3 out of 5

For as “American” as sports like football and baseball are, it’s interesting to me that the US doesn’t have a proxy for sports manga, or the UK football (aka soccer) comic.

Rok of the Reds – while coming from a very UK source, being Judge Dredd co-creator John Wagner, also co-creating here with frequent collaborator Alan Grant – feels kind of like a concession for that sociological gap, mapping a football / soccer story to a more US-accessible sci-fi narrative, and chunking it into full-length comic chapters. Of course, that was just happenstance, as Wagner and Grant could’ve had this in 2000 AD back in the day, instead going with (now defunct) indie published BHP for a graphic novel format; and it’s not like the Brits don’t also have a nice, long history with Rok’s cheeky science fiction in comics, but all the same: I get why John didn’t pitch this to 2000 AD, and its soccer flavor is very light; the book feels primed for general audiences.

Which is probably what holds it back, as, from afar, it’s a hoot: rapacious footballer Kyle Dixon, falling star for the local Radford Reds, has his body “borrowed” by on-the-run alien Rok, whose plan to lay low includes blending in – and thus, learning football. Soon enough, Rok finds himself enjoying the game, improving the town’s opinion of Kyle, and making life confusing with an impending return date to the stars. This is a simple but potentially layered setup, rife with opportunities to just have fun with sports and drama or dig a little deeper as well: perfect fodder for satirists like Wagner and Grant.

But the book never quite achieves a fully fleshed out take on Rok, or pursues any given tone to a notable extent. The “rules” for why Rok must stay on Earth / stay as Kyle are a bit rushed, and that leads us to clunky subplotting – reedy attempts at extra drama: Will Rok be discovered? What happens when his past comes calling? These are logical subplots, but they’re also arguably A-plots, which is indicative of what I’m talking about: we never really get a thesis as to what Wags / Grant are going for. And I think that’s because it’s intended to be several things, but we’re there faced with the bane of uncertain publishing: this crew didn’t know they’d be getting a sequel (two sequels!), and so have to relatively wrap things up by the end, whereas the pacing and vibe of the book are much more befitting something ongoing; in order to be a tighter GN, they would’ve needed to dial up the stakes some.

Stepping back from that criticism, though, these are writing pros resurrecting an idea they’d had long gestating, and there’s a comfort / confidence in that that makes the book a breeze to read. Positively compounding this is (then) new artist Dan Cornwell, who strikes a slightly more solid P.J. Holden-esque style and is a perfect match for the muted quirks of the book, capably blending alien affairs with stuff on the pitch. At this early stage, Dan definitely experiments with how much detail to add onto a page / panel, and the best ways to portray an action-busy panel – necessary for sports – and settles into a really excellent look for characters / scenes soon into the series, with the latter effort definitely notable, but somewhat of a struggle throughout. If it’s a single, linear action – kick a ball straight – Cornwell is great; but when you have a pass and a kick and multiple players moving, it gets a bit wonky. I don’t even this – lord knows how I’d handle something like that, even if I could draw.

The collection has chapter break pages with illustrations, effectively acting as issue covers, some process sketches / inks, and two fun illustrations that show the creative team inserted into the background, and a full team roster for the Reds.