Review - Red Hot #1

Every superhero worth his or her salt knows the old adage "with great power comes great responsibility." That is, if you've got something really cool you can do, make sure you do really cool things with it. Be a hero, not a villain. Sometimes, it's not always as easy as that.

Sometimes, the reality of what it is you're doing doesn't exactly line up with the perception of what it is you're doing, as is the case in Red Hot #1. The Earthbound Comics title is written by Mike Luoma and illustrated by Rhys ap Gwyn.

Red Hot is an up and comer in the world of superheroes. He's just someone who's going about his business and looking for evil acts being committed so that he can save the day and make the world a better place. It's in his nightly patrol that he stumbles upon Mind Man performing the tried and true act of robbing a bank.

What follows is an issue full of false accusations and truths coming to light, with Leader One looking into the robbery. Leader One is one of the good guys and is something of a hero even to Red Hot and it's only after quite the back and forth through the skies that Leader One believes Red Hot.

Red Hot is a younger superhero, which brings with it a lot of uncertainty and a certain awe to the job. Luoma's done a great job in presenting Red Hot as such, having him patrolling the streets because he thinks he's obliged to do it. His immaturity also shows when he realizes what Mind Man's done, not completely certain of the rationale behind it. The issue ends with some sense of conclusion as Red Hot's name is presumably cleared to an extent. Future interactions between him and Mind Man should be interesting though.

The art by Gwyn really works for this book. It's almost cartoony, but it helps add to the sense that Red Hot is a young superhero. It has a Saturday morning cartoon feel to it that lightens the mood of the story. There seems to be a limited number of facial expressions that the characters are capable of though and all of them seem to be seriousness.

Red Hot #1 is an interesting first issue. It looks at being superhero from a younger pair of eyes, before the hero has been grizzled by years of tragedy and tough choices. It's sort of fun to imagine what Red Hot will be doing years from now, but right now it's fun to watch him learn on the job so to speak.

Red Hot #1 is available on Indy Planet now.