Quentin Tarantino is one of those voices in cinema that knows how to cull from nostalgia while creating something completely refreshing. His movies are a window’s view into our childhoods while remembering to entertain his audience. He’s the main reason Natural Born Killers is so well told as he was the screenwriter behind the movie. Within his own movies his characters are a myriad of different personalities from reclusive killers to madmen.

My two favorite movies of his are Kill Bill and Django Unchained. The protagonists in both movies were both severely abused and they carried out revenge in the bloodiest of ways. There’s nothing like a good revenge story. In the immaculately told Shanghai Red, we meet one such protagonist who’s out to deliver vengeance on those who did her wrong.

We meet Red, as she wakes up on a boat, only to find out she had been sold for a few dollars. We find her three year later, fueled by bloodlust, out to kill those men who sold her into slavery, back home in Portland, where she finds those responsible. She soon reunites with her sister, only to find out that there are bigger wheels turning, and how powerful this person is.

Overall, the comic is an excellent revenge story with a setting that shows this story can work no matter the setting. The story by Christopher Sebela is grimy, action packed, and well told. The art by Joshua Hixon and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou is inspiring as the linework is awe inducing. Altogether, an excellent trade paperback which gives action fans more than their fill and adds a new hero to the pantheon of strong female protagonists.

Story: Christopher Sebela
Art: Joshua Hixon and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Story: 10 Art: 9.6 Overall: 9.5 Recommendation: Buy

Image Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review