We Only Find Them When They’re Dead #1 // Review
The cleverly-titled “We Only Find Them When They’re Dead” #1, written by Al Ewing, illustrated by Simone Di Meo, and with color assists by Mariasara Miotti, promises tons of potential, but barely gets off the ground. The premise being that in the year 2367, the human race has taken to scouring the “Big Dark,” aka space, for resources. The most valuable resource in space? Dead gods. Thus, the mystery is set up: why have humans never seen a live god, why do the gods appear randomly floating in space when they die, and why are they dying if they’re gods?
Sounds like a cool idea for a comic, right? It is! Unfortunately, this issue is all set up/world-building, which leads to little plot movement. The act of telling a compelling story in a small space (23 pages), especially when it’s the first issue of a book with a premise no one is familiar with yet, can be daunting. The aforementioned set up/world-building is absolutely necessary, but it doesn’t leave space for much of anything else. Ewing being a seasoned veteran writer, knows all of this but still can’t avoid falling into the trap. What he does manage to show you is certainly intriguing, but it’s not necessarily enough of a hook to get you to pick up issue #2.
The other problem with this book is the flat characters. By the end of the first issue, we know the names and jobs of everyone introduced, but we don’t really get a sense of their personalities. In fact, only by the end of the book do we even find out what they truly want. This revealing conclusion is, however, expertly crafted by Ewing, and it is the one thing that might give you pause on a decision to pass on future issues. You’re probably saying to yourself, “but comics are a long-form storytelling platform, it’s going to take time to get to know the characters.” That’s true. You shouldn’t expect to find out every detail of a comic book character’s wants, needs, and personality in issue one. You should, however, feel a desire to follow them to the next issue, based on what you do learn about them, but there’s simply not enough here to compel you to care.
The art of Di Meo and Miotti is fresh, light, and poppy, providing unique visuals that you can’t take your eyes away from. Miotti’s palette is particularly dazzling, full of the brightest, most neon of colors. It is guaranteed you have never seen anything like the art of this book, as it is somehow simultaneously simple and complex, a balance between pop art and good old fashioned fun comic fare.
This may not be the strongest first issue, but the concept is top-notch sci-fi/fantasy, and with time, it could grow to be a very cool book. Ewing, a highly praised (and deservedly so) comic book writer, has earned the readers’ patience with letting him ease into the story and characters. Hopefully, next issue will lead to a little more of the character and plot development everyone knows he is capable of.
