We live in frightening times.
Maybe it’s because of the recent pandemic. Once bitten, we’re twice shy towards existential upheaval and perceived threats.
Countries across the globe seem on the brink of war, a line of domino nations that will unceasingly topple, one society after another, until far away conflicts reach our own front porch.
Or maybe the fear is right above us.
3I/Atlas, an immense interstellar object, is hurtling its way through our solar system, paying no mind to any scientific measurements we think it should conform to. Is it a natural object or is it alien tech? Only late-night deep dives on the social feeds know for sure.
And that’s why October, the Spooky Season, is the best time of the year. It’s now, with the colder air, lesser light and ominous feeling of dread, that we most feel alive!
This is especially around these parts of the interwebs where Biff Bam Pop! celebrates all things scary.
And this particular column must follow suit, today highlighting human and alien horrors in a four-part comic book miniseries that could be science fiction…or science fact.
Red Book is written by the award-winning and fan-favourite James Tynion IV (Something Is Killing The Children, The Nice House On The Lake, Detective Comics, The Department of Truth), thrillingly illustrated by the always-sought Michael Avon Oeming (Powers, The Mice Templar, Cave Carson Has A Cybernetic Eye) and published by Dark Horse Comics. It’s the follow up to their Blue Book miniseries from a few years ago. That title focussed on a number of past-century alien encounter stories from across America, almost like an investigative, non-fiction, retelling of the tales that made various back-page newspaper articles as well as F.B.I. reports.
Of course, we liked it so much that we highlighted it here.
Where Blue Book told alien tales from the western world, Red Book goes in the opposite geographic direction, pulling back the heavy iron curtain and mining deep into the exo-history of both Russia and China.
And that rich ore runs deep. Very deep.
Those two powerful communist states have their own chilling tales of alien encounters to tell – ones that were once kept tightly hidden from the democratic world for decades. But in the four-part Red Book, their frightening tales of human insignificance and outer space mystery are finally placed under the world’s interested, inquisitive and discerning hot lights.
And, during this Spooky Season, we’re all gleefully thankful for it!
Brave the existential threats, alien fears and frightening mysteries that surround us all and make the run to your local comic book shop to pick up Red Book #1 today!
You can catch a sneak peek at Red Book #1 right here.
