If You Find This I’m Already Dead #1 kicks off a multi-dimensional cosmic odyssey presented in a pulp magazine-sized format! Robin is a big city reporter, embedded with US Marines heading to the hostile pocket universe called Terminus. Ten minutes in, the entire marine squad is wiped out and she has to survive (and report) on her own. Terminus is full of cosmic wonders-and sci-fi “gods” that are in the middle of a political power struggle. The language is alien, and the politics are deadly. Can she survive long enough to figure out what’s going on and get home to tell the story?

If You Find This I’m Already Dead #1 is a hell of a start. Is that any surprise since it’s written by Matt Kindt? The story takes familiar concepts in new directions building off of “no duh” observations you just don’t see in comics.

Kindt keeps it simple. A journalist in a war zone where the mission they’re embedded on goes fubar and they’re abandoned in a foreign land. In this case it’s a completely alien landscape. And due to all of that, the comic is a triumph. Robin, the journalist, is forced to observe and learn about this world and due that, the reader is forced to as well. Robin’s journey is our journey. Kindt recognizes that Robin isn’t really a stand-in, she’s our stand-in as we get to learn and experience things as she does. The world for all of us is unfamiliar and that’s part of the excitement.

The art helps a lot with this. Dan McDaid does a fantastic job of delivering things that feel new and familiar at the same time. There’s clear influences like Flash Gordon and John Carter of Mars. The world and aliens at times feel like they’d fit in a retro pulp adventure. But, there’s also a lot that feels completely new, different, and… alien. That’s all helped by the color of Bill Crabtree and lettering by Jim Campbell which helps that interesting mix of retro and modern in the look of the comic.

If You Find This I’m Already Dead #1 is a fantastic debut that feels like a more modern version of classic sci-fi pulp. If you’re a fan of Flash Gordon, this is a comic that’s an absolute get and if you just like good comics this is one that shouldn’t be missed.

Story: Matt Kindt Art: Dan McDaid
Color: Bill Crabtree Letterer: Jim Campbell
Story: 9.0 Art: 9.0 Overall: 9.0 Recommendation: Buy

Dark Horse Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

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Purchase: TFAW – Zeus Comics – Kindle