Warning: SPOILERS for W0RLDTR33 #1One of the most anticipated horror titles of the year has arrived, and James Tynion IV's new series w0rldtr33 from Image Comics lives up to expectations. Tynion and artist Fernando Blanco have created a truly chilling first issue that tackles the omnipresent anxiety of the digital age—all without skipping out on gore and terrifying nudity.
After writing and releasing some of the most exciting horror comics of the last few years, James Tynion IV has teamed up with Fernando Blanco, Jordie Bellaire, and Aditya Bidkar to create w0rldtr33, a horror tale about the darkest corners of the Internet. w0rldtr33 #1 takes place in the aftermath of a brutal killing spree outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Ellison Lane, a professional podcaster, is shocked to discover his teenaged brother Gibson is the undisputed killer: he broadcasted the murders over social media and in a dark online corner known only as the "Undernet." But Gibson was under the strange influence of the Undernet and its corporeal manifestation, a chillingly nude and tattooed woman known to the reader as PH43R. Meanwhile, an enigmatic character known only as Gabriel gathers his old school friends in the wake of the Undernet's reappearance; their past with the Undernet, PH43R, and a mysterious network known only as "w0rldtr33" is already the intrigue at the heart of this first issue.
w0rldtr33 #1 Is Bone-chilling Horror
It's hard to choose what to describe first, as almost every element of w0rldtr33 #1, both written and designed, adds to the issue's atmosphere and storytelling. It's easy and completely true to say the most compelling choice in this new horror series is the "monster's" design; PH34R is the real star of w0rldtr33 because of Blanco's unforgettable character design. PH34R appears as a completely naked woman, her bobbed blonde hair half-pulled back from her face and dark gray tattoos running down her arms and between her breasts. She usually appears with a gun and a smartphone. One issue in and PH34R has entered the realm of the instantly-iconic, but what's more impressive and what makes this character truly terrifying is the almost-detached frankness of her nudity. PH34R's nakedness is far less sexual than it is deeply unsettling.
But, beyond the memorable (if perfectly nightmarish) design choices, the real success of this first issue is how it mines contemporary anxieties about the digital age and the Internet's influence on culture, selfhood, and human connection. It's not uncommon or untrue to believe that the Internet's structure—both digitally and socially—has particular designs on the human brain. Spend more money, lose more time, create more divides. w0rldtr33 takes this belief a step further by creating a physical manifestation of the Internet's worst, most terrifying parts. What if the Internet was sentient, this issue asks, and really did have designs on us? And what if those designs are just as horrifying as we’ve always feared?
w0rldtr33 Has a Human Heart
w0rldtr33 #1's art and story will certainly shake readers to their core; this is not a horror book for the faint of heart. What will keep those readers coming back for more, though, are the human stories at the heart of this digital nightmare—a common trait among James Tynion IV's horror titles. How will Ellison cope with what he's witnessed? Who is Gabriel, and what do he and his friends have to do with the Undernet? Can these characters look away from the glowing screens long enough to save themselves?
Check out W0RLDTR33 #1 available now from Image Comics!