Dead Space Vol. 1 is written by Antony Johnston and published by Titan Comics. Artwork is by Ben Templesmith and letters by Rus Wooton.
Dead Space Vol. 1 is available from today, in print and on digital platforms where all good comic books are sold. Grab your digital copy from Amazon Comixology UK right here.
Synopsis
When P-SEC Sgt. Abraham Neumann encounters a reanimated corpse, he fights off wave after wave with one goal in mind: Survival. After the discovery of an Alien artefact prompts mysterious incidents to occur, the colony is shaken through psychological and vicious threats that break down their security. With the Church of Unitology slowly moving to awaken the Marker and push humanity to extinction. The onslaught grows as a gruesome undertaking takes place.
Review
For the first time since 2013, Antony Johnston’s iconic Dead Space comic series is getting a paperback re-release from Titan Comics. Now, almost a decade since its last release and 17 years since the original game was unleashed on the world, we revisit Johnston’s series in all of it’s disturbing, gory glory.
Throughout this prequel we follow Abraham Neumann who is simply tasked with maintaining order amongst the Aegis VII colony. However, as events start to escalate, Neumann has to take things into his own hands just to survive. Johnston very wisely uses this story to explore the growing tensions around those in the colony against those who want to tamper with the newly discovered Marker as part of the Church of Unitology.
This is something the first game hints at, letting Dead Space 2 and 3 go more in depth with this aspect of the series’ lore. Through this story we get a bit more detail on how the excavation of the Marker leads to a Necromorph outbreak. Showing the growing tensions between these two core elements, colony order and its gradual decline into chaos, is something we don’t see much of in the games as Isaac only ever stumbles across the aftermath of these events. It lends to a genuinely compelling angle for this narrative to fully delve in to and it really makes the most of it.
From the opening few pages, it is evident that the tone and feel from the games has been translated seamlessly to this comic with its own unique, grungy aesthetic. There is a gnarly look to Ben Templesmith’s artwork that brings out the horrific nature of the Dead Space universe even during less intense moments. Tense arguments or conversations have an aggressive feel to them due to the illustrations on display which helps heighten the atmosphere before, during and after the mutated Necromorphs start killing people.
The further into the book you get, the more hellish and grotesque the imagery becomes. Templesmith doesn’t hold back in exaggerating the gruesome nature of this worsening situation and it really becomes one of this comic’s highlight features. It’s in your face in the best possible way and enhances the horror that this series is renowned for.
If you’re a fan of the series or sci-fi horror in general, there’s definitely something to appreciate from this comic. The artwork is visceral, the story is gripping and it all works perfectly together to create an intense and heart-pounding read. This re-release is perfect for those wanting to revisit this great comic book but also acts as a great jumping on point for those who may have missed it the first time around.
Verdict
A spine-chilling read from start to finish that seamlessly captures the constant dread and brutality of the Dead Space video games. If you’re already a fan of this franchise then this comic won’t disappoint as it packs as much gruesome imagery and tense horror into its pages as it physically can.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
