Shanghai Red
Shanghai Red is a fascinating historical adventure/revenge series, now available in a collected edition.
In the late 19th century, a ship off the coast of China that had “shanghaied” numerous unlucky souls from Portland, Oregon, to serve as an unwilling crew, finds itself overrun by a mutiny led by Jack, a/k/a Red, a/k/a Molly Wolfram. The elder of two daughters from a frontier family, Molly originally adopted the “Jack” persona to fend off predators on the perilous trek to Oregon with her mother and sister. Finding a kind of comfort as Jack, Red kept the persona going to work in the logging industry before running afoul of the shanghai scheme that cost her years of her life. Returning to Portland, Red seeks out the fate of her family, while cutting a bloody swath through the men responsible for sending her to sea.
Shanghai Red is one of the more interesting title to come out of Image recently. Writer Christopher Sebela crafts a propulsive adventure based on Portland lore and history, with several real historical figures included among the colorful cast. Sebela makes excellent use of his research, run through the lens of imagination, to craft a compelling revenge tale that explores the impact of the act as much as the act itself.
Red makes for a strong central character, a psychologically fascinating protagonist whose story is as much about the search for identity as it is about a revenge agenda. Sebela handles Red’s evolution from regarding the Jack persona as a tool or coping mechanism to embracing Jack as Red’s true self tastefully, allowing the writer to explore the grim options facing women on the frontier of the period without wallowing in its more lurid aspects.
The story doesn’t stint on action. Red is an active, forceful character, prone to jumping into dangerous situations without a second thought. The adventure makes good use of Portland history (including its elaborate tunnel system), giving the proceedings a propulsive jolt with an ending that spins real world events into a satisfying conclusion to the tale.
Artist Joshua Hixson does some first rate work, using an unfussy style that suits the material. He crafts some great action sequences and memorable panoramic images (a two-pager showing Portland from the harbor is especially impressive), deploying a traditional approach to panel lay-outs that moves the action along effectively. His character work is quite expressive and the rough edge to his art is a good fit for the period story. Hixson does some especially impressive color work, drenching the pages in shadows and cold tones that contrast with the occasional pops of reds and yellows that do a lot to communicate Red’s psychological turmoil. He essays the more brutal aspects of the story with good taste, never descending into the exploitative, which contributes to the story’s emotional impact.
Shanghai Red has its brutal aspects, but never seems overly gory or horrific. For fans of historical adventure with an open-mind for a non-traditional protagonist, it’s a compelling story worth reading.
