The final issue of the Dark Matter mini-series was released this past Wednesday. Written by Joseph Mallozzi and Paul Mullie of Stargate fame, the series has taken us from when the crew of a spaceship wakes up with amnesia in the first issue, to learning about who they were in DM #3.

At the end of Dark Matter #3, the crew was split into two groups: one that was on a planet making a delivery and the other which had to leave them on the planet to avoid getting into a battle with another ship.

In Dark Matter #4, our heroes manage to get back together without getting blown to smithereens. They also manage to save the settlers on the planet before riding off into the sunset, so to speak, with an implied “to be continued”. (If you want more details then you’re going to have to visit your local comic book shop and pick up a copy for yourself!)

Overall, I enjoyed the series and I’m sad to see it end. It’s well-written and the drawing it top-notch!

Joseph Mallozzi has mentioned on his blog a number of times that Dark Matter is being pitched as a television series. Personally, I’d like to see it on tv, but I hope that Dark Horse Comics decides to sign Dark Matter up for a long run, too!

Read my review of Dark Matter #3 here.
Read my review of Dark Matter #2 here.
Read my review of Dark Matter #1 here.

I picked up Dark Matter #3 by Joseph Mallozzi and Paul Scullie this past Wednesday from Silver Snail along with a couple of other titles. The third in a series of four, this is the issue where our amnesiac crew comes to grips with their rather checkered pasts, which they have discovered in the ship’s computer. At the same time, they have to contend with threats from another ship that showed up at the end of Dark Matter #2 while some of them are on a planet delivering weapons to some settlers. (Of course, there’s a bit more than just a delivery run, but you’re going to have to read the issue to find out what I’m not telling you!)

Discussions between the two ships ensue with ultimatums being issued. The result is that the crew on the ship have to leave immediately, leaving their crewmates on the surface behind.

Duh Duh DUH!

I’m still enjoying the progression of the story. It continues to have the feeling of elements of Joss Whedon’s Firefly combined with the uncertainty of Stargate Universe along with elements from other sci-fi stories I’ve read over the years. The writing is tight and the artwork is dark and gritty, which is perfect for the story.

I’m a bit sad that there’s only one more issue to come in the series because it’s a great medium for a story like this. Joseph Mallozzi has said in various entries on his blog that there’s serious interest in a Dark Matter television series, which would be great and I would like to see come to fruition. However, though I’m by no means an expert on the industry, I suspect that a comic book series would be much less subject to arbitrary cancellation unlike a television series. (For proof of this one needs look no further than Stargate Universe, which was effectively scuttled by Space, or Firefly, which was cancelled by Fox. Neither series was really given a fair chance and both were top-notch television.)

There’s probably nothing precluding having both a television series and a comic book series in parallel, so hopefully this is something the Joe will entertain. I don’t believe he’s really said anything about this one way or the other on his blog. (Care to comment, Joe? )

So, it you haven’t picked up Dark Matter #3, what are you waiting for? And if you haven’t read any of them, then get in touch with your local comic book shop and order them today!

Read my review of Dark Matter #2 here.
Read my review of Dark Matter #1 here.

Dark Matter #2 by Joseph Mallozzi and Paul Scullie was released yesterday, so I dropped by Silver Snail at lunch and picked it up along with a copy of Green Lantern #6. The second in the four-part series, #2 picks up with our heroes 40 seconds away from being blown up by missiles shot at them by another ship that they know nothing about. Fortunately, they make it out of the encounter safely so we get to learn more about the ship they’re on and where they’re going.

Their robot companion has been able to recover some information from the ship’s computer and they determine they’re en route to a planet. When they arrive, they meet quadrium miners on the planet who are happy enough to help them repair their ship, but curiously would like them to do so very quickly before some aliens known as the Raza show up and kill everyone. The miners are waiting for help to arrive, but the Raza are going to arrive first, so things don’t look too hopeful. (more…)

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.

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Imagine you’re a lifeguard on-duty at your beach in California, flirting with the beach bunnies and generally enjoying the sun, sand and surf. All of the sudden your zapped by some bizarre energy beam from an experiment gone wrong in the middle of the desert over 200 miles away from you. However, instead of being fried to a crisp you’re imbued with freaky superpowers that allow you to move like a beam of light, with only the small problem that because you’re now effectively a walking quartz halogen lamp that your clothes burst into flames when you put them on. (Fortunately, one of your powers is the ability to control how you reflect light so you can make it look like you’re wearing clothes even if you aren’t.)

That’s how the inaugural issue of The Ray from DC Comics starts out.

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Continuing on from my last post on the topic in which I talked about Green Arrow and the three Green Lanterns (Green Lantern, Green Lantern: New Guardians and Green Lantern, here are some of the other comics that I’m following and a couple that I’m looking forward to when they’re released.

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It’s been a few weeks since being lured into the world of comic books by Joseph Mallozzi in late October, so I thought I’d let you know how the new addiction hobby is going. I’ve been following a number of series in the DC New 52 family that have caught my interest. Most of them I’ve decided are worth following for the long run, while one or two are still on probation. (more…)