“Set two years after ‘The Kill Screen’ event, humanity is left on the brink of extinction leaving the remaining survivors caught in a deadly 8-bit fight for survival. No one knows what caused computer errors and technological faults to infect our world, but with a wide range of different dangers, threatening the lives of the survivors on a daily basis, no one cares. Surviving is all that matters.”
It’s certainly an interesting premise.The fusion of video game themes and concepts combined with the ever popular post-apocalyptic setting delivers a fresh take on the age old tale of human survival. And while the comic is not exclusive to gamers and tech-heads, if you do happen to be one then you’re likely to appreciate it all the more. The title itself refers to the point in which a game becomes unplayable due to bugs. The story takes us through a world in which these bugs are much more literal, infecting humans to become “players” in various games across the world. Those uninfected must attempt to survive in a world torn apart by technology.
The writing itself is strong, working strong emotional angles to gut punch the reader with the bleak brutality of the reality of the Kill Screen. The comic will be utilising a sort of anthology format, showcasing a broad range of stories to show the full impact of the virus on the world. Issue 1, I Love You, sees two survivors, Chris and Jill, meet and attempt to escape after finding themselves caught in the middle of a deathmatch between the red and blue teams. To its advantage, the story is kept simple. Relying on basic emotions and brief moments of action rather than overly long narrative, the struggles of the survivors are related more through the situation they find themselves in than any expansive dialogue explanations. Almost Cormac McCarthyesque, Mike Garley creates an expansive world with sparse strokes.
What really stood out to me though, above Garley’s writing, is the artwork of Josh Sherwell. Throughout the issue, Sherwell delivers panels that are evocative not just for the technical skill that is apparent in them but for the distinctly impressive blending of gritty, realism with game influenced moments. For example, the infected are shown to be plagued with the virus by pixelated errors on their body or actual error messages showing on their skin. Blood, as seen in the picture below, also shows in a pixelated form. It’s an evocative art style that not only serves to greatly benefit the written premise but really shows off the talents of an artist given creative reign to work within a narrative expanse.
The Kill Screen is certainly an interesting prospect and one I’ll look forward to seeing fulfilled. If I was to lay any criticism at its door it would be that with the use of the anthology format, we may perhaps lose some of the drive, lacking a central guiding character as it is. However, this is a small complaint that may prove to bear no fruit as, on the basis of this issue alone, the creative team behind TKS have a lot to bring to the table in a way that is fresh in approach and confident in follow through. With the first issue pulling no punches and coming straight out of the stable with a deathmatch, i’m intrigued to see where in the world we’ll be taken next. The Kill Screen is a comic for anyone interested in a fresh take on the classic postapocalyptic scenario but, with its well designed references through both writing and art, anyone who’s a gamer will love it all the more.
