Geoff Johns and Bryan Hitch’s Redcoat returns with its fifteenth issue and the most “modern” setting so far, 1909 New York City. This new story arc takes place many years after Simon’s encounter with Benedict Arnold, alongside a young Albert Einstein.

Shockingly, in 1909 we find Simon living a normal life as an upstanding citizen and family man. After living in the United States for decades, Simon has finally succumbed to the American Dream. This moment of happiness for Simon adds some melancholy to the issue, as long-time readers know that this moment of familial bliss will be short-lived. It’s fun seeing Simon as a good husband and doting father over the roguish character we’ve come to love. Though most readers have come to learn that there has always been a good heart under that redcoat.

This new story arc sees the return of Bryan Hitch to interior pencils, and it’s a treat to see both of Simon’s creators together again after some fantastic fill-in work. Hitch fills each panel here with emotion, adding weight to the action. There is a great moment with a returning character in which Hitch conveys the inner conflict and sadness that character is feeling as they choose to re-enter Simon’s life. In just small changes to how Hitch draws Simon’s face, he is able to show readers how much the character has changed. This is a much more content and heroic Simon than we’ve ever seen previously. There isn’t that “Han Solo” smirk or self-loathing eyes. This is a transformed man. Legendary comic colorist Brad Anderson once again proves to be the perfect pairing with Hitch’s pencils. Anderson’s color palette really brings 1909 New York to vibrant life. In one panel, Anderson’s expression of candlelight draws the reader even deeper into the narrative, lending that scene even greater dramatic weight to Hitch’s pencils.

Simon’s story began with him accidentally gaining immortality when he interrupted a dark mystical ceremony being performed by the American Founding Fathers. Throughout the series, Johns and Hitch have provided glimpses into the clandestine group but many questions still remain. This new arc seems to be a return to this central mystery at the core of Redcoat. Though I’ve really enjoyed the one-and0done adventures we’ve gotten with Simon encountering famous historical figures, I’m excited to learn more of the hidden secrets this world has to offer. The world of the Unnamed has been a blast so far, and I’m excited for the expansion of this multi-title narrative.

This new chapter of Redcoat is very much the calm before the storm. The difference for Simon this time is that he has far more to lose than ever before. With each turn of the page, the reader knows that we are getting one step closer to the end of Simon’s happiness, lending a layer of darkness to an otherwise bright chapter. As always an excellent comic. Redcoat continues the high level of storytelling that has made this comic one of my favorites on the stands today.

Creative Team: Geoff Johns (Creator), Bryan Hitch (Creator, Inker), Andrew Currie (Inker), Brad Anderson (Color artist), Rob Leigh (Letterer)
Publisher: Image Comics / Ghost Machine
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