Daniel Corey (Moriarty) has a new comic published by Image and drawn by Mark Dos Santos called Red City and Issue #1 is a blast!  Merging science fiction and noir, this genre-bending comic follows Cal Talmage, a former homicide detective in Mars Central, as he tries to navigate the complexities of a politically unstable NSS (New Solar System) to find the missing daughter of the Ambassador of Mercury.  Mercury, Mars, Venus, each of these planets are now bustling worlds with their own species and political ambitions, yet when it comes to greed, lust, corruption, and war, they are all too human.  There is a Federal government trying to unify the disparate planets, and, just days before the signing of an important accord between Mercury and Venus, the daughter of the Mercurian Ambassador goes missing in Talmage’s old stomping grounds.  So, Talmage, imprisoned for running a black market operation while working as a Federal Security Officer, is plucked from his cell to locate and return the young woman.  From here on out, we get a classic noir story with an interplanetary twist. 

Corey’s writing is solid; it’s fun and engaging, and our main character reminds me of a cross between Sam Spade and Malcolm Reynolds.  The story feels fresh while still nodding to a genre long past.  The characters all feel real, despite looking like they hail from a gritty, dark corner of Brian K. Vaughn’s Saga.  The art starts off a little on the simple side and occasionally feels flat, but I found myself enjoying it more as the story unfolded.  Dos Santos really shines when he is depicting the various forms of alien life.  Each of the different species are unique and interesting and must have been fun to design and draw.    

Issue #1 of Red City hits stores on June 11, 2014, and you can pre-order this book with Diamond Code APR140490.