Depending on your perspective, now is either the best or worst time to be a comic book fan. It’s great because so many fantastic and well-done movies are being made in the genre. However, many of these movies and books are getting stale and predictable and mostly hitting the same beats. With the debut of the series The Redcoat coming soon, a creator-owned comic book trend may be pitched to counter big-name predictability.
Who is The Redcoat?
Not much is known about The Redcoat at this point. What we do know is that he is connected to Geiger, a character Geoff Johns created. Geiger’s heavily post-apocalyptic story has captured the attention of many readers, and the addition of artist Bryan Hitch to the project brings a lot of legitimacy to the comic. In addition, it appears that the two are working on expanding what Johns calls the Unnamed Universe.
The Redcoat appears to be some kind of immortal gun for hire who has ties to the American Revolution and the Unknown War. His appearance as a pony-tailed and gun-toting Revolutionary-Era fighter is undoubtedly striking, as is his potential to transform the comic industry. He could represent the first step in a creator-driven movement towards independence and autonomy from big-name studios.
Why This Matters to Creator-Driven Comics
The comic world is changing drastically, key among them the drive toward a more creator-oriented comic world. While Marvel, DC, and even Dark Horse are still big names in the industry, more writers are going towards a more creator-owned marketplace. With the expansion of the Unnamed Universe into a new realm, Johns and Hitch could be setting a bold new precedent in the market.
If The Redcoat takes off and gets the readership that Geiger has already earned, there’s a good chance that there could be a new and exciting new voice in the comic marketplace. This isn’t to say that Marvel or even DC aren’t telling exciting and worthwhile stories. Marvel movies and comics remain fun and engaging, while DC continues to explore darker themes that sometimes land a bit too heavily.
However, Johns and Hitch’s Unnamed Universe could bring new concepts, themes, and ideas into the marketplace. By breaking away from the traditional and well-known heroes, they could add some flavor to a market that might be getting weighed down by one too many big-explosion films. After a while, there’s only so much you can say about older characters: new stories may be needed.
Look Forward to The Redcoat This Year
While it’s obviously still too early to gauge this comic’s potential, its unique themes of time travel, revolution, and war could help bring even more excitement to the comic book scene. Even more importantly, as a creator-owned enterprise, this venture could help usher in a new state of independent work that may compete with Marvel and DC in quality and excitement and help creators take more control of their series.
