A review by jstilts
Dead Space by Ben Templesmith, Antony Johnston

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

Grim, dark and a little nasty - but all beats this graphic novel is aiming for in both the story and the art style. At first glance (especially given some of the cover art) Dead Space appears to be Zombies-In-Space, but that's really not what is going on here - it's more a tale of mass hysteria.

I won't spoil the plot - which it carefully reveals piece by piece - but Dead Space follows a mining colony that uncovers an artifact on a distant world that strangely resembles objects of religious significance to many, and appears to have a dangerous affect on everyone's state of mind. It's a little unsettling, and has plenty of gory moments.

The art style suits the story very well, and adds an extra layer of unsettling animalistic tension as - even before things get weird - everyone is drawn with long tall gumless teeth, talon-like fingers, lumpy or gristle-like features and everything and everyone is watercoloured with a grimy wash. There's probably a name for this art style, and while it sounds like I'm criticising it I'm not - it's very effective.

While this isn't quite my sort of thing, I recommend it to anyone looking for a bit of nihilistic space opera to change things up a bit - but you may want to read it during daylight hours!
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