TokuNation Reviews Redman: The Kaiju Hunter Volume 1

Today, we have the distinct pleasure of being able to share a review for a series we've been following quite closely at TokuNation. Redman: The Kaiju Hunter! But first, a little bit of background.

From 1966 on, Japanese children have found them themselves mesmerized by the heroes & Kaiju of the Ultra Series. What started with humble beginnings (Ultra Q) would spawn one of the most beloved, and the longest running, tokusatsu hero franchises in the world. The original Ultraman, Ultraseven, and Return of Ultraman series would all come and go by 1972. But it was in this same year that a very different sort of series would begin broadcasting on Nippon TV, Redman.

Redman, as the name implies, is related to the Ultraman family, and a bit of a black sheep. That status is mostly due to the character's rather violent and aggressive nature. While the Ultramen have certainly carried out their fair share of gruesome Kaiju kills, there's something altogether different about Redman. In his original TV series, broadcast in 5 minute segments as part of the Ohayo! Kodomo children's variety show, Redman would often encounter Kaiju completely at random. What would ensue were mostly unprovoked attacks by the "hero" on the unsuspecting creatures. Each were dispatched in variously gruesome ways, whether by physical attack, or the use of Redman's signature weapons such as the Red Knife & Red Arrow. As stated in the forward for Redman Kaiju Hunter Volume 1, by series cameraman Shin'ichi Ooka:

"There wasn't any sort of clear story, and we simply filmed based on the written outlines the director had prepared. But at the end of the day when the sun began to descend, the battle with time began, and I remember that rather than follow the outlines, filming long takes with the handheld camera became a common occurrence."

This very loose outline for the show, combined with a rushed production scheduled, is what really resulted in the sort of grim gritty look of the series. Redman's violence could even be inferred to be more of a product of how the show was produced, rather than of any purposeful intent. All told, the crew filmed 138 of these 5-minute episodes for the series. Despite this number, it gave us very little time to have proper characterization for Redman, or the Kaiju which he fought. Kaiju which I might add were almost all recycled suits from the Ultra Series. Some of Redman's backstory, lifted heavily from his Ultra cousins, would be revealed in various magazine articles, but not much of this ever made it into the show. Now, 46 years on from the show and after a resurgence in it's popularity in 2016 thanks to the Tsuburaya Youtube channel, all of this is about to change.

Redman The Kaiju Hunter is a lovingly crafted tribute to the original series from acclaimed writer & artist Matt Frank AKA the Kaiju King himself. His previous works include a number of interior art pages and numerous covers for Godzilla series from IDW publishing, such as King of the Monsters, Gangsters & Goliaths, Rulers of the Earth, & Godzilla in Hell. Matt has also produced art for G-Fan magazine, is known to Transformers fans for his works on Spotlight Trailcutter the Rise of Safeguard & the Beast Wars Sourcebook, and he's also worked on independent series such as Project Nemesis. Matt Frank's art is frankly, incredible, and we're greatly pleased to see him tackle the infamous Redman. Joining Matt to color the series is Goncalo Lopes, and English to Japanese translations for the series dialogue were provided by Mitsuki Nagasawa & Ken Rose.

Overseen & authorized by Tsuburaya, this new Redman comic series is published through Night Shining Inc with help from Phase 6. Volume 1 saw it's Japanese language release in May 2018, while the English release we're reviewing today dropped in July. I have to admit that on a personal level, I've been following this project quite closely for some time and have been eagerly looking forward to a chance to review it. So thank you very much to Matt Frank & Night Shining for providing me this promotional copy of the book. It even came with an exclusive trading card! Images of which are attached to this review.

But enough fanning out, how is the book itself?

............

.....................

........................

It's terrible.

Almost had you didn't I?

Redman The Kaiju Hunter, is quite the wild ride. This series prefaces itself by telling you up front, that the original TV series you may have seen and enjoyed, may not actually be fictional. But rather, a look into another reality, a desolate world of endless battle. This alone gives more depth to Redman's story than the TV series ever established in it's 130+ episode run. While I don't intend to spoil the entire Volume for you, I would like to comment on the 1st story. Separated into five "Red Fights" each "episode" of the book tells of Redman's battle against another monster.

Red Fight 1 begins by showing us the innocent and helpless Redmon, whom you may recognize as an homage to and cousin of the classic Garamon & Pigmon characters. Attacking this helpless creature, may have in fact seemed in character for Redman as the original TV series would have presented it, but quickly we find that the real predator is much worse. Cue Arstron, a Kaiju hailing originally from the Return of Ultraman TV series. While visually similar to his original counterpart, this version is far more fierce and deadly, as the Redmon tragically discover. The ferocious way in which this monster makes it's entrance hearkens back to the Star Wars adage "there's always a bigger fish". Which becomes even more apparent when moments later, the deadly Redman arrives!

While the battle may go just as you would have imagined, the steps taken to get to that endgame are glorious. Matt's art, complimented by Goncalo's colors, tell a fantastic story interspersed with very little dialogue. While the original series lacked proper dialogue and setting because of how it was made, Matt's story dispenses with it as unnecessary. His art communicates the ferocity, power, and the uncertainty of this fight better than words ever truly could. There's just something magical about how his art can tell you so much in such a short space. When Redman does eventually claim his victory, we see that there is also something much more deceptive at play on this world than one would have thought as well. Even without the included narration for this scene, the art tells us all we need to know. While Redman may be the Kaiju Hunter, it's clear that he is not this world's master.

As I said, i don't intend to spoil the other 4 Red Fights or indicate where the plot is going. However, there's just so much to unpack in the powerful panels of this book. Through out this volume, Redman is as savage as we all remember, but far more gorgeously rendered than he ever has been before. Did I mention the Kaiju by the way? By my count there are 18 different Kaiju making appearances in this volume. Using them, the book is also playful in very unexpected ways. Playing with ideas like dreams and premonitions, showcasing subtle body language and gestures to characterize fear, contentment, and even obtuseness, this book gives us a far deeper dive into the personalities of these Kaiju than I think anyone would have ever reasonably expected. All the while the mystery about Redman himself and the truth of this world, build more. As I said before, Matt Frank's art can tell us so much without dialogue, and there are several Red Fights in this volume that illustrate that point perfectly.

This book also contains a lovely behind the scenes section. There's the "Red Archive" which lays out the character models of Redman including an earlier design of him, as well as a number of the Kaiju. A cover gallery featuring both the Japanese and English release covers is included as well. Beyond this is also a brief look at the original TV series with a Retro Television gallery showing off some iconic poses by Redman and describing the general plot & setting of that series. The story chapters of this volume were packed with plenty of entertainment, but I absolutely love getting bonus content such as this. It's something I honestly wish more comics & manga did.

The truth is, and I say this in the least hyperbolic manner that I can, that this is easily one of the best modern updates to a classic series I've ever had the pleasure of seeing. Obviously, we also have some benchmarks out there to compare this series & it's success to today. The long running Kamen Rider Spirits manga has done a fantastic job of updating the original Showa Riders and bringing them all together in a way that film and TV crossovers just never have. On the flip side, Eiichi Shimizu's ULTRAMAN manga has also taken the classic Ultra Series characters and brought them into the modern day in very very different way than they were originally portrayed. On the American side of things, we even see Boom! Studios recent Power Rangers line of comics daring to tell stories that have never been done before in the various multimedia of the franchise. Redman joins this pantheon of modern updates to classics that have been massively successful.

So in a world where series like it have become more common, what have Matt & Goncalo brought to the table? A gruesome, fleshed out, re-invigorated classic. While we remember the original TV series for it's vague story, lack of dialogue, and rushed frenetic battles, each of these things has been transformed into a new pillar supporting the foundation of this book. For all the brutality we remember that original Redman series for, this creative team have taken that core and expanded upon it, along the way creating a really compelling mystery that has me more than a little excited for the forthcoming Volume 2.

If you're a fan of more obscure tokusatsu generally, of Redman specifically, or just dig a great Kaiju battle, then Redman the Kaiju Hunter is most certainly a series you need to own. Volume 1 can be purchased through it's publisher Night Shining, HERE for $18.99. Pins and T-Shirts are also available to compliment your purchase. Please, do yourself a favor and support this fantastic creative team, and enjoy Redman, I know I have.

I'm all over this