Creators: Geoff Johns & Bryan Hitch
Inkers: Andrew Currie & Bryan Hitch
Colorist: Brad Anderson
Letterer: Rob Leigh
Cover Artists: Bryan Hitch & Brad Anderson; Mark Buckingham & John Kalisz; Steve Lieber & Wes Dzioba
Designer: Steve Blackwell
Publisher: Image
Price: $3.99
Release Date: January 28, 2025
Johnny Appleseed may be younger than Simon Pure, but a wise head rests on his shoulders. Unlike Simon, magic doesn't flow through Johnny's veins. Still, Johnny senses the everyday magic that connects people and nature. He travels across the United States, spreading the bountiful nature of apples that supplement the diets of struggling farmers and townspeople.
What does Johnny Appleseed think of Simon Pure? And what will happen when they meet in 1816? Let’s grab a handful of magic seeds, leap into Redcoat #9, and find out!
Story
By June of 1816, Simon and Johnny are old friends. Fourteen years ago, they decided they liked each other so much that they agreed to an annual meetup. The men spend these day-long reunions catching up, trading stories, and drinking Johnny’s legendary apple cider. But this time, Johnny requests help putting a nearby community to rights.
While the rapid expansion of settlers helped people like Daniel Heavyside turn their hands to new skills, there was no shortage of bad actors. Silas Caldwell may be as inherently rotten as the Bender family Simon will later meet. Simon wants to catch the miscreant who hurt so many people. Johnny focuses on helping the survivors. But in Redcoat #9, Johnny is taken aback when Simon rebuffs a boy.
Geoff Johns and Bryan Hitch paint Simon in 1892 as someone who runs up credit everywhere he goes. Perhaps earlier in his life, Simon focuses on being more self-sufficient. In any case, Simon's insatiable hunger and thirst for alcohol proved just as compelling in 1816. Simon drinks all of Johnny's apple cider and asks for more. Instead, Johnny suggests Simon use his inherent magic to track down Silas. As in his later adventures with Albert Einstein, Simon doesn't understand his abilities and relies on others' advice to resolve a problem he created.
Art
Simon checks his pocket watch as he waits for Johnny to arrive. But his friend sneaks up behind him and tosses a handful of seeds. As in Benedict Arnold's secret sanctum, the tree's explosive growth carries Simon into the sky as effectively as Groot secures Quarnyx batteries for Rocket. From his lofty perch, Simon notices more apples than butterflies. And instead of a Lonely Mountain, Simon spies a trail of brown smoke rising into the sky.
A double-page spread reveals Simon's spectacular failure to channel the energy from the Founding Fathers' ceremony. Andrew Currie and Bryan Hitch fill the remaining pages in Redcoat #9 with action scenes, glimpses of life in a struggling 19th-century town, and Johnny and Simon's camaraderie.
Brad Anderson lavishes a loaded palette on daytime scenes. Yellow, orange, and bluish-green dominate the evening. Fire proves a theme in this story set two years after The Burning of Washington by British Redcoats. A roaring campfire devours the wood as readily as Simon's deflections burn away Johnny's easy-going nature. Yet after a torchlit romp through the woods, the friends cavort with jugs in their hands like Jack Sparrow on a deserted island.
Rob Leigh fills white dialogue balloons with uppercase black letters and scraps of parchment with their italicized cousins in Redcoat #9. Words grow bold for inflection. Raised voices enlarge letters and deform balloons. Lowered voices occasionally shrink the dialogue. Orange laughter dispels the darkness in this story about friendship and helping others. Thanks to Image Comics and Ghost Machine for providing a copy for review.
Final Thoughts
Like Johnny Appleseed’s magical seeds, stories shape our cultural consciousness. While the issue provides deeper insight into Simon’s past, the shadow of a great American storyteller hangs Redcoat #9. Perhaps one of his major literary works laid a foundation stone for the series. The writer’s life and stories certainly influence Simon's relationship with Johnny. One of the early American author's famous characters also makes an intriguing comparison with our anything-but-pure, apple cider-loving antihero.
Rating 9.6/10
For more cover art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.
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