Imagine Star Trek if scripted by the writers of The X-Files, Fringe, and/or The Twilight Zone. What I really want for this book is anyone to root for, or care about, or at least a compelling threat to kill off this bridge full of insufferable ***holes. The monsters they face aren’t given much depth either, leaving the story to stand on a kind of shock horror that feels a bit unearned. All of this book's characters are jerks, with little else to make them stand out emotionally, none of whom really seem to care about anything.

There is not much to ponder here, no great dilemmas, and no compelling personal stories to get attached to. The deal breaker though, for me, is that it abandons the philosophical curiosity of its Star Trek roots to go all-in on wholesale, adolescent grimdark. Conflicts are resolved in an almost checklist fashion, light on tension or excitement. Promising concepts, like the ship’s team of exorcists, are name-dropped frequently but feel fairly wooden in execution.

The dialog is kind of flat, with a smattering of expletives substituting for nuance or gravitas. It’s also supported by an almost cartoon art style that, while not an obvious fit for the tone, adds a lot of character to the world.Īs much as I like the concept, I’m struggling to really enjoy the book. This setup feels pretty fresh, loosely evoking stories like cult favorite Event Horizon. The usual starship captain and senior officers are accompanied by a cadre of exorcists and a crew of spellcasting mathematicians, traveling through a universe full of malevolent spirits and bloodthirsty demons. It did take me a bit to get used to the flow and characters so the first two issues were jarring but once I did, pure delight. But also the pacing is near perfect with plenty of great action moments and laugh out loud moments. I really was taken by surprise of how fucked up and gory some deaths here were. Together they must go forward in their quest but when they crash land, things start going wrong fast.Ī bloody, humorous, crazy balls to the wall action sci-fi, adventure. The crew is absurd, with so many clashing personalities you have to wonder how they survive past day 1.

Our main hero is not a likable captain but he won't fail his mission. Over the top for sure with a crew of crazy fucks on a mission to retrieve something.

This is my first Layman book and I have to say, it was really enjoyable. Outer Darkness is like taking Star Trek, Aliens, and a bunch of insane backstabbing characters, and mix it all together with a lot of humor.

Outer Darkness, Vol. 1 by John Layman