For those who haven't read the comics, the game Dead Space is the third part of the Dead Space story, and the comics are the beginning. The comics follow Planetary Security officers Neumann and Cortez investigating strange occurrences on a mining colony preparing for a planet crack.
Neumann and Cortez track erratic behavior around the colony while following rumors of a "marker", a supposed religious relic found on the planet during preparations. Diving deeper, Neumann and Cortez hear reports of apparitions, hallucinations, and dementia immediately preceding the ever-increasing outbreaks of violence. With their jobs and their lives at stake, they attempt to uncover the secret behind the violence and the paranoid delusions seemingly shared by the entire crew.
The story is very solid, especially when tying in with the game. Several questions one would find from only playing through the game are answered in this volume. Also, Antony Johnston writes both this book and the dialogue for Dead Space (the game), so both are very similar in feel.
This hardcover won't let Dead Space fans down. The cover graphic is printed right onto its hard-bound cover, and looks quite impressive. The comic itself offers a unique artistic approach that, while not terribly detailed, is accurately dark and bloody, and does a fine job of setting the stage for tale to be told.
Any Dead Space fans that are unsure if this is something they would enjoy should check into it. The comics are the perfect companion to the game. Dead Space: Downfall, the recently released animated movie is the middle ground for the three-part (so far) series, but does little more than provide some quick filler (and a quick buck for the producers.) The real meat of the story is between the game and the comics.