BOOK REVIEW | EVENT HORIZON: DARK DESCENT | CHRISTIAN WARD (writer) TRISTAN JONES (artist)

 

BOOK REVIEW | EVENT HORIZON: DARK DESCENT | CHRISTIAN WARD (writer) TRISTAN JONES (artist)

DESCRIPTION

Discover what happened to the original crew of the Event Horizon in this all-new cosmic horror graphic novel set in the universe of the terrifying cult-classic film!

 This original comic series serves as an official prequel to the film! The Event Horizon was a revolutionary spaceship designed for one mission: faster-than-light travel with a top-secret, experimental gravity drive. But upon activating the device, the ship journeyed across the borders of Hell itself. In a nightmarish realm of torments beyond imagining, Captain Kilpack and the crew of the Event Horizon must resist all manner of demonic forces—including Paimon, the eyeless King of Hell, and their own descents into madness and bloodlust—if they’ve any chance of escaping back to their own world.

 Abandon all hope and board the Event Horizon with multiple Eisner Award winner Christian Ward (writer of Batman: City of Madness, Two-Face) and powerhouse sci-fi artist Tristan Jones (Aliens: Defiance, Tales of the TMNT) in this unbelievable story of the true and final fate of the original Event Horizon crew.

REVIEW

Event Horizon: Dark Descent charts the events aboard the spaceship EVENT HORIZON before its disappearance. In the original film, the ship vanishes in 2040, only to mysteriously reappear seven years later. Sent to retrieve it, the salvage crew discover that the experimental gravity drive opened a gateway to another dimension, one of pure chaos and horror. The ship quite literally went to Hell and back, and the original crew met horrific ends.

Dark Descent expands on those events, exploring what happened to the crew before the ship vanished and fleshing out the horrors they endured.

IDW have been doing a great job expanding established IPs recently. Their Star Trek line has been consistently strong, while their Godzilla books have pushed the franchise in new directions. Event Horizon: Dark Descent is another success.

Taking over a beloved property is never easy, but the comic benefits from the fact that the original film only hinted at the crew’s fate through fragmented flashbacks. That gives the writers room to develop the characters and show that each member of the crew was already living through their own private hell long before the ship crossed dimensions.

The artwork by Tristan Jones will not be to everyone’s taste, particularly in the opening pages, but once the horror takes hold his style really comes alive. The book is packed with Barkeresque splatter and grotesque imagery that should satisfy any gorehound, while Pip Martin’s colours amplify the oppressive atmosphere and visceral horror.

The comic also leans heavily into the Hellraiser-inspired aesthetic of the film, not just through the gore, but through its depiction of an extra-dimensional hellscape beyond human understanding.

Another noticeable detail is that the likeness of Sam Neill’s character looks slightly different from the film version, likely due to rights issues, though the character remains instantly recognisable.

Event Horizon: Dark Descent is an excellent comic that captures the spirit of the original film while adding real depth to its story and characters.