Redemption #2

Redemption #2

AWA UPshot Studios 2021

Written by Christa Faust

Illustrated by Mike Deodato Jr.

Coloured by Lee Loughridge

Lettered by Steve Wands

"The dusty desert town of Redemption survived the apocalypse but is hanging on by a thread. A despot rules the town with an iron fist and controls its most precious resource: water. When that strongman marks her mother for death, young Rose Obregon ventures into the perilous wasteland to seek the help of the legendary gunslinger Cat Tanner, only to discover that the so-called "Butcher" is long retired, living in solitude, far from what's left of the world, and preferring to keep it that way. When Rose arrives on Tanner's doorstep, with gunmen hot on her trail, the Butcher has a choice to make: sit on the sidelines or pick up her guns and do what she does best?"

I cannot tell you just how big a fan of this book I am! Seriously I love a good post apocalyptic story and the way we’re seeing this one unfold shows why Christa is such a profound talent! That this world is already fully realised and we’re just along for this particular visit, this time and hopefully there will be a next time, and how well that is portrayed to the reader is above and beyond anything I could have hoped for.

Love, love, love the way that this is being told. The story & plot development that we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is presented exceptionally well. Where we left off is where we pick up here and I like that there is no jumping around it makes this that much more interesting. Also that Rose manages to talk with Cat before working in who her mother is is just that much more impressive to me. The character development here is phenomenally well rendered. To see how the characters act and react to the situations and circumstances they encounter really help to define who they are. Also, I love that Sheriff is genuinely afraid showing us what kind of coward he truly is. The pacing here is perfectly done as it takes us through the pages revealing more and more of the story.

I am very much enjoying the way that this is being structured and how the layers within the story weave themselves in, around and throughout the main arc to create this amazing level of anticipation and tension. The way that we see everything working together to create the story’s ebb & flow is utterly magnificent.

Mike’s always been a legendary artist but this, this takes his work and my opinion of him to a whole new level and my admiration knows no bounds. The linework is mindbogglingly exquisite and how we see the varying weights and techniques being utilised to create this level and quality of detail we see just leaves me chuffed. That we see backgrounds so essential to the story that they become more than scenery or utilised to create depth perception, a sense of scale and that overall sense of size and scope to the story, they become characters in their own right. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show his masterful eye for storytelling. The colour work is divine. How we see the various hues and tones within the colours being utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work showcase such an superb understanding of how colour works.

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God this book is magnificent. From the way that we see the characters in action and through the visuals to the setting we are treated to this insanely strong story. It is somewhat of a shame that women are so underestimated even after this apocalyptic event all the while Cat has this serious reputation as The Butcher. Regardless this is the kind of story that reaches deep into your bones and you want more and more of it, like an addiction you don't want treatment for.