Dead Seas by Cavan Scott & Nick Brokenshire
Blurb:
The New York Times-bestselling author of Star Wars: The High Republic – The Rising Storm turns to comics for this gruesome graphic novel takedown of the prison industrial complex—where the ghosts are real, dangerous, and incredibly valuable. Ghosts are real and dangerous. But they’re also valuable, their ectoplasm capable of curing countless diseases. There’s only one problem: Harvesting the wonder drug can be just as deadly. Prisoner Gus Ortiz is willing to take the risk in return for a reduced sentence—anything to see his daughter again. All it will take is a few months at sea scraping ectoplasm off the walls of the Perdition, a floating prison containing the most vicious ghosts on Earth. Surrounded by dark waters, Gus soon realizes that angry spirits are the least of his worries. Lock yourself away and set sail for this daring adventure by New York Times-bestselling author Cavan Scott (Star Wars: The High Republic) and fan-favorite artist Nick Brokenshire (Star Wars Adventures).
Review:
Well… a prison ship; dangerous ghosts unleashed; convicts, guards, and pirates all scrambling for survival… what’s not to like!? The premise got me very intrigued for sure, and I just had to hit up that request button without second thoughts. My sincere thanks to the authors, the publishers – IDW, and NetGalley for sending a digital copy my way. This review has been in the works for a long time as well, and I’m really glad it’s finally out in the open!
What’s it about?
Welcome to a world where ghosts are real; where they are everywhere; and are very, very dangerous…
Gus Ortiz agreed to board the Perdition on a single condition – a reduced prison sentence so as to meet his little daughter once again. But the floating hellhole of a ship is not just any prison, for it has ghosts aplenty aboard, alongside dangerous convicts and unforgiving prison guards. The ship is owned by, and is a jewel in the crown of Barrico Industries, who under the pretext of “preternatural management”, are the largest harvesters of something that is even more valuable than oil – ectoplasm.
And putting two and two together, ghosts mean ectoplasm, and ectoplasm means money. A ton of it. So naturally, the whole wide world is running behind it. But collecting it isn’t a piece of cake whatsoever, rather the very opposite, meaning a single mistake, and you turn into one yourself. And that’s where all the convicts come into the picture.
How hard can it possibly be? Gus, and everyone aboard, is about to find out in the most horrific of ways…
A chain of events leads to a freak “accident” that has every ghost, phantom, apparition, and spirit of the dead out in the open, and all hell breaks loose… quite literally.
Can the humans finally set aside their differences and work together against the supernatural, most horrifying ghosts in the world, in a bid to survive? Well, they kinda have no other choice in the matter. But who can be trusted when all of them are hiding secrets of their own?
“No rest for the wicked, not on this rig.”
Are you ready to set-sail on this horror-adventure? You better be… (but trust me, you aren’t!)
The good
I really loved everything about it. Simple as that.
The artwork/illustrations weren’t the fancy, glossy, 3D high-end ones, but rather simple sketches altogether. And that’s what made it even more special, to be very honest. Loved it very much. And the lettering was giving off strong classic/retro comic vibes too!
The story was pretty dang exciting to say the least (narrated by the MC). Enjoyed it fully.
The characters were well-written, varied/diverse, and had a good arc to most of them.
What made it better was the explanation/reasoning behind the setting/world, and the plot points overall, which I thought was pretty well done too.
The “not so” good
No complaints from me on this one. None!
Other info.
Originally published as single issues – Dead Seas #1-6.
A nice little Jurassic Park reference/easter egg was present.
Note: Mature/adult themes present (blood/gore; swearing).
Final thoughts
Honestly, a pretty dang good ride overall. The classic/retro artwork and illustrations stole the show, with the story hitting up the excitement levels too. The characters were well-written, and the setting/lore was equally well presented. Really enjoyed it from start to finish, leaving nothing to complain about whatsoever. I loved it, and I’m certain you’ll do too. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
