This issue definitely took its sweet time to hit the shelves. Maybe I’m just an impatient person. I’ve been known to get a little jittery from time to time. But the wait was worth it. I’ve loved every word of this series so far, and I’m happy to say that the latest installment doesn’t disappoint. Surprisingly enough, I was actually surprised by the ending. But you’d think that I’d know better by now than to try to figure out a story by Ennis before the last panel. I’m not sure that I really buy it that it’s the end of the series though. I could definitely see some kind of aftermath that causes a resurrection for these characters in the near future. Personally, I liked the ending, I don’t need anything else, but there are those people out there that just want to beat a series to death before it inevitably reaches its gruesome and painful end. Ennis and Cermak offer us a gem that will be impossible to overshadow. This month belongs to Red Team. This is the final showdown. The two teams have squared off and blood has been spilled. If you were left speechless and wanting at the end of the last issue, like me, then all of your questions will be answered. The interrogator’s identity will finally be known, and we’ll finally see the fates of our heroes revealed. The journey of Red Team ends here, or does it?
Ennis has already done something with this series that I thought would never be possible. He’s found a way to make interrogations cool again. So much of this series has been conversation leading to flashbacks. And I love flashbacks. But more importantly, he has written some of the best dialogue that exists in current comics. He’s always had a gift for the stuff, but just when I thought that The Boys was by favorite Ennis series, I was proven wrong once Red Team hit the shelves. I’m already kind of a sucker for gritty cop dramas, but this goes above and beyond.
And of course, I can’t say enough good things about Craig Cermak. I just wish that there was more of his stuff out there. Other than the fact that most of his character designs look a lot like some pretty well-known actors (fishing for a movie adaptation are we?), I think that his work is really solid. By the way, I would love a movie adaptation, just FYI. For all I know, it’s already in development. I mean, aren’t there already television deals out there for comics that haven’t even been published yet? (Insert winky face here).
Anyway, I’ll be sad to see this series go. Regardless of its irregularity, it was always nice to see it on the previews list. I always looked forward to it. I guess all that I can do now is wait patiently for these two dudes to team up again, so that I don’t die of boredom anytime soon.
Score: 5/5
Writer: Garth Ennis Artist: Craig Cermak Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment Price: $3.99 Release Date: 3/12/14