Title: Red Team #1
Writer: Garth Ennis
Art: Craig Cermak, Adriano Lucas
Publisher: Dynamite

READ TEAM #1 has all of the makings of a classic Ennis story. Intriguing characters, a complexly woven plot and beautiful artwork tie this first issue into a neat package that all comic book readers should pick up.

As a fan of The Boys, the final page of RED TEAM had me wondering “could this be an unofficial retelling of The Boys rooted in the real world?”

Probably not, but it’s damn close. The team is strikingly similar to The Boys in it’s makeup, and the tone of the book naturally bleeds that classic Ennis style. It would appear that Garth Ennis and Dynamite are a match made in heaven for comic book fans.

RED TEAM is a police task force comprised of the best of the best. The four members (Duke, Eddie, George and Trudy) make up the team, and it’s clear by the end of the book just how meticulous, talented and dangerous they are. Each character brings something unique to the table, yet they all functioned as one well oiled machine.

The story kicks off with the team deciding to murder suspected crime lord Clinton Days. Charged with everything from human trafficking, drug dealing, and everything in between, Clinton has never actually been convicted or locked away. A ton of cash and a top notch lawyer can seem to get anyone out of a bad situation. For RED TEAM, this simply won’t do.

Knowing full well that they’d be breaking the law, they decided to act for the betterment of society and take care of Clinton once and for all. They plan out their actions, act, and in the blink of an eye it’s all over. The unofficial mission was a complete success in every aspect, but is that really a good thing? Is planning and flawlessly executing a murder, though potentially warranted (that’s a discussion for later) really a good thing? That’s one of the questions RED TEAM is going to be pondering, so it would seem. The team certainly isn’t done with this method of retribution just yet. In fact, they’re just getting warmed up.

RED TEAM issue 1 doesn’t give us all of the answers in one issue, and it doesn’t read in a linear fashion. This means that it’s going to be quite a bit of fun looking back at the earlier issues once the story bulks up. This also means that some sections could be harder than others to really grasp, as you might be asking yourself too many questions while you’re reading through a couple pages. If you can accept the fact that you won’t be presented with most of the knowledge you may want going into or coming out of the first issue, you’ll likely enjoy it.

The art by Craig Cermak and Adrianno Lucas is brilliant. Rooted closer to reality than most of Ennis’ other creator owned books, the artistic aesthetic is one of the defining factors in the style of RED TEAM.

Police drams like CSI and the likes aren’t on my list of enjoyed shows/books, but RED TEAM seems like much more than just a cop drama. The characters are conflicted with their actions, they’re regular people like you or I, they’re hard working individuals and they have families. Long story short, they’re easy to relate to. This, combined with a thus-far-solid story should provide another excellent comic book experience from the mind of Garth Ennis, creator of Preacher and The Boys.