Before we even start the review, lets start with an honest statement: if Matt Kindt puts out a new book written and illustrated by Matt Kindt, you need to buy it. No questions need to be asked, no reasons should be given. You need it.
But, if you want some validation, allow me to give you this spoiler-free review.
Written and illustrated by Matt Kindt
Welcome to the city of Red Wheelbarrow, where the world’s greatest detective has yet to meet the crime he can’t solve—every criminal in Red Wheelbarrow is caught and convicted thanks to Detective Gould’s brilliant mind and cutting-edge spy technology.
But lately there has been a rash of crimes so eccentric and random that even Detective Gould is stumped. Will he discover the connection between the compulsive chair thief, the novelist who uses purloined street signs to write her magnum opus, and the photographer who secretly documents peoples’ most anguished personal moments? Or will Detective Gould finally meet his match?
Matt Kindt operates with wit and perception in the genre of hard-boiled crime fiction. Red Handed owes as much to Paul Auster as Dashiell Hammett, and raises some genuinely sticky questions about human nature.
Since the earliest days of career, there has been something special about Matt Kindt. With a non-traditional art style and a penchant for spy books, Kindt very quickly became a name to know in the comic world for his unique and intriguing stories. Whether it was “Super Spy,” “Revolver,” “3 Story” or his ongoing “MIND MGMT,” Kindt has always found new ways to explore familiar territory in a fashion that is always memorable and intriguing.
“Red Handed” is no different. set in the familiar town of Red Wheelbarrow, “Red Handed” follows several tales of unique and strange crime. All of the crimes are familiar to a point, but each is unique to the characters that are performing them — an art thief whose only stolen a single painting, a writer with a unique way to tell her stories, a car thief debating his own reform. All of it set against the frame of the greatest cop whose ever lived, attempting to have a crime-free city of his own and stopping all of these tricky crimes in a way that no one but Sherlock Holmes himself could. And before you know it, all of the gears begin turning in one singular direction as the story moves away from a series of unconnected events into one grand rumination on the cause, effect and power of breaking the law.
In many ways, “Red Handed” is very similar to your favorite suspense film. Seemingly borrowing narrative devices from thriller greats like Christopher Nolan, Kindt juggles quite a lot within a quickened pace, with the same speed and execution that you’d find in films like Inside Man. It’s a very difficult balancing act, one that requires a lot of focus and planning, but Kindt does it very well; the more you read, the more you see pieces of a much bigger puzzle start to fit together as characters and scenes reappear in slightly altered forms with an acute attention to detail. “Red Handed” is an incredibly smart and detailed book in which everything is accounted for, and the book does a great job of literally putting you into the shoes of the famous and prominent Detective Gould, who weaves in and out of the various stories like a shark. You yourself are forced to piece together the clues alongside him, being particularly aware to subtle callbacks and the tiniest of hints as the book changes narrative techniques and storytelling tricks every ten pages or so.
And for that reason, “Red Handed” could not be properly absorbed in any other medium than a comic. This is a book that uses the medium to its full potential, exploring the dynamic capabilities that sequential artwork provides. Every new story gives us a new narrator, and every new narrator changes the way in which the story is told. The book uses such a variety of different storytelling styles, from Picasso mimicry to pulp strips, all of which enhance the story in fascinating and enticing ways that only exist within the comic medium. Kindt’s artwork is so full of depth and introspection that even with the short amount of time we’re given to get to know the various characters in the book, all of them feel readily familiar and jump out at you from the page. No corner is cut, no story underdeveloped, and all of them feed into one another for a beautiful and powerful pay-off, the likes of which we don’t get in comics often enough.
Continued belowSuffice it to say, Kindt’s talent has evolved greatly from where he began. All the skills developed over time are here, from more developed characters to better use of blocking and panels in which to spread out the story. Kindt was always a smart and talented storyteller, but “Red Handed” gives us a more learned Kindt who plays a bit more with structure and space. Fans of “Mind MGMT” will certainly see that Kindt has a penchant for using every piece of the page to give different clues for his grand mystery, and this is no different from what we’re given with “Red Handed.” Whether he’s mimicking a particular style or simply developing a new one, Kindt experiments throughout the graphic novel in a myriad of compelling ways that show a true appreciation for comics that not all artists seemingly possess.
That’s the true glory of “Red Handed” — despite his work in other more corporate comics, Kindt hasn’t lost his edge or his interest; every page is used to its full extent, every panel to its full potential. “Red Handed” is a beautiful book, one full of artistry that could (and perhaps should) turn Matt Kindt into one your favorite writer/artists, if he wasn’t already before.
So while it might seem like high praise, Matt Kindt’s latest book is very much his “Killing Joke” — a career-defining meditation on crime and what pushes people to find some kind of solace in it. Blending the sharpest of mystery thrillers with a light tint of noir, this book is easily Matt Kindt’s masterpiece. Everything he has done in his career as an illustrator and a writer leads up to this book, an absolutely serene display of his vast talent. It’s not often a book is given a perfect review on this site, but when it gets one you can be damn sure that it has earned it. If you haven’t already run to your local shop or headed over to any number of online retailers that are selling the book, you’re doing something wrong.
If you’re looking for a crime comic book to put other crime comic books to shame, then good news, everyone: “Red Handed” is here.
Final Verdict: 10 – Why are you still reading this when you could be reading “Red Handed”? This is serious Graphic Novel of the Year material, my friends.
