Comic Book Review - Redshift #1

Rob reviews Redshift #1...

Space...is truly the final frontier. Where humanity has extensively explored its world, yet we've not even scuffed the surface of the stars above. 

Redshift #1 sets out to answer this question. In the search of a new home, humanity has established the Voyager program, a so-far ineffective endeavour that has sent people seemingly to their presumed deaths. The newest Voyager candidate is Hellener Drake, a young ice miner from Mars. We soon learn that Drake's Mother was also chosen as a Voyager and has since been presumed lost.

As openings go Redshift opens quite well. Writer H.S. Tak gives us snippets of information about Hellener's life whilst constructing the bleak Martian landscape. We don't get given a lot of scope as to the rest of Humanity, but it's touched upon that Mars is running out of ice and that Earth isn't as it once was. What this means is up for interpretation but I can imagine Tak will probably explore this more in future issues. 

Hellener is quite a character who's initially a bit bland but evolves by the end of the issue. As this opening issue advances, we see quite a lot of the Drake families life, with Tak building on the Mother's absence, Hellener's distaste for his job, and his fallout (and departure) from the Academy of Exploration - with a somewhat shocking scene on Phobos! 

For me, Phobos was the turning point. Up until this point, Hellener is a bit clichéd with issues with his mother's absence and the Martian Government. It's nothing new and is arguably a "safe" style of storytelling. Yet Phobos places Hellener into a survival situation, which propels the young man to his limits as he works towards ensuring his survival and those of his team. 

Art comes from Brent McGee. McGee blends a lot of modest and detailed line work in bringing Redshift to life. The geography of Mars is illustrated exceptionally well and it all has an aged, dusty and almost frontier town impression. Phobos also looks great, with plenty of shading used to portray the asteroid as a lifeless rock. Characters also have a feeling of ruggedness about them which is shown through McGee's detailing. 

Sebastian Cheng's colours are constant throughout Redshift. Cheng uses a great mixture of red and brown to accentuate the Martian landscape. 

All in all, Redshift #1 makes for a decent read. If your after a sci-fi tale that's more grounded in science rather than fiction then this is one for you. The only real criticism I have is that it ends too soon, yet considering the events that lead up to the climax that's probably best. With plenty of unanswered questions, I'm looking forward to seeing what H.S. Tak brings us next. 

Rating 8/10 

Rob Lake - For more comic book and video game chat why not follow Geek Culture Reviews on Twitter and Facebook @GeekCultureRev