REDCOAT #7, by Image Comics on 10/30/24, brings the dynamic team of Pure and Einstein back together after many years to discuss Simon’s future and his painful hold on the past.
Credits:
- Writer: Geoff Johns
- Artist: Bryan Hitch, Andrew Currie
- Colorist: Brad Anderson
- Letterer: Rob Leigh
- Cover Artist: Bryan Hitch, Brad Anderson
- Publisher: Image Comics
- Release Date: October 30, 2024
- Comic Rating: Teen
- Cover Price: $3.99
- Page Count: 36
- Format: Single Issue
Covers:
Analysis of REDCOAT #7:
First Impressions:
As a heads up, this is going to be a short review because Writer Geoff Johns presents an (almost) single-scene, cooldown issue to foreshadow more troubles for Simon Pure. However, a single scene need not be inconsequential, and you’ll find that Redcoat #7 is more powerful than you’d expect.
Plot Analysis:
When last we left Simon Pure in Redcoat #6, he narrowly escaped death and averted the fiery destruction of America at the hands of Benedict Arnold’s machinations, thanks to the help of young Albert Einstein. The issue ended with another famous immortal, George Washington, arriving on the scene.
In Redcoat #7, we catch up with Simon Pure in 1955. He wakes up, grooms himself and his uniform to regulation specs, and hails a cab for an unnamed destination. We soon see Simon exiting his cab in front of a hospital in Princeton, NJ to visit one of the hospital’s residents – Albert Einstein.
In a largely wordless opener, Geoff Johns starts the issue by showing Simon’s pilgrimage to the hospital is a somber one. History buffs will recognize the date and location as the time of Einstein’s death, so we get a sense of the pain Simon feels as yet another respected friend passes on while he lives on.
Simon and Albert haven’t seen each other in years, so Simon regales Albert with his adventures involving everything from the theft of the Gettysburg Address to his battle with Tolstoy. Simon knows Albert’s time is almost at an end, so it does both their hearts good to share in the spirit of adventure that brought them both together.
The issue ends with Albert reminding Simon that it’s time to put his rare gift of immortality to become the best of us.
Overall, Redcoat #7 is a surprisingly heartfelt cooldown issue that puts a capper on Simon’s relationship with Albert, hints at the adventures they’ve both shared in the intervening years and foreshadows the challenges to come. As cooldown issues go, Geoff Johns wrote one of the better ones.
Artwork and Presentation:
Bryan Hitch and Andrew Currie deliver the goods as Simon projects the subtle and powerful range of emotions of a man experiencing the grief that comes with witnessing a loved one’s passing. Given the plot, there’s not much action to speak of, but the weight of the issue is carried by Simon’s gestures and the pained emotion on his face, which the art team carries off beautifully.
Art Samples:
The Bigger Picture:
Series Continuity:
Redcoat is part of the interconnected ghost Machine universe and is slated to participate in the upcoming crossover with Junkyard Joe and Geiger, tentatively titled The Unnamed. There’s no official word on when The Unnamed crossover event will take place, but we’ll let you know as soon as we do.
Final Thoughts:
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REDCOAT #7 delivers a surprisingly heartfelt transition issue as Simon and Albert say goodbye for the last time. Geoff Johns’s tearjerker of a script instills gobs of character depth for Simon, and the art team’s emotional acting is stellar.
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