Tuesday, July 19, 2011

The Red Wing #1 (of 4)

And now, for something completely different...

I have no idea why science fiction (in general) does not work in comic books. A significant number of stories are based loosely in the genre, but there are few "pure" or "hard" S-F comics - and when one comes along, it usually doesn't linger.

Perhaps The Red Wing will be different. It's written by Jonathan Hickman, who's one of the hottest writers in the business right now.

It tells the story of a war in the future that's being fought through time. In the face of an alien invasion, humanity has developed a radical technology to fight back using, well, fighter jets that soar through time and space.

This issue serves as a basic introduction to the concept, and there's more that we'll no doubt uncover in the issues ahead.

We also meet a couple of young cadets who hope to follow in the footsteps of their fathers.

The art is by Nick Pitarra with colors by Rachelle Rosenberg, and they make a good team, although a few panels are a bit difficult to follow. But there are some stunning pages of aerial warfare and an amazing representation of what happens when a time-traveling craft crashes.

So I'm thrilled to see an intelligent S-F story in a comic, and while it's too early to make a final judgment, so far I like what I see.

Grade: B+

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1 comment:

BobbyNash said...

I was very impressed by this issue. Picked it up on a whim and enjoyed it very much.

Bobby