In this review of Vanishing Point #1, a family man embarks on a ten year solo journey to mine asteroids in deep space and makes an impossible discovery that threatens both his mission and his humanity.
Vanishing Point #1
Writer: Mark Russell
Artist: Juan Doe
Main Cover: Christian Ward
Variant Cover: Juan Doe
Page Count: 32 pages
Release Date: May 7, 2025
This review contains spoilers
Vanishing Point #1 “Screams” is the first story in a six-issue science fiction anthology series from comic book writer Mark Russell (Wonder Twins). “Screams” introduces Jim, a husband and father, embarking on a ten year solo mission to mine asteroids in deep space. If/when Jim completes his mission, he and his family will be set for life, courtesy of his bosses at “The Company”.
Having already arrived at the Jupiter asteroid belt, Jim talks to his family through video chat (albeit with some annoying transmission delays). After the kids say goodnight, Jim’s wife Denise stresses the fact that he will miss out on a decade of their children’s lives, and reminds him of the danger he faces in space mining with no backup (which feels like a conversation they should have had before Jim took the job, but it clues the reader in to what he faces).
Denise also asks Jim about rumors of other captains going “Ahab” on these missions, but Jim reassures her that he has too much to live for.
Two years pass (you can tell because Jim grows a beard), and after fast-tracking his work to try to get home early, a rogue asteroid crashes into his ship, injuring Jim and damaging his primary communication system, leaving Jim with an audio-only backup for the remainder of his tour.
Time passes, and as Jim loads an asteroid into his ship’s crushing chamber, he hears an agonizing scream through the back up radio. At first Jim thinks it could be an equipment malfunction, but soon he realizes that the space rocks actually might be alive (and in pain). As Jim tries to comprehend this new development, he begins receiving messages in binary code from the space rocks begging him to stop.
Jim contacts The Company, but they tell him he is just working too hard. In order to complete the mission and help his family, Jim destroys the back up radio, silencing the screams, but also cutting off all communication with The Company and his family.
Vanishing Point #1 “Screams” ends with Jim completing his mission, as he discovers a dark secret within the Jupiter asteroid belt before setting course for home.
Analysis
For fans of Mark Russell’s comic book writing, Vanishing Point #1 “Screams” appears to share some common DNA with his recent dystopian sci-fi epic “Travelling to Mars”. That excellent series also deals with a lone astronaut on a dangerous solo mission. But the similarities end there as the stories follow different paths to their inevitable conclusions.
In Vanishing Point #1, Russell isolates his lead character, with no direct contact other than his ship’s computer and long distance messages with his family and The Company. Russell also condenses Jim’s entire years-long odyssey into a single issue, dwelling more on Jim’s loss of purpose due to replacement by machines, and of the few unexpected advantages humans have over artificial intelligence.
In “Screams” readers spend a lot of time getting to know Jim (mostly from his narration), but is he a reliable narrator? Russell explores philosophical and moral issues in “Screams”, but leaves the psychological ramifications that a ten year deep space mission in extreme isolation would cause as only subtext. Are the screams real or are they the product of a fractured mind?
This leads to the interesting “going Ahab” phenomenon where Russell eschews current pop culture for a classical literary reference. The “Ahab” concept does come into play in the final act, which won’t be spoiled here, other than to say there is a pay off (of sorts) to the mystery behind “Screams”.
The final page reveal of Vanishing Point #1 might lead readers to accept that the screams are indeed real (and that Jim wasn’t the only one who heard them), but again, is Jim a reliable narrator? As the years pass, Jim faces increasing obstacles to completing his mission, including a total communication blackout.
Switching gears here, the art and colors by Juan Doe are astounding, reminiscent of classic comic artists Ken Steacy and Juan Ferreyra, but maintaining his own distinct style. Doe’s artwork evokes an animation feel with his figure work and backgrounds, while his rich color palette provides a sense of mood, atmosphere and emotion. The final page’s art and color is a stunning sequence that ends with a jaw-dropping final panel.
Final Thoughts
Vanishing Point #1 is a sad, dark and haunting exploration into the nature of humanity and existence, evoking classic science fiction tropes with a decidedly Mark Russell twist. If you enjoy The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits or Black Mirror, then Vanishing Point should be your next destination.
