Event Horizon's sequel comic just brought back a 232-year-old Lt. Starck

The next chapter of the Event Horizon saga is officially unfolding in the comics. After the massive success of the prequel miniseries Event Horizon: Dark Descent, IDW has dropped a sequel set 200 years in the future titled Inferno. In its first issue, the series introduces a new super-villain in devil-worshiping billionaire Daniel Durante, along with his crew of impoverished or otherwise desperate hired hands.

[Ed. note: Spoilers ahead for the first issue of Event Horizon: Inferno.]

Dark Descent followed a mostly new cast of characters, anchored by the antagonist of the original film. That was none other than the designer of the ship, Dr. Billy Weir (Sam Neill). The loss of his wife, Claire, placed Weir on a dark path, twisting him from a misguided genius into an unmitigated monster. Considering its two-century distance from the 1997 movie, it seemed unlikely that the creative team would be able to rely on an old-school crew member to ground this story in the same way.

This is all to say, we really weren’t expecting a 232-year-old Lieutenant M. L. Starck (Joely Richardson) to show up out of nowhere, carrying a dismembered demon and effectively closing out the first issue.

Event Horizon Inferno #1 written by Christian Ward with art by Rob Carey, colors by Xenon Honchar, lettered by Alex Ray

Image: Rob Carey/IDW

A smirking demonic humanoid lurks behind a terrified scientist in deep space

In the movie, which is set in the year 2047, both our protagonist, Captain Miller (Laurence Fishburne), and our villain, Dr. Weir, were killed in the apparent destruction of the Event Horizon. That left three survivors, including Chief Engineer F.M. Justin (Jack Noseworthy), rescue technician T.F. Cooper (Richard T. Jones), and Communications Officer Lieutenant M.L. Starck. Though the three appeared to have made it to safety, the ambiguous ending left some questions unanswered. Namely: Did they truly escape Hell, or was this simply another hallucination?

Starck’s appearance might imply she’s been surviving in the Hell dimension ever since 2047, which would explain her somewhat cavalier attitude about slaying demons. Her rallying cry to the poor schmucks who have been sucked into Event Horizon drama with her is the final note for the first issue. That leaves a fresh crop of questions about the role she’ll play going forward. Regardless, it’s great to see a friendly face out in the void of space. Welcome back, Starck; you were missed.

While Doctor Weir was a killer and a traitor to his peers, he remained sympathetic due to his obvious grief over the loss of his wife. That relatability has been all but zapped from our new class of big bad. We kick off the issue by watching a young Durante and his brother torturing the daughter of their family butler. The room they are in is set up for a ritual sacrifice as the brothers are vying for immortality.

Dark Descent’s devilish foe, Paimon (classically a Goetic King appearing in various grimoires over the centuries), apparently returns here. The last time we saw Paimon in Dark Descent, he revealed himself to be the architect of Weir’s terrible downfall. Here, he has lured the deranged Durante to the Event Horizon. Though ostensibly hoping to raid the ship, Durante quickly reveals he has bigger plans in mind.

With the first issue in the bag, there’s still no telling how this is all going to play out. What’s certain is that writer Christian Ward has lots of plans for expanding Event Horizon lore, and both Dark Descent and Inferno have added tantalizing new layers to this beloved cult classic.