Advance Review — The Key To Immortality Is In ‘The Twilight Zone’ #1
by Tom Smithyman
You are traveling through another dimension – a new comic book series based on an old television show.
Yes, The Twilight Zone, that venerable television show, which has spawned numerous TV knockoffs, a motion picture, and even a theme park ride, is back in a new anthology series from IDW.
The initial installment is a story from writer Dan Watters and artist Morgan Beem titled Blanks. In it, billionaire Edward Kane is seeking the secret to immortality. He’s bankrolled a team that claims to have cracked the code, and Kane – who is dying – insists on being patient zero. This being The Twilight Zone, though, things go predictably awry.
Watters’ story is taut to the point of being a bit simplistic. Twenty-odd pages isn’t much for significant character development, and Kane suffers for it. So this predictable story ends in a predictable way. Kane’s terminal illness makes him slightly sympathetic, but few readers are going to expect a heroic billionaire in this environment.
Beem’s black-and-white artwork evokes the classic TV series. The imagery is straightforward and largely tells the story without the need for dialogue, though there is plenty of that. (It’s also perhaps telling that Beem’s illustrations are reminiscent of Martin Morazzo’s from The Twilight Zone-esque comic series Ice Cream Man.)
While true to the original series, the lack of color doesn’t necessarily help the story here, though. Kane travels to a tropical island, which is rendered pretty flat without colors. Beem does a nice job with her shading, but in a story where many human faces have no features, readers will want more.
With its stories about the human condition, The Twilight Zone has remained relevant for over half a century. With its simple story, Blanks is a curious choice to kick off the new series. For this comic series to be successful, it will have to go much further and hold onto readers’ attention.
The Twilight Zone #1 will be available in local comic shops and on digital platforms tomorrow from IDW.
Overview
The Twilight Zone is back, this time as a comic book. The mother of all horror/sci-fi anthologies debuts with a simple story about a dying man looking for immortality. You can guess that it doesn’t end well.
