Image Comics reviews 7/17/24 – Destro #2, Redcoat #4

Redcoat #4

Simon Pure’s wild adventures continue in another exciting issue of Redcoat. Writer Geoff Johns is having a blast writing a self-serving hardly a hero character and his sidekick, Albert Einstein. The premise is so fun and Johns continually subverts expectations as to how any of it is going to play out. This time, the hooded figures have finally cornered Simon and Albert.

Simon is on borrowed time for once as the immortal has been cut by George Washington’s Axe of Lies and only has two days left to live. It’s clever how Johns has built an entire lore around the Founding Fathers being liars deeply engaged in the occult.

This issue also features the debut of The Architect, another hooded figure with a more elaborate costume clearly being established as Simon’s archenemy. And maybe Simon’s frenemy Benedict Arnold? Johns teases some deeper insight into Simon’s cavalier attitude towards his immortal life that seems like it will be revisited at a later point. He’s not the kind of writer to just throw out some intriguing background material for no reason.

Artist Bryan Hitch stays on this inspired run he’s been on since Hawkman. His widescreen scale art is an excellent fit for Redcoat. Hitch packs in plenty of detail with fleshed out backgrounds to make for a fully immersive world. Brad Anderson’s striking colors and letterer Rob Leigh’s dialogue and sound effect placement further help to make this a visual treat.

There’s no weak link with the three early launch Ghost Machine titles. Redcoat seemed like the least likely to work, but it’s proven to be the biggest surprise thanks to this ingenious concept and engaging characters.

Rating: 9 out of 10