REVIEW: ‘Dead Seas,’ Issue #1

For reasons unknown, ghosts have begun appearing in mass all over the world. While ghosts can be dealt with, one corporation sees a potential gain from their existence. Ghosts secrete a substance known as ectoplasm, which may have the potential as an element for medicinal uses. To safely contain the ghosts it uses as subjects, the corporation has a ship, the Perdition, which it uses to house the ghosts and gather the ectoplasm. In Dead Seas #1 from IDW Publishing, writer Cavan Scott, artist Nick Brokenshire, and letterer Shawn Lee, readers follow a new group of inmates as they are processed for the completely safe job of harvesting the ectoplasm. Because, you know, anything a corp exclusively uses inmate labor for has to be safe. Right?

If you have seen a single piece of investigative journalism about private prisons and the appalling health and safety standards within, not to mention the hostile security forces that operate them, you probably have a good idea of what awaits the inmates aboard the Perdition. Before the inmates can even see their quarters, they are sent through a training lecture, and two of their numbers are sent in to start collecting ectoplasm. And things start going downhill.

One of the two men sent in to gather the ghost excrement is Gus. What Gus did to find himself here is not told, but he has volunteered because he’s been assured it was safe, and doing the work will take time off of his overall sentence so he can get out and see his little girl again. Gus seems like a nice enough guy, and the reader can easily come to feel for him. As the situation spirals out of control aboard the Perdition, it is Gus who the reader will find themselves drawn to rooting for the most.

But just as Dead Seas #1 leaves many elements of its main protagonist unclear, several other characters aboard the ship also leave intriguing impressions where Scott cleverly omits key elements from the reader. While the larger scenario and the dangerous situation that is developing on the Perdition create a strong narrative center for this series, it is these character mysteries that I find the most compelling. Because Scott gives only impressions of these characters instead of stated facts or clear examples of many of their motives, I feel the compulsion to find out if what I think of several of these characters is true or if it is simply a good first impression I’m taking the wrong way.

The artwork does a good job of bringing the harsh reality of the Perdition to life in Dead Seas #1. Coupled with Brokenshire’s terrifying designs for the ghosts, the art in this book does a great job of bringing the story’s various elements to life. Combining with the art is the lettering. Lee designs the letter work to compliment the art wonderfully. Applying the same roughness to the dialogue as the visual design allows the lettering to flow harmoniously across the panels.

Dead Seas #1 does everything one could ask it to. It crafts a compelling narrative and populates it with characters that leave you wanting to learn about them as much as the story itself while bringing these elements to life with a strong visual presentation. If Scott and company can keep this level of quality going, this series is likely to be one of the early hits of 2023.

Dead Seas #1 is available now wherever comics are sold.