John Layman

Sci-fi and horror collide in this new series from thecreator of CHEW! Mankind has colonized thegalaxy, but during our interstellar travels, we've discovered a terrifyingsecret out in the Outer Darkness of space. Join Captain Joshua Rigg and the crewof the starship Charon as they encounter demonic possessions, hauntings, cosmichorror and more! All-star writer JOHN LAYMAN(Chew) and artist AFU CHAN (Immortal Iron Fists) are ready to let you know thatouter space is terrifying. Collects OUTERDARKNESS #1-6.

Outer Darkness

Bryan Alexander

Outer Darkness is a fun graphic novel, if you are into the two genres it blends: science fiction and horror.

It takes place in a space-going future, where starships ply the spaceways and aliens mingle with humans... but at the same time the galaxy is haunted by all kinds of supernatural terrors. Ghosts moan, demons possess, and a chained god can power a stardrive.

The plot concerns a very unfriendly captain taking a ship on a mission. Along the way all kinds of awful things happen, and some of the crew feud with their new leader.

I love blending sf and horror, so Outer Darkness entertained me very much. Most of the characters are bad people and plots resolve in unpleasant ways - imagine the opposite of Star Trek's Next Generation - and that was refreshing. I was especially fond of the navigator, whose last name nobody can remember. 

Worldbuilding is slight, beyond setting up the genre synthesis. I enjoyed seeing exorcists and mathematicians join with space marines to repel boarders, but wanted to learn more about this future society and how it worked.

The art worked for me.

Overall, 4 stars if you like this kind of thing. 3 or less if not.

Outer Darkness

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