Come Into Me #1 Review

Come Into Me #1

Writers: Zac Thompson & Lonnie Nadler
Artist: Piotr Kowalski
Colorist: Niko Guardia
Letterer: Ryan Ferrier
Publisher: Black Mask Studios

Review by Greg Brothers

Imagine you are living in a world where the Matrix is real. However, instead of plugging into the Matrix, you plug into other human beings. While you are plugged in you literally share everything. You share the body, the mind, and in many ways your soul, nothing can be hidden from the person that you are plugged into.

Now that you are completely freaked out about what people might find out about you, welcome to Come Into Me #1 by Zac Thompson and Lonnie Nadler. Immediately we are introduced to Sebastian; he is the founder and lead researcher for a company called InBeing. They are trying to perfect a procedure that will allow doctors and researchers to connect with a patient’s mind, giving them better care. Unfortunately, the last demonstration for investors did not go they way that he had hoped. Faced with the idea that he may run out of money, Sebastian takes a meeting with the mysterious Becky. Becky has done her research on InBeing and wants to use her immense wealth to take a vacation from her life and be part of the InBeing experience.

In Come Into Me #1, Thompson and Nadler begin to build this crazy world and fill it with intriguing yet mysterious characters. Sebastian is a classic horror standby who does things for what he thinks are the right reasons. Unfortunately for him, his choices, while well meaning, seem like they will have a negative impact for him and those around him. Becky, on the other hand, we know little about after this introductory issue. She is not happy with her life and wants a break from it. The question that readers are left with is what is so wrong with her life that she needs to escape it for a time being.

The pacing of the book hits all the sweet spots. Thompson and Nadler split the time perfectly between the introduction of the characters and explaining the concept behind the company. At no time did it feel as if the story dragged. Instead the pace was brisk and flowing as the comic advanced. When you have a story that flows between the waking world and a mysterious consciousness you risk getting lost somewhere between the two. Thankfully Thompson and Nadler are able to keep the two separate in readers’ minds as the two worlds crash together for the protagonist.

One of the reasons that they are able to easily separate the two worlds has to do with the art. The brief time spent in the shared consciousness is drawn in a distinct and unfocused style. It is only when that distinct style mixes with Sebastian’s waking world that you appreciated the specifics of it. Much like the art in The Dregs, the art team here creates characters who are not perfect in their looks. It is what you would expect from a middle-aged man who spends more time working than he does taking care of himself. And, the procedure and how it is portrayed is just as horrifying as you would expect within a body horror comic.

Verdict: Buy it.

Come Into Me #1 confirms that Thompson and Nadler have another hit on their hands. Very few teams would be able to take offbeat body horror and create such a character-driven story. From the first time that Sebastian and Becky are introduced, I wanted to know more about their motives and their story. I personally look forward to seeing where this team plans on taking us for this wild ride.