Redshift #1 Review

by Carlos R. on March 26, 2021

Redshift #1 Cover Image
Written by: H.S. Tak
Art by: Brent David McKee
Colors by: Sebastian Cheng
Lettered by: Joel Rodriguez
Publisher: Scout Comics and Entertainment

I’ve read Redshift a couple of times now and I gotta say, I’ve enjoyed it more and more each time. While not without its flaws, Redshift #1 is an amazing story about family and the fight for survival and I’m all in after reading this issue.

The story follows Hellener, a pilot suffering from the trauma of his training and the loss of his mother. Hellener is presented with the opportunity to be one of humanity’s final hopes: a voyager in search of a new planet for mankind to flourish.

The story of humanity’s struggle for survival against limited resources is not a new concept, but Tak elevates it with fleshed out, haunted characters. After just one issue I’ve come to love the Drake family, there are little idiosyncrasies that add so much to their relationships from them playing pranks on each other to the posters that line their rooms to snide retorts from “Hellz’” younger sibling. You may not be gripped right away, but trust me, you’ll be itching to get the second issue by the time you reach the final panel. Tak chooses a more deliberate approach, opening with a quiet moment of Hellener working out and going through a day in his life before the call to action sounds. I’m glad we got to see some of Hellener’s home life before we explore what comes next; the contrast between Hellz cynicism and his brother’s optimism in regard to their mother adds to the internal conflict Hellener deals with when making his decision to be a voyager.  

Man, this book is great to look at, and there are so many little details to be picked up with each read. I loved how gritty Mars felt, vibrant, but just covered in dust, each movement kicked up debris and there’s wear and stickers throughout all the equipment. These small details from the art team help to make this world feel real. I only had one very minor gripe and it was from a scene where Hellener had just wiped away sweat but is still dripping. Aside from that, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and Rodriguez’s sound effect designs were awesome, I love the emphasis they add to motion like whenever Hellz “sputs” across the asteroid or a ship takes off. The flashback scene toward the end is my favorite part of the story and McKee does an excellent job of conveying the struggle the trainees face in their trek and emphasizes the necessity of what Hellener had to do to survive by slowly zooming into the asteroid and giving readers a scale of how enormous it is.

Redshift #1 is such a fantastic read, there’s so much to enjoy; the creative team clearly has a love for all things sci-fi and poured it all onto the pages of this series. If you have the opportunity to, definitely visit Scout Comics and give it a read!
 

Our Score:

8/10

A Look Inside