Outer Darkness is something new. That doesn’t happen too often, especially in regards to sci-fi. Sure all the concepts are new, the pseudo-science in each book and comic is different, I’ll give you that. But to truly come up with an utterly new concept from scratch? That definitely doesn’t happen often. Fortunately for us, that’s exactly what John Layman has managed to do with Outer Darkness.
Let’s get this out of the way first. Joshua Rigg is absolutely nothing like Lando Calrissian. Not at all. I don’t know where that comparison came from, other than that they’re both black and in space stories, but it’s complete gibberish in my humble opinion. I’ve seen it a few times already and it needs to go away. Rigg is a rogue badass that basically doesn’t give two shits about the galaxy in general. He’s selfish and irredeemable in a way that doesn’t even remotely compare to Star Wars. That being said, Outer Darkness is a look at what might happen if fantasy and sci-fi merged in such a way that they were utterly inextricable. Imagine if your smartphone was made by wizards instead of Chinese slave labor and you’ll have the slightest inkling of the feel of Outer Darkness.
The Galactic Service is essentially a combination of spaceships and wizards, with the latter keeping the former up and running, resurrecting dead team members, keeping the undead from assailing the crew, and a host of other pretty much unimaginable stuff. Layman has managed to conjure (and that’s definitely the right word here) up a universe where we use captive gods to fuel our tech. One where magicians solve equations and literally, ‘any technology sufficiently advanced is indistinguishable from magic’. Or in this case, is magic.
Afu Chan has managed to merge his very cartoon-like art with Layman’s story to create a rather surreal experience, one where the story is significantly darker than the art that accompanies it. This is a good thing, because not only does it keep you on your toes, but you also erroneously assume that the content of the book is significantly lighter than it is. This ends up leading to a much more solid impact as you work your way through the astonishingly unpredictable storyline.
And I have rarely waited as impatiently for the next issue of a comic. Seriously, Image has been utterly knocking it out of the park with new IPs lately, and Outer Darkness is no exception. It’s smart, edgy, unpredictable, and most of all, well-written. If you’re jonesing for a space fix, look no further. If fantasy is your bag, this might still work for you. Expect a bit of levity and a huge dollop of heavy, dark imagery and it’s pretty much impossible to miss out.
I’ve tried to avoid ruining the plot here, but suffice it to say that Layman has managed to create a new fan in me with Outer Darkness. Within two issues, the book went from “hmmm, that looks ok” to ‘how did I ever live my life without this’ mode. Oh, and on a side note, this is definitely not a comic for the squeamish. There’s a fair amount of blood and disturbing content and imagery, so don’t be shocked to see it!
If you’re looking for a new and unique book, look no further than Outer Darkness. Pretty much every sci-fi itch gets scratched and the book keeps you coming back for more! It goes from zero to warp speed in seconds and never slows down.
This review was based on Outer Darkness # 1-3. All images are copyrights of their respective owners and used only for the purposes of this review.