Few television series have left as deep a cultural imprint as The Twilight Zone. Debuting in 1959, Rod Serling’s groundbreaking anthology blended science fiction, fantasy, and horror to deliver stories that were as thought-provoking as they were unsettling. IDW’s The Twilight Zone #1 (out September 24th) embraces that legacy with a creative choice that feels essential: presenting the comic in stark black and white to evoke the look and mood of the classic series. With an advance copy in hand, I dare review a comic that aims to bring readers into both shadow and substance, of things and ideas.
Written by Dan Watters with art by Morgan Beem, the first issue is titled “Blanks.” It aims to channel the same haunting blend of the strange and the familiar that defined Serling’s vision. It’s very clear when you put this comic down, this isn’t a horror nostalgia move by IDW, but a new trip into that shadowy dimension where the real and the surreal collide.
The Twilight Zone #1 wastes no time tapping into the series’ tradition of blending human frailty with larger-than-life terror. At its core, this opening chapter examines the rich and powerful, their hunger to push past the limits of life and death itself through science, and the dangerous arrogance that comes with believing they’re immune to consequence. It’s a story about hubris on a grand scale, and how the ambitions of a few can set the stage for catastrophe for everyone.
What happened to your face!?
Credit: IDW
When the needle drops and things go from weird to catastrophic, the result is a moment of pure, disorienting horror. It’s an unnerving fusion of visual shock and the creeping dread of not fully understanding what’s happening.
That uncertainty is what keeps the tension high, even more than the disaster itself. By the time the dust settles, the true fright doesn’t come from the calamity, but from the choices people make in the shadow of it. In that sense, this issue feels uncomfortably relevant, echoing real-world crises like climate change, where the greatest danger isn’t the looming threat itself, but the self-serving decisions that hasten its arrival. It’s the kind of morally charged storytelling that fits seamlessly into The Twilight Zone’s legacy.
Morgan Beem’s art amplifies the unease, imbuing characters with subtly unnatural features, elongated fingers, bent and twisted postures, that make every interaction feel just slightly off. There’s an artistry to the way layouts are structured, guiding the reader’s eye downward in a way that builds tension panel by panel. And yes, there’s even a jump scare that works, one of those rare comics moments where the turn of a page can actually make you flinch. Coupled with the black-and-white palette that recalls the show’s original aesthetic, Beem’s visuals give this first issue a surreal, dangerous energy that lingers after the last panel.
If there was a gripe to be had, it’s the nature of a done-in-one story where you might wish it were a miniseries. The hook of the story is so big that it could certainly sustain at least another issue. In a bit of a reverse on that idea, the story also takes place in a short amount of time, making it feel like we don’t get much time with the characters.
The Twilight Zone #1 is a sharp, unsettling debut that honors Rod Serling’s legacy while telling a story that feels urgently modern. Dan Watters and Morgan Beem deliver a potent mix of moral tension, eerie atmosphere, and striking visual storytelling, all wrapped in a black-and-white presentation that feels essential to its mood. It’s a chilling reminder that the scariest part of any catastrophe is often the human choices that lead to it.
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