Written by Mark Russell
Art by Benjamin Tiesma
Colors by Vladimir Popov
Letters by Andworld Design

Welcome to the town of Lost Turkey, where the main source of entertainment is a cursed DVD machine that seems to know more about the fate of its citizens than they do.

Deadbox was not at all what I expected it to be, but it was so much more and so much better than I was anticipating.

Penny was destined to return to college and get herself out of her home town of Lost Turkey, but had to stay and take care of her dad and the convenience store he runs when he suddenly falls ill. Lost Turkey is a town that Penny does not belong in, nor wants to stay in, except to take care of her father. The question that plagued and intrigued me throughout the book, was what exactly caused him to fall ill? Based on the premise we knew that the Deadbox was causing some chaos, but how? And what might the movie that Penny watches from it cause next?

I love that the plot of this kept me flipping the pages waiting to see what happened next, but there was so much more that made this a page-turner.

The downfall of civilization will be its willingness to defend stupidity as freedom.

-Deadbox #1

Quotes such as this that were weaved into the narrative of the story really spoke to current events and felt very real to me. This story makes the reader easily connect closely with the world, which brings this comic to the next level and makes you care deeply about the main character, Penny, and the situation in which she is finding herself. I am all in on what craziness is going to come from the Deadbox and what situation she may find herself after watching The Lonely Planet.

Mark Russell does an excellent job of not just telling this story, but of weaving another whole sub-story within the movie that provides even more layers to the main plot as there are parallels drawn and the deadbox seems to know just what movie to give Penny. Benjamin Tiesma’s lines and Vladimir Popov’s colors provide a lovely visualization of the town of Lost Turkey, the world of The Lonley Planet and the big reveal at the end of ***spoilers***. Seriously – you don’t want to miss this reveal.

While this issue does not quite feel like a horror title yet, Deadbox #1 sets the stage of the assured creepiness and horror that may come from the deadbox and leaves this reader ready for issue #2!

Rating: 9.5/10

Deadbox #1 is now out at comics shops everywhere!

Cover A (JUN211896):

Cover B (JUN211897):