Few TV series have left a deeper cultural mark than the Twilight Zone. Debuting in 1959, Rodselling’s groundbreaking anthology blends science fiction, fantasy and horror to tell stories that made them think in a way that makes them feel unsettled. IDW’s The Twilight Zone #1 (outside September 24th) embraces creative choices that feel integral to its legacy. With a pre-copy in hand, I dare to review comics that aim to make readers both shadows and substances, objects and ideas.
The first issue Dan Watters wrote with art for Morgan Beam is entitled “Blank.” It aims to lead the same unforgettable blend of the strange and familiar ones that defined the vision of cellling. Putting this cartoon on it, this is not a movement of horror nostalgia by IDW, but a new trip to that shadowy dimension where reality and surreal conflict collide.
Twilight Zone #1 wastes no time tapping on the series’ tradition of combining human frailty with greater fear than life. This opening chapter examines the rich and powerful chapter, their hunger to overtake the very limits of life and death through science, and the dangerous rog haughtiness that comes with believing that they are immune to the outcome. It’s a story about hub arrogance on an epic scale, and how a small number of ambitions set the stage for catastrophes for all.
What happened to your face! ?
Credit: IDW
When the needle falls and things go from odd to devastating, the result is a pure, confused, moment of terror. It is an unsettling fusion of visual shocks, a creeping fear of not fully understanding what is going on.
That uncertainty keeps tension even higher than the disaster itself. By the time the dust settles, true fear comes not from calamity, but from the choices people make in their shadows. In that sense, we feel this issue is unpleasantly related and reflects real-world crises like climate change. The greatest danger is not the looming threat itself, but the selfish decision to speed up its arrival. Seamlessly fitting into the legacy of the Twilight Zone is a kind of morally recharged storytelling.
Morgan Beam’s art infuses the characters with subtly unnatural features, elongated fingers, bent, twisted postures that make all the interactions feel a little apart. The way the layout is structured is artistic, bringing the reader’s eyes down in a way that builds tension on each panel. And yes, there’s even a fear of jumps that work. It’s one of the rare comic moments where the turn of the page can actually flinch you. Coupled with a black and white palette reminiscent of the show’s original aesthetic, Beem’s visuals give this first issue the surreal and dangerous energy that remains after the final panel.
If you’re unhappy, it’s the nature of the story that’s finished. The story hooks are so big that they can at least ensure that they maintain another issue. A little bit converse about that idea, the story takes place in a short time and doesn’t seem to take much time for the characters.
Twilight Zone #1 is a keen, unsettling debut that celebrates the legacy of Rodselling, telling a story that feels urgently modern. Dan Watters and Morgan Beam provide a powerful combination of moral tension, eerie atmosphere and visual storytelling. It reminds us that the most frightening part of a catastrophe is often the human choice that leads to it.
“The Twilight Zone” #1 is a sharp, unsettling debut
Twilight Zone #1
Twilight Zone #1 is a keen, unsettling debut that celebrates the legacy of Rodselling, telling a story that feels urgently modern. Dan Watters and Morgan Beam provide a powerful combination of moral tension, eerie atmosphere and visual storytelling. It reminds us that the most frightening part of a catastrophe is often the human choice that leads to it.
Capture moral and thematic DNA of the original Twilight Zone
Powerful commentary on power, hub arrogance, and human-driven catastrophes
Effective horror beats including rare, well-run comic book jump skar
I hope the Done-in-One format gives you more room to expand into the story
