In Review: Dead Seas #1 (of 6)

Synopsis: In Dead Seas, Ghosts are real and dangerous. But they’re also valuable, their ectoplasm capable of curing countless diseases. There’s only one problem: harvesting the wonder drug can be just as deadly. Prisoner Gus Ortiz is willing to take the risk in return for a reduced sentence—anything to see his daughter again. All it will take is a few months at sea scraping ectoplasm off the walls of the Perdition, a floating prison containing the most vicious ghosts on Earth. Surrounded by dark waters, Gus soon realizes that angry spirits are the least of his worries.

The Story

When sent to prison for his confidence scams. Gus Ortiz finds himself given the chance to serve out his sentence on a ship called the Perdition. The ship is a prison for both humans and ghosts which are there for research purposes as well as for their Ecto Plasm. As he arrived on board with a new group of prisoners. Gus is put straight to work on collecting Ecto Plasm from the containment area that houses the ghosts. However, when something breaks down one of the ghosts is able to get away and it gives Gus a terrible scare. Making matters worse. An old prisoner who was assigned to Gus and his mate has gradually been losing his mind due to having been tormented by the ghosts. It seems that life on the Perdition doesn’t include health and safety standards when it comes to looking out for its prisoners. The question is. Will Gus be able to survive it and serve out his time and be home in time for Christmas to see his daughter?

The Artwork

The art in this book is done by Nick Brokenshire who looks like he has opted for a more natural approach to his pages. The characters and inks look very much hand drawn and a bit rough around the edges, which suits the story and the visual world that is created. I especially loved the drawings of the various ghosts in the book. But the best visual comes toward the close of the book where we see the prisoner that was assigned to look after Gus trying to warn him about the ghosts before committing suicide. The look of terror on his face, as well as the detailed drawing of the ghosts showing up around the iris of the prisoners’ eyes, is brilliantly done.

Overall

A really strong first issue that does a fantastic job of setting up the world in which Ghosts have become as common a problem to society as rats. I look forward to seeing where this goes in future issues.