Crimson: Redemption - Tome 4

Crimson (collected editions) #4

by Brian Augustyn

Book by Augustyn, Brian

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Horror, Fantasy, Vampires, Paranormal, Comic Book

160 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2001

About the author

Augustyn got his start in the industry in 1986 as an editor for Tru Studios' Trollords. He then edited Syphons and Speed Racer for NOW Comics in 1987. In 1988, he joined DC, starting out as a co-editor on Action Comics during its period as a weekly title.
During the late 1980s and early 1990s Augustyn was an editor for DC Comics, where he edited The Flash, Justice League and the Impact Comics line of titles.

Augustyn was recognized for his work in the industry with the Wizard Fan Award for Favorite Editor in 1994.
He served as the managing editor of Visionary Comics Studio.
As editor of The Flash beginning in 1989, Augustyn brought in Mark Waid as writer in 1992, which led to an acclaimed eight-year run. Under Augustyn's stewardship, the Flash was brought out from the shadow of his predecessors and increased his powers dramatically. Other Augustyn-Waid editor-writer partnerships included The Comet (DC/Impact, 1992) and Impulse (DC, 1995–1996).

Augustyn currently works as story editor for publisher Red Giant Entertainment and their Giant-Size Comics line of free print comic book titles which debuted on May 3, 2014 as part of Free Comic Book Day.[

Reviews

[Variaciones Enrojo]

Edición española, cuarto y último tomo.

[J.M. Giovine · Rating 3 out of 5]

The conclusion of the series is here and, as expected, well, is just... "Okay". Despite being actually what I anticipated ever since volume 2, the book still has that rushed tone within each page, it becomes a little overwhelming after a while, perhaps even more than previous volumes. The dragon Sapha has escaped the Tartarus, and now Judgment Day has been unleashed across the globe, all a deed created by Lisseth, the Mother of all Vampires. Now, Alex Elder, Joe, Ekimus, Scarlett, St. George, and the exiled angel, Zophiel, will join along the Order of the Dragon, the Templars and the Red Hoods in order to fight against the end of the world. That's it, that's what this book revolves around and, as aforementioned, it was obviously predictable. This is exactly what the whole story promised to conclude like, or at least, how the series climax would take place, and I could tell, Ramos had tons of fun in each page he draw. Again, action was lacking in the previous entries, but this is a complete vindication, unfortunately, when Ramos draws action, some panels tend to get indistinguishable, and sometimes I had no idea what was going on whatsoever. I previously mentioned how much I wanted this to go onto Biblical-epic proportions, since that's how the story was first introduced, and that's definitely what Augustyn did at the very ending. Unfortunately, the same issues from the previous books are still present, bringing plenty of problems just as before; the story is written awfully mediocre, and the dialogues are either way too expository, or way too formal to dig. Some of the character arcs presented before seemed to be left in such a rush in order to present this conclusion, and in the worse case they were mixed for the worst. Example of this are Scarlett and Zophiel, who's development is completely thrown in order to present a horribly spontaneous love triangle that... Well, is just there for cheap drama and is never believable, since their previous interactions towards Alex were so ambiguous. Ekimus is finally used as the character that was promised, and there are some cool moments shared between him and Alex, as well as with Saint George. Another negative is how incomplete the pages seem to be; between them I thought there might've been a certain frame or extra pages missing, because the cuts feel strangely edited or absent, and this is not a problem exclusive of this book, but in here I'd noticed the most, since the entire volume is this big climax. The biggest disappointment came from the two villains: Lisseth and Van Fleet. They were supposed to bring this big apocalyptic threat, but they were so underdeveloped, Augustyn expected us to feel a certain weight once they are taking over, but the two of them weren't give the proper development or execution throughout the entire series, specially Van Fleet who actually was here ever since the first book. Even if the final fight extends for as long as necessary, we don't feel any excitement or thrills aside from the panels Ramos draws, and the sudden conclusion in the last pages isn't any help, either. I guess not everything was a waste of time, like I said, the fights–while confusing and all over the place– were fun and entertaining to look at. Some good moments fulfill the lack of depth in the story, like seeing Scarlett fighting against Dumas, his former wolf-mentor, of Ekimus, St. George and Alex fighting the dragons, so in the end, the conclusion delivers exactly what it promised since the very beginning. I guess it wasn't harmful to read this title, since it was overall fun and 'cool', the same way one could get through any Young Adult title and just pass the pages admiring some cool ideas being exposed. The biggest sin from this title is the lack of proper exploitation of the material given, being just another indie-comic book that feels more like an amateur experiment than an actual professional work, like Spawn, just to give an example. Its childish at times, and it never actually accomplishes the same success out of other titles of the genre, but again, its fun, nonetheless, and a fine title for any fans of Humberto Ramos out there. Far from being a great vampire-comic book series, but harmless and entertaining enough for what it attempts.

[Shawn Ingle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Crimson lacks cohesion on a few levels. Too many characters, not enough character development. The layouts didn't do Ramos any favors either. Using numerous, smaller panels often make his style difficult to understand what is going on. In general, certain parts of the story seem rushed while others unnecessarily drawn out. Cool premise, terrible execution.

[Justin · Rating 5 out of 5]

It all comes down to this. Vampire Queen Lisseth's plan for total world annihilation is launched, and New York City is the chosen battlefield. Sapha and his dragon army wreak havoc on the populace, while Dumas and his werewolves do their best to sow chaos as well. Can Alex and his friends possibly stave off what is shaping up to be nothing less than Armageddon?

Redemption is the final volume in the criminally underrated Crimson series, and it literally has everything but the kitchen sink. Witness Alex, Ekimus, and Saint George fighting the dragon Sapha, Joe, Zophiel and Scarlet X taking on dragons and werewolves, the Archangels of Heaven standing watch over what might be the end of the world, and the tragic, heroic sacrifice of two very important characters. And that's just the warm-up to Alex Elder, the Vampire Chosen One, facing off with Lisseth in a fiery final confrontation.

As much as I hated to see this series come to an end, I have to admit they went out in style. How many other comics can start out at day 1 of Creation and end with Armageddon? Augustyn and Ramos did something amazing with this series, and it's a real shame that so few people recognize it.

Artistically, Ramos pulled out all the stops for this one. I can't imagine how hard it was to draw a conflict of this magnitude with so many dragons, vampires, knights, wolves, angels and pure destruction, but the results are absolutely incredible.

Crimson is pure gold for dark fantasy fans. Anyone who enjoys Harry Potter, the Dresden Files, Buffy, and/or Anita Blake should definitely check out Crimson. I just wish it didn't have to end. I know it's hard to top an Armageddon story, but I'd love to have seen a follow up series on Ekimus's early years or other incarnations of Saint George.

[Rowal · Rating 5 out of 5]

TPB 4 of 4

DRAGOOONS!!
buku terakhir!
Naga menjajah Bumi!
di bawah pimpinan Sapha, Chalkydri (yang tadinya) berkepala 4, mreka membumi hanguskan Bumi dan memangsa manusia!
Alex cs pun brusaha membinasakan mreka..
ternyata masalah tak semudah itu, Lisseth menjinakkan Sapha dan menggunakannya untuk kpentingan pribadinya..
dan inilah pertarungan terakhir..
Lisseth harus mati!


YAK! selesey!
males banget sih nulis2 ringkasan cerita gitu..
kerajinan banget!
ktauan deh lagi gada kerjaan!
hahahahahahy!
POKOKNYA MUSTI BACA!!
btw kalo ada yang nemu TPB 1&4 nya kasih tau yah.. MAU BELII!!
belum punya nih..
baru punya TPB 2&3 doang!
huhuhuhu..

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great ending to an epic genre-bending series. Alex's story is one of coming-of-age meets horror in a religious apocalyptic nightmare. I am glad he met his destiny head-on and accepted what Fate and the Powers That Be had laid out for him. This is truly a comic series not to be missed by vampire fans and young adult lit followers.

[Little Timmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exceptionally good comic series. While the main character is a vampire the story is really more about the struggle between Heaven and Hell with the material Earth as the battleground. A host of celestial characters appear in the series: God, Satan, Lilith, Gabriel, St. George, The Archangel Michael..ect. Great read with very good artwork. Very Recommended

[Andre · Rating 2 out of 5]

The apocalyptic finale to the serie with an afterword that feels like a goodbye. A fun read.