Despair, trauma, and grotesque spectacle… no I’m not talking about your ex, but Event Horizon: Dark Descent, the prequel to the cult hit of the ’90s. The series comes to a close this week with issue #5, as it races to wrap up the miniseries and possibly establish the upcoming sequel. The series has expanded on the film’s lore while breathing new life into a property most had either forgotten or had no idea how cool and disturbed it could be. Can Christian Ward and Tristan Jones effectively wrap up this cosmic space horror?
Event Horizon: Dark Descent #5 opens with a cell dividing in the womb. Over three panels, we see it’s Doctor Jennifer Kwon and her twin sister Emma. We soon see she’s talking to Sara Tsang, just four hours before they make the jump, and Hell literally falls on their heads. Ward uses this scene to establish both of their dark truths they brought to the ship, before we dive into their final moments on the ship and cut back to the present. This scene helps bookend the climax while refreshing us on the characters.
From there, there’s an excellent montage of the gruesome aftermath of the murder and mayhem from previous issues. Snapshots of locations on the ship by Jones create an eerie atmosphere while also showing piles of human blood and flesh hanging around. When it comes to sci-fi spaceship architecture and gore, Jones crushes on art. I will argue the faces of Jen and Sara can look too similar, which had me a touch confused or unsure who was who, though their clothes helped establish that.
The horror. The horror.
Credit: IDW
From there, the story shifts to a singular mission: blow up the ship so they can’t bring Hell back to our universe. Over the course of Jen and Sara’s mission, we learn a bit more about them, about “spooky distance,” and also who is still alive being puppeteered by the big bad. These scenes build well to a final confrontation with some grisly body horror by Jones that might stick with you into your nightmares.
Thrown into the mix is a bit of deus ex machina that’ll have fans of the series talking. Presumably, Ward is introducing a new side to all the evil, though there isn’t a lot to go on from the reveal. There’s certainly enough to get you guessing, especially knowing there’s an angelic-looking character popping up in the upcoming series.
Closing out the issue is a three-page epilogue drawn by Ward. It’s an effective bridge to the upcoming series, while leaving nothing to chance when it comes to the ship that otherwise seemed lost forever. Ward’s art and the scale in one panel hammer home the cosmic horror well.
Event Horizon: Dark Descent #5 largely sticks the landing, delivering a grim finale that understands what made the original film linger in viewers’ minds: dread, guilt, and the idea that hell is something you carry with you. Christian Ward and Tristan Jones lean into spectacle without losing sight of character, even if the story introduces a few last-minute cosmic curveballs that feel more like setup than payoff. Still, as a prequel and a bridge to what’s next, Dark Descent proves this franchise has plenty of nightmares left to explore.
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