Red Before Black #6 – Empathic Broken People

Trauma shapes people in this finale by Stephanie Phillips, Goran Sudžuka, Ive Svorcina and Tom Napolitano from BOOM! Studios.

FROM SOLICITATION:

“Val and Leo’s journey reaches an end in the climactic final issue of Stephanie Phillips and Goran Sudžuka unhinged criminal thrill ride. The pair’s violent streak through the Florida underworld has led them to a place of deadly consequences, as they reflect on the choices that led them here and their inevitable connection with each other… for better or worse…The critically acclaimed, action-packed series ends with a bang with a heart-stopping, pulse-pounding issue that fans won’t want to miss!”

WE’RE BACK, FINALLY!

Unfortunately, the Red Before Black series suffered from delays. There was just about two months in between issues four, five, and six. It’s kind of difficult to pick up this final issue and remember everything that happened in the last one.

Even though I’ll have to admit there was a lot that stayed with me. Because there were some impactful and meaningful character development through some flashbacks. Specifically for the character of Valeria.

PLEASANTLY SURPRISED

 However, I have to say, Stephanie Phillips got all of us by surprise. Once I went back to the previous issue and refreshed my memory a lot became clear in this story. If you only read each number one, you may have gotten the first impression this was going to be just another sleazy, funny, queer story between troublesome ladies.

FINISH THE STORY

Trust me when I tell you, you are missing out. Trust me when I tell you, you missed the real meat and potatoes of this story. To my surprise, Red Before Black ended up being a story about broken people, damage people, traumatized people who end up finding each other and against all odds they manage to save one another.

WHAT’S THE DEAL WITH THE JUNGLE?

Specifically speaking, the story of Valeria is a tragedy. It’s not a hero’s journey, it’s not, a Mary Sue. It’s a tragedy the likes of Greek mythology. I kept trying to understand or interpret the meaning of the jungle that surrounded Valeria every time her PTSD was triggered. I asked myself many times: “What is Stephanie Phillips trying to tell us?” Is this some type of Supernatural story? Some Sci-Fi telling of people that developed superpowers. Admittedly, I kept completely missing the mark. Thankfully, in the end. It finally hit me.

BECAUSE EMPATHY

The reason why Leo was able to see Valeria’s Jungle is EMPATHY. When the PTSD triggered those visions of a Jungle for Valeria, Leo could see it too because she recognized what trauma looks like in others from her very own experiences.

This is a way survivors help each other. Because they can pick up through empathy and experience when others are in needle help. In the end, I guess, that is the core message of the story.

HOW ABOUT THE ART?

If I can describe this amazing art style in the series, I’ll have to compare like a one for one analog with the state of Florida. There’s some crazy moments. There’s alligators.

There’s deep and emotional baggage carried by the people and their backstories. But when you look at it from a distance, it looks shiny, and colorful. Like everybody should be having a good time. But they’re not, not all of them, not necessarily.

OVERALL GRADE: 8/10

The enjoyment of Red Before Black has been held back by delays unfortunately. I do believe a single binge read through would elevate the experience of this story. Stephanie Phillips wrote a rollercoaster of a tale. Filled with complicated and problematic characters that will break your heart.

LET US KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS ON RED BEFOE BLACK #6 IN THE COMMENT SECTION BELOW: