Summary
There are things that disturb and upset me and really cause me to have a lot of bad, bad reactions but I don't always try to avoid those things. I try to take them in a little piece at a time to try and get more ... accustomed to them. It's never OK and it's never GOOD but it is always VALUABLE for me to do this.
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This is rough for me but that is why I decided to buy this comic.
I DO NOT like horror movies like Event Horizon … but I have seen Event Horizon, like many people I know, just once and that was enough. It was an absolutely amazing film and back when it was original released in 1997 there was just nothing else quite like it. The cast is equally epic – Laurence Fishburne, Sam Neill, Kathleen Quinlan, Jason Isaacs, and Joely Richardson – and I went so far as to track down shots from the infamous and deleted “bloody orgy” scene that depicts what happened to the original crew in the hell dimension which was so bloody, so obscene, and so gory that some people fainted during the test screening.
This scene, which is only shown in bits and pieces of VERY brief flashes in the film actually used real-life amputees for special effects scenes where Event Horizon crew members were mutilated, and porn actors were hired to make the sex and rape scenes more realistic and graphic … honestly the few stills I saw in behind the scenes stuff was …. enough. If you do a search online you will find EXTENSIVE breakdowns of it.
I’m glad the scene wasn’t included in the film but, unsurprisingly, this is what everyone wants to know about when it comes to this prequel comic; will it include “the scene”.
I was always interested in the psychological aspects of the story … not so much in the horror or the body terror etc … and Christian Ward said something similar in an interview. He’s not so much a horror person either but wanted to explore more of the psychological and emotional parts of the story that, in my opinion, make it a much darker and terrifying story. Will the scene be in there? Well … kinda I guess according to Christian.
My goal was that I wanted to write a story that would change how one might view the film. As far as where this all came from, it’s wholly original, but obviously inspired from watching the film. I avoided researching early drafts as I wanted to feel like it’s my story to tell. That said, the one element of fan service that is in the series is the infamous ‘blood orgy’ sequence that was cut from the film. You’ll have to pick up Issue #4 to see how we’re using that, though.
On Art Style
I have talked AT LENGTH about how it took me a while to really appreciate different art styles. Tristan Jones has a style that is similar to something I have seen a long time ago, I just can’t quite place where. When I opened to the first page I remember thinking “Ahh ok, it’s THIS kind of art.” It wasn’t s surprise so I know I have encountered something similar in the past. Maybe like Kyle Strahm’s in Spread?
It has … a lot of texture – particularly “bubbly” textures – and lines. The details and shadows are all in the lines … it feels rough and “sketchy” and hand drawn with computer for colors and lighting which is AHFUCKINMAZING especially in some of the opening shots on the ship.
There are lines and lines and more lines … and that bubbly kind of “static” feeling style makes it hard for me to look at for a long time. As I have said many times before: everyone is different. How people process imagery in their minds is also different depending on how your brain is setup to work and sometimes images can be noisy … and sometimes visually discordant. This is the kind of style where the guided reading, panel by panel, really helps me to take in everything without getting overwhelmed.
It could be the synesthesia but it feels incredibly noisy on the page. Loud. For me there is a lot happening even in one frame because of the art style.
But that doesn’t mean I don’t like it. I’m merely explaining how it feels to me and how my brain processes the art. It’s a difficult style for me but that doesn’t mean it’s bad or that it doesn’t fit with the mood of comic. It absolutely does in the best kind of way. If it was smooth … or digital … or super flat it wouldn’t capture the feel as well and by that I mean it feels … fleshy? It feels off putting. It feels gross even when nothing is happening; menacing maybe or just like gritty AF. I think that’s perfect for this story.
On Appeal
This DOESN’T appeal to me but that is why I bought it. In the similar vein of why I buy certain Cullen Bunn comics or why I read the entire Crossed series … there are things that disturb and upset me and really cause me to have a lot of bad, bad reactions but I don’t always try to avoid those things. I try to take them in a little piece at a time to try and get more … accustomed to them. It’s never OK and it’s never GOOD but it is always VALUABLE for me to do this.
When it comes to experiencing certain kinds of media – especially imagery – there are times when I cannot get the disturbing things out of my mind. Things play on a loop in my mind, especially really traumatizing things, for WEEKS, sometimes months … and it puts my body in a high state of stress. Sometimes I cannot sleep because of nightmares if I just catch a glimpse of something … sometimes the glimpse is worse. With aphantasia I can’t create new imagery of things I HAVEN’T seen … but I am capable of pulling from memory to fill in those spaces. If I see something traumatizing then it never seems to go away … and it can be debilitating and harmful to me.
For the most part I can avoid certain imagery but not always. Sometimes people will share a screenshot on social media without any warning or maybe sometime I’ll watch a trailer not realizing it’s going contain something horrendous and I see some of it before I can quickly turn it off or turn away. What’s worse is when many people think something traumatizing or disturbing is actually funny … so my reaction seems extreme or worthy of making fun of. People have all kinds of triggers and all kinds of different stimuli that have different effects on them … just because something doesn’t bother you, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t do incredible harm to others.
When I picked up this book I knew I may have to be careful with each frame … and that I might have to deal with things that are going to cause trauma to my system. I went into it willingly and I knew that I might end up paying a terrible price.
So far … the price is … affordable.
In fact, by the end of the first issue I was really interested in more and pre-ordered the next one.
I was really intrigued and of course I’m curious how Christian is going to handle the infamous scene. Primarily though, what I am interested in his take on the story and how he’s going to approach it in his unique way. The film was so disturbing and frightening that I think it was hard for me to really be able to enjoy those other emotional and psychological elements of the characters fully. I was too busy being terrified or afraid to engage 100% with what was happening on screen.
With the comic, it gives me a better chance of experiencing the story in a way that communicates everything in a way I can take in better; without the terror overload and constant emotional manipulation of lighting, directing, music, etc. If I need to listen to classical music or something in the background while I read the comic or if I need to take breaks or whatever, it will be a much better experience than trying to take in a film.
I am really looking forward to challenging myself and continuing on with this series.
There are things that disturb and upset me and really cause me to have a lot of bad, bad reactions but I don't always try to avoid those things. I try to take them in a little piece at a time to try and get more ... accustomed to them. It's never OK and it's never GOOD but it is always VALUABLE for me to do this. Of course I want to know how Christian is going to handle that infamous scene, but I'm interested in his take on the psychological horror more. 
