What do you think?
Rate this book
Negative Space #1-4
Negative Space
When one man's writer's block gets in the way on his suicide note, he goes for a walk to clear his head and soon uncovers a century-old conspiracy dedicated to creating and mining the worst lows of human desperation. A corporation has manipulated his life purely so they can farm his suicide note as a sadness artifact that will be packed and shipped to ancient underwater creatures who feed off our strongest and most base emotions. Our hero partners with a cult intent on exposing the corporation and only a suicide mission can solve the whole mess.
104 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 1, 2016
2 people are currently reading
150 people want to read
About the author
Ryan K. Lindsay
68 books64 followersRyan K Lindsay is an award winning Australian comic writer who has worked for a variety of publishers.
He has partnered with artist Eric Zawadzki to produce: ETERNAL through Black Mask Studios, and HEADSPACE, with Sebastian Piriz, through Monkeybrain Comics/IDW.
He has partnered with artist Sami Kivela to produce: BEAUTIFUL CANVAS through Black Mask Studios, DEER EDITOR through his own ‘Four Colour Ray Gun' imprint and a handful of Kickstarter successes, and CHUM through ComixTribe.
He was selected as a participant in the DC Writing Workshop group of 2016.
His other comics include: Aurealis and Ledger Award winning NEGATIVE SPACE with Owen Gieni through Dark Horse Comics, GLOVES with Tommy Lee Edwards in the Vertigo CMYK anthology, as well as EIR with Alfie Gallagher, INK ISLAND with Craig Bruyn, and STAIN THE SEAS SCARLET with Alex Cormack through Kickstarter for ‘Four Colour Ray Gun.’
He's written/edited analytical texts, including THE DEVIL IS IN THE DETAILS: EXAMINING MATT MURDOCK AND DAREDEVIL through Sequart, and has had essays published in Criminal, Godzilla, Sheltered, Strange Nation, and Crime Factory.
He is Australian and when not being a family man he hones his writing skills by sacrificing blood wombats to the outback spider fight clubs.
He has partnered with artist Eric Zawadzki to produce: ETERNAL through Black Mask Studios, and HEADSPACE, with Sebastian Piriz, through Monkeybrain Comics/IDW.
He has partnered with artist Sami Kivela to produce: BEAUTIFUL CANVAS through Black Mask Studios, DEER EDITOR through his own ‘Four Colour Ray Gun' imprint and a handful of Kickstarter successes, and CHUM through ComixTribe.
He was selected as a participant in the DC Writing Workshop group of 2016.
His other comics include: Aurealis and Ledger Award winning NEGATIVE SPACE with Owen Gieni through Dark Horse Comics, GLOVES with Tommy Lee Edwards in the Vertigo CMYK anthology, as well as EIR with Alfie Gallagher, INK ISLAND with Craig Bruyn, and STAIN THE SEAS SCARLET with Alex Cormack through Kickstarter for ‘Four Colour Ray Gun.’
He's written/edited analytical texts, including THE DEVIL IS IN THE DETAILS: EXAMINING MATT MURDOCK AND DAREDEVIL through Sequart, and has had essays published in Criminal, Godzilla, Sheltered, Strange Nation, and Crime Factory.
He is Australian and when not being a family man he hones his writing skills by sacrificing blood wombats to the outback spider fight clubs.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
May 26, 2020
At first, I was really turned off by the art and the dark, depressing tone. But by the end of the first issue, I was sucked in. I grew to love the art and the story did contain hope in a morbid kind of way. It was like a modern Twilight Zone episode.
As for the story, it goes like this. There's these Independence Day looking alien creatures at the bottom of the sea who feed off negative emotions. Kindred Corp. has been able to sate the creatures by crushing people's spirits because throughout history, when they aren't sated, they come to the surface and attack humanity.
Received an advance copy from Dark Horse and Edelwiess in exchange for an honest review.
As for the story, it goes like this. There's these Independence Day looking alien creatures at the bottom of the sea who feed off negative emotions. Kindred Corp. has been able to sate the creatures by crushing people's spirits because throughout history, when they aren't sated, they come to the surface and attack humanity.
Received an advance copy from Dark Horse and Edelwiess in exchange for an honest review.
November 26, 2019
An interesting idea for a story that's kind of a bummer. Good, but not fun. The art was gritty and appealing in some places but not so nice to look at in others. The characters didn't do a whole lot for me. The story was a darkly morbid mindfuck, but more so emotionally than anything else. You may like it if you're more "emo" than I am. I prefer humor and visually horror over "the feels".
July 17, 2024
I don't remember when and why I put this in my TBR list, but I am glad I did. Finally, when I got to it, I have to say this was much better than I expected after few pages.. The art is really beautiful, and the premise is interesting. I mean, imagine a world where weird ugly monsters feed on people's emotions. And then, one strong empath comes to the game. Great narration, quick read, heavy ending.
October 17, 2015
What an incredible read, here. A corporation secretly harvesting the emotions of living beings to be used to feed demons. One prolific writer on the verge of suicide and huge pinkish aliens bent on eating the world. And that's just the first issue?! I cannot wait for this series to take off. Unfortunately Issue #3 will not be released until January of 2016!
June 18, 2016
Good illustrations, interesting story that deals with basic concepts as sadness vs happiness in a grim creative form.
July 20, 2016
Crazy shit. Reminded me of something you might have seen on SBS late one Saturday night in the 90s.
April 7, 2018
A dark, weird, and utterly unique look at depression, suicide, and the reasons we might find to survive. Expertly told by Lindsay, and gorgeously illustrated by Gieni, Negative Space is a must read for anyone who's life has been touched by depression.
August 30, 2021
An alien species that feeds on negative emotions. A suicidal man tries to find happiness in the objects of his past to fight off the creatures with positive emotions but in the end they are too strong and he just has to endure. A very different way to look at depression.
February 10, 2019
3.5 stars
September 14, 2025
TW/CW: “Consider skipping if you’re not in the greatest MH headspace!”
March 13, 2017
Had a great time reading this graphic novel. It's dark, funny, a bit bizzaro, and has a lot of memorable moments within such a small and contained run. Reading it felt like I had fallen into a darkly weird classic sci-fi movie from the 80s. It's got elements of chew, tank girl, Lovecraft, and dystopian beurocracy a la Kafka or cabin in the woods. It's impressive how much is jammed in to this slim volume. The art is also phenomenal. So often art is slick with human perfection or too cartoony to relate to. However, here we have a relatable schlub suffering through a mind bending sci-fi thriller. His intense levels of shrugging sheepleness so very telling of his mental state. He rolls along, going with the flow through the darkest parts of the world unsurprised, since why would he be. I feel like we can all relate to that on some level. His beauty and his ugliness are highlighted both at once in the art, as well as in the writing. But the best part is that it's just a simple dark sci-fi story. It's not some grand overworked "opus." Just a relatable story for people who understand the wishiwashyness and the inevitably of darkness...But with some humor and interesting events.
December 4, 2020
Fiction, especially sci-fi and horror, are genres thatwork best when they reflect some aspect of real-world struggles or anxieties. This book is an obvious attempt at creating a story that cultivates in one man's depression and thoughts of suicide.
But holy Jesus does it ever miss the mark! Instead of becoming some form of internal struggle that the main character has to tackle, the writer makes the depressed protagonist a form of "empath-superhero" that has to "save the world". It's so cringy and painfully base when placed alongside this incredible artwork. The story moves quick, but at a fault of grounding the reader in any sort of emotional concern.
Probable conversation between the writer and artist:
Aliens?! We'll just have one panel of questioning and then it's normal.
Underground conspiracy?! Ehh most people are probably okay with that.
Happiness bomb?! Yeah we won't even try to explain it, just let the reader figure it out.
All in all, this was a missed opportunity and a disappointing waste of time. The only positive is the artwork, but it's not enough to save this dredge of attempted allegory.
1.5/5 stars.
But holy Jesus does it ever miss the mark! Instead of becoming some form of internal struggle that the main character has to tackle, the writer makes the depressed protagonist a form of "empath-superhero" that has to "save the world". It's so cringy and painfully base when placed alongside this incredible artwork. The story moves quick, but at a fault of grounding the reader in any sort of emotional concern.
Probable conversation between the writer and artist:
Aliens?! We'll just have one panel of questioning and then it's normal.
Underground conspiracy?! Ehh most people are probably okay with that.
Happiness bomb?! Yeah we won't even try to explain it, just let the reader figure it out.
All in all, this was a missed opportunity and a disappointing waste of time. The only positive is the artwork, but it's not enough to save this dredge of attempted allegory.
1.5/5 stars.
December 7, 2016
A suicidal man discovers that he's been manipulated into killing himself by a corporation, which means to use his depression to feed a race of alien monsters that thrive on human misery. It's "The Cabin in the Woods" without the horror movie tropes. Or the cleverness, honestly.
Negative Space isn't anywhere near long enough to complete what it sets out to accomplish. It's basically the Cliff's Notes version of itself, leaping forward again and again to hit just the highlights. This leaves a lot of significant plot points ringingly unjustified (eg ). But it's definitely worth a read.
I like the colors but something about the art bugs me. Faces look...overdone, or something, I'm not sure how to describe it. When I look at them I see drawings instead of characters, which isn't the case with most graphic titles.
Negative Space isn't anywhere near long enough to complete what it sets out to accomplish. It's basically the Cliff's Notes version of itself, leaping forward again and again to hit just the highlights. This leaves a lot of significant plot points ringingly unjustified (eg ). But it's definitely worth a read.
I like the colors but something about the art bugs me. Faces look...overdone, or something, I'm not sure how to describe it. When I look at them I see drawings instead of characters, which isn't the case with most graphic titles.
January 6, 2017
I'm not completely sure how I feel about this one... It came from a list of graphic novels with gay and lesbian characters but beyond one panel, the lead character's sexuality isn't addressed as much as his depression. This is a book about depression and about suicide... with some alien/monster veneer across the top. The art was a little too chaotic for my tastes in most places, although there were a few lovely moments. I can't say that this is one I'll suggest to anyone, but it is an interesting, if weird, read.
April 14, 2016
Depression, suicide, cults, shady organisations, conspiracy theories, strange mental powers, ancient creatures living in the depths of the ocean... This was a pretty good book and very different to anything I've read before. Oh, and the artwork was really nice too.
Apologies for the short review; I'm still very ill.
Apologies for the short review; I'm still very ill.
June 10, 2016
An alternative take on lovecraftian fiction with a tale of depression, ancient entities and with wonderful art.
I received an advance reader edition of this book from Penguin Random House via Edelweiss for providing an honest review.
I received an advance reader edition of this book from Penguin Random House via Edelweiss for providing an honest review.
April 26, 2016
perfectly illustrates the prison of depression
March 17, 2022
2.5/5 - Interesting concept but not the biggest fan of the art, tone and characters.
September 10, 2017
Negative Space is like Cabin in the Woods, but with a more materialistic bent. Unspeakable horrors are still keenly invested in the fates of a handful of people, but instead of their blood sacrifices, it's their emotions these things crave. Specifically, depression. So there's this entire megacorporation that's risen up over the years, to pull the strings in the lives of certain people, with the aim of making them utterly miserable, in order to meet the supply of depression these Lovecraftian beasts demand. When something goes wrong with one of their targets, he finds himself in a position to fight back. But when mankind's greatest hope is clinically, suicidally depressed, will he end up saving the world, or destroying it?
This was a very interesting read, providing a mix of action, horror, social commentary, and some scenes that really tugged at my heartstrings. Negative Space examines a serious subject through a fanciful lens, yet avoids cheapening the subject matter in the process. If you're looking for a horror story with a message, and some great art, you can't really go wrong here.
This was a very interesting read, providing a mix of action, horror, social commentary, and some scenes that really tugged at my heartstrings. Negative Space examines a serious subject through a fanciful lens, yet avoids cheapening the subject matter in the process. If you're looking for a horror story with a message, and some great art, you can't really go wrong here.
February 8, 2021
Oh, this is good. This is also, like, the polar opposite of chicken soup for the soul.
The art isn't exactly winning me over, although the colors are quite lovely and the creature design is top notch. It's the story and the characters that truly draw you in, the way the author weaves concepts alongside the illustrator, and who they're not afraid to take the narrative in paths that most readers could not find satisfying. The well-achieved balance between deep ocean sci-fi horror, Lovecraft/Ligotti and Carpenter's They Live influences is just the cherry on top.
The art isn't exactly winning me over, although the colors are quite lovely and the creature design is top notch. It's the story and the characters that truly draw you in, the way the author weaves concepts alongside the illustrator, and who they're not afraid to take the narrative in paths that most readers could not find satisfying. The well-achieved balance between deep ocean sci-fi horror, Lovecraft/Ligotti and Carpenter's They Live influences is just the cherry on top.
December 15, 2022
a strange species of immortal alien sea creatures addicted to human misery and a deep state megacorp monetizing the misery and churning the market in a never ending cycle while propagandizing the masses
5/5 for the premise 3/5 for the execution of the idea
i love the dystopian concept and it had me thinking a lot about mental health under capitalism and the overwhelming sense of alienation that’s so common
overall the story left me a bit mindfucked (in a good way) but a good bit of the dialogue felt overly cheesy
5/5 for the premise 3/5 for the execution of the idea
i love the dystopian concept and it had me thinking a lot about mental health under capitalism and the overwhelming sense of alienation that’s so common
overall the story left me a bit mindfucked (in a good way) but a good bit of the dialogue felt overly cheesy
April 16, 2022
Holy cow, this book is amazing! Never heard of it or the creators, but I picked up a used copy purely based on the cover and the pull quotes. The story is highly unique, darkly comedic, and moving - but the art is really what sells it. I read this one SO SLOWLY because I wanted to bask in every panel. Deals with heavy themes (depression, suicide, societal manipulation, etc) but in a very introspective way. READ THIS!
September 2, 2017
This was ok, but the plot was really just nonsense.
September 20, 2017
Contemplative and interesting.
December 15, 2017
3.5 stars.
January 21, 2018
A strange and melancholy take on depression. Mesmerizing art work and a heart felt narrative. This book isn't going to be up everyone's alley, but it's up mine.
July 9, 2020
I thought this story was going to have a different sort of tone to it going in but it was still pretty good.
November 5, 2021
Extraordinary artwork.
Story wise the main plot is a little too familiar but the writing itself is pretty dang good.
Story wise the main plot is a little too familiar but the writing itself is pretty dang good.
January 17, 2024
Having delved into Ryan K. Lindsay's "Negative Space," I find myself grappling with a narrative that pushes the boundaries of conventional storytelling but leaves me somewhat disjointed in its wake. Lindsay's attempt to explore mental health and existential themes through a unique lens is ambitious, but the execution may not resonate equally with all readers.
The strength of "Negative Space" lies in Lindsay's willingness to tackle profound and often challenging themes. The narrative delves into the intricacies of mental health, depression, and the subjective nature of reality. Lindsay's exploration of the protagonist's inner turmoil is raw and unapologetic, shedding light on the emotional complexities that accompany such struggles.
The artistry of the graphic novel, complemented by the illustrations of Owen Gieni, is visually striking and evocative. The visuals effectively convey the emotional landscape of the protagonist, enhancing the reader's connection to the narrative.
However, the non-linear narrative structure, while intended to mirror the fragmented mental state of the protagonist, may be disorienting for some readers. The disjointed timeline and abrupt transitions between scenes contribute to a sense of narrative confusion, making it challenging to fully engage with the story.
The graphic novel's abstract and metaphorical elements may resonate more strongly with readers who appreciate avant-garde storytelling. However, those seeking a more straightforward exploration of mental health themes might find the narrative too elusive and abstract.
In summary, "Negative Space" is a graphic novel that ventures into profound thematic territory but may not offer a universally accessible reading experience. While the ambitious storytelling and visual artistry have merits, the non-traditional approach might leave some readers feeling disconnected from the narrative.
The strength of "Negative Space" lies in Lindsay's willingness to tackle profound and often challenging themes. The narrative delves into the intricacies of mental health, depression, and the subjective nature of reality. Lindsay's exploration of the protagonist's inner turmoil is raw and unapologetic, shedding light on the emotional complexities that accompany such struggles.
The artistry of the graphic novel, complemented by the illustrations of Owen Gieni, is visually striking and evocative. The visuals effectively convey the emotional landscape of the protagonist, enhancing the reader's connection to the narrative.
However, the non-linear narrative structure, while intended to mirror the fragmented mental state of the protagonist, may be disorienting for some readers. The disjointed timeline and abrupt transitions between scenes contribute to a sense of narrative confusion, making it challenging to fully engage with the story.
The graphic novel's abstract and metaphorical elements may resonate more strongly with readers who appreciate avant-garde storytelling. However, those seeking a more straightforward exploration of mental health themes might find the narrative too elusive and abstract.
In summary, "Negative Space" is a graphic novel that ventures into profound thematic territory but may not offer a universally accessible reading experience. While the ambitious storytelling and visual artistry have merits, the non-traditional approach might leave some readers feeling disconnected from the narrative.
August 15, 2017
A Lovecraftian sci-fi big concept told through the very intimate, small story of a schlebby guy getting writer's block drafting his suicide note. It's a poignant tale with plenty of wry wit. The art fits both the unbelievably fantastic elements and the introspective self-loathing of the main character. It has subtle queer themes & lots of unexpected twists. This book DELIGHTS me.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews