Red Roots
Author & Writer: Lorenzo De Felici
Publisher: Image
Image has been putting out solid #1s this year, and I saw this one on Hoopla, so I gave it a shot going in completely blind. I then realized it was not only drawn by De Felici, but also written by him.
The book opens with two completely different stories woven together. The first follows an assassin moving through a building, murdering guards in a gritty, gory setting. The second follows a 30-something female teacher struggling through a relatable job and coming home to her two cats. The two stories don't connect as the book goes on, but something supernatural happens in both that ramps the intrigue up to a 10. The final pages of each leave you on the edge of your seat.
De Felici is an amazing artist (see Void Rivals), but he is also a very underrated writer with solid dialogue throughout. I wanted to find holes in the story, but by the end I was singing its praises.
Final Verdict: To Pull. Red Roots earns a solid A rating.
Now go read Kroma. De Felici also wrote and drew that one, and the art and story there are superb. Hopefully a review like this revitalizes some juice around it and gets more people to pick it up.