Into the Unbeing Part One #1

Into the Unbeing (single issues) #1

by Zac Thompson, Hayden Sherman (cover_art)

A group of climate scientists working in a remote base camp on the Australian outback discover an impossible landform. They venture inside expecting the unexpected, and the titular Unbeing delivers. True to the traditions of cosmic horror, they discover an anomalous environment that defies everything they think they know about the world. From critically acclaimed writer Zac Thompson (Cemetery Kids Don't Die, Blow Away) and visionary artist Hayden Sherman (Dark Dungeon, Wasted Space). • Mind-bending eco-horror with an original twist on exploring the unknown.

Genres: Comics, Horror, Graphic Novels, Science Fiction, Lovecraftian

28 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 12, 2024

About the author

Zac Thompson is a writer born and raised on Prince Edward Island, Canada. He's written titles like Marvelous X-Men, Cable, and X-Men: Black for Marvel Comics. Along with indie books such as Her Infernal Descent, Relay, and The Replacer.

In 2019, Zac became the showrunner of the Age of X-Man universe at Marvel Comics. His critically acclaimed miniseries, Come Into Me, was called the best horror comic of 2018 by HorrorDNA. His debut comic series, The Dregs, was called "lowbrow brilliant" by New York Magazine. His novel, Weaponized, was the winner of the 2016 CryptTV horror fiction contest.

Reviews

[Benjamin Uke · Rating 4 out of 5]

The world is dying. Biodiversity is down, insect biomass is critical, temperatures are up. No doubt there will be some who want to argue the toss on the merits of pushing a climate change agenda, birds are setting on fire mid-flight, and no-one cares.
Its 2034 and a team of scientists are working in the Australian outback for SINEW, the Scientific Institute for Nascent Ecology and Worlds. That aside, early doors there’s unexplained geological activity nearby which brings with it a new ecosystem. Given the diverse scientific nature of the team, they’ve obviously got to go and investigate. Armed only with their intellect and experience, the team of four, or five if you include the dog (I know I do), set out into strange and anomalous landscape.

Strikingly visual, the dialogue is a bit stilted, unlike certain other well known pop culture references of scientists playing stupid games and winning stupid prizes, this feels credible despite the incredible premise.

[Steve Bal4 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up based on the cover alone (yes, I do judge books by their covers), and the grotesque & highly-detailed illustration it offered. I was not disappointed.

Set in a future Australia, in 2036, where extreme climate change has ravaged the Earth and decimated billions of human, plant & animal lives, a small team of female scientists are gathered under the auspices of an (as-yet) undefined organization, named S.I.N.E.W, and tasked with researching the current crisis. When a major environmental anomaly occurs a dozen kilometers from their base, they head out to study the mystery.

Bleak, dark, and foreboding circumstances ensue.

The beautiful penciling and vibrant colouration were magnificent throughout, and the story instantly created a tension and suspense I was hooked into. As I've read elsewhere, there is a sense of Lovercraftian horror (which I'm not altogether familiar with) that is suggested by both the cover and issue cliffhanger.

I'm so down for this journey.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[sophie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, finally have thoughts about this one - I really love the art style, horror elements, and color palette but I really DIDN'T like any of the characters, especially how the main Black character was written. I can't really get into that without spoiling the whole thing, and I think if you want to read this you should go in with an open mind and form your own opinion, but for me, even if horror/science fiction is executed REALLY well, if the characters aren't compelling to me, then it's just not for me. I also think while this WAS its own unique story, it's just a hair too close to the far superior Area X trilogy for me to want to read further. rip!

also, please note this didn't affect my rating at all, but uhhhh. Hildur...isn't a lesbian? for some reason? makes no goddamn sense... look at her... and her dog... whatever.

[b · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stories like Annihilation borrow very very heavily from masterworks by Clark Ashton Smith and other weird and wondrous writers of his time. So stories like this comic are two steps removed from the best possible version of the tale. I think this could go really cool places, but nothing in this first issue indicates novelty, or a hook or mystery that I want to run down and solve. I like the characters, and the art, but I’m trepidatious. We’ll see how it goes from here.

[Pepe Wagnon · Rating 5 out of 5]

intriguing and unique

I stopped reading comic books back then because it was too grounded. Good guys fighting bad guys, etc. etc. I just discovered this graphic novel because the story is very captivating and unique. No superhero chasing down supervillains. Just a group of scientists investigating a geological phenomenon in Australian Outback in the future when capitalism screw us all. A must-read.

[Saunter Saunter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eco-horror at its finest. The world is sick, yet even from the most barren the earth finds a way for life forms to emerge. The pure curiosity of explorers to uncover what is novel and unique brings the deeper and deeper into what is arguably their own demise. I’m not quite sure what is happening yet but I’m curious and intrigued to keep going deeper and deeper into the story myself.

[Kelley May · Rating 4 out of 5]

Annihilation x Scavenger’s Reign. Pretty cool overall, will read the next one.

[RubiGiráldez RubiGiráldez · Rating 3 out of 5]

A priori es TAN parecido a Aniquilación que espero que el próximo número sepa hacer olvidar de esa referencia directa.

[L. Love · Rating 5 out of 5]

Something new, exciting, and daring. This already feels like a cult classic.

[Cody · Rating 3 out of 5]

Annihilation in comic form.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

got better as it went along

[Dana * · Rating 3 out of 5]

The graphics are beautiful and make the story easier to follow, but I found the text hard to decipher. Too much missing.