Broken Frontier

Red Moon is perhaps the closest thing I've ever read to an old-school 80s animated movie - slightly dark and edgy - on paper.

A few years back I wrote a couple of "Inter-Reviews" showcasing two online-exclusive prequels to Red Moon that were done (smartly) to build up fan fervor while the larger story slowly gestated.  The full graphic novel was planned to see completion in 2009, but one glance at creator David McAdoo's extraordinarily detailed black-and-white (and red) artwork, and there won't be any question as to why it was delayed.  And now hHHHaving now read the final product, at long last, I simply have to say: I'm impressed.

Most readers won't approach the work with any specific expectation, but speaking from the viewpoint of having anticipated the finished work for literally years, I can say that, even considering this, the GN delivers on all fronts.

The first notable aspect of Red Moon is that it's a self-contained, single volume epic.  It's only one book, however thick (300+ pages), and yet it is indeed mind-bogglingly Epic with a capital "E."  The story starts off small and builds slow; we're introduced to the hero of the piece, Mox, a small mix-breed domestic dog whose human family has grown exasperated by "Scruffy's" (they call him "Scruffy") antics.  Push comes to shove and Mox decides to run off with another street dog named Daeden to escape his fenced-in domestic life.  Soon thereafter, a series of prophetic visions featuring a red-tinted moon begin to haunt Mox day and night, heralding some sort of mythic-sized event that will quote-unquote bring about "The Fall of Man's World."  What follows is a wide-ranging heroic quest through the hidden world of animals to discover the truth about the Red Moon and what part Mox has to play in it.

That is an incredibly condensed plot synopsis: there is a slew of major players in the story, a full-on fantasy world built upon the whole of Earth's animal kingdom, and when the secret of the Red Moon is finally revealed, the story takes on an even grander scope.  In fact, about one-third through the GN, when I realized the full premise creator McAdoo was proposing, I was highly skeptical that it could be done inside a single volume.  But it is.  I kept waiting for some twist of plot to veer the story back onto relatively focused ground, small scale.  But Red Moon goes all the way - it executes, in full, every plot element it introduces.  There's no ending with a whimper here, no hoax, dream, no cheating whatsoever.  There's virtually no denouement, but beyond that, I know of no action-oriented single-volume OGN in recent memory as satisfying as Red Moon.  That's a fact.

On the art front, Red Moon is gorgeously drawn - elaborate linework few artists working a monthly (or even bi-monthly) grind would be able to produce.  Only one color is utilized : red (whenever the Red Moon itself makes an appearance).  This offers the book an overall gothic, somewhat sinister atmosphere.  But paired with McAdoo's cartoon-like animal figures, the ambiance mixes just right.  And McAdoo can draw animals.  Every expression, posture, and look in their eyes, you'll swear you've seen a dog, cat, bird, or whichever make that exact same expression in real life.  This holds true even considering that McAdoo gives his animal characters larger-than-life animation-standard personification one expects in an animal fantasy.

Red Moon will be available for purchase on the creator's website - www.redmoongraphicnovel.com  - first, with a June release.  Then look for it to be offered through Diamond shortly after.  Personally, I wouldn't wait, just keep your eyes peeled for the GN on the website and grab it soon as you can.  If you buy only one independent graphic novel this year, Red Moon is undoubtedly the one.  Epic, self-contained, beautiful, unique, and satisfying.  I can't think of a better combination.