It’s Wednesday and that means it’s new comic day. And today it also means that it’s Dark Matter #1 release day, which regular readers will remember me writing about in the past. Accordingly, I headed out to Silver Snail at lunch and picked up the disturbingly large pile of comics waiting for me. I got back to the office in time to read Dark Matter #1 before having to head to a meeting, so I thought I’d post a quick review.

The story opens with someone emerging from a stasis pod to find that life support levels are apparently dangerously low. En route to try and fix things, he encounters other people with similar goals. One of the other people beats him to the punch and manages to stabilize things so they don’t all die in the first couple of pages. It’s at this point they determine that of the six of them, no one knows who they are or why they’re on a space shift adrift in deep space. As they explore the ship, they start to assume different roles, such as leader, security officer, medic and so on, based on abilities they presumably had before their memories were erased. They determine that even the records in the ship that would help them figure out who they are and why they’re there have been erased.

A couple more things take place that I won’t reveal so as not to spoil it for those who haven’t read it yet, but suffice it to say by the end of the issue they’re under attack. By whom and why will hopefully be revealed next issue!

From a story perspective, I have to say it’s well written. The characters are developing at a nice rate and the dialogue isn’t getting bogged down. The format and medium (i.e. a comic book) doesn’t allow for too much of the latter, and in any event I wouldn’t expect it from the writers. Joseph Mallozzi and Paul Scullie have proven themselves of being able to write concise and witty (when appropriate) dialogue and they continue to deliver that in Dark Matter.

And I loved the artwork, too. The dark environment of the ship (as I envision it anyway) comes across beautifully in the drawings by Garry Brown and Ryan Hill.

Bottom line: Based on Dark Matter #1, the remaining issues in the four-part series are going to be worth buying and I’m looking forward to reading them.