Since this is a trade I’m going to have some spoilers. I figure the die-hard fans of Dark Matter probably read the issues as they released.
Dark Matter Volume 1: Rebirth kicks things off quickly. There is no back story and just a very quick narration in the first couple pages. We know nothing about our characters which is fitting because all of them wake up on a space ship not remembering who they are or anything else. While they have no memory they all still know how to do the various skill required to man the ship. As they try to figure out who they are and what they were doing on this massive ship they head for the closest inhabited planet.
As the story plays out they do not get their memory back but they do eventually find out who they are. And for the most part they are not happy with what they learn. Each of them then has to decide it they will use this “rebirth” as a chance to change themselves. I don’t want to spoil too much but I really like how they story covers both the intimidate situation while also starting to lay the pieces for a long running story arc. The writers have done a great job of interweaving these pieces together. They leave enough questions that I’m going to have to keep reading to find out what happens next while still bringing their starting story to a satisfactory close. Very rarely do comics do this. More often we just get a cliff hanger ending or one story arc ends and the next begins. Dark Matter Volume 1: Rebirth not only does it, but it does it really well.
As we learn more about each of the 6 main characters it is nice to see each of them is unique and stands out. I was initially worried with more than just a couple of characters that they would become muddled, but Dark Matter Volume 1: Rebirth keeps them all distinct even while they all wear similar uniforms.
I’m generally note a huge fan of this grittier art style as it tends to take away from the details, but for Dark Matter Volume 1: Rebirth I think it fits well. The story is fairly heavy at times and it set in the darkness of space for much of this trade. This art works well because of this and I found that I actually really enjoyed both the story and the graphics since they fit together well.
I know I’ll be keeping an eye for the next Dark Matter to release and if you’re looking for a story that seems like it will have a fairly long arc then be sure to check out Dark Matter Volume 1: Rebirth.
