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Red Thorn #2
Espinho Rubro: deuses insanos e escoceses
Após ficar encarcerado em uma prisão subterrânea por dois mil anos, o semideus celta conhecido como Espinho finalmente escapou graças ao poder oculto de uma jovem artista chamada Isla Mackintosh.
Os choques tectônicos dessa fuga estão sacudindo as ilhas britânicas de Glasgow a Londres, e abalando a fronteira entre este mundo e o outro além. Deuses há muito esquecidos e monstros voltam a habitar o planeta, trazendo destruição por onde quer que finquem as garras – incluindo uma eleição protagonizada por políticos mais duas caras do que o habitual.
Mas as forças que despertaram a ira de Espinho têm seus próprios planos – sutilmente tecidos ao redor de Isla e da irmã desaparecida dela, cujo assassinato 25 anos atrás colocou tudo em ação. Espinho será capaz de virar esse jogo cuidadosamente armado? Ou a Escócia e o resto do mundo mortal mergulharão em uma nova (e sangrenta) era das trevas?
O escritor David Baillie e a artista Meghan Hetrick concluem a fantasia moderna que criaram em ESPINHO RUBRO: DEUSES INSANOS E ESCOCESES – encerrando mais uma série Vertigo.
Os choques tectônicos dessa fuga estão sacudindo as ilhas britânicas de Glasgow a Londres, e abalando a fronteira entre este mundo e o outro além. Deuses há muito esquecidos e monstros voltam a habitar o planeta, trazendo destruição por onde quer que finquem as garras – incluindo uma eleição protagonizada por políticos mais duas caras do que o habitual.
Mas as forças que despertaram a ira de Espinho têm seus próprios planos – sutilmente tecidos ao redor de Isla e da irmã desaparecida dela, cujo assassinato 25 anos atrás colocou tudo em ação. Espinho será capaz de virar esse jogo cuidadosamente armado? Ou a Escócia e o resto do mundo mortal mergulharão em uma nova (e sangrenta) era das trevas?
O escritor David Baillie e a artista Meghan Hetrick concluem a fantasia moderna que criaram em ESPINHO RUBRO: DEUSES INSANOS E ESCOCESES – encerrando mais uma série Vertigo.
164 pages, Paperback
First published January 31, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
June 10, 2025
Enjoyable.
If you enjoy this kind of thing, that is.
As with most stories dealing with the old fae, this one has varying degrees of what one might call a happy ending. It's fairies, not a fairytale, after all.
It does wrap up some of the more ambiguous things that popped up in the first volume, though.
I stumbled across this on DC Infinite, and I had a pretty good time reading it.
You're mileage may vary, though.
Recommended. Ish.
If you enjoy this kind of thing, that is.
As with most stories dealing with the old fae, this one has varying degrees of what one might call a happy ending. It's fairies, not a fairytale, after all.
It does wrap up some of the more ambiguous things that popped up in the first volume, though.
I stumbled across this on DC Infinite, and I had a pretty good time reading it.
You're mileage may vary, though.
Recommended. Ish.
December 20, 2018
The pacing is way off in this book. The first several issues take their time telling various character's stories until we get to the endgame and it's very rushed. It definitely felt like Vertigo came along around issue 11 and told the creative team they were being cancelled and they need to wrap it up. The story is often very confusing, especially once they start flipping back and forth to otherworld. I could never tell which world they were supposed to be on. Meghan Hetrick's art is very good. I love her monstrous creatures and sense of menace she manages to convey.
December 1, 2021
This one seemed very all over the place compared to the first volume. I'm guessing it got cancelled at some point and they just had to wrap things up because it seemed like they were really setting up a lot of interesting stuff with a lot of different characters and POVs in the first few issues and then suddenly everything escalated really quickly was over. Still a decent series overall but it's definitely more something you can see the potential in rather than an entirely satisfying story in its own right. Really nice artwork though!
December 24, 2019
The first issue showed so much potential for this story. This volume was very rushed felt less focused, jumping between characters narrating, and it was hard to keep track of. It definitely needed more volumes to tell the story properly.
March 3, 2017
*sigh* I really loved this series. I think the story was too big and too complex for the number of issues produced, however. The ending felt rushed and... not satisfying. I can see how things were wrapped up and how an arc might have been completed, but this wasn't what I expected. I'm sad to say I can't recommend this series to friends knowing how it ended up.
June 19, 2018
The first volume felt more clear-cut than this one. Things happen on multiple planes here that take a long while to come together. And when they do it's, sadly, a confusing mess with more and more things that the author seems to just pull out of a hat. This is why I hate fantasy - all the deus ex machinas that spoil the story. The story is nothing like Fables where the structure was much more stable and the rules were more obvious and more difficult to break. The ending on this one is quite obviously rushed, but at least it ties up all the loose ends.
Lauren escapes from an Otherworldly mental asylum and is joined by the young woman called Lucy who fed and helped her.
Tarek the mute goes his own way northwards, magically creating bridges between the islands.
Cadros is able to transform into Haig, the British Prime-minister, and he wants to this position to control the whole of Britain.
Lauren escapes from an Otherworldly mental asylum and is joined by the young woman called Lucy who fed and helped her.
Tarek the mute goes his own way northwards, magically creating bridges between the islands.
Cadros is able to transform into Haig, the British Prime-minister, and he wants to this position to control the whole of Britain.
December 16, 2017
Thorn is an iconic protagon... antagonist, not unlike James Marsters' Spike or Keith Allan's The Murphy, a bad god of treachery and duplicity who steals every scene he's in. Thorn is nonetheless controlled by creators Baillie and Hetrick in this tale of small gods on seas and shores of the British isles and beyond. There's an adeptness at tapping into those small community folk myths. Meanwhile, the scenes in Glasgow and London give us modern fables of political propaganda, positing them as something much more sinister than lore their village siblings. 'Red Thorn' comes into it's own in this second/final collection, sad because there's aspects alike Gaiman and Ennis's Vertigo work: great character portraits, mystical deals and loopholes and innovation.
April 10, 2019
I was correct in assuming that there wouldn't really be any progression. We got one strand of a plot concluded in a slap dash way.
The art was interesting but exaggerated to flatter. Nicely saturated, I liked the transformations of the "gods" and the ideas of multiple worlds and timey wimey stuff but it wasn't really fully explored and neither were the characters. Thorn and his battles with his extremely powerful lover "sidekick" (excuse me this lady not only did not get to have pubic hair but was relegated to sex symbol and supporter, when she could have ended everything all on her own a bazillion centuries ago. Oh yeah women need men to motivate them to be successful second class citizens...how could I have forgotten)
In the end the main character, who wasn't really the true protagonist really didn't do anything but kick in a door and then get emotional and kill 1 person. She is then queen...Sorry Spoilers. Sadly there were some interesting buds of dialogue that could have blossomed into a flower of interesting feminist discourse, possibly a contribution from the female on the team. I say sadly because they were mere buds that were snipped prematurely as if some strange male ego blocked the sun cutting off the plants food source, creating an ice age, which killed off his story..
The art was interesting but exaggerated to flatter. Nicely saturated, I liked the transformations of the "gods" and the ideas of multiple worlds and timey wimey stuff but it wasn't really fully explored and neither were the characters. Thorn and his battles with his extremely powerful lover "sidekick" (excuse me this lady not only did not get to have pubic hair but was relegated to sex symbol and supporter, when she could have ended everything all on her own a bazillion centuries ago. Oh yeah women need men to motivate them to be successful second class citizens...how could I have forgotten)
In the end the main character, who wasn't really the true protagonist really didn't do anything but kick in a door and then get emotional and kill 1 person. She is then queen...Sorry Spoilers. Sadly there were some interesting buds of dialogue that could have blossomed into a flower of interesting feminist discourse, possibly a contribution from the female on the team. I say sadly because they were mere buds that were snipped prematurely as if some strange male ego blocked the sun cutting off the plants food source, creating an ice age, which killed off his story..
August 27, 2017
5. Este si es el capítulo que estaba esperando. Con respuestas y giros más o menos inesperados.
3.5. Avanza algo pero con personajes que no me interesan demasiado.
4. Chica fuerte la prota.
4. Me gusta Tarik. Su camino del heroe y todo eso.
3.Mmm flojito.
3. Todo se mueve demasiado rápido. Sobretodo teniendo en cuenta el ritmo pausado del volumen anterior.
4.75. Me gustó el final, que fuera tan redondo. Pero sigo creyendo que el principal problema de este comic es lo poco que profundiza. Tanto en personajes como en el mundo, que son increíbles y me saben a poco.
3.5. Avanza algo pero con personajes que no me interesan demasiado.
4. Chica fuerte la prota.
4. Me gusta Tarik. Su camino del heroe y todo eso.
3.Mmm flojito.
3. Todo se mueve demasiado rápido. Sobretodo teniendo en cuenta el ritmo pausado del volumen anterior.
4.75. Me gustó el final, que fuera tan redondo. Pero sigo creyendo que el principal problema de este comic es lo poco que profundiza. Tanto en personajes como en el mundo, que son increíbles y me saben a poco.
September 2, 2022
3.5 stars
A fairly satisfying conclusion to the Red Thorn story, with Isla becoming Red Isla at the very end; similar to the first volume the artwork is variable over the course of this collection. Good use of the two worlds and their overlapping characters although it does become quite convoluted/confusing especially regarding Lauren (Isla's 'long dead' sister).
Also, the very last piece of dialogue can be either considered as the creator's way of leaving open the door to a sequel, or a very hefty punch in the gut to Isla (considering the lack of follow-up, the latter must be more likely 😕).
A fairly satisfying conclusion to the Red Thorn story, with Isla becoming Red Isla at the very end; similar to the first volume the artwork is variable over the course of this collection. Good use of the two worlds and their overlapping characters although it does become quite convoluted/confusing especially regarding Lauren (Isla's 'long dead' sister).
Also, the very last piece of dialogue can be either considered as the creator's way of leaving open the door to a sequel, or a very hefty punch in the gut to Isla (considering the lack of follow-up, the latter must be more likely 😕).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 21, 2023
This book is much like the first installment. It is well written, has good artwork and a unique premise. Unfortunately, much like volume 1, it is disjointed and uneven throughout. This book may be worse than the first volume because it has more characters and two different worlds in which the reader can get lost. This volume - just the first - is a great idea that was well done but poorly executed.
did-not-finish
June 12, 2020I couldn't finish this one. I enjoyed the first volume quite a lot, but this volume didn't feel connected at all with all the new characters and plots and whatnot introduced. And I have no idea what happened to Isla, our MC from volume 1. Is she even in this story anymore? It just wasn't what I was expecting.
March 4, 2017
Felt really rushed, moved away from the kickass ladies we met in the first volume!
March 24, 2018
A solid end but it definitely felt rushed. Had lots more potential.
April 10, 2018
Didn't expect that ending, but it really worked.
October 2, 2018
I honestly skimmed my way through this one. The plot just didn't interest me at all. The only thing that kept me going was the artwork and how pretty Thorn is in a kilt.
November 14, 2018
Needed more time and more issues to tell the full tale. Spend your time on something more satisfying.
December 9, 2019
I'm a bit bummed with what happened to Torn in the end, but otherwise a solid book.
October 27, 2018
There are no happy endings only compromised endings. Isla returns, but she’s not entirely herself anymore. While she retains most of herself, she is irreparably broken. She powerfully and succinctly puts an end to all the threats and machinations for power. As a result, she unanimously and heavy responsibility becomes the Queen of the red caps and supernatural role. I think the story got a bit big and muddled in its delivery of the outcomes and themes the author presented.
February 23, 2017
Another brilliant volume. Battling gods, humour, horror and... political commentary! Chuffed by the inclusion of the timely post-Brexit content. Good stuff.
September 22, 2024
Not as good as the first volume, the story was a bit convoluted and confusing and the ending rushed. Presumably the title was cancelled at short notice and some kind of conclusion was needed. A pity, as I think the book had great potential.
November 5, 2016
A cool and entertaining comic book! Soon I'll be writing the review on the blog.
¡Un cómic muy bueno y entretenido! Pronto escribiré la reseña en el blog.
¡Un cómic muy bueno y entretenido! Pronto escribiré la reseña en el blog.
March 31, 2017
There are many good ideas in this series, but they have not been well organised and merged into one coherent story. Too many pieces of information are droped surprisingly just when they are needed instead of building the world up first (or the two worlds, as it suddenly turns out in issue 12 of 13!).
A major dealbreaker for me was the choice of replacement artist when Meghan Hetrick was unavailable. Her replacement does not even try to emulate her unique style. His own style is ugly and appears 15 years behind time - at least when directly compared to the art of the rest of the series. I literally stopped reading when I saw the style switch again in issue 12 and realised issue 13 was largely not illustrated by Hetrick.
It's a shame. There's a lot of potential here!
A major dealbreaker for me was the choice of replacement artist when Meghan Hetrick was unavailable. Her replacement does not even try to emulate her unique style. His own style is ugly and appears 15 years behind time - at least when directly compared to the art of the rest of the series. I literally stopped reading when I saw the style switch again in issue 12 and realised issue 13 was largely not illustrated by Hetrick.
It's a shame. There's a lot of potential here!
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews