REVIEW: RED TEAM: Double Tap, Center Mass #6 (of 9)

I Thought I Was Falling

Issue six opens with our titular characters, Detectives Eddie Mellinger and Trudy Giroux “coping” with the near death of Trudy in issue five. Â Of course from the opening page you can quickly determine their coping mechanism will create even greater turmoil for the remaining issues. Â This is as good a cop drama as I have encountered, either from print or video! Â Garth Ennis provides such a realistic script, complete with idiosyncrasies for each character. Â This issue trades action for character development and exposition, which reads perfectly, and in my opinion is often reversed in comics as a whole.

Craig Cermak has me on a search for anything he has illustrated. Â Cermak’s work is gorgeous realism. Â Emotion and facial expressions are detailed and complement the script exceptionally well. Â No background element appeared rushed or inconsequential. Â The absence of exaggerated anatomy also complemented the realism. Â Eddie and Trudy are visually believable as characters from both their dialogue and illustration. Â Kudos to Vinicius Andrade’s colors must also be given. Â The shadows and muted color pallet avoids the appearance of being too cartoonish and. . .you guessed it; appears realistic.

I now have a Red Team mission of my own now, which is to pick up the prior Â volume in trade and of course I will do the same for volume two. Â I have the benefit of reading the prior issues and if I had to muster one criticism of this series, it would be the cliff hanging “third acts” will likely be more satisfying when enjoyedÂ as a trade collection. Â Hardly a critique and more of a personal preference when the fate of the characters becomeÂ so personal. 4.9 out of 5

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Written by: Garth Ennis
Art by: Craig Cermak
Colored by: Vinicius Andrade
Lettered by: Rob Steen
Cover by: Dan Panosian