The Fox #1 Review
“Freak Magnet”
“A Picture Lasts Forever (backup)”
Publisher: Red Circle Comics
Plot: Dean Haspiel
Script: Mark Waid
Art: Dean Haspiel
Colors: Allen Passalaqua
Letters: John Workman
Covers: Dean Haspiel, Darwyn Cooke, Fiona Staples
Review by Scott Keys
I’ve been a big fan of the Red Circle heroes ever since that fateful day in the 90s that I picked up my first Impact Comics tale at the local comic shop. The Impact line (published by DC Comics) was a modern re-imagining of the old Red Circle Comics super-heroes. This of course led me to the 80s run of Mighty Crusaders, and nothing has been the same since. I know they are quirky and niche, but I don’t care! That’s why I was so excited when Archie Comics decided to revive the Red Circle properties themselves with the launch of New Crusaders last year. Now, with the launch of The Fox, Red Circle is expanding their line, and boy was this a fun book to kick off the next chapter of Red Circle!
Having said all of that, how could I read this book and not think that it was AWESOME?!? Haspiel and Waid have found that perfect balance of retro-cool and modern sensibilities. This book reads just like those Red Circle books I loved in the past, but updated for more modern audiences. It’s the little things, like the fact that Paul (The Fox) uses a vintage camera and not a digital one (which the backup story sheds some more light on, and is also a great read!) gives this book a great retro feel (as well as adding some interesting plot points for our hero).
But Haspiel didn’t just plot this fun story, he also provided the line art for our adventure. His style melds perfectly to the Red Circle style we saw in New Crusaders last year, and is just as dynamic as any other super-hero title on the shelves now! The scene where “Lucy Fur” trying to keep Paul from seeing her true self (with a name like “Lucy Fur,” I think you can figure out why) and the battle that ensued is full of laughs and action!
The Fox #1 is a great debut for our hero, and, to borrow a phrase from a bygone era…a rip-roaring good time! If you can’t find any issues of this title at your local comic shop…go to another comic shop until you do!!! And tell the shop owner “Shame on you, sir! Why don’t you carry ‘The Fox’? I’ll take my business elswhere! Good day, sir!!” So, in case you couldn’t tell, you should probably go read this book, like, now!
Art: 5 / 5
Story: 5 / 5
Overall: 5 / 5
Scott Keys is a father, Butler University grad, pharmacist, and full-time comic nerd. You can follow his adventures around the spinner-rack and his Incoherent Comic Book Ramblings on:
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