Red Roots #1: A Promise of Connection

What does an ex special forces hitman and a school teacher have in common? That isn’t at all clear in Red Roots #1, a comic that puts its two main characters through very different horror situations.

Red Roots #1 opens with a man in a long dark coat walking into and through a building, violently killing everyone he encounters. The unknown assailant leaves an axe in the back of a security guard and dispatches everyone else in this sequence with a baseball bat. Cut to Kate, an ordinary teacher about to enjoy a weekend off–that is, until a severed head appears in her closet.

De Felici cuts back and forth between these stories as Red Roots #1 progresses, but at no point is there a hint of how the two storylines are connected. They are extremely different in tone. The mystery man killing his way through the building receives no development at all. He is a source of curiosity but very little more. And his motive, when revealed, feels very underwhelming. The murderer clearly exists here for his eventual further development in later issues.

The killer’s murder spree does supply a considerable amount of bloody violence, though. Everything takes place in near darkness and dialogue is limited, so it sets a kind of horror mood right from the start. That visual design leaves an impression. When Red Roots #1 cuts to the very light beginning of Kate’s storyline, there is a sense of dread immediately.

Kate’s story is much easier to get invested in. She interacts with a fellow teacher before going home and spending an ordinary night surfing the web and interacting with her cats. The character gets developed prior to the events set in motion by her discovery of the severed head. This development provides a context that makes Kate relatable as circumstances start to spin out of control for her. Kate’s storyline, much more than the mass murderer’s, is what drives the narrative toward the next issue.

Both characters benefit from De Felici’s skill with characters’ features and expressions. De Felici doesn’t go overboard with linework on characters’ faces, but between the thin lines and subtle shading, there is significant detail.

The closest thing the mystery murderer gets to development is his expressiveness. His revealed motivation falls flat insofar as the overall story goes, but De Felici successfully captures emotions that drive a little more curiosity about him for the next issue. Kate benefits even more so in multiple closeups panels.

Coloring during the mystery man murder sequences drives the overall mood in Red Roots #1. Kate’s story features the brightest moments in the issue, and her color scheme overall is warmer. But the dark sequences in her story marry very well with the constant darkness in the murder spree scenes. Dread is everpresent.

Wooton uses a variety of colors for the sound effects in Red Roots #1, but he sticks with a somewhat uneven, scratchy looking font throughout. This is a strong contributor to the overall horror mood.