Red Before Black is a series that immediately caught my attention with the preview of the first issue. The style that Stephanie Phillips and Goran Sudžuka are striking with this new BOOM! Studios series appears to hit on delivery of a cool new experience. BOOM! Studios gave us the chance to check out an early copy of Red Before Black #1 ahead of its release this Wednesday. Find out how it turned out with our non-spoiler advance review.
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Stephanie Phillips
Artist: Goran Sudžuka
Colorist: Ive Svorcina
Letterer: Tom Napolitano
RED BEFORE BLACK #1 SOLICITATION
“Introducing the most unpredictable outlaw couple since Harley & Ivy! Red Before Black is a violent, hyper-kinetic, women-led crime thriller reminiscent of 2000s-era Vertigo from superstar writer Stephanie Phillips (Grim, Harley Quinn) and acclaimed artist Goran Sudzuka (Hellblazer, Y The Last Man), perfect for fans of Birds of Prey and Killing Eve.
On a special assignment from the FBI, disgraced army veteran Val is sent to Florida to hunt down an infamous drug runner named Leo. But she soon finds that they have an unexpected enemy in common, turning the game of cat and mouse into something else entirely!” – BOOM! Studios
REVIEW
While Red Before Black #1 is the beginning of a new story it is not the start of this world Stephanie Phillips and Goran Sudžuka bring us into. There is a feeling of stepping into an old world rather than a new one. That is something that works for the characters that we follow as we jump into learning who they are.
There is a unique sense of discovery with how the presentation of the world and characters of Red Before Black #1. The way characters carry themselves, whether it’s their dialogue or how they carry themselves, speaks to the weight of their individual history. Establishing this type of language for storytelling creates importance to how the writing and art balance one another out. You are paying as much attention to the movement of characters and setting as much as you are to the dialogue being spoken.
This in turn gets you to want to learn about where we are stepping into the lives of these characters. The lead character Val is quickly developed as a strong shepherd through this world as the story Red Before Black will be about unfolds. The reason why Val sneaks out any job that she can get is something that you quickly understand. However, at the same time, the reason for this motivation adds a mystery to who Val is as she uses the mask of moving forward to not talk about her past.
Val’s development makes Leo, the other lead of this series, stand out even more once she enters the story in this first issue. Phillips and Sudžuka do a great job making everything about Leo’s presentation come across as a direct contrast to Val’s presentation. It creates an intriguing balance to how things end up developing during the second half of Red Before Black #1.
It all leads into the final few pages that create more questions that the reader wants to find the answers to. Phillips and Sudžuka utilize all their world-building to get you hooked into the story.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Stephanie Phillips and Goran Sudžuka nail capturing the reader’s attention with the presentation of the world where Red Before Black #1 takes place. The way the cat and mouse game involving the series leads, Val and Leo, is developed gets you engaged in their respective stories. Every element of this debut issue works to create questions about the characters and world to make you want to come back to find out what exactly is going on with Val and Leo.
Story Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
Art Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
Click here for a full preview of Red Before Black #1 ahead of its Wednesday, August 7th, release.
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