PLUNGE

RELEASED OUT NOW!

Publisher DC Comics/Hill House

Writer Joe Hill

Artist Stuart Immonen

The latest release from DC’s new Hill House imprint sees founder Joe Hill back in writing mode for a six-issue miniseries of maritime mysteries, strange mathematics and unearthly terrors.

The story follows a motley crew of salvagers as they’re enlisted to recover a long-lost ship that has unexpectedly reappeared after 40 years. Heading to a politically contested island off the coast of Russia, the team locates the ship – but also find the crew, who have been infected and preserved by a strange lifeform, and now possess sinister and reality-altering secrets…

Hill’s storytelling and characterisation are as attention-grabbing as ever, and in only three issues he has introduced enjoyable and empathetic characters, alongside plenty of dark and intriguing mysteries. There are more of Hill’s knowing horror references (especially to John Carpenter’s The Thing) and the pace so far is brisk and exciting – although this occasionally works against the mood of slow-burning horror, with certain scares not landing as strongly as they might have if given more room to breathe.

There’s impressive back-up from acclaimed artist Stuart Immonen though, with some expertly crafted visuals. So despite these small flaws, overall Plunge still adds up to a satisfying and entertainingly weird dose of pulp horror thrills. Saxon Bullock