Dark Pyramid #1: A Social Media Slow Down

A trained search and rescue team might be what most people call up when a climber goes missing in the mountains. But in Dark Pyramid #1, the hunt for the missing climber is carried out by a friend who live streams the search–which is fitting since the only reason people know the mountain climber is missing is because he was live streaming at the time. Social media awkwardness defines most of Dark Pyramid #1 before it eventually gets to the horror story it wants to be.

Hooky, a live streaming mountain climber, falls into an ancient cave in the opening pages of Dark Pyramid #1. His feed cuts out abruptly, shocking his followers. Another live streamer, Becca, journeys to the same region of Alaska in search of Hookey. But all is not what it seems when Becca’s search takes a frightening turn.

Dark Pyramid #1’s mountain climbing story reads at first like a slightly askew, almost comedic look at social media. Hooky’s disappearance is revealed via his live feed cutting out. Becca’s search for Hooky is also broadcast via live feed, to an almost obsessive degree. This presentation of Becca and her live-streamed irritations when she gets to Alaska takes over much of the issue. Social media feels almost like Becca’s companion, but the lack of real character interaction of development undercuts the story. Dark Pyramid #1 should convey urgency, but for most of the issue the story merely plods along.

Becca likewise doesn’t connect as a character for most of Dark Pyramid #1. She comes across as little more than a run of the mill influencer to the point that her concern for Hooky doesn’t read as her primary motivation.

The mood shifts considerably in the last third of Dark Pyramid #1, however–to the point that it is almost like beginning a new comic. Tobin finds his way to the tension that most of the issue lacks. Thanks to that added tension, Becca immediately becomes a more interesting character. This is Dark Pyramid #1’s biggest flaw. It takes too long to get where it’s going. Once the issue reaches its final third, everything changes, and it’s impossible not to wish that the creative team had gotten there faster.

Holden’s art throughout Dark Pyramid #1 is almost contradictory. With the exception of extreme close-ups on characters, facial expressions and features are rather broad. When Becca does emote, Holden primarily communicates via the shape of her mouth and eyes. Anger, surprise, fear, and so forth are usually easy to understand in wider views, but there is no subtlety.

Extreme character close-ups, on the other hand, offer considerably more detail. Lines around mouths and eyes, worry lines on foreheads, and additional shading overall adds nuance. For instance, when two police officers point Becca toward a cabin outside of town that she might be able to stay in, the extra detail provided by the closeup lets Holden communicate that the officers’ smiles are slightly mischievous as they leave Becca to find the cabin.

The contradiction in Holden’s art really presents itself in how detailed Dark Pyramid #1’s settings are compared with characters. Shading in varying degrees of thickness describes the mountainous topography. Layers of needles on trees are evident even at a distance. Liberal linework helps detail wood grain on distant buildings. Detailed shading establishes the curved shape of an old silver bullet style trailer.

Colella’s coloring brings even greater detail and atmosphere to these various locations. Especially eye-catching is the day to night transition throughout the issue. Becca arrives under a blue daytime sky which transitions toward sundown as she first visits the police. When she leaves that building, the sky is twilight blue, and it continues to darken as the issue continues. Colella’s treatment of the landscape as day becomes night, especially the mountains, enhances the sense of isolation when Becca sets out for the cabin. Bright white mountains turn to cold blue once the sun has set, and Becca stands out as a lone point in frozen surroundings.

Esposito keeps dialogue bubbles and caption boxes well organized and as out of the way as possible when Dark Pyramid #1 gets text heavy. This work is also effective at not contrasting too heavily with Colella’s landscape coloring.