This past week, Image Comics and Ghost Machine released Redcoat #21, an epilogue to the most recent battle between Simon Pure and the evil immortal Benedict Arnold. This arc found Simon living a blissful life as a family man, his adventuring days seemingly far behind him. Of course, Simon’s life couldn’t remain idyllic for long, as his nemesis Benedict Arnold re-entered his life, playing on Simon’s deep fear of outliving his family to earn his trust. Truly believing Benedict had changed his ways after their last encounter, Simon is blindsided when Benedict brutally murders his family.

The issue picks up right after Simon had tracked down Benedict’s accomplices who had been instrumental in Benedict’s ruse to convince Simon he was a changed man. In his desire to kill the final henchman, Simon launched both of them out a high window, crushing both men on the pavement. Simon lies broken on the ground and lost in despair. Most of the narrative weight of this issue is placed on Bryan Hitch’s pencils, as Johns decides to keep the dialogue to a minimum. The aspect of Hitch’s work here that really resonated with me was his depiction of Simon’s eyes. Readers can see the haunted agony of the man in each panel. Hitch uses Simon’s eyes to take the reader along through Simon’s journey of grief, from desolation to anger and back. Comics veteran colorist Brad Anderson’s work is crucial to achieving this effect. And this somber tone is carried throughout this story about mourning, grief, and the true curse of immortality. This is the lowest we have ever seen Simon. He is broken in body and spirit.

I think most readers expected a dark turn in this arc, since Simon Pure having a happy ending doesn’t seem quite right, but Johns ensures that the tragedy hits hard for Simon and the readers. The murder of Simon’s family was brutal and sudden. I have to admit, Benedict and Johns had me fooled right along with Simon. In this one horrific act, Johns allows us to see what makes Simon and Benedict perfect foils for each other. Immortality could cause a person to become stagnant. Why do anything today when you have an infinite number of tomorrows? Benedict is incapable of changing his nature, that of a traitor, and his long life has caused him to lose all empathy for mortal humans. Immortality has hollowed out Benedict’s soul. Simon, in contrast, was capable of change, his family is proof of that. And through the course of the series, we’ve seen that Simon still cares about the people around him, even though he will outlive them all. You can see this in his genuine affection for Albert Einstein. Simon’s heart has allowed him to stave off the dangers of immortality, while Benedict is lost.

Redcoat is a book that I look forward to picking up every Wednesday at my local comic shop. We are now 21 issues in and Johns and Hitch have yet to disappoint. This is one of the best projects either creator has worked on to date. This fantasy America is a fully realized place that has been a blast to explore. This issue ends on a bit of a cliffhanger with the promise of delving even deeper into the alternate history of this United States. I can’t believe I still have tell people to get in on this book. Another classic.

Creative Team: Geoff Johns (Creator), Bryan Hitch (Creator), Brad Anderson (artist/colorist), Rob Leigh (letterer)
Publisher: Image Comics/Ghost Machine
Click here to purchase.