The Dead Space franchise is not one to shy away from intense horror and visceral imagery. The games have plenty of moments that would drive many of a weaker constitution into a cringing fit. The prequel comics, published by Image Comics, often have the same effect, sometimes illiciting an even stronger reaction.
In the year 2508, a simple mining colony suffers a disaster with only one video log remaining. A man by the name of Abraham Neumann warns whoever is watching the video log to nuke the planet and the colony while they still can. Neumann then continues to explain what happened before the recording, recounting how a mysterious artifact known as the Marker destroyed a three-year-old Colony and created nightmarish creatures in only a few days time.
Dead Space Never Explored the Events Before the First Video Game
From the mass populace being plagued by insomnia and violent outbursts, to the suicides of many religious zealots within the colony, Dead Space is filled with nightmarish storytelling and imagery. When focusing on human characters such as Neumann and his colleagues, it seems almost impossible for anyone to stay sane in the growing crisis of the Colony. The comic continuously increases the obstacles and peril for Neumann, weaving together an entirely unpredictable tale
The story of Isaac Clarke and the atrocities within his ship, the Ishimura, has been a long-running thread in the Dead Space timeline, with similar games following the path of legacy storylines. Already having a grim dark story to tell, the comic expands on this universe through intense and vivid artistic depictions. Characters are often portrayed as unstable silhouettes, reminiscent of incomplete pencil sketches. The Necromorphs cover their respective pages in gritty black lines, barely disguising their horrific visages in graphic images that blur the lines of the comprehensible and the horrific. Panels composed entirely of red splashes decorate the story's more visceral scenes, and long stretches of unsettling mute colors drown the few existing bright moments of the tale.
Image's Dead Space's Comic Paved the Way For Other Stories
Dead Space is not the only comic book revolving around the Ishimura and the Marker. Dead Space: Extraction (by Johnston, Templesmith, and Wooton) also ties in to the game universe, following the story of Nicole Brennan, Isaac Clarke's soon to be deceased wife. B.K. Evenson's novels tread similar ground but lack the strong visuals of the comics.
With the upcoming arrival of the Dead Space remake, fans may discover a renewed interest in the franchise. The issues are an excellent option for further exploration of this thrilling universe, and retain the spirit of the games in the same vein as the comic based off of another hit horror video game, The Last of Us.