Confusingly, this is called an adaptation of the 2021 Cruella movie on the back cover and a prequel in some of the online marketing, but what this really is is a previously untold side story set during the ten-year or so time jump that occurs about fifteen minutes into the film. The story begins with Estella Miller as a 19-year-old well into her life of street crime with Jasper and Horace as she doodles out her fashion ideas in their hideaway. With her black-and-white hair dyed red because she despises the hues black and white due to her childhood trauma, Estella sets out on the streets of 1970s London for three short adventures. In "Black" she gains a new appreciation for black as she dips her toe in the punk scene. In "White" she gets involved with an unimaginative designer named Emilia who works only in white because she doesn't understand the "art" of fashion. And in the four-page "Red" Estella acknowledges the value of a pop of color when working in black-and-white.

It's all told in the emo, angsty, campy tone of the movie, but it really doesn't work without Emma Stone chewing the scenery.

Based on other comics that use the "Black, White, and Red" sub-title you might expect some spots of color in the course of the book, but it is printed solely in black-and-white with gray standing in for red.

Also, it is called a manga, but it reads from left to right like regular English comics. Despite the Japanese creator, I also think this was commissioned and first published in English and is not an actual Japanese import. ( )