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Garth Ennis’ Red Team #18
Red Team: Double Tap, Center Mass
One year after the catastrophic events that ended Red Team, the NYPD's elite anti-narcotics unit, the surviving Detectives Eddie Mellinger and Trudy Giroux are in the doldrums. Considered a political liability, the two are kept busy on small-time cases by their suspicious NYPD commanders, but a chance encounter with an out-of-his-depth rich kid in the ghetto gives them a chance to get back in the game. The trouble is, it means going far beyond the law... which is what almost got them killed last time around!
247 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 6, 2017
29 people are currently reading
59 people want to read
About the author
Garth Ennis
2,629 books3,183 followersEnnis began his comic-writing career in 1989 with the series Troubled Souls. Appearing in the short-lived but critically-acclaimed British anthology Crisis and illustrated by McCrea, it told the story of a young, apolitical Protestant man caught up by fate in the violence of the Irish 'Troubles'. It spawned a sequel, For a Few Troubles More, a broad Belfast-based comedy featuring two supporting characters from Troubled Souls, Dougie and Ivor, who would later get their own American comics series, Dicks, from Caliber in 1997, and several follow-ups from Avatar.
Another series for Crisis was True Faith, a religious satire inspired by his schooldays, this time drawn by Warren Pleece. Ennis shortly after began to write for Crisis' parent publication, 2000 AD. He quickly graduated on to the title's flagship character, Judge Dredd, taking over from original creator John Wagner for a period of several years.
Ennis' first work on an American comic came in 1991 when he took over DC Comics's horror title Hellblazer, which he wrote until 1994, and for which he currently holds the title for most issues written. Steve Dillon became the regular artist during the second half of Ennis's run.
Ennis' landmark work to date is the 66-issue epic Preacher, which he co-created with artist Steve Dillon. Running from 1995 to 2000, it was a tale of a preacher with supernatural powers, searching (literally) for God who has abandoned his creation.
While Preacher was running, Ennis began a series set in the DC universe called Hitman. Despite being lower profile than Preacher, Hitman ran for 60 issues (plus specials) from 1996 to 2001, veering wildly from violent action to humour to an examination of male friendship under fire.
Other comic projects Ennis wrote during this time period include Goddess, Bloody Mary, Unknown Soldier, and Pride & Joy, all for DC/Vertigo, as well as origin stories for The Darkness for Image Comics and Shadowman for Valiant Comics.
After the end of Hitman, Ennis was lured to Marvel Comics with the promise from Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada that he could write The Punisher as long as he cared to. Instead of largely comical tone of these issues, he decided to make a much more serious series, re-launched under Marvel's MAX imprint.
In 2001 he briefly returned to UK comics to write the epic Helter Skelter for Judge Dredd.
Other comics Ennis has written include War Story (with various artists) for DC; The Pro for Image Comics; The Authority for Wildstorm; Just a Pilgrim for Black Bull Press, and 303, Chronicles of Wormwood (a six issue mini-series about the Antichrist), and a western comic book, Streets of Glory for Avatar Press.
In 2008 Ennis ended his five-year run on Punisher MAX to debut a new Marvel title, War Is Hell: The First Flight of the Phantom Eagle.
In June 2008, at Wizard World, Philadelphia, Ennis announced several new projects, including a metaseries of war comics called Battlefields from Dynamite made up of mini-series including Night Witches, Dear Billy and Tankies, another Chronicles of Wormwood mini-series and Crossed both at Avatar, a six-issue miniseries about Butcher (from The Boys) and a Punisher project reuniting him with artist Steve Dillon (subsequently specified to be a weekly mini-series entitled Punisher: War Zone, to be released concurrently with the film of the same name).
Taken from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garth_Ennis
Another series for Crisis was True Faith, a religious satire inspired by his schooldays, this time drawn by Warren Pleece. Ennis shortly after began to write for Crisis' parent publication, 2000 AD. He quickly graduated on to the title's flagship character, Judge Dredd, taking over from original creator John Wagner for a period of several years.
Ennis' first work on an American comic came in 1991 when he took over DC Comics's horror title Hellblazer, which he wrote until 1994, and for which he currently holds the title for most issues written. Steve Dillon became the regular artist during the second half of Ennis's run.
Ennis' landmark work to date is the 66-issue epic Preacher, which he co-created with artist Steve Dillon. Running from 1995 to 2000, it was a tale of a preacher with supernatural powers, searching (literally) for God who has abandoned his creation.
While Preacher was running, Ennis began a series set in the DC universe called Hitman. Despite being lower profile than Preacher, Hitman ran for 60 issues (plus specials) from 1996 to 2001, veering wildly from violent action to humour to an examination of male friendship under fire.
Other comic projects Ennis wrote during this time period include Goddess, Bloody Mary, Unknown Soldier, and Pride & Joy, all for DC/Vertigo, as well as origin stories for The Darkness for Image Comics and Shadowman for Valiant Comics.
After the end of Hitman, Ennis was lured to Marvel Comics with the promise from Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada that he could write The Punisher as long as he cared to. Instead of largely comical tone of these issues, he decided to make a much more serious series, re-launched under Marvel's MAX imprint.
In 2001 he briefly returned to UK comics to write the epic Helter Skelter for Judge Dredd.
Other comics Ennis has written include War Story (with various artists) for DC; The Pro for Image Comics; The Authority for Wildstorm; Just a Pilgrim for Black Bull Press, and 303, Chronicles of Wormwood (a six issue mini-series about the Antichrist), and a western comic book, Streets of Glory for Avatar Press.
In 2008 Ennis ended his five-year run on Punisher MAX to debut a new Marvel title, War Is Hell: The First Flight of the Phantom Eagle.
In June 2008, at Wizard World, Philadelphia, Ennis announced several new projects, including a metaseries of war comics called Battlefields from Dynamite made up of mini-series including Night Witches, Dear Billy and Tankies, another Chronicles of Wormwood mini-series and Crossed both at Avatar, a six-issue miniseries about Butcher (from The Boys) and a Punisher project reuniting him with artist Steve Dillon (subsequently specified to be a weekly mini-series entitled Punisher: War Zone, to be released concurrently with the film of the same name).
Taken from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garth_Ennis
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
April 11, 2024
The remaining two members of the NYPD Red Team members Eric and Trudy are so far on the outs they might as well be traffic police; but they ain't done yet! When they get caught up in the bizarre case of a privileged young an getting caught with a huge amount of drugs and the corpse of a gangbanger in his boot whilst on a fun-ride with his peers, our maverick cops get drawn into the game again! Ennis' walk into the world of urban crime / maverick police procedural continues unabated with this equally good sequel to the Red Team. Another quality 8 out of 12 Four Star jam!
2024 read
2024 read
August 30, 2017
Damn, this was good. I haven't read the first miniseries but it didn't impede my enjoyment of this at all. Our two detectives have a large case fall into their laps. A wall street banker's son almost runs some kids over and the detectives pull him over. They find a whole lot heroin and some dead bodies in the trunk. Turns out the silver spoon douchebag has been dealing drugs. This gets the ball rolling on a nail biting case of intrigue with lots of twists and turns.
Ennis writes some Ed Brubker / Brian Michael Bendis level dialogue here. He shows he can just straight up nail police procedural fiction. It reads like a miniseries. Craig Cermac's art is far superior than what we normally see come from Dynamite. It reminded me some of Gary Frank from the Hulk days. It's absolutely top notch. It won't be long until he moves on to the big boys.
Received an advance copy from Dynamite and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Ennis writes some Ed Brubker / Brian Michael Bendis level dialogue here. He shows he can just straight up nail police procedural fiction. It reads like a miniseries. Craig Cermac's art is far superior than what we normally see come from Dynamite. It reminded me some of Gary Frank from the Hulk days. It's absolutely top notch. It won't be long until he moves on to the big boys.
Received an advance copy from Dynamite and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
March 30, 2024
Ennis and Cermak with their work on this mini-series has to be one of the best pairing in the comic book industry ever. The first Garth Ennis' Red Team was a great, gritty story about good and bad cops and all the shades in between. The second volume surpassed it in every way. It's a character driven, procedural action drama (again I can see David Ayer making a movie out of it).
Year after the events of the previous volume, Eddie and Trudy are back on the streets, not much liked by their superiors and some of their colleagues. By chance, they stumble upon a white, rich kid with a trunk full of dead bodies and a glove box full of tar heroin. What seemed like an easy case, turns into a complex story full of twists and turns along the way, while keeping the readers on the edge of their seats.
Even though there was no need for a sequel, Ennis hit this one out of the ballpark. His writing and dialog are great, with a nod to Tarantino who was clearly an influence. His characters are deeper, and their relationship evolves. And all of this is complemented by Cermak's marvelous art.
As I've said before, I hope Ayer will read this and decide to make a movie out of it. Great series.
Year after the events of the previous volume, Eddie and Trudy are back on the streets, not much liked by their superiors and some of their colleagues. By chance, they stumble upon a white, rich kid with a trunk full of dead bodies and a glove box full of tar heroin. What seemed like an easy case, turns into a complex story full of twists and turns along the way, while keeping the readers on the edge of their seats.
Even though there was no need for a sequel, Ennis hit this one out of the ballpark. His writing and dialog are great, with a nod to Tarantino who was clearly an influence. His characters are deeper, and their relationship evolves. And all of this is complemented by Cermak's marvelous art.
As I've said before, I hope Ayer will read this and decide to make a movie out of it. Great series.
January 21, 2021
So our cops pull over this rich kid from a powerful family and find 2 bodies in the trunk, a firearm and some heroin. They bring him in for questioning and hear his story and decide to set up a sting to get to the real person behind it all. Only thing is, it doesn’t go anywhere according to plan. This was good. Garth Ennis once again does a great job this story and dialogue. I was very entertained following our cops, Eric and Trudy down this wild rabbit hole filled with twists and surprises. There was also another side plot with the cops that added a nice extra layer to an already engrossing story. Plus Cermak is still crushing on art duty. If you like crime dramas, definitely check this one out.
July 25, 2017
Just ok.
Not original and not interesting ... cliché...
Not original and not interesting ... cliché...
June 22, 2020
Incredibly, the sequel is better than the original. the original was awesome, but this is incredible. So much more depth and life in the story. It's breathtaking, the story goes places I never expected and kept me guessing. Stellar work.
March 28, 2018
The story flows nicely, just like in the first volume, and there is more focus on relationships while keeping the dialogue as smart as before. The tactical side of the first volume is sadly missing, but you get police procedures and detective work instead. The complexities of the case are revealed near the end and a lot of the people involved are killed. I found it sad that the two main characters refused to take advantage of the one thing that would have made them both happy. It was their way of atoning for their sins, I guess. Still, it left me wandering why the story needed this depressing ending.
Eddie and Trudy stayed on the police force after the murders they had going on in the last volume. They have mostly gotten over those events and continued their lives, but their colleagues still avoid them. They stumble onto a young man in traffic. Besides the gun and coke he has in the glove compartment of his convertible, there are two dead bodies in the trunk.
Eddie and Trudy stayed on the police force after the murders they had going on in the last volume. They have mostly gotten over those events and continued their lives, but their colleagues still avoid them. They stumble onto a young man in traffic. Besides the gun and coke he has in the glove compartment of his convertible, there are two dead bodies in the trunk.
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September 21, 2020Red Team didn’t need a sequel, but leave it to Ennis to write a good one. I’d even say this is better than volume one. It’s more character driven and tightly plotted, which is funny because it’s two issues longer than the first book. Eddie and Trudy continue off the grid on a drug and murder case, all the while confronting their own relationship. Ennis’ dialogue is great, the story unfolds well with lots of twists, and there are plenty of exciting moments. The pages fly by. Honestly, Red Team reminds me of Brubaker’s best stuff (especially Sleeper), which is high praise from where I’m standing. Don’t miss this series if you like procedurals.
May 11, 2020
Makes sense
That Red Team could very well end this way makes sense. Series started out surreal and ended up just being real. As a fan... Feels underwhelming... As a fan of narratives... Makes total sense.
That Red Team could very well end this way makes sense. Series started out surreal and ended up just being real. As a fan... Feels underwhelming... As a fan of narratives... Makes total sense.
October 15, 2021
Unpleasant and overlong by half. There are less death squads but just as much police corruption. I guess I'm not into rogue cops as antiheroes now. Even sexy ones like the female lead.
The scripting swerves closer to Quentin Tarantino territory, even name-checking him in the midst of the slurs -- all the slurs -- allllllll the slurs for everyyyyybodyyyyyyyyy.
The art is still pretty darn good, but the main male character looking so much like Ethan Hawke really began to bother me since Ethan Hawke really bothers me.
The scripting swerves closer to Quentin Tarantino territory, even name-checking him in the midst of the slurs -- all the slurs -- allllllll the slurs for everyyyyybodyyyyyyyyy.
The art is still pretty darn good, but the main male character looking so much like Ethan Hawke really began to bother me since Ethan Hawke really bothers me.
August 2, 2017
After whiling away the hours in traffic talking about her relationship—and chasing after a guy who runs into a pole—the two cops who’ve been punished for something that happened in the first issue come across an entitled brat with gang bodies in the trunk of his speeding car, which of course leads to all kinds of red herrings and tangents and conspiracies before they finally discover what’s up.
In case you ever wondered, being shot in the head will not stop someone from having sex.
My fave scene was him gently ripping into the SWAT guys for failing to clear the crime scene. On the other hand, I’m getting tired of the cliché of cops not clearing crime scenes due to lazy writing. . . just sayin’. Another highlight was the stroll through the art gallery, which was all kinds of awesome.
The sex scenes are intentionally hilarious. For instance, that’s one happy voyeuristic dog on the couch! There’s funny usage of arms and legs to block naughty bits, and how can she not be the perfect woman when that kind of “pillow talk” gets her hot?
I’m surprised that such a convoluted story actually wrapped itself nicely at the end. Still a tough ride to get through, and there were a few plot holes that would have brought it to a screeching halt if they hadn’t been ignored, but it wasn’t as bad as I feared after the slow beginning.
As far as the artwork goes, these are some really bright colors for this genre.
Over twenty pages of sketches and scripts.
In case you ever wondered, being shot in the head will not stop someone from having sex.
My fave scene was him gently ripping into the SWAT guys for failing to clear the crime scene. On the other hand, I’m getting tired of the cliché of cops not clearing crime scenes due to lazy writing. . . just sayin’. Another highlight was the stroll through the art gallery, which was all kinds of awesome.
The sex scenes are intentionally hilarious. For instance, that’s one happy voyeuristic dog on the couch! There’s funny usage of arms and legs to block naughty bits, and how can she not be the perfect woman when that kind of “pillow talk” gets her hot?
I’m surprised that such a convoluted story actually wrapped itself nicely at the end. Still a tough ride to get through, and there were a few plot holes that would have brought it to a screeching halt if they hadn’t been ignored, but it wasn’t as bad as I feared after the slow beginning.
As far as the artwork goes, these are some really bright colors for this genre.
Over twenty pages of sketches and scripts.
October 14, 2019
This one reads like an episode of Miami Vice or Chicago PD.
Two members of [now defunct counter narcotics] police unit by pure chance get into position to strike back at the villain that caused the end (as in death of all other members) of their team.
While guided by their thirst for revenge and using rather unorthodox methods they are not blinded by the hate. They move one step at the time and very soon they will find themselves in deep problems because you cannot just trust your first impressions on some things.
Although I can understand that people get little bit too saturated with similar stories (there are I think at least 5-10 similar police shows aired on multiple channels at any one time) this one is pretty good. Our heroes follow procedure, investigate the clues and go from one baddie to the other to confirm their findings. In the middle of it all they get shot, they get wounded and end ... it is sweet-and-sour to me and rather realistic.
And great thing is that you do not need to know anything from volume 1. This one is very much standalone story-line.
Recommended to all fans of gritty police thrillers.
Two members of [now defunct counter narcotics] police unit by pure chance get into position to strike back at the villain that caused the end (as in death of all other members) of their team.
While guided by their thirst for revenge and using rather unorthodox methods they are not blinded by the hate. They move one step at the time and very soon they will find themselves in deep problems because you cannot just trust your first impressions on some things.
Although I can understand that people get little bit too saturated with similar stories (there are I think at least 5-10 similar police shows aired on multiple channels at any one time) this one is pretty good. Our heroes follow procedure, investigate the clues and go from one baddie to the other to confirm their findings. In the middle of it all they get shot, they get wounded and end ... it is sweet-and-sour to me and rather realistic.
And great thing is that you do not need to know anything from volume 1. This one is very much standalone story-line.
Recommended to all fans of gritty police thrillers.
January 12, 2019
'Red Team Volume 2: Double Tap, Center Mass' by Garth Ennis and Craig Cermak is a police procedural graphic novel. I didn't read the first one, but I'm not sure that it's entirely necessary.
Eddie Mellinger and Trudy Giroux are cops and partners. They were on a squad called Red Team and they lost some friends. They are just trying to make it as normal cops when they stumble into a crime involving a very rich kid and some drug dealers. Things go South when they find a couple dead bodies in the rich kids trunk. He lawyers up, and Mellinger and Giroux go in to major cop mode. They also fall for each other even though she's got a boyfriend and he's married.
It was mildly interesting. The story seemed pretty standard. The ending is about where I thought it would go. The art wasn't overly memorable. Based on this, I'm not sure I need to go back and read the first one, but this one was ok.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Dynamite Entertainment, Diamond Book Distributors, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
Eddie Mellinger and Trudy Giroux are cops and partners. They were on a squad called Red Team and they lost some friends. They are just trying to make it as normal cops when they stumble into a crime involving a very rich kid and some drug dealers. Things go South when they find a couple dead bodies in the rich kids trunk. He lawyers up, and Mellinger and Giroux go in to major cop mode. They also fall for each other even though she's got a boyfriend and he's married.
It was mildly interesting. The story seemed pretty standard. The ending is about where I thought it would go. The art wasn't overly memorable. Based on this, I'm not sure I need to go back and read the first one, but this one was ok.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Dynamite Entertainment, Diamond Book Distributors, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
January 10, 2022
Really disappointed with this one. Its still good though, the plot had a lot of twist and turns and the pacing was really done too. Though I prefer the story of the first volume this one still has great moments. However Garth's writing in this comic made me wince a lot. The way he handled dialogue with women, people of color, and peoples political opinions in this one had me cringing a lot at times. Which is frustrating because Garth can write well made characters and the ones in this comic have depth but once they open their mouths over certain things it sort of ruins it for me. Still its a good read and I did enjoy this despite its flaws. I think fans of the first comic will really like this one.
April 6, 2024
This may not be Ennis at his most thought provoking but its Ennis having fun with genre material. It's a simple cop story, and for once that isn't a bad thing. While you don’t necessarily have to have read the first “season” of this series, it does help to understand things a bit more, especially why Eddie and Trudy act the way they do/why they’re given crappy jobs on the task force. My only real complaints about the book was the lack of a third act in the story. It has great build up with both the plot and the characters. But, by the time something really exciting starts to happen, the comic was over. This series has some great drama and messiness as no one gets a real happy ending.
September 19, 2017
Think of this as a NY police noir. Detectives Eddie Mellinger and Trudy Giroux used to be part of NYPD's elite Red Team anti-narcotics unit. But now they are running warrants on the street. But a chance encounter with Eric Nightengale and his car trunk full of bodies and drugs put them back in the game. Unfortunately, their antics to get the drug dealers keep leading them deeper into trouble and farther from the law. Will their actions doom them or redeem them? Read and find out.
June 10, 2017
Good sequel. Would make a great TV mini-series. Ending goes off a little too smoothly. But good progression of complications and escalation. More emotional than I expected it to be, which is certainly a surprise but a welcome one. Cermak's art is great, he's really good with expressions. If I were Dynamite/Ennis, I'd hold onto him.
July 4, 2017
Pretty damn decent follow up to the first Red Team. Really nice police thing with high drama both in human relations and violence. Would make a brilliant tv-show.
But I'm not at all sure about the length of this thing. This story could've been told in much shorter way.
Still, gripping thing to read.
But I'm not at all sure about the length of this thing. This story could've been told in much shorter way.
Still, gripping thing to read.
August 9, 2017
I can't make any comparisons with the first book, as I've not read it - all I know is that this is really, really good. It's like Ennis started to channel Brubaker, and while the noir classics from the latter are a lot shorter, you really don't worry about this being a long book with dialogue and drama like this. Sexy, violent, intelligent - this was right up my street.
January 27, 2019
Next time someone wonders what comics offer besides superheroes, give them this book.
What's outstanding about Ennis is the way he's able to take some of the best aspects of police procedurals (i.e. Law & Order) and turn everything up a notch without copping out. Little touches like a rich kid crapping herself are delightful extra touches.
What's outstanding about Ennis is the way he's able to take some of the best aspects of police procedurals (i.e. Law & Order) and turn everything up a notch without copping out. Little touches like a rich kid crapping herself are delightful extra touches.
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December 27, 2019Is it really an Ennis
Never read a Gareth Ennis story like this.....
Not sure there can be a third volume.... But a good second and a good addition to the original red team...
Art is good.
Ennis is good
Worth a read
Never read a Gareth Ennis story like this.....
Not sure there can be a third volume.... But a good second and a good addition to the original red team...
Art is good.
Ennis is good
Worth a read
January 16, 2019
I really enjoyed this. Garth Ennis is one of the best writers in comics today. The art is excellent, too. I never read the first volume in this series, but I definitely will in the future.
December 29, 2023
Great sequel to Vol. 1, this one centers on the two remaining Red Team members and their relationship. Would make a great movie.
January 1, 2024
The best thing about this series is Craig Cemak's art hands down
December 23, 2019
Birkaç yıl önce çıkan "Red Team"in devamı niteliğindeki hikaye, ilk kitaptan geriye kalan iki karakter olan Eddie ve Trudy'nin, ilk kitapta olduğu gibi suçluları yakalamak için gerekirse kanunu da çiğnemek durumunda oldukları bir çete savaşının öyküsüydü. Sert suç öyküleri Ennis'in en güçlü yanı olsa da bu kitabın vurucu tarafı iki karakter arasındaki duygusal yakınlaşmanın olgunlukla işlenmesi oldu ve üstatın bibliografisinde üst sıralarda yer alabilecek bir yapıt statüsüne erişti benim gözümde.
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June 6, 2017Ennis and Cermak's rogue cop miniseries really didn't need a sequel, let alone one this long, but while this may have been unnecessary it was still very well done and a lot of fun.
November 29, 2017
It is probably unfair for me to review as this book ending up being different than I had expected. I like mystery/thrillers and it did not read that way for me. I believe someone who likes this voice and genre would find it to be well written and illustrated.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews