Deep Gravity #3
Dark Horse
Words: Gabriel Hardman and Corinna Bechko
Pictures: Fernando Baldo

Back in my days of RPGing (I still do, just not as much as I used to/would like to), one of my GM friends said, when you run a demo of a game, get people rolling dice early and often.  Get them into the action.  It’s a demo.  They want to play so let them.  That’s how this issue starts off.  (Ok, you don’t actually open up page one and start rolling dice, just roll with me here.  I didn’t even realize I did that until I had written it.  I have got to stop using parenthesis.)    Things are bad, and you get the feeling things are just going to get worse.  The station is in a shambles, there are hostile alien life forms aboard, and the group needs to get to the other part of the station, which just so happens to be cut off from them for now.  So yeah, not good.

The three person tag team of Harman, Bechko and Baldo are delivering a solid sci-fi suspense thriller with Deep Gravity.  There’s action, there’s interpersonal tension and drama, there’s betrayal, and glimmers of hope and some good old fashioned heroics.   When it comes time to run from the giant-tentacled-alien-eater-of-humans (pretty sure that’s a scientific classification) there’s a pretty intense scene where the entire group has to make an open space jump from one part of the station to another.  Now, I’m no science guy or space person so I can’t say whether or not this tactic is even remotely possible, much less probable, but I can tell you I can see this happening on the big screen.  And that’s why I love comics.  I’m sure there are going to be some folks out there who are going to get their Jockey’s wedged up tight on this one because internet, but I’m fine with it.  (And besides, if the group stays there without making that jump A: they would probably die at the hands, er, tentacles of the afore mentioned giant-tentacled-alien-eater-of-humans, bringing this issue and probably series to a premature end and B: it wouldn’t look near as cool.)

Let me just say this: when there is blood pouring out of an overhead vent, it’s never a good thing.  I don’t care if it’s sci-fi, horror, fantasy, crime noir, whatevs… Never have a pair of characters walked underneath a vent oozing blood and said, “Hot damn yes!  Finally!  The Ice Cream Man is here!” “Ice Cream Man?  I thought he drove a truck that played an all calliope version of The Candy Man?” “Nope.  That was the old Ice Cream Man, this new one put the old guy out of business.  Now step aside and give me two bucks.  I gots ta’ get me some Tutti Fruiti in my face.”  Needless to say, blood from the air vent here was not the new Ice Cream Man.

This is fun.  Grab it to get your Sci-Fi Rocks Off.

3.5 out of 5 GTAEoHs (Come on, I used the phrase twice in this review, don’t make me spell it out for you.)