Aja's Cover Art expectations for style are subverted by Colak's Archer-Meets Peanuts inking, and forgettable coloring which is only strong in outdoor scenes few and far between in an indistinctively central European urban setting.</p>

<h3> Text </h3>

Writing: Relatively alright, and better than the art by contrast at least. There's not enough characterization establishing Young Red Skull's future formidable cunning, just a lot of senseless beating and him requiting sucker punches at most. Its greatest sin is reading - and looking - like a secondary school history textbook's infographic. There just isn't a great deal that's actually immersive from visual/cultural cues to establish these scenes as being in Germany apart from political insignias, as opposed to any other urban space. Lettering was clever in scenes featuring singing.</p>

<h3> Summary</h3>

Pak's treatment of the subject is appropriate in Magneto: Testament, but undercuts the requirements of making a compelling villain backstory: This Young Red Skull is an annoying Bavarian Oliver Twist, and too facetiously sympathetic until the very end. Nothing comparable to the Magneto origins' interest. Mediocre but tolerably pleasant read if you look past its flaws. Don't pay more than 8 USD for this.</p>

"We live in an age in which ignorant public figures trivialize the true horrors of the 3rd Reich <em> by comparing their non-genocide perpetrating political opponents to Nazis. [/em] Meanwhile, true atrocities ... continue across the globe without much coverage, comment <em> or understanding." </em> -- Afterword, Greg Pak </p>

Holomodor from Soviet farm collectivization in Ukraine had already set the mass-killing example for Nazis - and others to come - by 1933. Pak's ironically ignorant Afterword indicates how the characterization and plotting was undercut by the sincere but flawed historical revisionism expressed in the quote above. For the historically unaware, these <em>"non-genociding opponents"</em> referred to are Red Brigades of Communists, effecting the equal and opposite political violence and coercion as their opponents.</p>

Fish rot from the head and this comic did as well, excepting the colorist, letterer, and cover artist. 3rd International Apologism, and counterfactual political object lessons are transparently moralizing to the reader, and completely unnecessary when the ethical dubiousness of the time and place ought to be implicit as-is given the subject matter. The writer didn't have sufficient trust or respect for the audience or source material, and the result was predictably confused and inconsistent in quality throughout. An easy pass if you only have a passing curiosity in the character of Red Skull, an OK addition at discount if otherwise. 4.7/10</p>