Dark Spaces: Dungeon #1
Kevin Rossi
Recap
Scott Snyder and Hayden Sherman reunite for the next installment in the critically acclaimed Dark Spaces anthology series. A family moves from the rustle and bustle of the Big Apple to upstate New York. However, their father's dream of a quiet rural life are shattered when he discovers a dungeon underneath their land filled with torture devices, weapons, and a threatening message on the wall that reads, "TELL NO ONE."Paranoia sets in rapidly as the father realizes anyone in his new hometown could be the dungeon master. Whom can he trust? And how will he keep this secret from his family while keeping them safe?
Review
Scott Snyder and Hayden Sherman’s Dark Spaces anthology series returns this month with Dark Spaces: Dungeon #1. The duo launched the anthology series described by IDW as “a thrilling new anthology series exploring our deepest fears of the unknown” with 2022’s Dark Spaces: Wildfire. Horror fiction has a storied past with anthologies. For almost 200 years, anthologies have been a mainstay of horror fiction and one of the most popular ways to consume horror. Horror comics rose in popularity in the 1940s and 1950s, leading to the establishment of the Comics Code Authority. Luckily, the genre persevered and horror comics have never been better thanks to the likes of Snyder and his contemporaries.
Shorter, standalone stories aren’t drawn out or over-explained. Readers come and fresh and leave terrified before one can make sense of it. The Dark Spaces anthology series offers unique, standalone stories with overlapping themes for the reader to decide. Scott Snyder knows the medium and genre well and can spin a well-crafted, terrifying tale. With Dark Spaces: Dungeon #1, readers are introduced to a grounded horror story that feels real enough that it could be happening in someone’s backyard without anyone noticing. Issue #1 introduces all of the essential components of a great horror story: an unsuspecting family, a shocking discovery of a dark mystery, a complicated protagonist, and nail-biting suspense.
Hayden Sherman’s art and Patricio Delpeche’s colors work incredibly well together. Sherman’s art captures the uneasiness of manga artist Junji Ito while retaining their own distinct style with a lot of fantastic detail and emotive faces. Delpeche’s style is perfect for these kinds of stories. He appears to work in water colors which add a layer of beauty and terror with an almost fluid and living element. The lettering by AndWorld Design does an excellent job translating Snyder’s script but it also does the important job of keeping the reader glued to the page. Dark Spaces: Dungeon #1 is a page-turner and will probably be read in one sitting, but the lettering maintains the pacing and where the reader’s eyes move. The lettering combined with Sherman’s art masterfully guides the readers for maximum suspense and dread.
Final Thoughts
Dark Spaces: Dungeon #1 arrives just in time for Halloween, the spookiest time of the year. Scott Snyder and Hayden Sherman have created another engaging and thrilling installment to the Dark Spaces anthology. If horror fans are going to pick one book up this month, Dark Spaces: Dungeon #1 is the perfect choice, though it would be equally as terrifying and engaging any time of the year.
ADVANCE REVIEW: Dark Spaces: Dungeon #1: Where the Sun Never Shines
- Writing - 9/109/10
- Storyline - 9/109/10
- Art - 9/109/10
- Color - 9/109/10
- Cover Art - 9/109/10
