Reviewed by Will Cooling (http://comicsnexus.insidepulse.com/articles/37923 )
"This is the fourth issue of the ever-excellent Red Eye, the quarterly magazine that takes you into the very bowels of the British comic scene, mainstream and independents alike. Thankfully the winning formula has not been tampered with articles on as diverse subjects as "Anglo-American" projects such as Scarlet Traces II and Wildstorm's forthcoming Albion project, British comic history in articles on the infamous Action comic and the legendary 2000AD artist Carlos Ezquerra and British independent creators such as David Hitchcock and Malcy Duff. However, despite this diverse range of topic matter the quality of the coverage is consistently high.
This issue (like the three that proceeded it) can be split into three sections, news and previews, features and reviews. The news and previews is where Red Eye excels, compared to most comic magazines, with an impressive range of stories from the recent Accent UK trip to the Danish Komiks.dk festival, the revival of 2000AD fanzine Zarjaz and the new reprint of classic eighties strip Doomlord. What also stands out is the quality of reporting, the articles on the Komiks.dk festival and on AP Comics new Mr. T series go into greater detail than any Comics International or Wizard news item. The previews, whilst being little more than super-solicitations are certainly a welcome feature with gorgeous artwork from the likes of Omnivistascope and the new Bulldog: Empire miniseries being given a welcome chance to shine.
The features section is equally impressive especially the evidence that more and more "professional" creators are taking Red Eye seriously with Ian Edginton, D'Israeli and Jock all taking time out to talk with the Red Eye staff in well structured and informative interviews. Perhaps the most interesting is the interview Leah Moore and Shane Oakley do to plug their new Albion mini-series that will see British comic heroes of the 50s/60s being revived in a Wildstorm mini-series plotted by Alan Moore himself. The insight we get into the story's genesis coupled with the wider perspective of the current interest in old school British comics/sci-fi makes for a fascinating article that is extremely well written by Barry Renshaw. What's impressive about Red Eye is that it treats such creators with respect without patronising or ignoring smaller, independent creators such as David Hitchcock and the Cosmogensis team of Tony Suleri Adam Grose being the subject of very attentive and informative interviews. One of Red Eye's strengths is to combine both mainstream and independent coverage without falling into either Wizard's or Comics Journal blanket refusal of one of the sections. However, its arguable that with these interviews Red Eye is giving us too much of a good thing with the number clocking in at an impressive seven. This is especially noticeable as there is a notable lack of feature articles or op-ed pieces on contemporary comics.
Where Red Eye can't be faulted is in its retro coverage, with two fantastic articles bringing the features section to a close. Continuing Walther's excellent series on 2000AD greats we get a superb retrospective on the only of the "big five" 2000AD artists** that still regularly works on the Prog. Walther details early 2000AD career expertly with a concise, vivid description of the creation of both Judge Dredd and Strontium Dog alongside an overview of his wider career and detailed analysis of his technique. The only flaw in a near perfect article is the lack of analysis of Ezquerra's triumphant move to colour in the 90s first with paints and then even more successfully with computer colouring. Other than that Walther does a staggering job in distilling a 30plus year career in five pages. The second, equally excellent retro article is Moose Harris' history on the British comic equivalent of a supernova-the infamous Action. No comic has burnt so brightly or so fast than the second of Pat Mills' trilogy of mould breaking 70s comics. Harris goes over the familiar tale of the anti-establishment, anarchic boys comic that was launched to widespread reader acclaim, the "moral panic" it created and then its eventual suspension and neutering. It's a very good article that tells an often told vividly with Harris' passion and anger over Action's treatment leaping off the page.
Finally, there are the reviews with the likes of Pest Control, Solar Wind and Charley's War being placed under the gaze of Red Eye reviewers. The range of comics covered is impressive whilst the reviewers use the limited space extremely well, providing an impressive amount of information. Pick of the bunch has got to be Barry Renshaw's excellent whole page review of Charley's War that treats Titan's first collection of the legendary anti-war story set in the First World War trenches with the respect and reverence it fully deserves.
And so concludes a magazine full of terrific writing with news, interviews, articles and reviews all written with passionate, energy and directness. A top quality read that demands your attention!!!"
Reviewed by Kelvin Green (http://www.silverbulletcomicbooks.com/reviews/111903197259703.htm)
“I made an error in my review of the previous issue of Redeye magazine; I'd pegged it as a journal of the British small press scene, but in fact it's really more of a look at the British comics industry as a whole, from the mainstream to the experimental, and from the pamphleteers running copies of their titles off on work photocopiers to the home-grown superstars working in the US industry or even in film and television.
I adore the format; for me, the perfect magazine is one that's so dense and full of information that it takes a good few hours to read in detail, and Redeye is exactly that type of magazine. The pages are packed with text, but editor Barry Renshaw obviously has a keen design sense as those pages are never dull to read, with good page design and effective use of images. It would be nice, I think, to have photographs of the writers and artists that are interviewed and profiled, but the black and white printing may render that more trouble than it's worth. Nonetheless, there is little to fault in terms of presentation, and this particular issue has a square-bound spine, giving it a hefty solid feel.
In terms of content, this issue may be an improvement even on previous issues. The bulk of the issue is made up of interviews with and profiles of various comic creators, and all are informative and entertaining, with well chosen questions and insightful remarks, the profile of the legendary Carlos Ezquerra standing out as a particular highlight. The feature articles are so strong in fact that they overshadow the reviews section somewhat; while the reviewers write as intelligently as the feature writers, the reviews themselves seem a bit out of place, and I can't help but wish that there was another fascinating article in their place. That said, the reviews do draw the reader's attention to a number of titles that might otherwise go unnoticed, and that's always a good thing.
With every issue of this magazine I see, I become increasingly more impressed. The Brit-centric subject matter might put many off, but from the perspective of content and production, this stands head and shoulders above most, if not all, other print magazines dealing with comics.”
Reviewed by Mardou (http://www.bugpowder.com/trs2/05/06/08/redeye4.html )
“To those in the know about British small press (and if you're reading Bugpowder, then that probably includes you), Redeye doesn't need that much of an introduction. A cottage industry magazine, which is well produced with each consecutive issue looking increasingly professional, issue 4 doesn't disappoint.
There's articles within on Malcy Duff, Ian Edginton and Disraeli, David Hitchcock and Jeremy Dennis to name but a few as well as reports on comics festivals (Copenhagen 2004 and The UK Web and Mini Comix Thing 2005) as well as 7 pages of small press reviews. All in, it provides a couple of hours of good reading. There's some excellent journalism here too. Writers like Matthew Badham seem as conversant in the fan-boy end of the spectrum as he does in the alt-comix arena.
However to those new to British small press or just casually interested, would Redeye stand out as a ‘must buy' magazine? I'm not so sure. The front cover would have probably put me off had I not been keen to read about the names on the cover. And I feel that's a bit of a problem. When reviewing Redeye it's very easy to use words like ‘solid' or ‘chunky'. And as a reading experience, they're fitting adjectives, I only wish that the editorial approach would be a little more daring as far as packaging goes.
The previous covers have been pretty samey and boring, usually a pinup style illustration incorporating the Union Jack in some way. Number 4's no exception, this time it's David Hitchcock's turn to drape the flag. It lends weight to the perception that 'a chick holding a gun' imagery typifies ‘indie' comics, and that's as far from the truth as it is boring. Seeing as how the comic has articles on experimental artists like Malcy Duff and hugely original talents like Jeremy Dennis, the editor Baz Renshaw could be commissioning some really amazing cover artwork here instead of peddling the Union Jack gimmick for another issue.
Well my two-pennorth aside, despite its lacklustre cover, this is a really great magazine aiming high and delivering at providing a balanced, in-depth tour of UK independent comics. Recommended.”
