‘Red Roots’ Review: A Very Weird World Worth Getting Lost In

One word I would use for Red Roots is ambitious. This is one of those comics where the first issue ends and you immediately realize you have absolutely no idea what kind of story you just started reading. Normally that can go very wrong, but Lorenzo De Felici keeps throwing enough weirdness at you that you want to figure it out.

And honestly, De Felici doing almost everything himself makes the whole thing even more impressive. He writes, draws, and colors the series, with Rus Wooton handling the lettering. I already knew his work from Void Rivals, but seeing him build an entire world of his own like this made me appreciate him even more because there is a lot going on here.

A Killer, a Teacher, and… Severed Heads?

The story starts with two people who could not be more different. Dan is a professional killer who clearly knows how to handle himself when things get violent, while Kate is a high school teacher living a much more normal life. Well, normal until severed heads start appearing around her house. Whaaaaat?

That was basically my reaction to the first issue because the book keeps jumping between Dan’s violent story and Kate trying to understand why incredibly disturbing things are suddenly happening around her. You know they are connected somehow, but De Felici gives you almost nothing to work with at first.

Then red roots enter the picture, both characters get pulled somewhere else entirely, and somehow things get even stranger.

Welcome to Whatever This Place Is

Kate and Dan wake up in a completely different world filled with strange creatures, people who seem to have been pulled there from elsewhere, and a massive city called the Dam surrounded by an ongoing war.

It does not really feel like a traditional alien planet. The people and creatures there seem to come from different places, and the Red Roots themselves are apparently responsible for bringing at least some of them into this world. Dan and Kate are basically dropped into the middle of something that has been happening long before they arrived, with no instructions and very few answers. Kinda like my last job? 

There is a war against creatures called the Muted, people die in battle and can apparently be brought back and healed, and nobody seems particularly shocked by any of this anymore. Dan adapts much faster because violence is already part of his life, while Kate reacts a lot more like I probably would, which is mostly wondering what the hell is happening. Kinda like my last job.

Put Your Hand in the Tree and Hope for the Best

Eventually we learn that there actually is a way home, sort of. The Red Roots can produce a seed that allows someone to leave, but getting one is not as simple as walking up and asking nicely. You have to fulfill whatever mission the Roots brought you there to accomplish first.

Small problem: nobody tells you what your mission is. So Kate and Dan know they were brought there for a reason, know there might be a way home, and have absolutely no idea what they are supposed to do to earn it. Meanwhile, there is an endless war happening around them that increasingly seems tied to why people are being brought there in the first place.

This was the point where the series really clicked for me.

I Was Confused. Then It Started Making Sense.

I will admit that the first three issues overwhelmed me a little. Red Roots introduces a lot of ideas without immediately explaining them, and for a while I was mostly following along thinking, okay, surely this is going somewhere.

By Issues #4 and #5, the world starts falling into place. We learn more about the Dam, the Red Roots, the war, why people are brought there, and what getting home might actually require. There are still a lot of unanswered questions, but now I understand enough of the rules to actually enjoy watching De Felici mess with them.

And once that happened, I started having a lot of fun with it. The world itself is probably my favorite part now. There is this mix of dark fantasy, horror, sci-fi, and war story that should feel like too much, but somehow it works because everything is connected by the mystery of the Roots. Even the fact that death is not necessarily permanent changes how the war works and makes you question what the point of this endless fighting actually is.

Very Happy This One Is Continuing

Five issues in, Red Roots still has a lot to explain, but now that I understand how much bigger the story is trying to be, I am very happy this is an ongoing series.

De Felici could have made something much safer, especially for his first big ongoing as both writer and artist, but instead he went for this massive strange world where a professional killer and a schoolteacher are somehow central to a war they barely understand. Ambitious really is the word for it.

Volume 1 collects Issues #1-5 and releases October 21, 2026. Issue #6 arrives November 25 and starts a new story arc, with Kate and Dan finally understanding that the war itself may be their only way home. Which sounds encouraging. Probably isn’t.

Related Reading

If the giant mystery-box world of Red Roots worked for you, our If Destruction Be Our Lot review also drops you into a strange society and slowly explains how everything works as the characters uncover what is really going on. And our Crossover review goes in a completely different direction but has the same love of throwing characters into a reality where the normal rules have stopped making sense.

FAQ

What is Red Roots about?
Red Roots follows professional killer Dan and high school teacher Kate after a mysterious force pulls them into a strange world dominated by the Red Roots, an endless war, and a possible path home neither of them fully understands.

Who created Red Roots?
Lorenzo De Felici writes, draws, and colors the series, with lettering by Rus Wooton.

Is Red Roots an ongoing series?
Yes. Image Comics describes Red Roots as an ongoing series, with Issue #6 beginning a new story arc in November 2026.

What does Red Roots Volume 1 collect?
Volume 1 collects Issues #1-5 and releases October 21, 2026.

When does Red Roots #6 come out?
Issue #6 is scheduled for November 25, 2026 and begins the next story arc.