Is Red Before Black #1 the next great comic book crime thriller? Maybe — it’s hard to make that determination based on one issue. But with plenty of intrigue, some surprising character dynamics, and wild art choices throughout, the new BOOM! Studios title is a promising start.
Written by Stephanie Phillips with art by Goran Sudžuka, in Red Before Black an army vet down-on-her-luck named Val is just looking for a job. That job? Do crimes for an old buddy of hers, who tasks her with taking out another woman named Leo. Leo, meanwhile, has stolen a ton of cocaine and is just trying to offload it as quickly as possible.
You think you know what you’re getting with this setup but really, you have no idea. All credit to Phillips who — without getting into spoilers for the issue — properly sets up the relationship between Val and Leo on the very first page of the issue, but it isn’t until the last page that you have an inkling of how this will all (potentially) turn out going forward.
Like a lot of her work, there’s a current or humor running throughout the issue, particularly with the bright-eyed punk Leo, who keeps it positive even in the middle of dire circumstances. There are shades of Phillips’s work on Harley Quinn here, and it would be easy enough to parallel two relentlessly positive criminals with a violent streak (that would be Harley and Leo). But Phillips’s breezy writing style has been consistent throughout her work, from Harley Quinn to Rogue & Gambit and Black Widow & Hawkeye — the latter two of which are closer in character dynamic to Red Before Black than the Clown Princess of Crime.
But none of this would work without Sudžuka’s engaging visuals, ably assisted by Ive Svorcina’s colors. Per the crime setting, Sudžuka’s work here seems reminiscent in the early scenes of Sean Phillips’s pencils on Criminal. But there’s less grime and more pop to the art, so it’s halfway between Phillips and perhaps some of Joe Eisma’s work. In particular, I was impressed with his character work here… There’s a scene early on where Val talks to an old friend in a bar, and it’s as kinetic and engaging as a later action scene set in a nightclub.
Overall? An exciting start to the book with some flashy, impressive visuals. If you’re a fan of crime books, or just comic books in general, get on board early with this one.
Red Before Black #1 is in stores now.