The universe ended, but humanity survived. And for years, the passengers and crew of the vessel Orpheus found the endless void between realities to be a surprisingly peaceful home.
Then they found a body; bloodied, brutalized, and surrounded by inscrutable runes. As Security Director Deva Karrell investigates the Orpheus' first murder, she'll come face to face with a horror from beyond the confines of time itself...
A brilliant concept - the last humans create a pseudo-reality to outlast the heat death of the universe and wait it out until the next one starts. The execution is hit and miss. I wasn't too enthused about the horror movie angle this first volume went for, but it gets us to a place that might develop into something interesting. Depictions of cultural/technological differences between today and this way far future were not very impressive, almost like humans only evolved to star trek TNG level advancement in all that time.
I received an ARC copy of this book from Edelweiss
actual rating: 3.5
Surviving doesn't make us evil. It wasn't wrong of us to endure, to look back at hell and dig our hands into the ground and cling for dear life. We are not wrong. Survival is a virtue.
It took me a little while to warm up to this completely, but the last issue [there are four issues total] got really intense really fast and I was absolutely loving it by the end. I don't want to give too much away about the plot because it doesn't necessarily go the way you think it will, but it starts out as a fairly standard 'murder on a space ship' kind of thing and then turns into more of a study on the nature of mankind. The art is very good and sets the creepy atmosphere incredibly well. A good quick read that will surprise you with how introspective it becomes.
I love the artwork for this graphic novel. The style was extremely pleasing to my eye, and I liked how body language and facial expressions were well utilized in the drawings. I also adore space station and survivor space colony stories, so this title was on point for me. The mysterious dark figure was a wonderful inclusion.
This volume included issues 1-4. The story will be continued in April 2019.
I was approved for an eARC, via Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.
Very high-concept science fiction, coupled with rather sketchy artwork, makes for a less than satisfying combination. The ideas here are really wild--humanity, trying to outrun entropy, has set up a space station on the far edge of the universe, complete with its own "pseudoreality" field, so that when everything else gives way, there are still 2000 humans left. This is a huge station, built to house up to 15,000 survivors, so a lot of it has just been left to "rot"--the Dark Sector. When a couple of highly-placed survivors suddenly seem to go mad, and a murder takes place, things really heat up. All of this is packed into four issues--could have easily doubled that and filled in some of the questions. The art is all right, but nothing special. It gets the job done. Surprised that there seems to be more of this story coming--it seems pretty self-contained, not a whole lot more to say, really.
A faraway station houses the last two thousand humans after a cataclysmic event wiped out all the rest. Having to live with survivor's guilt is one thing, but when something unknown seems to drive one of their directors homicidal, the lives of the last few humans in the universe is threatened. Security director Deva Karrell is investigating tech director Alvin Scheid who killed his neighbour after claiming to have visions. In the end the visions determine him to throw himself out the airlock. Deva tries to stop him and barely survives the encounter. She finds that she is now experiencing visions as well and starts to doubt her own sanity.
A cracking central idea - the Universe ended too soon, and stubborn old humanity clings to survival in a bubble of ‘pseudo-reality’, wondering what the point is, a question something nasty out in the void is keen to encourage...
Dodgy execution though - this is someone’s early work and reads like it, with massive lumps of exposition, important characters introduced an issue too late to carry suspense, and most frustratingly no real sense of where in this final space station our heroine is, how long anything’s taking or how quickly she’s getting around it - crucial since the layout of the place is vital to the (well-plotted) solution to the central puzzle.
Still, flawed though it all is I was dragged greedily through the issues by the strong ideas and doom laden atmosphere.
The first thing I noticed about this book, was the cover, and the beautiful art. I loved just the aesthetic in general, and I think that this is just a really well done book. Inside tells a story of humans trying to get out of their routine, go to a new place, and failing, but finding something completely unexpected and even hard to imagine after they've seen it. It's about a misunderstanding, and labeling mental illness. It's everything I wanted it to be and more.
A remote space station. One high-up guy in the small human population kills someone else in the small human population, and walks through the airlock into the void. The chief of security as witness to this is shocked to see something, some possibly malevolent figure, outside the station looking in. Which is impossible. For entropy has claimed the rest of the entirety of the universe – even the few ships full of humans which were destined to join the two thousand survivors on this, the last vestige of existence anywhere. Naturally after such a species-changing event she's reluctant to look again outside the station walls at what might have been there – but what if its influence is already inside?
Such is the wonderful premise of this series. It's not a book that quite matches up to that imaginative idea, however. I couldn't really get a handle on who was who before it was almost too late, and the artwork didn't completely manage the senses of scale required. But in the end it isn't too far off being worthwhile checking out. It's a meaty sci-fi, it doesn't have too many routine tropes however familiar the setting may be and however standard the characters may appear, and it's surely such a rarefied concept that it won't be able to run and run and dilute its pleasures. All told, quibbles are minor and pluses are strong, so this is well worth a look. I like the idea of this ending soon, however, as it has a chance to go up its own arse if ever handled with an ounce of sloppiness.
It's the end of the universe. There's entropy all over the place, that has already eaten everything left in reality, except for one (1) colony ship from Earth. Only 2,000 people left aboard, the entropy being kept at bay by something called a Pseudoreality Field projected round the ship. It's never really explained how this works (or I have missed it), and to be honest, I only understood the function of the Field in the last issue..
Anyway, this is humanity's last stand, and things start to go to pot when several crewmembers seem to think there's something out in the void, and it's probably not friendly.
The story is quite bleak, and a bit ho-hum. It feels like there isn't enough time given to establish the setting and its unique situation, making what follows less impactful than it probably should've been. This story could've done with a slower build-up of dread, but I'm not sure you can afford to do that in a single issue series.
Also not sure about the design of - it just didn't look very frightening to me.
That all said, I did like the ending of this arc, I liked that it was surprisingly upbeat.
This is a millennial horror story, in the best sense of the term. It posits a world where the apocalypse (literally, the end of the universe) has happened, and only a small pocket of humanity has survived. And in the depths of nothingness an entity is nipping at their heels, trying to destroy the Orpheus, its citizens the sole life remaining in the universe. The people trying to make do in the aftermath of a disaster not of their own making is very millennial, and it shows several responses to the situation, ultimately aiming for active optimism. The story does some interesting things and some of the characters (especially Deva) are well nuanced, but I had serious issues with the art getting in the way of the story - too many of the characters look exactly the same, and the muddied style of the art (and heavy coloring), while effective at conveying mood, is less useful at expressing story. I found myself appreciating the story more after reading the back matter; the essays on the volume and the related exploration of horror and society were as worthwhile as the story itself. They help better center where the story is coming from, and its intention.
I fell in love with the cover when I saw this on Edelweiss+. I've been meaning to add more Western volumes to my graphic novel reading (it being mostly comprised of manga), so after reading and liking the look of the summary I decided to snag a copy in exchange for an honest review.
Overall, I liked it. It didn't blow me away, but it was pretty good. The story was unique - I liked that. The artwork was also good. I didn't really connect with or particularly like any of the characters though - lead included, and that's mainly what's stopping me from giving four stars.
A lot happens in Vol. 1. In fact, 128 pages felt extremely short for the whole story arc, like it was all a bit crammed in. I enjoy a cracking pace as much as the next person, but with Infinite Dark, Vol. 1 it felt as though things such as characterisation were sacrificed for break-neck speed.
Would I read issue 5? Maybe, just to see where they go from here.
*I received this book as an eARC from Image Comics via Edelweiss. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*
The universe has ended. All that remains of humanity is a space station set up for the remnants of the civilization to take refuge, but most of humanity never arrived. The humans on board have created their own society, but a vast majority of the ship is unoccupied. The Director of Security works with the rest of the command crew when a murder/suicide happens on the station.
This graphic novel is full of interesting characters. It's a creepy, fun sci-fi mystery/thriller/cop drama. There's even a mysterious dark figure.
I give this book a 3/5. The characters are really interesting, but the story dragged for me. I really liked the new technologies featured like the virtual therapy assistant.
Infinite Dark, volume 1, Ryan Cady A really cool sci-fi tale based on the myth of Orpheus who traveled the dark underworld intending to rescue his spouse. Deva the protector is a great character. The Dark Sector is an awesome spooky abandoned area. Not too many characters to get confused by, but enough to add weight to the concept of a human colony. #1- "We're all that's left, floating out here alone in the infinite dark." #2- "Staring into pure oblivion.. it can really damage a person." #3- "All right. Let's talk." #4- "We are not wrong. SURVIVAL IS A VIRTUE." Great bunch of essays at the back of the volume: Horror is a genre that validates the person saying, "Something is wrong." That person is always right, and usually survives in the end. That character, most times, uncovers a truth about the unknowable and dispels it forever with the newfound knowledge. - Nadia Shammas.
An interesting concept. A murder mystery on the universe's last surviving speck. The Orpheus was designed to help humanity survive the heat death of the universe, and it was somewhat successful. Most of those who were to live there never made it. It's down to 2,000 people. And now there has been a murder. What comes next decides humanity's existence. Talk about high stakes. The plot was okay, but I felt a step removed from the characters in the book. It was enjoyable for me, but I am not sure I would read any more of this series.
while this comic's aesthetics and writing are good, I just couldn't get into the premise that drives the horror. that is, that humans who managed to survive the heat death of the universe should keep surviving despite a manifestation of time literally telling them that their survival is preventing the birth of a new universe. the horror here for me is the sheer arrogance of these 2,000 humans who would rather keep living a meager existence than let a natural cycle continue. this is the same shit that got us into our current climate apocalypse.
A bit of a slow starter but the ending hits you in the gut. The art is interesting, sometimes it’s boring but other times it’s very detailed and amazing. “Surviving doesn’t make us evil. It wasn’t wrong of us to endure, to look back at hell and dig our hands into the ground and cling for dear life. We are not wrong. Survival is a virtue.”
ARC provided by Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
This mix of hard sci-fi and cosmic horror offers great setting but unfortunately only average plot. There are some plot holes and weak motivation behind certain characters and theirs actions (director Chalos especially). The ending is semi-opened but somehow satisfying and despite the flaws of this first volume I am interested how will this serie continue and will certainly give volume 2 a chance...
Really great SF concept at the heart of this book. I'm not convinced Cady entirely thought out all the ramifications of the setting, though. It's set more than 10000 years in the future, but it feels more like 200 years from now. This may be partly because we really only see a handful of the people involved, and they're not exactly typical. I can't be too harsh about that, though. SF is full of media that hasn't considered the full ramifications of their cool concepts.
**I received this in exchange for my honest review from the publishers via Edelweiss**
It was a good comic but it went just a little too fast/was a little too short for my liking. Gripping story and I really love the creepier parts of Sci-Fi in comics so this made me quite happy. If it had been longer, paced out slower I would have given it four stars!
The was a half way decent idea, but poorly executed and I was relieved when it was over that it was only four issues long. The art is really generic and uninspired, the characters are extremely one dimensional and the dialogue is crap. The premise and setting are decent, but the story telling is somehow both rushed and tedious. Don't waste your time.
The premise sounded interesting. A last outpost of humanity. "Something is out there." A steep Lovecraftian vibe.
And while the artwork was pretty good, the execution of the text just wasn't there. Got to the end of the book and just didn't feel like there was any connection to any of the characters.
I think it's sometimes hard (at least for me) to find truly unique science-fiction graphic novels (Saga, of course, is a notable exception), but I liked this one a lot. It has a really weird premise that I liked, and I thought the characters were especially good. This is more of a hard science-fiction read than the usual offerings and it didn't disappoint. Definitely one I'll keep reading.
I was hoping for some deep space cosmic horror like Brink or Event Horizon, but the physics was so bad I could only think of when the Fantastic Four fought Entropy. It just threw me out of the story. It's probably closer to two stars, but my disappointment in the missed potential cost it another star.
I liked this a lot, but was not as big a fan of the art. Between the style and all the shadows I sometimes lost track of who was who. I get the shadowy style for the book, but if the faces were just drawn a bit more distinctly that would be a big help.
Nothing in this compelles me to read the follow-up volume. Almost feels like a rip off of alien but less interesting. By the time they showed the entity I was less scared of it, it's true the less you show the scarier it is. Pretty meh.