By Benjamin Morin — Crimson Flower #1 unites comic scribe Matt Kindt with Eisner-nominated artist Matt Lesniewski for a thrilling new series. After last year's exceptional espionage miniseries BANG!, this new book serves as Kindt’s latest outing for Dark Horse Comics, promising to deliver another sublime mixture of genres. With a narrative that blends a classic revenge tale, Slavic folklore, and government conspiracies, Crimson Flower #1 is a debut unlike anything else hitting comic shelves this week.

The premise of this book follows an unnamed young woman who, after witnessing her family’s brutal murder, embarks on a blood-soaked quest for revenge. Kindt’s setup may at first glance seem like a bit of a cliche, but he immediately imbues it with its own fresh and experimental style. By drawing from Slavic folklore, Kindt infuses the narrative with a rich mythos and setting that elevates the concept. This approach to an otherwise standard story motif ends up working to great effect.

Kindt’s use of Slavic folklore, however, does not just stop at a new setting, but it is instead woven throughout the whole narrative. The protagonist is prone to moments of reverie for her childhood stories, which in turn begins to blur the lines between fact and fiction. This allows the narrative to imitate these classic tales and give them a modern twist. The Slavic inspiration here straddles the fine line between homage and modernization, with the use of both benefiting the story and bleeding over into the art as well.

Lesniewski’s art alone immediately establishes this book as a unique entry in the direct market monthly comics world. His linework has a rugged quality that lends the issue its own special texture. From the densely-packed backgrounds to the peculiar paneling, Lesniewski brings a fresh vision to the book. Perhaps the aspect of Lesniewski’s style that stands out most is his use of exaggerated proportions. The character designs in Crimson Flower #1 border on the edge of caricature and give each individual their own defining characteristics. It is during the action oriented moments that Lesniewki’s exaggerations get taken to the extremes. Arms and legs spring to inhuman lengths and bodies crumple and contort to amplify the motion of each scene.

These exaggerated proportions not only apply to the characters’ bodies but to their faces too. Lesniewski stretches his characters’ features to their absolute limits to convey every detailed emotion. Throughout the issue, many panels take the time to focus on the individual's reactions, and Lesniewski’s attention to detail makes these scenes shine. On top of all of this, Lesniewski also letters the book. His striking onomatopoeia usage enhances the reading experience and adds further depth to the issue. Lesniewski’s artwork is then further complemented by colorist Bill Crabtree. Crabtree lends the book a rather muted color palette, but is one that still retains the visual punch of the linework. Together, Lesniwski and Crabtree’s art further distinguishes this work as something special.

On the whole, Crimson Flower #1 delivers a fresh and promising series debut. Kindt sets up a unique world informed by a wealth of lesser known stories, alongside hinting at a deeper conspiracy behind it all.

In addition to this, the artistic team of Lesniewski and Crabtree absolutely knock it out of the park here in a way that compliments the narrative tonally and stylistically. If there is anything to complain about with this comic, it would be the ambiguity that surrounds the protagonist, but it’s such a minor complaint, one that will most likely be rectified as the series continues.

Overall: Crimson Flower #1 makes for a welcome addition to comic shelves this week. It’s imaginative creative team delivers an original debut that functions fantastically both in narrative and art. 9/10

REVIEW: Crimson Flower #1

Crimson Flower #1
Writer: Matt Kindt
Artist: Matt Lesniewski
Colorist: Bill Crabtree
Letterer: Matt Lesniewski
Publisher: Dark Horse
Price: $3.99
From New York Times bestselling Mind MGMT creator Matt Kindt and Matt Lesniewski (The Freak) comes a brand-new, mind-altering journey through Russian folk tales, trained assassins, and government conspiracies.
After losing her family in a violent home invasion, a woman uses folk tales to cope. In a blood-soaked journey toward revenge, she tracks down the man responsible for her family's deaths, only to discover a startling government plot--to weaponize folk tales and use them to raise children into super assassins.
Release Date: January 20, 2021
Buy It Digitally: Crimson Flower #1 on comiXology

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Ben is a comic buff and film fanatic. A journalism major by day and a comic reviewer by night, he ardently consumes all forms of sequential art. On Twitter, he goes by @BiglikeBen.