The second issue of Negative Space kicks off by answering all of our leftover questions from the first issue in order to quickly and effectively move the story forward. It works. The whole thing is now contextualized to give a better understanding of what’s going on. Basically, the Evorah are a race of squid-like aliens who feed off of negativity and have been using it to shape the course of human history. The few resistance fighters who know the truth are trying to fight back by using a suicidal empath to hit them where it hurts with a happiness bomb.
In the issue itself, it really works. This is a very original, very entertaining comic that clearly wears its influences on its sleeve. While the mythology is clearly explained—and very quickly too—the second issue is by and large very different than the first in terms of structure and tone. It’s a good balance, though. It feels almost more like a film than a comic book series, which makes sense. There are tons of references to movies—“It’s time to chew ass and kick bubble gum” immediately comes to mind—and the influences by and large seem to be more filmic than comic.
It’s also funnier than the first, which I was honestly not expecting. There’s a great sense of humor here, dark as it may be. With so much of the focus being on depression and with the central character being someone who is very adamant in his plans for suicide, it almost seems like humor wouldn’t really have a place in the book. If anything, I think the reverse is actually true. With the story centering on such tough subject matter, these moments of levity become incredibly important. Overall, writer Ryan K. Lindsay balances these moments perfectly.
The artwork by Owen Gieni also continues to impress. There’s a mix of tone here that I really like. It feels at home beside modern indie comics but at the same time it still has the feel of old-school Heavy Metal.
We still have some questions left and that’s good, considering that this is only the second issue. Are the good Evorah that Guy is working with really that good? What did Woody say when he was being interrogated? The fact that I’m invested as a reader, that I’m asking these questions and can’t wait to see what happens next… that’s the highest praise I can give. That means that what Lindsay and Gieni are doing is working. When all is said and done, this is going to be a special comic, I think. One that horror and sci-fi fans shouldn’t pass up.
WICKED RATING: 8/10
