds us Simon is selfish and a bit of a bastard, he’s still easy to root for. That’s largely thanks to artist Bryan Hitch’s character acting. In most situations he seems all bark and no bite. It also helps that he fully admits he has no skills save for a few, thanks to being alive for over one hundred years.
He kinda looks like Charlie Hunnam.
Credit: Image
Being a period piece helps draw you in, with well-drawn backgrounds and clothes on the characters. There are some amazing opulent interiors and cool looking streets in Boston that add a lot to the ambiance. Other visual choices, like Simon’s rival wearing a black suit that’s pure black or giving Eistein spiky jet-black hair, add to the character work. A visual that takes the cake is a double-page splash of what could happen to America, and it’s filled with skulls and people burning alive. It may not be a literal Hell on Earth, but it’s similar.
All in all, the art is a huge selling point of the series so far. Hitch’s art is bold, in your face, and not afraid to make a full—or double-page splash on the reader.
If you’re looking for sci-fi weirdness, Hitch and color artist Brad Anderson deliver with some blue-light explosions. Careful detail in a weapon that triggers these explosions suggests something is quite alien going on with Simon’s powers. There’s a teaser at the back of the book that promises answers, which will be nice since the series hasn’t skimped on filling us in.
Red Coat #2 is another rollicking good time with plenty of action and many answers. Those answers tend to come by way of heavy doses of captioning, but this is a historically-minded period piece adventure not to be missed.
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