From Titan Books, Ben Templesmith, Antony Johnston.

Recently Titan Books sent their newly released graphic novels based on the Dead Space video games.  Sometimes its difficult to take an interesting story from one medium to another and still have quality.  The first graphic novel in this series, titled simply Dead Space, is a new must have for any horror lovers book shelf.

I gave this elevator pitch to my wife when she asked what I was reading this week:  Humans are in space and uncover an ancient marker.  It corresponds to one of their religions but it also unleashes a horrible plague.  So not only is it a monster survival story, but also a tale of religious zealots.  Oh plus the monsters are made up of dead human bodies.  Many dead human bodies.

She’s going to read the book just as soon as I’m done with this review.

Abraham Neumann is the main character and this creative team pulls off something incredible.  Abe’s not really that likable   He does what he has to do in life but there isn’t a strong moral code or noble character beneath.  However the dangers he faces throughout the comic are so horrific that he only needs that one bond to latch onto any reader.  Both of you are human.

Every bit of writing and art furthers this tale of deep space and deep gore.  It should be an incredibly complicated book but all of the details are right there for the reader to understand everything.  The politics, the technology, the religions, the prejudices.  If the game is half as well written I’ll need to go to one of the 100s of Game Stops conveniently located in every mall and by every Wal Mart to buy it.

Its the best work I’ve seen from Ben Templesmith in years.  Not only the way he draws both humans and the recently departed.  Its the angles, the colors, the spaces.  His art takes a story that could just have one obvious horror and makes it terrifying on multiple levels.  Enclosed spaces, the fear of the unknown.  Even the isolation of space, the idea of being so far from home, come into play and make this a book that is impossible to read at night.

Fans of the video game will enjoy it without question.  I would suggest sneaking this to your horror movie loving friends.  They always complain that they’ve seen it all.  That everyone is copying everything that came before.  Show them that the newest and most graphic twists are taking place inside of great comics like this one.