Event Horizon: Dark Descent #1 Review

 

 

Writer: Christian Ward

Artist: Tristan Jones

Colorist: Pip Martin

Letterer: Alex Ray

Editor: Nicolas Niño

Cover Artists: Jeffrey Alan Love, Christian Ward, Martin Simmonds, Joshua Hixson & Rob Carey

Publisher: IDW

Price: $4.99

Release Date: August 20, 2025

 

Dr William Weir isn’t in Hell. But he’s haunted and doesn’t know how to move on. Since his wife’s death, William has dreamed of Claire every night. Somehow, his nightmarish penance inspires him. General Anderson urges him to take time off, but William wants to return to work. Can he correct the problems plaguing the Gravity Drive? And what will happen when they launch the Event Horizon into space? Let’s leap into Event Horizon: Dark Descent #1 and see!

 

Story

Like William, Dr Jennifer Kwan mourns someone she lost. As she gazes out the viewport of the Event Horizon, Jennifer remembers how an argument ruined their relationship. Her friend Nia lightens her spirits and refocuses Jennifer upon the momentous event awaiting them. Jennifer can’t wait to activate Dr William Weir’s Gravity Drive and travel to Proxima Centauri in the blink of an eye.

 

In Event Horizon: Dark Descent #1, William and Jennifer aren’t the only people hurting. As Jennifer and Nia gather for a briefing, death casts a shadow over all of them. But perhaps it’s worst for William, who remains back home. Only it’s not home anymore. Now, it’s a void, an empty place he inhabits when not at work. William regrets how he devoted his life to science instead of sharing it with his wife.

 

In Christian Ward’s story, past and present intermingle. Like anyone who has lost a loved one, William sees his wife daily. Instead of reliving memories, Claire interacts with him, suggesting clues to impasses, and giving him the support he never gave her. Claire urges him to cross the barrier between his realm and hers, so their reunion can be complete.

 

Event Horizon: Dark Descent #1 follows William, Jennifer, and Nia’s journeys as the Event Horizon prepares to fold space. As the crew struggles to cope with the traumas in their past, each will take their private horror into the void. No one suspects how the darkness of this unexplored realm will magnify their fears.

 

Art

Tristan Jones magnifies the brokenness of the characters’ lives with dots, circles, ink blotches, and fragmented lines. Each person’s face becomes a roadmap of grief, or a pin cushion of sorrow. As Jennifer rests her hand on the viewport, a face stares back at her, even after she turns away. Heavily inked hull frames corridors with riblike supports and hanging conduits. The crew works beneath an arched ceiling, where Jennifer and Nia join them. Captain John Kilpack sits at the center of the audience gathered before one arch of the crypt-like room. They regard Jennifer with indifference, boredom, and a hint of fear. Only Nia smiles, her body language demonstrating camaraderie and excitement.

 

Pip Martin contributes a palette of limited colors that enhances the detailed art in Event Horizon: Dark Descent #1. Green, purple, and gray dominate William’s scenes, while red enlivens his horrific thoughts. The blue-gray ship resembles a person leaping into space with a swan dive, the big head staring into the unknown. Beige, blue, and green dominate interior scenes, while the yellow-green light of monitors reflects off the crew and the interior. Pink and red brighten the background and later adorn the foreground of a dramatic confrontation. The red harkens back to when William discovered his wife’s body, and how he sees her now.

 

William shares his thoughts with white uppercase letters in dark-gray boxes. Black uppercase letters fill white dialogue balloons, while Latin words are italicized. Words grow bold for intonation and when introducing crew via light-gray boxes. White block letters locate us in time and space, while sound effects signal ship functions and tragedy. Yet, ever William’s companion and ours, Claire’s bold white words haunt black dialogue balloons bordered with scarlet. Thanks to IDW for providing a review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

Event Horizon: Dark Descent #1 is a powerhouse prequel that honors Resident Evil director Paul WS Anderson’s unforgettable 1997 cosmic horror movie.

 

Rating 9/10

 

For more cover art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.