Publisher: AWA Studios
Writer: Mark Russell
Artwork: Laci
Colours: Marco Lesko
Lettering: Sal Cipriano
Release Date: 29th May 2024

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On sale this May from AWA Studios, Death Ratio’d is a slice of glorious one-shot sci-fi satire from writer Mark Russell and artist Laci. The story introduces us to Arnold, a fairly unremarkable individual who awakens from a twenty-year coma to discover a world that is completely and utterly ruled by social media. Likes and upvotes provide fame and fortune, but get too many dislikes and the explosive collar around your neck is detonated!

The dystopia doesn’t end there, though. Need some help to pay your spiralling medical bills? Just launch a “Sickstarter” (warning, you may end up having to send out thousands of mugs) Tired of your clothes? Don’t worry, they’re all digital now, with new skins to download all the time – for a price, of course. Oh, and and if you can pull together enough cash, you can even purchase ad-free versions!

If there’s one thing Mark Russell knows, it’s satire, from his Eisner-nominated Flintstones run at DC Comics to his ‘Jesus meets superheroes’ series Second Coming with Ahoy Comics. And that finely honed flair for subversion, fun poking and worryingly close-to-the-bone social commentary is very much on display here. Given our society’s increasing reliance (some may say overreliance) on social media in recent years, it’s not too far-fetched to imagine a self-obsessed, media-driven world like this at some point down the line, and for me, that’s what makes stories like these land as well as they do.

Arnold plays the role of “us” in this social media hellscape, equal parts bewildered and horrified by every new discovery, but still finding a way to gradually get to grips with this toxic new status quo. Adding an interesting wrinkle to the proceedings is Ellen, Arthur’s sadly deceased girlfriend (hashtag Ellen) who perished in the Social Media Wars around five years into his coma, and whose presence features heavily in this twisting, turning 38-page story.

I’ll admit to not being too familiar with Laci’s previous work, but they certainly fit the tone of this story perfectly with a great knack for facial expressions and some impressively cinematic layouts that ensure each page is kept visually interesting even when it simply features two or three characters talking. They work well alongside colourist Marco Lesko and lettered Sal Cipriano to deliver a sci-fi comic that relies a lot more on humorous reactions than all-out action (although there are some fun violent moments along the way too).

My only real grumble about this comic is its one-shot nature, with the limited page count leading to what feels (to me, at least) like a bit of a rushed conclusion. I’d have much preferred to see this fascinating new status quo being allowed to breathe over several issues before wrapping up, and while I do like the ending Russell and co. go for here, I don’t love it if you get what I mean? Feels like there’s a lot more story to be told, and the fact that’s never likely to happen leaves a mildly frustrating taste in the mouth.

That said, this is a comic book that is anything but flimsy, and is packed with all manner of big ideas and smaller details that will most definitely reward repeat readings. If you’re looking for a fun blend of humour, sci-fi and the savage lampooning of society’s rapidly spiralling social media addiction, this is most definitely the comic for you.

Rating: 4/5.

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[PREVIEW ARTWORK – CLICK TO ENLARGE]

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The writer of this piece was: Craig Neilson-Adams (aka Ceej)
Article Archive: Ceej Says
You can follow Ceej on Twitter

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