Advance Review: In ‘Requiem’ #1 No One Can Remember Your Scream

A spaceship unexpectedly encounters a sister vessel, only to find most of the crew killed in horrific ways. Only the ship’s biology officer has survived the slaughter, and she doesn’t remember anything.

That’s the setup to Requiem, the first chapter in a planned series that is about to start crowdfunding through Kickstarter. It’s an interesting start to the tale, which blends elements of several genres is a fairly compelling way.

What’s really driving the story though is mystery. What happened to the crew? Why are they on this mission to find a new home for the human race in the first place? Why is a memory wipe part of the crew’s regular decontamination procedure? If it’s done well, it will be like peeling an onion – in space.

Written by David Hazan and Christof Bogacs, Requiem has a familiar feel to it, though the mystery freshens things up. The pair plant a number of seeds – in one case, literally – for story points that can keep driving the plot for future issues. That’s generally a good thing, though it can cause considerable confusion for readers (and backers) of this first issue.

While the tale is set in space, most of artist Phil Appley’s panels are confined to the ship and its crew. It would be a more exciting visual story if he were given more to work with outside the spacecraft – though the feeling of being trapped in a confined space is a key story element. When he does get away from talking heads, Appley’s work shines, including some character’s memory flashbacks as well as the ships’ docking procedures.

There is a lot more to this story than the premiere issue can deliver. It will be up to backers to determine if they want to take a chance on future issues given them the answers they are looking for. But based on this initial chapter, it’s a risk worth taking.

Requiem #1 will launch a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter on June 12, 2023.