Reviews

Shanghai Red by Joshua Hixson, Christopher Sebela

qardasowsky's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

3.25

hollyollyoxenfree's review against another edition

3.0

So I didn't know anything about this story when I picked it up, and it turns out it's historical fiction, which is definitely not a go-to genre for me. It was interesting though. I didn't really know about shanghaiing (kidnapping people and forcing them to become sailors), and I certainly didn't realize it was so prevalent in Portland back in the day. So I learned something new! I enjoyed that the main color was red: the art was great, and was quite fitting for the story, especially since the main character's nickname is Red. It was pretty violent, which doesn't bother me, but may not be everyone's cup of tea. I think that if you read the description, and it sounds like your thing, that you'll probably love it. Like I said, I didn't read any description or have any idea what I was going to read when I checked this out, and I don't think it was quite what I was in the mood for, but it's well done, and I learned something new, which is always exciting!

ajt_99's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

Started reading: January 11th, 2024
Finished reading: January 12th, 2024 

THE GOOD STUFF:

• The art: Joshua Hixon's art is by far my favorite thing about this book, hands down. It has a rough-around-the-edges quality which compliments the story. I particularly found his use of color and shading to be particularly striking. The illustrated depictions of brutality are also appropriately visceral and bloody.
• The tone: A revenge story set in late 1800's Portland is going to lend itself to a particular level of grit, and Shanghai Red has grit for days. Like I said, the art aids a lot in accentuating the grunginess of the characters and setting, but so too does the dialogue. Everyone speaks in period-accurate vernacular and many of the lines, especially those from Molly/Jack have a certain over-the-top edgy charm.
• The pacing: Typically, revenge tales like to take the slow and methodical route or the savage hit-and-run approach. This book is definitely an example of the latter. Everything moves at a rapid clip and the story remains engaging without feeling rushed.

THE NOT-AS-GOOD STUFF:

• The story: While I praise the story for its pacing, I do find its actual content to be a bit lacking. It is by no means a bad story, but it is one that has been done many times before and this particular take on the revenge quest does little to alter the formula.
• The characters: The main character of the book, Molly, is decent enough for this type of story. She has understandable motivations, is a scrappy and clever fighter, and she is made a bit more interesting than she might have been otherwise due to having a sort of alternate persona in the form of Jack. One could even argue that she is an example of a
  trans character due to him choosing to adopt the Jack identity full-time at the end of the story and changing his pronouns
  . The other characters are unfortunately not as interesting. They were mostly all very forgettable, especially the villains, who are never really fleshed out or made to be delightfully hateable, which is unfortunate because a revenge story sort of needs to have a really interesting, despicable villain for the hero to seek vengeance upon because it lets the audience become more engaged in the protagonist's mission and makes the payoff all the more satisfying.

Overall verdict: Shanghai Red is a by-the-numbers revenge story with some great art and a decently interesting main character. If you go in expecting that and not seeking anything beyond that, I'm sure you'll enjoy it just fine, which I did. If you've read or watched any number of revenge-based narratives, you will see many similarities with them here, and that is my main issue which holds me back from liking it more. I just felt like nothing really new was added to make this particular revenge story stand out from those countless other revenge stories other than having a female lead, but even that isn't very new or groundbreaking in modern times. The dark and gruesome appeal of the art, the seedy and edgy mood of the story, and the brisk pace are really the things that hold up this book, aside from the adequately engaging central character. An entertaining read for sure, but by no means an innovative one.

fgmetzger's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

candylou_who's review against another edition

dark emotional tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

deeoh's review against another edition

Eh

dbaghdanov's review against another edition

3.0

Started out strong, but became repetitive in the last half, but the story finally wrapped up nicely in the end.

doyoudogear's review

2.0

Shanghai Red will not be a comic I choose to continue. I'm sure it will be loved by many, just not by me. I expected a lot of violence based on the description, so that wasn't what bothered me (though it was a little confusing and excessive).

I wish they had explained more of Red's history and what happened to her prior to the opening scene... which ended up having more action than words. The images didn't really add up either, so I was stuck trying to figure out what the hell was going on. Eventually I just moved on without figuring it out.

If you enjoy dirty pirates (that deal in human trafficking), bloody fights (gruesome x10), underestimated women (go girl power), and untrustworthy people (basically everyone so far)--this might be a comic you enjoy.

Originally posted at Do You Dog-ear? on July 6, 2018.
https://www.doyoudog-ear.com/2018/07/mini-reviews-9.html

ranaelizabeth's review

4.0

Just how I like my stories: with lots of violence. Revenge and blood, delicious.