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Sunday, August 7, 2011

The Origin Of The Red Skull Continues

Red Skull: Incarnate #2 Review

Red Skull: Incarnate #2 takes us further down the road of Johann Schmidt's descent into darkness. It's a true testament to Greg Pak's skills as a writer that he can manage to gradually pepper the bread crumbs that lead to the eventual rise of the Red Skull. Just as it would be in real life, a transformation of this magnitude would not be instantaneous, which Pak is able to successfully convey once again with issue #2.

Issue #2 of Red Skull: Incarnate may be even more tragic than last issue, and that's saying a lot. While the killing of dogs is definitely not cool, the conclusion of issue #2 really hits like a punch to the stomach. You wind up feeling sorry for just about every character involved, including the issue's antagonist, by the time you reach the issue's final page.

A lot of the book's emotional resonance stems from its artwork and coloring provided by Mirko Colak and Matthew Wilson, respectively. Colak's pencils nail the right emotional chords, while Wilson's colors almost turn the book's panels into painted real-life stills. I think it's also a nice artistic touch to give Schmidt's rage-filled moments a stark red background to foreshadow the monster he eventually becomes.

So far Greg Pak and company have not disappointed with Red Skull: Incarnate. This is a brutal book that not only pays respect to history, but also delivers a believable origin story for one of the Marvel Universe's biggest villains. If you haven't bought into this series yet, I recommend you do so.


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