Event Horizon: Dark Descent #2 follows the dread and anticipation of issue #1 and dives right into the descent of hell itself. The gravity drive has been activated, the rules of reality are already breaking down, and hell itself is bleeding into the corridors of the Event Horizon. Quite literally. Characters we just met as flawed, fragile humans are beginning to unravel in ways both subtle and shocking, and Christian Ward and Tristan Jones waste no time proving that the worst horrors are not just out there in the void, but inside the people trapped within it.
Out October 8th, Event Horizon: Dark Descent #2 further blends character backstory with the growing horrors taking place on a ship, thanks to it traveling somewhere nobody could have anticipated. That means the ongoing complexity of the characters develops while Jones layers in some of the most horrific imagery you’ll see all year.
The issue opens with a flashback, which aptly cuts to the ship where chaos and blood-streaked floors are just beginning. It’s a reminder that whatever the crew did before, the karma that is hell itself comes calling.
Jones will blow your mind with the visuals in this issue. There are horrors in this issue that really open up the universe and show the movie could have gone even harder and far more disturbing. We’re talking truly haunting stuff, like a double-page splash of what’s outside the ship when it’s inside the fold of spacetime, and the things leaking into the ship from the outside.
Credit: IDW
There’s also a key figure that adds to the general horror that Jones designs very well. This adds to the larger story, as you’ll ponder what the end goal is besides torturing the crew.
Much of this issue revolves around the crew realizing that things are very much not okay as they attempt to turn the engine back on. It seems they teleported as they should, but now they’re stuck in hell itself, or at least what it looks like to be hell. Characters start to lose it in various ways, and it’s clear they’re doomed to pay up for their past mistakes and failures. With the first issue setting up the various personalities, Ward and Jones can go full-tilt on the punishment they’re due.
Colors by Pip Martin continue to be a highlight, with the fleshy reds and the glow of Hell into the ship disturbing. Contesting those reds are the sickly greens which light the ship, with stark streaks cutting across characters.
If there was one fault, it’d be the lack of clarity of where this is all going. As it stands, it seems everyone is screwed, but the crew is in such a state of chaos and crisis that it’s mostly an issue of reactions and not forward progression of the plot. That said, if the first issue was the setup of the characters, this issue certainly pays off on the visual horrors.
Event Horizon: Dark Descent #2 is a chilling plunge into cosmic hell, amplifying the dread, gore, and psychological torment teased in issue #1. While the plot progression lingers in chaos, the sheer intensity of the visuals and the unraveling of the crew make this a terrifying and unforgettable installment.
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