Cully Hamner – Writer/Artist
Val Staples – Colorist
Red was one of the better comic inspired films of 2010. The film did not cling to the source material as closely as Scott Pilgrim vs. the World or even Kick Ass, but it captured the relative premise of Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner’s work. The success came from expanding the book into a much deeper film experience. How many times have filmmakers actually deepened the source material? The original comic was a trim 3-issue mini. The story followed a retired wetwork operative of the US government that a new administration decides to kill, because he’s just that dangerous. Paul Moses is the retired killer and, as portrayed, possibly the greatest killer on earth. He destroys the team that comes for him and sets about wiping out the decision makers that ordered his death. Red was over almost as quickly as it began but extremely compelling nonetheless. Ellis’s script certainly made me think about what happens to the real life operatives that do Moses’ type of work.
The film came out in October, and other than a trade paperback re-release of the original mini the only comic support came in the guise of several one-shots set in the film universe. Warren Ellis had no interest in telling any further stories with Paul Moses, but he gave his blessing for artist Cully Hamner to do double duty and tell this week’s prequel. Considering that Cully Hamner had to step into Warren Ellis’s shoes, he does an admirable job. I purchased each issue of the original mini on the day of release, so I was excited to grab this one on the first day too. I’m in Toronto on a mini vacation, but I tracked it down at a small comic shop on Bloor Street and am writing this review from my hotel room.
George Lucas proved to me that prequels, as a whole, just do not work. The new Star Wars trilogy was entirely unnecessary, since it didn’t answer any pressing questions fans needed to know. The Clone Wars are probably my biggest gripe, as they are nowhere near as cool on screen as what rattled around in my brain since I was a four year old enamored with Star Wars. Thankfully Hamner’s story doesn’t feature failures on the level of Jar Jar Binks, horrific love stories, or Jedi that are clueless morons. In the end, like George’s prequels, there’s really nothing in Eyes Only that needed to be shown.
This story covers what led to Paul Moses retiring from the service, which is where we find him at the start of the original miniseries. Hamner is actually a solid writer. I especially enjoyed the opening sequence where Paul is chewed out by his brother for his career choice. The sequence is a bit forced, but it gets Moses thinking about leaving the service. The rest of the story follows his attempt to make that happen. The comic attempts to illustrate what a wicked man Moses is and show why the powers-that-be want to kill him. Hamner’s story doesn’t really give me any new information or live up to the vile acts my head had concocted. The acts he perpetrates are powerful, but they are rendered null by a deus ex machina that struck from out of nowhere. This device softens the story and the character of Moses too much for my liking. It’s the one element of the story that ticks me off.
All things considered, the story is not perfect in the writing sense, but it’s not bad either. Where Hamner really succeeds is in relation to the artwork. His amazing detail illustrates the brutality inherent in a shocking manner. Hamner’s style may be cartoony but there is so much emotion evident in the characters. The panel layouts present the action and quiet moments in the most dynamic way possible. The story proves that prequels are mostly a letdown. The writing, though, is good enough to allow the amazing visuals room to tell a powerful tale that’s still worth reading.
