Science fiction and horror have long been intertwined in American cinema, dating back to the black-and-white era when films like Frankenstein, The Day the Earth Stood Still, and Invasion of the Body Snatchers employed shadow, paranoia, and spectacle to address the anxieties of their time. That lineage carries forward today in comics like Cruel Universe, which taps into the same unsettling mix of speculative dread and social critique. Armed with three stories, Cruel Universe #3 leans into corporate greed, human desperation, and technological despair into a chilling cosmic tapestry.
Opening up the issue is “Genocide to Go” by Rian Hughes and Anna Readman. This is a story about the shockingly mundane integration of alien discovery on Earth, and the dark underbelly of their fast-food chain. It opens with a well-educated man working behind the counter, who details what happened when the aliens came to Earth. Instead of improving things for the better or sharing their technology, they open a fast food chain with alien delights that people find delicious. The food, however, is anything but moral and ethical, with ties to an entirely different alien race.
Hughes uses this story to dig into the very real ethical quandary of meat-eating. Using the same logic that the meat we eat feels no pain, or even can’t comprehend dying as such a bad thing, the rationale doesn’t add up, especially when the twist drops at the end of the tale.
Readman draws in a detailed indie style. The opening page of an alien world has an R. Crumb look and feel. That style has a good blend of cartooning and realistic detail that makes the twist all the more disturbing. The message isn’t anything new, but Readman infuses the story with uniqueness that makes it stand out.
Retro cover for issue #3.
Credit: Oni
Next up is “Pheromone” by Cecil Castellucci and Claire Roe. This is a story of a scientist who lets jealousy get the better of her. She specializes in pheromones, and the creative team takes that a step further when untested and non-peer-reviewed science is used to get her way. It’s an idea that I haven’t seen before, and could easily fill a TV show or movie.
Roe is a great storyteller, making the introduction of a good-looking guy like something out of a romance comic. An exceptional montage of the scientist figuring out how to control human pheremones is well done, capturing the cruelty of the research and the madness of the scientist. The final, macabre panel ties well into the imagery of the insects that opened the tale.
Wrapping up the issue is “Worth It” by Sarah Gailey and Kano. This is a story about a man who wants to leave a mark on history, and he’s willing to do so by endangering his customers, busting up unions, and generally being a sociopathic jerk. Simply put, he’s not unfamiliar in this day and age.
Kano is a mainstay of this series, bringing a mix of humor and horror to this tale. The space suit filling up with pink goo is particularly well done, using Ben-Day dots to convey the shadowy face inside the helmet.
The hook of this story involves his app called Worth It, which allows customers to add extra safety measures to their work for an additional cost. The problem is that when our main character encounters a life-threatening situation on the moon, his Worth It app is in full use, and sometimes, Wi-Fi issues and glitches can’t be helped. You reap what you sow. The back and forth of two technicians who can’t fathom, or even afford, the fees to save the main character’s life is downright comical.
Cruel Universe #3 continues the anthology’s legacy of sharp, darkly satirical sci-fi, delivering three distinctive tales that probe the intersections of science, greed, and morality. While some of the themes feel familiar, the execution, from inventive visuals to chilling twists, makes this a striking entry that reinforces the series’ place in the tradition of American horror and sci-fi storytelling.
You must be logged in to post a comment.