Writer: Antony Johnston
Artist & Colorist: Ben Templesmith
Letterer: Rus Wooton
Publisher: Titan Comics
Price: 17.99
Release Date: March 11, 2025
Sergeant Bram Neumann has a message for you: don't travel to
Aegis VII. If your shuttle has already landed on the planet, don't leave.
Instead, request that your ship nuke the planet. What is Bram afraid of? And
why does he insist there is no cure for what ails Aegis VII? Let's grab our
medkits, leap into Dead Space Vol 1, and find out!
Story
The workers on Aegis VII are tired and cranky. After
scanning the planet, they set up their base and prepared a site for
planetcrack. As the Ishimura’s arrival nears, the colonists unearth a monument.
Unlike the obelisk in Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, the black
structure with red markings evokes tentacles reaching toward the sky. At a time
when everyone should be preparing for the Ishimura to strip-mine the planet, believers
claim the marker will guide them toward another existence.
Bram Neumann believes the Church Of Unitology brainwashed
his wife. Although he hoped she would shake off their teachings and concentrate
on their marriage, he left her to begin a new life on Aegis VII. So Bram feels
betrayed when Vera Cortez, his fellow investigator, agrees with Deakin Abbott
that the marker confirms the church’s teachings. But Bram must contend with
more than Vera's faith and lay preachers in Dead Space Vol 1. Systems like life
support and communications seem to be breaking down. And more workers are
reporting depression-like symptoms to Thomas Sciarello, the Chief Medical
Officer of Aegis VII.
In Antony Johnston’s story, Bram struggles with people's
faith and keeping peace as workers grow increasingly violent. He may have lost
his wife to the Church Of Unitology, but that doesn't explain why people have
started writing and drawing on walls, can't sleep, and are seeing ghosts. Marla
Janssen, a former hacker who works as a control operator, should support him
during these difficult times. Instead, his lover grows more focused on her work
than ever. And then, there are the symbols on the monument, which Maria
believes she can decode.
While Bram Neumann is our primary viewpoint character,
others share the spotlight in Dead Space Vol 1. One of the most significant is
Thomas Sciarello, who experiences heartache when one of his patients grows
violent. And then there is Hanford Carthusia, who oversees the colony. The
planetcrack should be his crowning achievement. Discovering the strange statue seems
like the icing on the cake. But despite his position in the Church Of
Unitology, Captain Mathius of the Ishimura seems poised to capitalize on Hanford's
achievements.
Art
Ben Templesmith’s sketchy art underlines the limitations of
this colony world. The characters look lost, exhausted, withdrawn, and afraid.
The brown and gray walls are far from pristine, while Union Square glows an
algae green. The interiors conjure memories of Peter Hyam’s Outland, and the
smoky dig site evokes Ridley Scott's Alien. The line of bright green adorning the
characters and the glowing red symbols on a twisting black marker suggest a
reason to celebrate. But then violence breaks out, bathing the colony in
crimson in Dead Space Vol 1.
After delivering extensive Character Profiles, Rus Wooton reveals
black uppercase dialogue in colored balloons. Large, white letters locate us in
time and space. Words grow bold for emphasis and swell for volume. Sparse sound
effects heighten the mystery and horror flowing through the polluted air ducts
of this threatened colony. Thanks to Titan Comics for providing a copy for
review.
Final Thoughts
When Humans prepare to turn a world into rubble, they
discover they are not as alone as they believed. As ecological concerns battle
business interests, an inhuman force arises to harvest the harvesters in Dead
Space Vol 1. And inside the base on Aegis VII, everyone can hear someone
scream.
Rating 8.8/10
To look inside see my post: Upcoming Dead Space Graphic Novels.
