There are a lot of comics out there, but some stand head and shoulders above the pack. With “Don’t Miss This,” we want to spotlight those series we think need to be on your pull list. This week we want to be sure you don’t miss “Shanghai Red,” a story about a woman’s quest for revenge on the men who stole her life.
Who’s This By?
Eisner-nominated author Christopher Sebela writes “Shanghai Red.” You might know him from “Crowded,” “Injustice,” “Dead Letters,” “Fantastic Four,” and too many other books to list.
Joshua Hixson (“The Black Woods”) handles the art, including the covers and the colors. Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou does the lettering.
What’s This All About?
Portland, Oregon has a sordid past. Sordid enough that the city’s underworld built a network of tunnels for moving contraband and “crimping” (what we now call “shanghaiing”) people into slavery on pirate ships. Christopher Sebela took a tour of Portland’s tunnels, and while he was down there, the story of Molly “Red” Wolfram, a woman working in the city disguised as a man, came to life.
Two members of Portland’s underworld saw Molly dressed as a man and shanghaied her. Three years later, Molly returns to Portland looking for retribution. But as her quest for revenge takes her deeper and deeper into Portland’s underworld, it also leads her into an examination of who she is.
So, Why Should I Read This?
While the plot of “Shanghai Red” is a woman’s quest for revenge, character is front and center in this book. Molly supported her family by disguising herself as a man named Jack. It was as Jack that she was shanghaied. She kept her secret during her captivity by remaining “in character” for the entire time.
Jack started out as a means to an end. Her father abandoned the family, and she masqueraded as a man so she could work. But when Portland’s Jack saved Molly’s life during her captivity. “I gave it a name. His name. Jack. The one who got me into this. He’d be the one to get me out,” Molly says.
This duality takes a toll on Molly, and we see her struggle with it during her quest. Molly left a mother and younger sister behind. What happened to them? Is she back in Portland because Jack wants revenge or because Molly wants to find her family?
Then there’s what happened to her family while she was away. They don’t know she was shanghaied. Molly just never came home one night. Will they welcome her with open arms? Are they even still there? How much can things change in a few years?
While the story is compelling enough, the art knocks this book out of the park. Hixson’s pencils and colors lend this story an atmosphere of its own.
The story opens on the Bellwood, a dark ship with darker shadows that are soon filled with blood. It’s been two years since criminals kidnapped the crew and according to their “agreement,” they are now free to decide if they want to stay on or go home. Jack’s response, slaughtering the sailors on the ship, spans four pages. Hixson uses spare lines, dark inks, and splashes of red blood and orange fire.
The ship was bound for Shanghai, and it’s not a given that the rest of the surviving crew will work go along with Molly’s plan to turn the ship around. We see just how tenacious and intelligent she is when she succeeds in winning over the men.
When the story moves to Portland, the city has bright streets, grassy parks, lamplit pubs, and an empty apartment filled to the corners with loneliness. Hixson’s pencils and colors span a broad range of settings and emotions. Portland is a setting distinct from the Bellwood, but the weight of Molly’s quest stays with her.
While Portland starts out as a bright contrast to the Bellwood, we soon find out it’s just as dark, if not darker. Molly may have bitten off more than she can chew.
As far as I can tell, this is the first time Sebela and Hixson have worked together, but they click like a team that’s been working together for years. The story-telling is tight and focused, and every word and every line are there in service of advancing the plot and defining Molly’s character.
Continued below“Shanghai Red” is a tale about discovery and identity. Molly thinks she knows what she wants. Her quest for revenge becomes a quest of discovery, will she live long enough to find out who she is?
How Can I Read It?
Issue #3, comes out today. You can find it, as well as the previous two issues, at your local comic book shop or wherever digital comics are sold.
