REVIEW: 'Cemetery Kids Don't Die' #1 by Zac Thompson, Daniel Irizarri, and Brittany Peer

CEMETERY KIDS DON'T DIE #1

Writer: Zac Thompson

Artist: Daniel Irizarri, Brittany Peer

Letters: Andworld Design

Publisher: Oni Press

Release Date: February 21, 2024

Cover Price: $4.99

Experience the exhilarating, terrifying adventure from critically acclaimed writer Zac Thompson (Hunt for Skinwalker, The Dregs) and blockbuster artist Daniel Irizarri (XINO, Judge Dredd)!

The 21st century sucks hard, but it's made somewhat tolerable by the latest and greatest media innovations. Enter the Dreamwave: the first gaming console played entirely while you sleep. The obsession of millions around the globe, it's also the one point of solace for four friends known as the "Cemetery Kids," who spend their nights roaming the endless maps of the most brutal horror game ever created as they seek to dethrone the "King of Sleep"-the Dreamwave's biggest, baddest, and most mysterious boss.

Which was fun . . . until one of them doesn't wake up and finds their consciousness locked inside a horror game that is anything but imaginary. Now, the three remaining Cemetery Kids must navigate a forbidden landscape to rescue their friend and pray that the secret lurking at its center doesn't follow them home.

At the farthest edge of human perception-where science fiction and horror collide-experience 2024's most exhilarating, terrifying adventure, downloading from critically acclaimed writer Zac Thompson (Hunt for the Skinwalker, The Dregs) and blockbuster artist Daniel Irizarri (XINO, Judge Dredd)! 

Score:

★★★★☆ (4/5)

QUICK REVIEW: The solicitation says it all but this teen drama-techno-fantasy adventure series can be a cautionary tale as we continue to develop AI, virtual reality, and spatial computing in our real lives, the Dreamwave gaming console that you wear on your head while asleep doesn't seem so far fetched. The supernatural elements aren't even needed because the comment sections of any media platform are frightening enough but in 'Cemetery Kids Don't Die' #1 by  Zac Thompson, Daniel Irizarri, and Brittany Peer, the twisted turn raises the stakes in the debut issue. 

There is some melancholy to the story as a couple of siblings still wrangle with the grief of losing their parents and now depend on each other. They find escapism and fun while gaming online with other friends on the Dreamwave. Thompson does a nice job of establishing the characters and how they interact forming a cohesive and supportive group. What happens by the end only galvanizes them even more. A little 'Goonies'- like camaraderie is echoed by the title similar to their motto, "Goonies Never Say Die." 

Irizarri deftly alternates between the mundane aspects of the kid's offline lives with the more violent and fantasy details of the online game. It's an immersive world as any you'd find in adventure games in the real world full of inventive creatures and formidable bosses. Peer's colors draw the contrast between the gloomy real world and the vibrant dangerous landscape of the game. You can see the appeal of the game where these normal kids can be heroes. 

'Cemetery Kids Don't Die' establishes a strong foundation in the first issue, carefully developing the characters and their relationship while thrusting them into an unexpected nightmare. Thompson combines many genres into one compelling story that will leave you hooked and wanting more.