FBI Behavior Study

A mini series that delves deep into the origin of the Red Skull. Not the origin you expect. Instead of telling us the story of how he became the 'Red Skull' we go back further to his childhood to view when and how his life took a turn down that dark path towards evil. This reads more like an FBI behavior study on the making of a serial killer.

ARTWORK

The events in the story take place in 1923 and Mirko Colak does a very good job of capturing the mood and feel. Paging through it looks like it could be the story board for Oliver Twist. His characters and their expressions are very well drawn and consistent. The coloring is drab which is obviously intended to capture the period and setting, and it mixes well with Colak's drawings and ink. I loved the cover too.

My only gripe about the artwork is that it remains bounded by the panels and never pops out for interesting page compositions. My eyes jump from panel to panel rather than following the fluid dynamics of the scene. Since this is not a superhero action story I am not left as frustrated as I might have been. There are two full-page pictures, the first one I felt was kid of wasted - the second one was the last page of the book and a chilling end to this chapter.

STORY

As I stated in the my introduction, this reads more like a union of Oliver Twist and a FBI behavioral study on the makings of a serial killer. Pak captures it perfectly and maybe for the first time ever I find myself empathetic for the Red Skull. The Chapter starts and ends nicely - so if this is the only issue you buy in the series it still reads like it's own story.

SPECIAL MERIT

What I find most disturbing about this issue is that I found myself caring about the character. The Red Skull has always been one of my favorite villains because he is so incredibly evil. It felt creepy to find myself feeling for him. A very interesting take on the origin of the villain and adds depth to a character that has been around for 70 years - no easy feat!

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ART

5/5 Drawing

4/5 Ink/color

2/5 Composition

3/5 Dynamics

WRITING

5/5 Plot

5/5 Characters

5/5 Delivery

5/5 Context

5/5 Stand Alone Strength

5/5 Special Merit

Name

Incarnate, Part 1

Volume

Red Skull

Issue Number

Cover Date

September 1, 2011

In Store Date

July 06, 2011

Genesis of a Mad Man 0

Red Skull #1 - Incarnate, Part 1 by imperiousrix on July 12, 2011

Red Skull is one of those villains that, although he's considered legendary in the Marvel Universe as one of its greatest villains, I honestly have trouble accepting him outside of the context of the war that created him. That's a non-issue with Red Skull: Incarnate, as we see the coming of age of the man who would become Red Skull. Whilst it's difficult to feel sympathy for someone who has done so much evil in his life, but thanks to a stellar first issue, readers can actually see the tragic ...

2 out of 2 found this review helpful.

The Red Skull, Nazi and puppy savior 0

Red Skull #1 - Incarnate, Part 1 by mtharman on July 08, 2011

With Captain America: First Avenger hitting theaters by the end of this month, I would say that the start of Red Skull’s first limited series couldn’t hit the shelves at a better time. Nazi, murderer, and perfectly designed to be the most evil incarnation ever produced by Marvel Comics, Red Skull is a villain that does deserve to be recognized as Marvel’s first villain and possibly the most evil comic villain ever produced into comics. It’s obvious how Red Skull’s built character does force bo...

Red Skull #1

digimod's Red Skull #1 - Incarnate, Part 1 review