We Only Find Them When They’re Dead #9 Review

Writer: Al Ewing / Artist: Simone Di Meo / Boom! Studios We Only Find Them When They’re Dead is one of the most ambitious sci-fi, deep space epics to date, and it’s the type of book where you keep the back issues on hand, a folder of notes, and a couple different fan wikis to keep everything straight. The second book of the series continues the time-honored tradition of showing past events from a different perspective and having those effects constantly cascade all the way to the present. Issues 7 and 8 of the series expanded on the the central conflict between the Harvesters and the Worshipers factions, with issue 7 being a more direct bridge of the two arcs detailing the trials and tribulations of Jason Hauer of the Vihaan II, and issue 8 gave us even more insight into the Maryiln Chen’s gambit involve God Malik. We Only Find Them When They’re Dead #9 wastes no time and continues with the multi-faceted narrative, starting the issue with Honorhim Bristow’s ascension to power and prominence. From the get, Al Ewing’s ominious narration reverbs in the mind and on the page, and Simone di Meo’s art floors the reader with stunning set pieces and bold line work.

As we shift from the past events in 2403 to the currents in 2414, Ewing keeps us engaged with a multi-threaded narrative that would make Babylon V and The Expanse proud. There’s no sugar-coating just how dense each page manages to be, as Ewing tries to be very efficiently and dense with the exposition when it does occur …