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Red 5 Comics Signs a French Distribution License With Editions-Reflexions

Posted on March 1, 2021 by Brett

Red 5 Comics has signed an agreement with French publisher Editions-Reflexions to translate its graphic novel catalog into French for European distribution.

In the announcement, Red 5 Comics’ co-publisher Joshua Starnes said:

This is a fantastic opportunity to expose more of Red 5’s exciting stories a brand new readership. We look forward to expanding into multiple languages over the next year.

The partnership will launch in October 2021 with a French-language edition of The Dark Age, to be followed by editions of Dragon Whisperer, Abyss, and The Rift, with more in 2022.

Red 5 Comics recently announced that they had signed a distribution agreement with Simon & Schuster.

Graphic Policy’s Top Comic Picks this Week!

Posted on March 28, 2017 by Graphic Policy Team

Wednesdays are new comic book day! Each week hundreds of comics are released, and that can be pretty daunting to go over and choose what to buy. That’s where we come in!

We’re bringing back something we haven’t done for a while, what the team thinks. Our contributors are choosing up to five books each week and why they’re choosing the books.

Find out what folks think below, and what comics you should be looking out for this Wednesday.

Paul

Top Pick: X-Men Prime #1 (Marvel) – Well it wasn’t looking good for awhile there. It seemed that Marvel was giving up on the X-Men and moving on with other titles. But, now we have ResurrXion and I am excited! I can’t wait to see how it all begins here and see the new teams and books take shape. Not a fan of some of the costume designs I’ve seen peeks of (I’m looking at Rachel Grey) but really cannot wait to see this new chapter take shape.

All-New X-Men #19 (Marvel) – Jean Grey is back and the gangs all here. This has been a fun title and I’m sorry to see it end. Yes, I know this team is coming back in X-Men Blue, I just hope it brings along the fun from this first book. And I am excited to see it focus on the 5 original members (no offense to Idie, Laura and Evan).

Inhumans Prime #1 (Marvel) – I wasn’t at all happy that it looked like Marvel was going to sacrifice the X-Men and make the Inhumans the next “it” thing, but that seems to have all changed. While I am very excited for the new X-Men books, I am a fan of the Inhumans and look forward to seeing what’s next for them. The Royal family has left the throne and I’m hearing things about them heading out into space? Yeah, definitely down for this one.

Alex

Top Pick: Divinity III: Stalinverse #4 (Valiant) – Alright, so I’ve already read this, and it’s fantastic. What’s got me excited is the thought of reading the issue without any watermarked art work because this is a beautiful looking issue, and a fantastic conclusion.

Voracious: Feeding Time #4 (Action Lab Entertainment/Action Lab: Danger Zone) – Another comic I’ve already read and loved, my reasons for picking this are very similar to Divinity III: Stalinverse #4 – I want to see the colours pop in print.

Aldous Spark #1 (Grenade Fire, Inc) – So this one’s a bit of a cheat, but it’s sat on my desktop right now waiting for me to read it for a review… and because I plan on doing that this week, and the comic looks pretty bloody awesome, I figured I’d have it as one of my top picks.

Ninjak #25 (Valiant) – It’s taken me awhile to get really excited for this series, and I’m not really sure why, but when I read the first part of The Seven Blades Of Master Darque something clicked and I was suddenly all in with Valiant’s purple clad ninja that blends James Bond with Batman. And swords.

Old Man Logan #20 (Marvel) – The last Marvel book still on my pull list is always going to find a spot here because I am an unashamed Wolverine fanboy. I make no excuses.

Joe

Top Pick: Animosity #6 (Aftershock) – This is one of my favorite comic books out in the entire medium, and I wish more people read it. An awesome story about a girl and her dog, and the downfall of humanity.

Dark Knight III: The Master Race #8 (DC Comics) – It hasn’t been all good, but I’ve enjoyed the last few. It feels just different and classic enough for me, even if it doesn’t touch the highs of the original legendary story.

Old Man Logan #20 (Marvel) – Lemire is done in a few issues, so I want to savor these. Also, we are almost at the past lives story arc which has me so excited. I love this book.

Moonshine #6 (Image) – This is such a crazy and original book. Moonshine, gangsters, romance, and werewolves. What isn’t there to like?

Booster Gold/The Flintstones Special #1 (DC Comics) – Mark Russell does amazing work on books like Prez, and The Flintstones, and now he’s giving us this odd gem among the other DC/Hanna-Barbera mashups.

Shay

Top Pick: Orphan Black Deviations #1 (IDW Publishing) – It’s a sci-fi bonanza , in a super sized cross over that’ll make the tv lover in you squeal with delight. It’s a 6 part arc and this is the very beginning of what I’m sure will be a lovely story!

Harley’s Little Black Book #6 (DC Comics) – Harley finds herself tossed out of a space ship and stranded with Lobos and his dog/food tester on a rainy planet, with minimal clothing. Hijiniks ensue in this over the top issue of Harley’s LBB .

Suicide Squad/Banana Splits Special #1 (DC Comics) – Yes, it is as silly as you think it is and yes you will laugh your butt off and love it as much as you think you will. It’s a mash-up you didn’t know you needed.

Inhumans Prime #1 (Marvel) – The bridge isn’t over, this is the super-sized issue that kicks it off. RESURRXION Starts now with the first issue in the arc that’ll connect IVX to whatever Marvel has planned next.

X-Men Prime #1 (Marvel) – The X-Men team have a little bridge of their own, Kitty Pryde is back, ready to lead & it’s time to rebuild.

Brett

Top Pick: Suicide Squad/Banana Splits Special #1 (DC Comics) – The concept is completely insane, but this is a comic that you didn’t know you need until you’ve read it. It’s off the wall fun and exactly what I was hoping for when DC Comics announced this series of mash-ups. The main story is solid, but the Snagglepuss story by Mark Russell with art by Howard Porter is perfection. Twisted fun that also reflects on the world.

Hook Jaw #4 (Titan Comics) – This is basically Jaws, except crazier, and I’m completely sucked in and sold on it.

Man-Thing #2 (Marvel) – I wasn’t completely sold on the first issue but the back-up story was top notch. I’m interested in seeing the second issue mostly because I have a better idea of what R.L. Stine is going for with this series so it won’t catch me off guard as much.

The Rift #3 (Red 5 Comics) – Time travel fun that’s a great twist on a Twilight Zone like story.

Rough Riders: Riders on the Storm #2 (Aftershock) – Historical figures come together in this weird twist on history. The first issue picks up where the first volume left off and it continues the fun. There’s lots of mysteries to answer and I want to see where this story takes us.

Graphic Policy’s Top Comic Picks this Week!

Posted on February 14, 2017 by Graphic Policy Team

Wednesdays are new comic book day! Each week hundreds of comics are released, and that can be pretty daunting to go over and choose what to buy. That’s where we come in!

We’re bringing back something we haven’t done for a while, what the team thinks. Our contributors are choosing up to five books each week and why they’re choosing the books.

Find out what folks think below, and what comics you should be looking out for this Wednesday.

Joe

Top Pick: Animosity #5 (Aftershock) – This is one of the best comics to come out in the last year. It’s consistent, interesting, emotional, and just everything I want in a story. I never know where the series is headed next and that is what keeps me coming back.

The Wild Storm #1 (DC Comics) – WildStorm returns! And Warren Ellis returns with it. I am excited to see what Ellis does with this grittier new and seemingly more grounded approach to some of my favorite characters. It sounds perfect for fans, both old and new.

Super Sons #1 (DC Comics) – Holy cow, it feels like I’ve been waiting forever for this! Robin and Superboy go on wild adventures in what I can imagine as fun, action packed, and nostalgic to be everything a teen superhero book should be.

God Country #2 (Image) – What an awesome comic. A comic that takes the idea behind Thor and has some fun with it. This revolves around an old man with Alzheimer’s who remembers everything when he touches a magical sword. There’s also gods and demons, so there’s that.

Batman #17 (DC Comics) – The end of the last issue was intense, even if it was just symbolic. What will Bane do? What will Batman do? This has been coming to a head and I expect the doors to be blown off everything as these two collide. Tom King’s series is really getting some legs and I expect all of the slower issues to pay off soon with the excellent building up to this pressure cooker story.

Alex

Top Pick I: Savage #4 (Valiant) – Usually by the time I’m writing this I’ve already read Valiant’s offerings for the week, but in a strange twist I actually haven’t opened the review copy just yet and I’m debating just waiting for the print copy from my LCS to read, but we’re expecting a bout of weather early in the week that may impact the postal service… anyway. Savage has been a really interesting series so far, and I’m really excited to see whether this issue will tie the character into the rest of the Valiant Universe or not. Plus it has some of the best art I’ve seen in a long time.

Top Pick II: Voracious: Feeding Time #3 (Action Lab Entertainment) – So… I’ve actually already read this issue, and it’s frigging phenomenal. Why am I excited to pick it up? Because are some visual sequences that I need to see in print.

God Country #2 (and #1) (Image) – I somehow missed the first issue of this series, and would have missed this were it not for the fact that it’s being written by Donny Cates, one of the authors behind The Paybacks, which is al the reason I need to go find these issues on Wednesday.

Old Man Logan #18 (Marvel) – The Aliens vibe of the recent arc has been fantastic. Jeff Lemire’s ability to capture the isolation of outer space, as well as the desolation of the waste lands of Old Man Logan’s past is stunning.

Super Sons #1 (DC Comics) – If you put Damian Wayne in a comic, I’m going to read it.

Paul

Top Pick: The Mighty Thor #16 (Marvel) – The Shi’ar and their royal guard have invaded Asgard, bested some of their greatest warriors and have managed to kidnap Thor, to bring her face to face with their gods. I am pumped to see the Shi’ar and their royal guard back in action and curious to see what their beef with Asgard and Thor is all about.

Old Man Logan #18 (Marvel) – This a series that has not disappointed. I’m not Wolverine’s biggest fan, and I have never read the original Old Man Logan story this book is named after. But I have consistently been enjoying this book and recommend it. This story arc in particular has been pretty trippy. Logan is trying to save Alpha Flight from the Brood; but also in the Wastelands trying to rescue the Cage baby and both are happening at the same time? A great story that comes to a close with this issue; you don’t want to miss it.

Uncanny Inhumans #19 (Marvel) – Maximus has the secret to create Terrigen crystals. This cannot be good for the X-Men or mutants as a whole. Or can it? The tie-ins for the Inhumans vs. X-Men event have worked very well in telling the smaller stories outside of the main battle issues, but I think Maximus’ plan will have larger consequences that will bring an end to the fighting, one way or another.

Uncanny X-Men #18 (Marvel) – So last issue was a little slower, focusing on some character development between Storm and Forge. It was an alright issue that saw the X-Men’s plan to take care of the Terrigen cloud literally blow up in their faces. This issue says Magneto will be deploying his team of secret mutant sleeper agents to aid in the fight against the Inhumans. Secret sleepers you say? That alone has me anxious to read this issue.

Shay

Gamora #3 (Marvel) – Gamora racks up enemies like nobodies business, she also unearths some secrets that might rock her world.

Batwoman Rebirth #1 (DC Comics) – The issue is a prologue of epic proportions and I’m here for the backstory.

Harley Quinn #14 (DC Comics) – It’s fun with some serious shade to the current political climate and some serious girl power thrown in for good measure.

Brett

Top Pick: The Killer Vol. 5 (Archaia/BOOM! Studios) – For those who are unfamiliar with Matz and Luc Jacamon’s epic story the short version is Frank, aka “The Killer” is James Bond for the Third World. Evil political dealings involving oil, assassinations, IMF, political jockeying, imperialism, for a political geek like me, this series has cool and depth. This is the fifth and final installment, and I can’t wait to see how it all wraps up. Will Frank find happiness? Will he go out in a blaze of bullets? How Matz and Jacamon finish the series will be interesting and I can’t wait to see what they have to “say” when it’s over.

Dead Inside #3 (Dark Horse) – A murder inside a prison… sounds like an easy case, right? Nope! The last issue ended with a shocker and this southern noir-ish crime comic has me engrossed.

The Rift #2 (Red 5 Comics) – The first and second issue feel like a classic Amazing Stories or Twilight Zone story. Entertaining and just plain fun. Like comics should be.

Super Sons #1 (DC Comics) – The team-up we’ve seen so far of Jonathan Kent and Damian Wayne in Superman has been amazing and for them to get their own series… well, I’m super excited. Having read the first issue, it’s everything I was hoping for with an energy and enthusiasm that perfectly fits it’s two young leads.

The Wild Storm #1 (DC Comics) – I’m not the biggest Warren Ellis fan (he’s hit and miss for me), but I’m intrigued to see what will happen in this re-imagining of the classic universe. The first issue is a solid start that reminds me a lot of the third volume of Wildcats. In today’s world, that’s exactly what I was hoping for.

Graphic Policy’s Top Comic Picks this Week!

Posted on January 10, 2017 by Graphic Policy Team

Wednesdays are new comic book day! Each week hundreds of comics are released, and that can be pretty daunting to go over and choose what to buy. That’s where we come in!

We’re bringing back something we haven’t done for a while, what the team thinks. Our contributors are choosing up to five books each week and why they’re choosing the books.

Find out what folks think below, and what comics you should be looking out for this Wednesday.

Alex

Top Pick: Voracious: Feeding Time #2 (Action Lab Entertainment) – Is anybody surprised by this? I mean… it’s not like I make a secret of the fact I absolutely love this series.

Ninjak #23 (Valiant) – Another unsurprising pick – there is usually always at least one Valiant book on my pull list each week, and I’ve been looking forward to this arc based entirely on the return of Master Darque (according to the name of the story, anyway).

All-Star Batman #6 (DC Comics) – Scott Snyder is still the best current writer of Batman, and for me this series exemplifies that.

Doctor Strange/Punisher: Magic Bullets #2 (Marvel) – A team-up that makes no sense? Sure. But the first issue was actually solid, and just because the team up makes no sense on paper doesn’t mean it won’t kick ass as a story.

Joe

Top Pick: Southern Bastards #16 (Image Comics) – Big Boss BBQ is back, and I cannot wait! After the last tense issue we got, I am so excited to see what happens with Roberta and Boss. This is one of the best books out there, and we didn’t get enough from Aaron and Latour in 2016.

God Country #1 (Image Comics) – A new series from Donny Cates with some awesome looking art by Geoff Shaw. I cannot wait to see what this is all about. From the teases of pages Cates has shared on social media alone, I am pumped.

The Mighty Thor #15 (Marvel) – The big war is coming! This cover by Dauterman is so beautiful. No shock there. This is one of Marvel’s best and most consistent series also by Jason Aaron, and with The Unworthy Thor soon ending, I cannot wait to see where they go with Jane, Odinson, Loki and more!

Inhumans vs. X-Men #2 (Marvel) – I didn’t think I would be typing this ever when I finished Death of X, but #1 was really solid. I hope that trend continues since Lemire and Soule are both highly capable. Also it reminds me I miss Roccafort on Ultimates.

Green Valley #4 (Skybound) – Wow what a crazy twist from that “wizard” in the last issue. There seems to be a bigger and crazier story from Landis going on here, and I hope this issue gives us some more weird awesome stuff. This is a miniseries, but it will run 9 issues, and I have enjoyed all of them so far.

Brett

Top Pick: Libby’s Dad (Retrofit Comics) – An absolutely fantastic indie/small press comic that focuses on teenage girls gossiping about one of their fathers. It’s an interesting comic and then you get to the end with its twist that makes your gut sink. So fantastic.

Red Dog #2 (451 Media Group) – A sci-fi series focused on a boy on a mining colony and the aliens that they have to deal with. The first issue was a solid read and I’m expecting this one to be just as entertaining. If you like sci-fi, you should check this one out.

The Rift #1 (Red 5 Comics) – A pilot is pulled through time and if he’s not sent back in time it spells disaster. A cool time travel story with some nice swerves.

The Skeptics #3 (Black Mask Studios) – Cold War fun that’s as entertaining as it is cool and stylish.

Invisible Republic #14 (Image Comics) – A reporter trying to get to the heart of the story behind a revolution and the fallout from his discoveries. The story feels even more appropriate today.

Shay

Pick of the Week: Justice League of America: Vixen #1 (DC Comics) – Mari McCabe is giving me life in the backstory bonanza and I am here for all of it!!!

Justice League vs Suicide Squad #4 (DC Comics) – I need to know how this all shakes out and what Amanda has gotten everyone into this time!

Motor Crush #2 (Image Comics) – Domino Swift may very well be my dreamland spirit animal and I love it!

Jessica Jones #4 (Marvel) – Jess wants to protect her family from pure evil by pushing them away and we all know how that usually turns out.

Discussing Jeremy Renner and Don Handfield’s The Rift from Red 5 Comics

Posted on December 19, 2016 by Brett

In 2013 Academy Award nominee Jeremy Renner and writer/producer Don Handfield created The Combine, a production company focused on high quality, dynamic and emotional storytelling. The company is currently producing The Founder starring Michael Keaton and the new scripted series Knightfall premiering on The History Channel in 2017. Now they’ve set their sights on the comics industry with a plan to bring the same high-quality dramatic storytelling to the graphic novel format. Partnering with Red 5 Comics, The Combine will present its first comic series in January 2017.

Presented by Renner and written by Handfield and Richard Rayner, The Rift tells the story of a single mother, Mary Ann, and her son, Elijah, whose lives change forever after witnessing a WWII fighter pilot from 1941 crash-land in present-day Kansas. They find themselves drawn into the work of Section 47, a secret government organization responsible for responding to Rifts that open in space and time. Section 47 – so named because they have only 47 hours before these Rifts close – must safely send all matter from the past back through these portals before time runs out or else the Rifts go nuclear.

Past disasters have been covered up by well-known incidents like Roswell, Chernobyl and Three Mile Island. The scientists believe it’s a matter of physics, but Mary Ann suspects something more spiritual in nature. She believes people arriving from the past have unresolved problems that must be settled before the rifts can close without harm.

The Rift will be four issues running from January to April 2017 with an additional story in the Red 5 2017 FCBD issue.

I got a chance to ask Hanfield some questions about what we can expect from the series and their concept of time travel.

Graphic Policy: Where did the idea for the Rift come from?

Don Handfield: My grandfather was a test pilot in World War 2 who was a father figure to me I lost young. I was in traffic on the 405 one day and missing him and had this daydream of a sonic boom and a WW2 plane crash landing on the freeway, then seeing that this plane was my grandfather coming back to me through a rip in time and space. The idea sprung from there.

GP: The Combine is currently producing a film, what got the company interested in comics?

DH: Whether it’s Jeremy (Renner) and I as producing partners, or Richard Rayner and I as writing partners, our job and our passion is to tell stories and create content in whatever medium. The beauty of comics is we can really control the process from start to finish with a singular vision. It’s been an amazing experience on this book for everyone involved.

GP: You’re releasing The Rift with Red 5 Comics. How’d you get involved with the publisher?

DH: Honestly, we went to comic shops and found books we liked, then reached out to the publishers. We thought RED 5 had great books and speaking to them they really talked us through the process in a clear, straight forward way that made it easy to partner with them.

GP: The first two issues I read had this real solid Twilight Zone feel to it. What were some of the influences for the comic series?

DH: Twilight Zone certainly is a bit of the vibe, but we were really influenced by the magical realism and emotion of movies like Field of Dreams. Spielberg was a big influence, whether it’s Amazing Stories or how he took a subjective entirely everyday character approach to an alien encounter in Close Encounters of the Third Kind. We always loved how it wasn’t the expert taking us into the world, it was these everyday characters.

GP: Though the series is very sci-fi, there’s a touching human aspect to it. The second issue is really emotional on top of the ticking clock aspect to it. As creators how hard is it to properly balance the two?

DH: The high concept was always conceived as a vehicle for emotion with a ticking clock. As the series develops it really becomes more supernatural than science fiction. We always saw the Rift as living more in the real of Star Wars as far as being more about fantasy/magic and dealt with feelings/emotion, than Star Trek or other science fiction series which are much more about the science and cerebral.

GP: How did Leno Carvalho get involved with the series on art?

DH: We put an ad on Digital Webbing and got hundreds of artists submitting work. His art was so perfect for portraying the realism slash Spielberg movie feel we wanted for this.

GP: There’s tons of time travel stories out there each with their own rules in how it all works. Did you sit down to figure all of that out?

DH: We established a set of rules to drive the series, but the biggest thing was that this would always be more about personal connection and emotion of the characters within it rather than changing or righting the course of historical events. A lot of these shows do the big moments in history thing effectively and it’s fun, but the stakes are a bit removed and the emotion is a bit binary, we either fail or succeed to kill Hitler, etc. We wanted the time travel aspect to bring in characters that could deal with different emotions almost in the vein of Highway to Heaven — a couple dealing with saying goodbye, a little boy dealing with abuse, a father looking to find out who killed his daughter. Personal stakes that lead to real emotional catharsis for our main characters was always the aim of this concept. 11/22/63, the Hulu series and Stephen King novel did a great job of making the story personal for the lead character beyond the stakes of the time travel stop Kennedy’s assassination element. We too want to make sure the focus of the series is always emotion and character over high concept. We were set from the beginning on the high concept always serving as a vehicle to increase the stakes in service of the character and emotion as opposed to the other way around.

GP: What have you found to be the biggest differences with putting together a movie compared to putting together a comic series?

DH: There are a lot of similarities as far as production flow — but with a comic you are responsible for a lot more aspects as a creator – and have a lot more creative control which is amazing.

GP: The series is four issues, do you have more plans for it?

DH: You will see volume one ends with questions — questions we hope people will want answered!

GP: Thanks so much and look forward to reading the rest of the series!