Creators: Geoff Johns & Bryan Hitch
Inkers: Andrew Currie & Bryan Hitch
Colorist: Brad Anderson
Letterer: Rob Leigh
Cover Artists: Bryan Hitch & Brad Anderson; Brad Walker
& Brad Anderson; Yanick Paquette & Brad Anderson
Publisher: Image
Price: $3.99
Release Date: December 25, 2024
As Simon Pure travels through Kansas, returning to his
familiar New England, the former Redcoat knocks on the front door of a family
home. Kate Bender welcomes him inside and offers him a room for the night. Her
family is setting the table for dinner, and they invite Simon to join them. But
is the Benders’ hospitality as pure as it seems? Or is it anything but? Let’s
grab our enchanted hatchets, leap into Redcoat #8, and find out!
Story
To 19th-century immigrants, America glowed like a
beacon of opportunity. As settlers pushed back the frontier, labor shortages let
opportunists turn their hands to new skills. Daniel Heavyside has worked as a Cattle
Inspector and Homestead Surveyor. Kate seems impressed by Daniel’s
accomplishments when he visits her home. But is she the prize Daniel imagines?
Like Daniel, Simon Pure has many talents. While it looks
forward to 1909, Redcoat #8 occurs in 1873 and predates Simon’s meeting with
Albert Einstein. Nearly a century has passed since George Washington shrugged
off Simon's killing blow, and the fleeing Redcoat gained immortality at a
Founding Fathers’ ceremony. After assisting a friend, Simon returns to more
familiar stomping grounds. Edward O'Reilly first chronicled the adventures of
Simon's friend in 1917, although Pecos Bill, the Texan who created the Gulf Of
Mexico, was born three-quarters of a century earlier. Kate seems as impressed
with Simon as with Daniel. But is her admiration for her guests genuine?
This horrific story harkens to when less regulation and
oversight allowed crimes to pass unnoticed. Like the Kent family chronicles of
John Jakes, Redcoat #8 reveals the less-than-rosy history of American expansion
and settlement. Yet, even in an age when communications and governmental
oversight should protect people like Daniel and Simon from predators
masquerading as angels of mercy, evil still finds ways to attack the innocent.
After witnessing Simon Pure’s final reunion with Albert
Einstein in 1955, it's hard to see the adventuring antihero as anything worse
than a misguided innocent. Simon has lived more than a century by this point.
But, as Geoff Johns and Bryan Hitch make clear, Simon's childhood still haunts
him and prevents him from becoming a renaissance man like Phil Connors in
Groundhog Day.
Art
A silhouette of a cowboy rides into a rain-streaked gray
evening. Blues and grays dominate the foul weather outside. Oil lanterns and a
roaring hearth reveal subdued colors and shadows in the Bender home. Blood
quickly blackens when the Benders violate their guests' trust. Brad Anderson
fills the living quarters with muted yellows, pinks, greens, and browns. Still,
Simon's red-and-blue coat dominates the interior of this last, unhomely house.
Andrew Currie and Bryan Hitch show the rain streaming off
Daniel’s hat and bouncing off his shoulders. A detailed beard frames Daniel's
smile as he assures his horse there is nothing to fear. Mrs Bender and her
daughter return Daniel’s smile. But when the family reveals their intentions to
their guests, their joy shows on their faces. Axes serve as reminders of
Simon's adventures with Albert Einstein and Benedict Arnold and provide a link
with George Washington's treacherous life. Pocket watches suggest that, unlike
Simon, the Benders' illicit exploits cannot last forever.
Rob Leigh fills white dialogue balloons with uppercase black
letters and scraps of parchment with their italicized cousins in Redcoat #8. Words
embolden and swell for inflection and raised voices and shrink for lowered or
distant voices. Red and yellow laughter spills across panels, while Mrs.
Bender's German accent hints at another reason for Simon's reticence to team
with Albert Einstein when they meet nineteen years later. Thanks to Image
Comics and Ghost Machine for providing a copy for review.
Final Thoughts
Past meets present in 1873 when Simon's discovery at the
Benders' house reminds him of his troubled youth. Redcoat #8 is a violent and
horrific reminder of what can happen when parents don’t take their
responsibilities to their children and society seriously.
Rating 9.5/10
To preview interior art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.
