Comics
Review: “Red City” #2
Diving head first into the fray after last month’s debut issue, “Red City” #2 wastes little time before adding more complications into it’s heavily Noir influenced tale. More characters, more twists, and more of our hapless ex-cop hero getting beat up and shot at. Readers unfamiliar with the genre may need a flow-chart, but fans will eat up another installment of this tech-noir mystery.
WRITTEN BY: Daniel Corey
ART BY: Mark Dos Santos
PUBLISHER: Image
PRICE: $2.99
RELEASE: July 9 2014
Review By: Ooknabah
First things first: If you have not read the first issue of Red City, there is a lot that will go over your head in the second issue. There is no real attempt to catch new readers up to the story thus far and while dialog does reference a few points from previous issues, ever readers of the first issue, myself included, will find themselves a little lost as to how all the pieces are supposed to fit together. Double crosses and various other intrigues are to be expected with this kind of story, and already the kid gloves are off.
This issue picks up directly from the events of the first one and thrusts our protagonist Cal through some well worn genre cliches: Being told off by a stern policeman, having a threatening meeting with one of the leaders of the various factions telling our hero to cease his investigations and even a couple of chases. How all of these things will eventually pay off remains to be seen, although they accomplish the bare bones of what is set out to be done. Sadly, while the noir elements of the story chug along, there is very little use of the Mars setting or futuristic technology in this issue: Sure, people are shooting lasers instead of bullets, but otherwise each of the beats play out pretty rote and one might like to see a few twists given the setting.
Dos Santos’ art remains perfectly serviceable, although the action feels pretty flat, with no real sense of danger or impact. This causes a couple of attempts at humor to fizzle out miserably, and overall makes the chases feel like filler, a feeling made worse by the flashback nature of the story: We know the main characters make it alive to later down the road, so why care when people attack them? In fact, that in medias res opening may prove to be a real liability to Corey’s story, and one hopes that the current storyline will catch up soon to put some real stakes into the action.
If you read the first issue, this one is more of the same with much of the same virtues and faults. So again, it is recommended for the fans of the tech noir, although patience is all ready wearing thin. The mysteries are currently either confusing or boring (The character Angel manages to reveal just enough about herself that I immediately lost interest in her) and while future issues may rectify those issues, there is still work to be done.
Comics
‘Curse of the Where Wolf’ Bites Into August Release With Trio of Werewolf Theatrical Screenings [Exclusive Preview]
Larry Chaney‘s hairy misadventures are continuing in the sequel graphic novel Curse of the Where Wolf from creative team Rob Saucedo, Debora Lancianese, and Jack Morelli, and its author is celebrating with a trio of horror’s greatest werewolf films.
The Curse of the Where Wolf hits shelves on August 7 from Encyclopocalypse Publications.
That coincides with the launch of a theatrical screening event in Houston, Texas, featuring a trio of seminal werewolf flicks turning 45 this year: The Howling on August 7, Wolfen on August 14, and An American Werewolf in London on August 21.
Each screening features a “werewolf in film” presentation as well as a book signing from Where Wolf author and River Oaks Theatre artistic director Rob Saucedo.
In the new graphic novel, “Being a werewolf sucks. Reporter Larry Chaney wanted to be a hero. Instead, he became a werewolf. Now, caught between incredible new powers and a desire to eat everything (and everyone) in sight, Larry must find a cure for his curse. Or die trying.”
“With Where Wolf, I wanted to tell a whodunit set in a furry convention, so the story was pretty contained within a very specific setting and genre. With Curse of the Where Wolf, I wanted to celebrate everything I love about the possibility of comic books. Curse of the Where Wolf is a funny book, in every sense of the phrase, but it’s also an earnest look at a person’s struggle to become a better version of themselves, especially when the alternative is to become a literal monster,” Saucedo says of Curse.
The original graphic novel was previously serialized as the first webcomic hosted on Fangoria before being collected by Encyclopocalypse Publications in 2023 and has already been optioned for film, podcast, and television development ahead of launch by producers James Fino (“The Freak Brothers” for Tubi, “Rick and Morty” for Adult Swim) and Charles Horak (First Date for Magnolia Pictures).
Expect Larry to find himself in even weirder situations in the 362-page full color sequel; Saucedo has provided Bloody Disgusting with exclusive art pages from the upcoming graphic novel that showcase lupine humor.
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