Red Winter 1. Michael Gordon (Writer), Francisco Munoz (Pencils/Inks), Rolands Kalnins (Colours), Nikki Sherman (Letters) (2018)

An enjoyable and engaging crime story that is a bleak and biting as the Moscow winter. Eli Winter is an American ex-policeman living in Moscow working for Nikolai Dubrovsky. After five years of minor jobs Eli is told to investigate the robbery of a major drugs manufacturing and distribution centre. A robbery that included the murder of the staff working there. Eli investigates as required and has a very brutal encounter before he makes it back to his apartment where a very bad day becomes a catastrophic one.
Any first issue has to establish the cast, context and plot launch very quickly without being to crowed or dense. Michael Gordon makes it look easy. The story unfolds quickly, still taking the time to give details about the context that make it clear just how much Eli Winter still has to loose, before he even realizes the actual depth of his problems. Confident, sharp writing move the cast beyond being the stock figures of the genre. Indebted outsider, a powerful gangster with an temperamental offspring who wants to respond. Each are compelling in their own right as they confront the problem that the robbery and murders have created.
Francisco Munoz's art places the cast in a solid context, this is a brutal city where the price of surviving a freezing night is the toll taken on your health. Everyone is  struggling and those with power are constantly fighting to retain it. Disrespect is the most dangerous act, Eli Winter is cheerfully disrespectful where he can be, his grin is a sign of his victory. The rest of the cast are all full of life and energy, they push their way forward to demand attention from the reader, they exude menace without shouting, the art shows the dangerous anger boiling just below the surface with subtle skill.
Rolands Kalnins's colours are suitably muted in keeping with the emotional tone of the story, they bring out the details of the context and cast, giving it weight and depth that is required to give the story the edge it should have. Nikki Sherman's lettering is natural and easy to read, drawing no attention to itself they allow the cast speak directly to the reader.
Red Winter is a gripping crime story that has set up a powerful set of possibilities all of them likely to be increasingly bad news for the cast. How they respond will be fascinating to see.
Chris Shehan's stunning cover is a true indication of the quality within.