by Tuesday PopeIt’s not often a new comic comes out and instantly grips the reader leaving them begging for more, but that’s how I felt after reading Al Ewing’s and Simone Di Meo’s break out series “We Only Find Them When They’re Dead.” Set in the year 2367, the first issue weaves a tale about humanity at a crisis where the only way to survive is to mine the impossibly large deceased bodies of Gods for resources. That premise alone sold me, but does the comic, published by Boom! studios, live up to the premise?
Humanity lives in a crisis mirroring that of our current day climate crisis. We’ve used up all of our own resources so now we must make do by mining the long dead bodies of gods. These bodies dwarf any ships that fly near and drift into our galaxy from ones far away. Crews will strip them for cloth, meat, metal, and a myriad of other resources. As it always is, corporations are taking up large harvesting areas and scrappers fight over lesser resources.
Our journey focuses on Georges Malik, captain of the Vihaan II, and his crew of four aboard a struggling autopsy ship. They play by the rules of the current society, but have a greater plan and purpose. For reasons not yet known to us, Georges and his crew wish to find the first living god.
Like any good first issue, it’s both vast in scale but very small in the grand scheme of things. Issue one does a great job at establishing the universe and instilling intrigue. We don’t know much about any of our characters, but we are given just enough to want to delve further into this world. It succeeds at what it set out to do and I highly recommend you pick this up at your local comic store.
Ewing currently works for Marvel. This is his first solo series. Di Meo is an illustrator for mainly Power Rangers comics. Di Meo has an interesting way of laying out the panels and builds on the sense of discovery Ewing’s story is filled with. The most memorable moment is easily the discovery of the first God. The book is a visual treat from beginning to end. The two work very well together and I can’t wait to see where this series will go.
