Red One: Book 1: Welcome To America by Xavier Dorison and Terry Dodson (graphic novel review).
When I was reading an interview with comic book artist Terry Dodson a couple years ago, I liked his art and wanted to read one of his works, so I chose the reprint as a graphic novel, ‘Red One’. Getting the first book was relatively easy, but the second was a lot harder and only recently found, so I could read the first one at long last. Looking at the Image Comics website, there’s not a trace of it anymore, and it originally came out nine years ago. I know things can pass quickly in the publishing world, and there’s no guarantee a reprint will sell a second time, but the fact that both books are now hard to find and going up in price should be an indication of enough interest out there.
Written by Xavier Dorison and drawn and inked by Terry Dodson, ‘Red One: Book 1: Welcome to America’ has unrest in the USA, led by a priest called Jacky Core, but far more dangerous is a vigilante called the Carpenter as they stamp out depravity and, in his case, kill actors. Set in 1977, Premiere Breznney would rather have the Americans touting ‘peace and love’ rather than ‘death to commies and gays’ and decides to send their most dangerous agent to sort it out, poising as an archetypal super-hero, allowing her to work out in the open and in disguise. This is Vera Yelnikov, a brunette beauty who is super-strong and agile, loves motorbikes, and, well, loves sex. She also has a good heart, gets food for her parents and friends, and has a lot more freedom in Russia than others have.
I would question some of this as, considering her physique and status, she is likely to be on a special diet to keep her at her peak, and her military rank and status would give her all sorts of perks unavailable to normal people. We don’t really see how she got that way, although it is likely she had humble beginnings.
Anyway, given the name Alabama Jane, she packed off to the USA and was told to find a job in the Hollywood film industry, as all Americans have jobs, and to hunt down and stop this Carpenter. Consequently, she ends up being a chauffeur and cook for film director Lew Gardner to protect him and use it as a means to bring the Carpenter out into the open. As Red One, she is given a suitable skintight costume, but rather than a pick of an arsenal, she selects a hammer and sickle as weapons.
Obviously, there is a lot more going on than that. She was definitely a fish out of water, but she was also in Russia, and there are some interesting comparisons to her homeland in America.
The art and mute colours by Terry Dodson are complimented by his wife, Rachel, who does the ink, bringing it all to life. I’m also grateful that I waited until I could get my hands on book 2 before starting this one because you really need to know what will happen next.
GF Willmetts
February 2024
(pub: Image Comics, 2015. 64 page graphic novel large hardback. Price: varies. ISBN: 978-1-63215-400-2)
check out websites: https://imagecomics.com/ and www.redonecomic.com
