Comics Review: "Johnny Red" Issue 1

- by Ninja Ross, 4 November 2015

War. What is it good for? It's apparently very good for pop culture, considering the amount of heroes born on the battle field. Rambo, Dutch, The Punisher and nearly ever video game character in existence have a history with war. Even the spectacular Robocop was created thanks to the war on crime! There's plenty of fiction based on the atrocities of war, including a British comic book called “Battle” from the 70's and 80's (later named Eagle before it was canceled).

Battle featured several characters, with stories often set during WWII, and now Garth Ennis and Keith Burns are bringing Johnny Red back from the vaults in his own series, published by Titan Comics!

Click to enlarge.

The first issue starts out in a modern setting as we meet Tony Iverson, a wealthy young man aiming to get a WWII 'plane fixed up. The 'plane, a Hurricane, is shot to hell and has been left to rot for years. It's in bad shape, but Tony has found a team of people to take on the job.

While they work on the restoration, Tony visits Russia along with Russian researcher Lyudmilla. They're there visit Sergeant Rodimitz, a WWII veteran who knows the history of the Hurricane Tony spent so much money on.

Johnny Red himself doesn't actually appear until the last part of the issue, when Rodimitz begins telling Tony the history of the aeroplane and how its pilot Johnny Red fought the Germans in the skies above Russia.

While the lack of Johnny Red might sound like a boring way to kick off a new series about Johnny Red, that's far from the truth. It's a well paced build up that introduces the characters in a way that helps you get to know them a little. And because of that, the introduction to Red feels more organic and helps give his character weight.

This first issue doesn't feature any of the dark, violent comedy that Ennis has a reputation for. Nobody gets their faces removed and nailed back on, nobody is strangled by their own intestines and nobody is beaten to death with a horse's penis.

Considering the violence that went on during WWII, it's a bit surprising to see virtually no violence at all from Ennis. That's not to say we won't see any in the future, of course. But as it is, none of that is needed or even missed. Ennis might have built a reputation for dark comedy, but he's also very good at telling down to earth, human stories, as seen in the pages of the Hellblazer one-shot Heartland.

Sounds like it'll be expensive.

​This first issue doesn't feature any of the dark, violent comedy that Ennis has a reputation for. Nobody gets their faces removed and nailed back on, nobody is strangled by their own intestines and nobody is beaten to death with a horse's penis.

Considering the violence that went on during WWII, it's a bit surprising to see virtually no violence at all from Ennis. That's not to say we won't see any in the future, of course. But as it is, none of that is needed or even missed. Ennis might have built a reputation for dark comedy, but he's also very good at telling down to earth, human stories, as seen in the pages of the Hellblazer One Shot Heartland.

Ennis knows exactly when that kind of violence is needed in a story and he knows exactly when to exclude it. Instead, we get many of the other traits that often feature in a Garth Ennis script; a naive but likable hero, a humorous old guy with a story to tell and a strong female supporting character. Ennis is clearly putting a lot of effort into making this book just right and it really pays off.

Bringing Ennis' script to life is artist Keith Burns, who adds a lot of life to the page. His work on the 'planes is so full of little detail, you'd think he'd spent months on each panel. Look at this thing below! You can see all of the bits and everything!
​

Look at this thing!

Besides the amazing work he puts into the 'planes, he gives just as much attention to the surroundings and the characters themselves. Everyone's emotions comes through easily and they all look unique and interesting. The eventual reveal of Johnny Red himself is one of the coolest first shots of a character I've seen in a long time. Ennis' build up to the reveal is great, but it's Burns' art that really brings it all together and gives Red the substance needed to create an impact on the reader.

Jason Worde's colours go a long to to helping everything feel more alive. Most of the colour is toned down, with plenty of grey and darker browns and greens, but that's interrupted by brighter flashes of colour. It helps make Burns' art even more effective. It's especially effective during the action sequence towards the end, with flashes of bright orange fire streaked across the page.

Ennis and Burns are clearly fans of the old Battle comics and that love shows in this first issue, thanks to the amount of work that goes into every aspect of the book.

It's slow burning, but exciting! Kind of like RoboCop, in a way. Even if you're not a fan of war stories or aeroplanes, it's a book worth checking out for the detailed art and excellent story telling.  


Did you pick up the first issue of Johnny Red today? Let us know what you thought of it in the comments below!

Tagged: comics, Reviews.

blog comments powered by Disqus

Loading

---

Follow @TrashMutant