DEAD COMPANY (VOL. 1), from TokyoPop on 8/16/23, takes the art of video game development to deadly levels when the survivor of a serial killer’s twisted game is hired by a company for his “experience.”
The Details
- Written by: Yoshiki Tonogai
- Art by: Yoshiki Tonogai
- Letters by: Vibrraant Publishing Studio
- Cover art by: Aracelli Ejarque Villegas
- Comic Rating: Teen+
- Cover price: $13.99
- Release date: August 16, 2023
Is It Good?
Wow, talk about disturbing!? DEAD COMPANY (VOL. 1) brings horror fans a digital tale of terror about a video game company that goes to extraordinary lengths to make the best survival game ever and the damaged young man unwittingly caught up in the company’s plans. It’s SAW meets The Cabin In The Woods with a cliffhanger that grabs you by the throat.
Yoshiki Tonogai’s twisted tale centers on Ryosuke Miyauchi – a young man who survived a horrific death match created by a serial killer three years ago. Desperate for work, Miyauchi is offered a too-good-to-be-true position with the video game company EDC because they want to leverage his life-altering experience to make their video games better. Unfortunately, Miyauchi will soon learn EDC’s video games leverage real-life information in more ways than one.
Be forewarned. This volume is rated Teen+, but there are multiple scenes of blood, violence, dismemberment, and decapitations. That’s good news for horror fans, but the squeamish should plan accordingly.
What’s great about this volume? The idea of a video game company that uses real events to develop its games is intriguing, and when Miyauchi learns the truth about EDC, Tonogai cleverly structures the plot to make the scenario plausible and EDC’s clutches inescapable. Given enough money and resources, it’s not hard to imagine how a company like EDC could get away with some of its programs, and that makes the company more terrifying than the murders it emulates. A horror Manga should be scary as its number one goal, so on that point, DEAD COMPANY (VOL. 1) is a success.
What’s not so great about this volume? Miyauchi is brought into the fold of EDC in such a way that he becomes trapped, but the way he’s brought in is a little too easy and happens a little too quickly. Technically, Miyauchi is followed over the course of several months, but you never see that time or progression play out, so there’s a slightly rushed feeling to Miyauchi’s entrapment. To be clear, this is a minor down point.
How’s the art? Up to the point where Miyauchi realizes what’s happening, the art focuses on making the fellow employees, the office, and everything around Miyauchi as clean and as perfect as possible, which makes Tonogai’s art super effective. When everything looks too perfect, the mind is unsettled, as if there’s something wrong. Tonogai leans into that unsettling perfection to keep Miyauchi (and the reader) off balance with a level of discomfort that creeps up until the big reveal. Again, a horror Manga should be scary, and Tonogai nails it.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at the covers, or Click Here to jump right to the story description with some spoilers.
What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
We begin with Ryosuke Miyauchi getting up to visit the employment office so he can find a job. Miyauchi is not his birth name because he changed it after a horrific incident staged by a rabbit-masked serial killer three years ago, leaving Miyachi the sole survivor. When Miyauchi gets to the employment office, he finds out the video game company, EDC, specifically wanted him for a job because of his experience.
At EDC, Miyauchi meets his supervisor, Tanahari, who explains his knowledge and experience will be invaluable in providing a first-hand perspective on their latest games. Miyauchi is uncomfortable, but he accepts the position. After a few months, Miyauchi provides excellent feedback to improve the company’s games, but he has trouble making friends.
We continue the volume with an investigation that goes wrong, an introduction that goes very wrong, and a promotion that goes terribly wrong.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at preview images of the internal pages, or Click Here to jump right to the score.
Final Thoughts
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DEAD COMPANY (VOL. 1) introduces readers to a new twist in horror when a serial killer survivor is hired by a mysterious video game company. Yoshiki Tonogai uses clever plot developments to trap Miyauchi in a no-win situation, and the unsettling art keeps readers off balance as Miyauchi’s situation deteriorates.
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