Red (WildStorm comics)

Red is a three-issue comic book mini-series published in 2003 and 2004 by WildStorm imprint Homage Comics. It was created by writer Warren Ellis and artist Cully Hamner.

Plot
Paul Moses is a retired agent of the CIA, formerly working in "foreign acquisitions". Living in a secluded area, his human contacts are limited to pleasant phone calls to his handler (who desires what she believes to have been Moses' type of work) and letters to a niece who lives in England.

Michael Beesley, the newly politically appointed Director of the CIA, is taken to Room R as part of his initiation, where he learns of Moses' existence and the full extent of his activities. Disgusted by what he has seen, and fearing public reaction should any of those secrets leak out, he orders the assassination of Moses.

A three man hit-team is sent to Moses' residence and he kills them, recognizing the pattern of the attack and realizing his death has been sanctioned. He calls his handler only to learn that she has been transferred. He informs the Agency that his status has changed from Green to Red before leaving his house and going on the hunt.

Collected editions
In June 2009, DC Comics released a collection of the series that includes the script to issue #1 and never-before-seen developmental art and a new cover by Hamner. (DC ISBN 1-4012-2346-X, Titan Books, ISBN 1-84856-293-4)

The series was previously collected into a trade paperback with another Ellis-written mini-series, Tokyo Storm Warning:


 * Red/Tokyo Storm Warning (144 pages, June 2004, ISBN 1-4012-0283-7)

Film
On June 12, 2008, The Hollywood Reporter announced on its front page that Summit Entertainment had optioned Red as a feature film. Whiteout screenwriters Erich and Jon Hoeber wrote the adaptation, directed by Robert Schwentke of The Time Traveler's Wife and Flightplan and produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Mark Vahradian of Transformers. Principal photography began in January 2010 in Toronto and Louisiana with stars Bruce Willis and Morgan Freeman. The film was more of a comedy as opposed to the more serious tone of the series, and several new characters were introduced. Ellis has stated that “yes, RED the film is very different. Not least because it needed to generate more material than the book itself actually constituted”.

Comics prequel
In the summer of 2010 and in light of the release of the film version of Red, it was announced that Cully Hamner would return to both write and illustrate the Paul Moses character for a 40-page prequel called Red: Eyes Only. Ellis gave his blessing to the project, but chose not to participate.

In addition, four prequels were produced featuring characters created for the movie and written by the screenwriters: Victoria, Joe, Marvin, Frank.