Black Mirror USS Callister Review – A Twisted Comics Adaptation That Elevates the Original Episode

How about your favourite dystopian sci-fi anthology TV series's particularly excellent sci-fi TV series troupe-twisting episodes brought to comic book form, from the brilliant mind that brought you Twisted Dark? It's Black Mirror USS Callister: A Twisted Comics Graphic Novel from Neil Gibson and Silvano Beltramo.

Neil Gibson is the founder of Twisted Comics, CEO and writer. His previous works include Theatrics, the many volumes of Twisted Dark, The Theory, The Traveller and The Traveller volume 2.

Silvano Beltramo is an award-winning comics artist and teacher at Scuola Internazionale Di Comics. He has worked with the Torino Comics Convention for over a decade and with publishers such as Opus Comics, Maverick Arts, Scout Comics, Antarctica Press, and Cutaway Comics.

Agnese Pozza is the colourist. Agnese is from Italy, now based in the UK, and has worked for Mad Cave, Dark Horse, Dynamite, and Heavy Metal.

Rob Jones is on lettering, so we already know that's going to be excellent. Rob is also a writer and has worked with Heavy Metal, Markosia, Mad Cave and Dark Horse, to name a few.

Finally, for introductions, it's cover artist Butcher Billy. The Brazilian illustrator has contributed extensively to Black Mirror. He has worked for Netflix, Disney, Ubisoft, Marvel and Stranger Things. Incredibly credible creatures curated of sorts, we'll have a review.

So, let's start with the art. First up is Butcher Billy's cover, which has a beautiful underground comix edge to it while packing in what fans of Black Mirror will instantly recognise as all the proper iconography. There's a touch of Bronze Age comics style to it as well, which makes for an impactful image.

Speaking of the Bronze Age, that segues us nicely into the art of Silvano Beltrano, whose sequential work is stellar in this book. For the moments on board USS Callister, Silvano has captured a heavy essence of Bronze Age Jack Kirby. For me, it ignites something very special, and that I didn't realise was missing from the telling of this story. It looks simply right.

There's a sharpness to the character designs that cuts through awesomely and adds an extra dynamic to the switch to the real world. Agnese colours do great work with this respect also, switching from vibrant primary colours to a grungy, dirty wash, adding beautiful emphasis to the contrasting worlds.

The key to this story, visually, I feel, lies in the consistency between worlds. Silvano absolutely knocks it out of the park with wonderful character work. The added saturation of screentone to the VR world moments is another key ingredient of clever distinguishing detail. The TV episode leaned into its Star Trek original vibe visuals. In true comic book form, the only appropriate analogue is Kirbyvision, and Silvano captures it. Equally impressive is the attention to detail and haunting beauty Silvano brings to the darker moments of the story. It's very, very excellent.

Rob Jones lettering is, as always, Rob Jones lettering and as such is more accomplished and trustworthy than anything Mr Ron Seal could produce. (Bad joke, good lettering). Art adoration alleviated, how about the story?

As we all know, you should never cross the streams, but in this case, that's exactly what Neil has done. Crossing the streams of media representation in this case has risked a "total protonic reversal" and resulted in a fantastic explosion of entertainment. Neil has done an idealistic job of cherry-picking the key dialogue and moments, streamlining to fit the comic book format. The story packs all the punch of its original. Refitted to our favourite medium.

The story of Robert Daly and his unhealthy obsessions works well here. Black Mirror fans won't find anything new storywise. This is essentially the best of the original script, repurposed into comic form, which is great if you don't know the story, with its themes of the damage and the trappings of loneliness and desperation. There's also some gaming culture commentary and a look at the implications of VR, as well as the value of the individual and the self. Perhaps even a deconstruction of the devils in nostalgia with the Starfleet trope embracing aesthetic.

The value here, for Black Mirror fans who are familiar, will really lie in the new art perspective. It is a story enriched in this way. As I mentioned, there is beautiful synchronicity with Kirby's age comic art.

Another really cool consequence of this story in this format is its accessibility. I feel like where the episode feels very dark and has some twisted moments synonymous with the Black Mirror franchise. I'm namely referencing the fate of Tommy or the body horror that comes with the crew member transformation. Well, here those moments are a bit softer in presentation. Which I feel would allow a slightly younger audience that may otherwise be steered away from the TV. The language remains flavoursome and the themes strong enough to inhibit an all-age category, but I do think there is something just more accessible thanks to this interpretation. The accessibility works in many streams and avenues, ready to seduce fans to new Black Mirror converts and Twisted readers. New readers will find tremendous value in every facet here.

This is top-tier sci-fi comic book storytelling with incredibly intuitive and modern-feeling horrors, with a beautiful dose of just beyond the horizon of our current times futurism. It's so refreshingly digestible with equal parts nostalgia and modern horror. All dressed in a disarming aesthetic with high notes of disturbing narrative and consequence stronger than the true implication of the sheer number of red shirt-adorned corpses left to the abyss, should you have ever deconstructed that particular Star Trek mythos.

For fans of Black Mirror, sci-fi, comics, VR, Star Trek, the tropes associated with serialised Starfleet adventures given a sinister twist and a contemporary setting, misuse of DNA, Ken doll details of reproductive organs, interesting new hobbies, and art to make Jack Kirby fans swoon, engage thrusters and set a chart for USS Callister A Twisted Comics Graphic Novel.

To get your copy, you should be here. Keep your eyes on all things Twisted for more collaborations and awesome comic series. In fact, Twisted fans and Black Mirror fans can celebrate once more as the next collaboration comes to Kickstarter on February 24th. Their next collaboration being the very excellent San Junipero. It's a sci-fi love story full of beauty and surprise that will melt your heart rather than break it. For all the latest on that, keep those peepers here.

Rating: 5/5.