Who doesn’t love a good murder mystery? The Red Ten, written by Tyler James and illustrated by Cesar Feliciano, is just that – but with super heroes! This inaugural issue (the first of ten) begins with a death, and presumably will feature at least one more each installment. After Red, a Batman/Batwoman expy, plummets to her death, her former ward – Daniel Lawrence – reclaims his mantle to bring justice to her presumed killer – Oxymoron. With him is The Alliance – basically The Justice League – who use their considerable resources to track him down to a remote island.
But what they find – which won’t be spoiled here – shocks them all, and raises quite a few questions. More disturbing is a poem scrawled on the roof, eerily reminiscent of “Ten Little Monkeys,” predicting each of their deaths in turn. This might not be as terrifying if it wasn’t a) oddly specific, and b) totally prophetic.
Overall, The Red Ten was a ton of fun to read. It literally begins and ends with a bang, and everything in between is just as fun. While at first the exported characters seemed either too “on-the-nose” or just lazy, it quickly became apparent that that was the point. In fact, the author admitted to always wanting to kill the Justice League, and that Red Ten was his chance. This makes the issue even more fun, as the reader can imagine how Superman or Wonder Woman would react to Batman getting killed by the Joker.
Another plus is the art. The Alliance balances a fine line between looking iconic and relatable without looking like straight rip-offs. Oxymoron looks chilling in his every appearance. Guillermo Ucha’s colors pop, lending a suitably heroic feel to the book.
The Red Ten is a lot of fun. It’s a murder mystery with capes. It’s a waiting game to see how each of the super heroes dies. It’s a fun thought experiment to imagine the Justice League dealing with serial killers and prophecies. Check it out!
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