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Dark Spaces: Wildfire #1-5
Dark Spaces: Wildfire
Legendary writer Scott Snyder presents DARK SPACES—a thrilling new anthology series exploring our deepest fears of the unknown, beginning in the smoldering hills of California in DARK SPACES: WILDFIRE!
Six weeks into the slow burn of the historic Arroyo Fire, a crew of women from an inmate firefighting program are risking everything on the frontlines when their newest recruit—a white-collar convict with a deep network of shady dealers—discovers they’re mere miles from her crooked former associate’s abandoned mansion. When she proposes a plan to abandon their duties and hunt for riches under cover of smoke and ash, the team must decide if they’re ready to jeopardize their one sure path back to normalcy for a shot at a score that would truly change their lives...but is this a flicker of fortune, or a deadly trap?
Scott Snyder and breakout artist Hayden Sherman craft an unforgettable heist for a new age in DARK SPACES: WILDFIRE, a collection of the five-issue debut of Scott Snyder’s DARK SPACES anthology!
Six weeks into the slow burn of the historic Arroyo Fire, a crew of women from an inmate firefighting program are risking everything on the frontlines when their newest recruit—a white-collar convict with a deep network of shady dealers—discovers they’re mere miles from her crooked former associate’s abandoned mansion. When she proposes a plan to abandon their duties and hunt for riches under cover of smoke and ash, the team must decide if they’re ready to jeopardize their one sure path back to normalcy for a shot at a score that would truly change their lives...but is this a flicker of fortune, or a deadly trap?
Scott Snyder and breakout artist Hayden Sherman craft an unforgettable heist for a new age in DARK SPACES: WILDFIRE, a collection of the five-issue debut of Scott Snyder’s DARK SPACES anthology!
160 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 9, 2023
13 people are currently reading
148 people want to read
About the author
Scott Snyder
1,777 books5,114 followersScott Snyder is the Eisner and Harvey Award winning writer on DC Comics Batman, Swamp Thing, and his original series for Vertigo, American Vampire. He is also the author of the short story collection, Voodoo Heart, published by the Dial Press in 2006. The paperback version was published in the summer of 2007.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews
June 5, 2023
Series like this make me so glad to see Scott Snyder outside of DC Comics clutches and back to writing comics he loves.
This is about a group of ladies, prisoners, who try to stop forest fires or settle them or control them. And while out one day one of the crew members, a newer girl, mentions a home not too far from here that has a ton of money they can rob. And their leader of the group Ma, reluctantly goes along with it because this money can change A LOT of their lives.
This is a nice twisted, turny, everyone gets screwed, dark fucked up heist that I love. It moves quickly, you get just enough backstory of everyone, and the art intensives the action. I will say the ending is kind of up in the air, I'm not sure how I feel, but everything else I was into. A 4 out of 5.
This is about a group of ladies, prisoners, who try to stop forest fires or settle them or control them. And while out one day one of the crew members, a newer girl, mentions a home not too far from here that has a ton of money they can rob. And their leader of the group Ma, reluctantly goes along with it because this money can change A LOT of their lives.
This is a nice twisted, turny, everyone gets screwed, dark fucked up heist that I love. It moves quickly, you get just enough backstory of everyone, and the art intensives the action. I will say the ending is kind of up in the air, I'm not sure how I feel, but everything else I was into. A 4 out of 5.
August 26, 2023
An excellent heist story.
Four female prisoners + their guard, all part of a fire containment force, pull on a heist during a forest fire.
The plot is solid; 5 chapters deftly corresponding to 5 stages of a fire. Good pacing, good tension management. The characters are merely sketched but somehow Snyder makes you root for them anyway. Captions are pertinent and dialogues are good. All bases covered on that part.
Artwise Hayden Sherman- whom I had never heard of till now- does an impressive job. I can’t say I like his style per se but I don’t care: he clearly masters it and tries some very nice tricks (fisheye panels for instance) and shows an innovative storytelling with pages composed in a way I don’t see much nowadays.
Ronda Pattinson's very bold colors are perfectly suited to the plot and the art.
Four female prisoners + their guard, all part of a fire containment force, pull on a heist during a forest fire.
The plot is solid; 5 chapters deftly corresponding to 5 stages of a fire. Good pacing, good tension management. The characters are merely sketched but somehow Snyder makes you root for them anyway. Captions are pertinent and dialogues are good. All bases covered on that part.
Artwise Hayden Sherman- whom I had never heard of till now- does an impressive job. I can’t say I like his style per se but I don’t care: he clearly masters it and tries some very nice tricks (fisheye panels for instance) and shows an innovative storytelling with pages composed in a way I don’t see much nowadays.
Ronda Pattinson's very bold colors are perfectly suited to the plot and the art.
June 2, 2023
Awesome story. We follow a correctional officer, “Ma”, and the women she is charged with watching. They are part of a jail fire brigade if you will. I guess in Cali with all the wildfires, they take fire fighters from anywhere. I really dug the camaraderie between these women. They all have been incarcerated for a while with one newbie. While out in the forest working the line, the newbie talks of a house near where they are which has access to close to a billion dollars in crypto currency and talks of plan of how they can get it under the cover of the forest fire that’s blazing on. And what do you know, their correctional officer says F it. Let’s do it. That’s where all the twists start coming into play. There was tragedy in this book as you find out about the inmates and the C.O. The book has you really pulling for these ladies hoping they can actually make this work. Loved how Snyder tied the different levels of wildfires to what was happening with mission these women were on. Definitely worth checking out.
February 19, 2023
Right before DC Comics did their huge New 52 reboot, Scott Snyder took over Detective Comics and gave us the Black Mirror storyline. As a huge fan of the Dark Knight I took notice and have followed Mister Snyder's work ever since. Going into reading Dark Spaces: Wildfire (at least based on the story summary) I didn't have much in the way of expectations, but it was so much better than I could have imagined. The characters were really compelling, and I really enjoyed having no idea where the story would go next. I like being surprised in an age where I can see the direction a lot of stuff is headed in a mile away.
Special Thanks to IDW Publishing and Netgalley for the digital ARC.
Special Thanks to IDW Publishing and Netgalley for the digital ARC.
November 4, 2023
A brilliant reminder of how great a writer Scott Snyder can be. This one was really good from cover to cover and kept me anticipating what was going to happen to this crew next with ever page turn. The art by Hayden Sherman was very good in this one and fit the story perfectly. The characters are just written so well in this one that even when I had predicted some things that ended up happening, I still enjoyed the read. Really, really, really well done!
January 14, 2023
A team of convict firefighters, making two bucks a day as they risk their lives to protect the property of people who'd never give them a second chance, learn of a fortune in the path of the flames, a fortune which could give them all a future. We know from the start that this isn't the sort of heist story where the leads happily drive off into the sunset with their loot, but even aside from that, it never quite feels like it lives up to its pitch. The women are presented sympathetically, the story keen for us to remember that they're here more because they were dealt bad hands than because they're fundamentally malign – but then we never get any mention of the other half of the equation, where the fires they're fighting are clearly exacerbated by global warming, which is itself a symptom of capitalism cannibalising humanity just as surely as the prison-industrial complex. And that deepened sense of a system long divorced from its ostensible purpose, to the extent that its manifestations are engaged in a futile, destructive fight with each other, could really have elevated this from crime in the sense of a straight-to-streaming thriller to crime in the sense of The Wire.
Now, OK, that's a lot to ask. But even aside from seeing where greater ambition could have taken this, there are flaws. Most obviously, the target of the heist. The owner deserves to get robbed, so that bit's fine. But what are our heroines planning to nab? There's art in the house, and of course getting that away from the flames would be good in itself (yes, I am side-eyeing a certain recent crime story at this point). But they're not after the art, nor cash. No, they're here to steal...crypto.
Yeah.
Now, first of all this entails a story-crucial delay while it takes forty minutes to download. Which, OK, maybe that would be a thing, though it certainly feels a lot like Hollywood hacking bullshit. But the bit which is categorically bollocks: "That amount of currency purchased at that moment in time, regardless of how in flux the market is? It's sure to reap rewards if we pull this off."
Is it, though? Because I'm pretty sure that's not how any of this works. My hope was that this was deliberate, that there was going to be a big reveal that the target was worthless anyway, like those old stories where the haul turned out to be Confederate dollars, except at least these days you could probably make a bit back on Confederate scrip by flogging it online to racists, which is more than you're likely to manage with fucking Dogecoin.
And then there's the art, where the grubby, slightly doughy faces and the action conveyed by inset mini-panels strongly recall Frank Quitely, but mainly to remind the reader that even an artist who knows how good Quitely is, and is trying to capture that, has set themselves quite the challenge. Which, sure, is nobler than coasting, but there were scenes here where I completely misread the scale on first glance, or couldn't follow the split-screen action.
It's not a total write-off – there's one horribly good flashback scene in which a character talks about where playing by the rules has got her – but the overall impression is of rushed, slight fulfillment of a premise that could have delivered something much more.
(Netgalley ARC)
Now, OK, that's a lot to ask. But even aside from seeing where greater ambition could have taken this, there are flaws. Most obviously, the target of the heist. The owner deserves to get robbed, so that bit's fine. But what are our heroines planning to nab? There's art in the house, and of course getting that away from the flames would be good in itself (yes, I am side-eyeing a certain recent crime story at this point). But they're not after the art, nor cash. No, they're here to steal...crypto.
Yeah.
Now, first of all this entails a story-crucial delay while it takes forty minutes to download. Which, OK, maybe that would be a thing, though it certainly feels a lot like Hollywood hacking bullshit. But the bit which is categorically bollocks: "That amount of currency purchased at that moment in time, regardless of how in flux the market is? It's sure to reap rewards if we pull this off."
Is it, though? Because I'm pretty sure that's not how any of this works. My hope was that this was deliberate, that there was going to be a big reveal that the target was worthless anyway, like those old stories where the haul turned out to be Confederate dollars, except at least these days you could probably make a bit back on Confederate scrip by flogging it online to racists, which is more than you're likely to manage with fucking Dogecoin.
And then there's the art, where the grubby, slightly doughy faces and the action conveyed by inset mini-panels strongly recall Frank Quitely, but mainly to remind the reader that even an artist who knows how good Quitely is, and is trying to capture that, has set themselves quite the challenge. Which, sure, is nobler than coasting, but there were scenes here where I completely misread the scale on first glance, or couldn't follow the split-screen action.
It's not a total write-off – there's one horribly good flashback scene in which a character talks about where playing by the rules has got her – but the overall impression is of rushed, slight fulfillment of a premise that could have delivered something much more.
(Netgalley ARC)
June 9, 2023
Dark Spaces: Wildfire collects issues 1-5 of the IDW Comics series written by Scott Snyder, art by Hayden Sherman, and colors by Ronda Pattinson.
Crew 513 is a team of female prison inmates who have been trained to fight wildfires. The crew is lead by their Corrections Officer Ruby “Ana” Ning who protects her girls from the dangers of the fires, but also from problems that may arise in their sentences.
While taming a nearby wildfire, the newest member of Crew 513 realizes they are only a short distance away from her former employer’s home. He just happens to have hundreds of millions of dollars worth or art and cryptocurrency stored in the nearby mansion. And with the looming fire, the place is under minimal security. The ladies make a daring plan to steal the money and make it out under new lives.
This was a very interesting background for a heist story and I loved the setting. While the comic’s story is very good, I imagine it could have been even better with two or three more issues to dive into the backgrounds of these characters. I think a novel would have worked out really well for the story as well, but Hayden Sherman and Ronda Pattinson knocked it out of the park with the vibrant art. I also think this story would make for an excellent movie if it is ever given the chance.
Crew 513 is a team of female prison inmates who have been trained to fight wildfires. The crew is lead by their Corrections Officer Ruby “Ana” Ning who protects her girls from the dangers of the fires, but also from problems that may arise in their sentences.
While taming a nearby wildfire, the newest member of Crew 513 realizes they are only a short distance away from her former employer’s home. He just happens to have hundreds of millions of dollars worth or art and cryptocurrency stored in the nearby mansion. And with the looming fire, the place is under minimal security. The ladies make a daring plan to steal the money and make it out under new lives.
This was a very interesting background for a heist story and I loved the setting. While the comic’s story is very good, I imagine it could have been even better with two or three more issues to dive into the backgrounds of these characters. I think a novel would have worked out really well for the story as well, but Hayden Sherman and Ronda Pattinson knocked it out of the park with the vibrant art. I also think this story would make for an excellent movie if it is ever given the chance.
January 11, 2023
Dark Spaces: Wildfire is a short graphic novel that focuses on four women from a detention centre and their commanding officer who decide to complete a heist during the height of a wildfire. The beginning of this graphic novel depicts the five stages of a wildfire as well a short description the different jobs required for the unit.. The job is not an easy one, and for a measly two dollars a day these women puts their lives at risk to prevent/minimize devastation in California.
I loved the artwork in this graphic novel, and appreciated how the illustrations and colouring drew me in to this intense short story. I really enjoyed watching the book progress through the five stages of the wildfire, and the twists and turns the characters faced. I really enjoyed the start of this series, and look forward to seeing where it comes from here. I rated this 4 stars.
Thank you to NetGalley and IDW publishing for this eARC.
I loved the artwork in this graphic novel, and appreciated how the illustrations and colouring drew me in to this intense short story. I really enjoyed watching the book progress through the five stages of the wildfire, and the twists and turns the characters faced. I really enjoyed the start of this series, and look forward to seeing where it comes from here. I rated this 4 stars.
Thank you to NetGalley and IDW publishing for this eARC.
August 9, 2023
Wildfire offers an extremely mean little heist tale set amidst a raging forest fire. The art is clear star here, with its intriguing layouts and dramatic coloring. Scott Snyder's typical narration-heavy storytelling moves at a faster clip than usual with plenty of shocking cliffhangers.
The gist is that a quintet of female backcountry firefighters, four of them convicts, have stumbled on a rich person's mountain mansion, and one of the women knows how to break in and rob the joint. Questions about whether it's worth it to break the law again are quickly shunted aside when it becomes clear that a forest fire is not the only thing the women will have to contend with.
I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this Scott Snyder work after trudging through his DC multiverse sprawl. It's nice to be reminded that the man can write tight narratives! Looking forward to more of his Dark Spaces works.
The gist is that a quintet of female backcountry firefighters, four of them convicts, have stumbled on a rich person's mountain mansion, and one of the women knows how to break in and rob the joint. Questions about whether it's worth it to break the law again are quickly shunted aside when it becomes clear that a forest fire is not the only thing the women will have to contend with.
I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this Scott Snyder work after trudging through his DC multiverse sprawl. It's nice to be reminded that the man can write tight narratives! Looking forward to more of his Dark Spaces works.
May 7, 2023
Dark Spaces is the story of a group of firefighters that are part of the California program that uses prison inmates to fight fires. The art is perfect for this type of story. It is part mystery and part horror. I love Snyder's horror stuff and this doesn't disappoint.
4 stars
4 stars
June 6, 2023
good story, all main characters are female, Strong bold graphics and colors.
June 17, 2023
A group of prison inmates turned wildfire fighters dream of turning their lives around. When they discover their chance at getting filthy rich under cover of smoke, their plans for the future start to waver. The five women may be used to handling fires, but some flames leave nothing but ash in their wake.
INCREDIBLE art. The use of colors was masterful. You could easily identify each character despite the uniform, which I think was a great feat. The art was beautiful, expressive, and just overall superb. I could go on and on, but you'll have to see it for yourself. I can't believe I didn't know about Hayden Sherman before, but I'll be on the lookout for more of his works.
The writing was amazing, too. I loved the characters and their bonds; they were incredibly well-written and the ending made me very emotional. The fire theme was used extremely well, both as a metaphor for the characters' emotional journey, and to structure the story. I really want to applaud Scott Snyder for his writing - he truly is one of the greats imo.
I will definitely buy the series when more volumes come out. Check it out, it's amazing.
- ARC provided by NetGalley -
INCREDIBLE art. The use of colors was masterful. You could easily identify each character despite the uniform, which I think was a great feat. The art was beautiful, expressive, and just overall superb. I could go on and on, but you'll have to see it for yourself. I can't believe I didn't know about Hayden Sherman before, but I'll be on the lookout for more of his works.
The writing was amazing, too. I loved the characters and their bonds; they were incredibly well-written and the ending made me very emotional. The fire theme was used extremely well, both as a metaphor for the characters' emotional journey, and to structure the story. I really want to applaud Scott Snyder for his writing - he truly is one of the greats imo.
I will definitely buy the series when more volumes come out. Check it out, it's amazing.
- ARC provided by NetGalley -
March 13, 2023
I received an e-ARC from NetGalley.
This graphic novel follows a group of firefighters (4 inmates and their team lead) risking their lives in one of the biggest wildfires in California. They are being paid only $2/day and have lives they want to return to, however, that's nowhere in sight. Except, one of them knows that nearby is the mansion of a very rich guy and she just so happens to have the access codes. Together they decide to go on this heist to get all the money they would ever need and then disappear, however, once they find themselves inside the mansion things start to spiral out of control.
The story is divided into 5 chapters based on the stages of a wildfire. It was very action-packed, but the ending fell flat. To me, it was underwhelming compared to the rest of the story. I think it would have had a bigger impact if we had got to know the characters better. In the beginning, they all had a page or half of a page describing them and their background, but we don't really get to actually know them.
The colour palette was stunning and throughout the graphic novel panels were used in an unconventional way, in all kinds of shapes and patterns, which was a big plus in terms of visual story storytelling.
This graphic novel follows a group of firefighters (4 inmates and their team lead) risking their lives in one of the biggest wildfires in California. They are being paid only $2/day and have lives they want to return to, however, that's nowhere in sight. Except, one of them knows that nearby is the mansion of a very rich guy and she just so happens to have the access codes. Together they decide to go on this heist to get all the money they would ever need and then disappear, however, once they find themselves inside the mansion things start to spiral out of control.
The story is divided into 5 chapters based on the stages of a wildfire. It was very action-packed, but the ending fell flat. To me, it was underwhelming compared to the rest of the story. I think it would have had a bigger impact if we had got to know the characters better. In the beginning, they all had a page or half of a page describing them and their background, but we don't really get to actually know them.
The colour palette was stunning and throughout the graphic novel panels were used in an unconventional way, in all kinds of shapes and patterns, which was a big plus in terms of visual story storytelling.
April 11, 2023
I like Scott Snyder as a comic writer. He’s rarely disappointed me with his stories.
This comic was no exception.
The main characters are female prisoners pressed into community service helping to fight wildfires. Soon they begin to plan a heist at a house near where they are deployed.
Things soon awry.
Setting the issues of this story to the theme of the stages of a fire was quite creative. It helped to tie everything together nicely.
The only downside to this book was the artwork.
The backdrops and the scenery were fine.
As far as character faces, I wasn’t a fan.
There were too many lines, hashmarks and splotches on their faces. At first, I thought that was to demonstrate soot and ash from the fires getting on them. Eventually, I didn’t care why they were there, I just didn’t like them. Artwork is subjective, so you may not be as distracted by it.
All in all, it was a good read and I look forward to Snyder’s next work.
This comic was no exception.
The main characters are female prisoners pressed into community service helping to fight wildfires. Soon they begin to plan a heist at a house near where they are deployed.
Things soon awry.
Setting the issues of this story to the theme of the stages of a fire was quite creative. It helped to tie everything together nicely.
The only downside to this book was the artwork.
The backdrops and the scenery were fine.
As far as character faces, I wasn’t a fan.
There were too many lines, hashmarks and splotches on their faces. At first, I thought that was to demonstrate soot and ash from the fires getting on them. Eventually, I didn’t care why they were there, I just didn’t like them. Artwork is subjective, so you may not be as distracted by it.
All in all, it was a good read and I look forward to Snyder’s next work.
March 10, 2023
A group of female convict firefighters happen upon a risky oppurtunity that could change their lives for the better... 👁️
This standalone graphic novel does an excellent job of creating a compelling cast of characters in a short amount of time while retaining the pace and tension of the story. The use of contrasting colours made for stunning pages, especially of the forest fires, and I think the general formatting of the comic - narrative and visuals wise - was really interesting and dynamic.
Excited to see what else comes out of this antholgoy series.
Thanks to NetGalley for the arc!
This standalone graphic novel does an excellent job of creating a compelling cast of characters in a short amount of time while retaining the pace and tension of the story. The use of contrasting colours made for stunning pages, especially of the forest fires, and I think the general formatting of the comic - narrative and visuals wise - was really interesting and dynamic.
Excited to see what else comes out of this antholgoy series.
Thanks to NetGalley for the arc!
June 16, 2024
You might think this this a story about wildfires, but it's actually a story about a . The wildfire stuff felt kind of ancillary. There was a metaphor about the stages of a wildfire spread throughout the book, but it felt a little tacked-on. As far as a book goes, this was decent. The "twist" towards the end was pretty predictable.
I don't know if it was just me, but I had trouble distinguishing the characters. There was explanation for all the character's backstory, but it didn't leave an impact on me because I couldn't connect tell who was who. The coloring was interesting.
I don't know if it was just me, but I had trouble distinguishing the characters. There was explanation for all the character's backstory, but it didn't leave an impact on me because I couldn't connect tell who was who. The coloring was interesting.
July 23, 2025
The writing is always great from Scott Snyder, nothing really drew me in too much from the story, I enjoyed the comradery from the women, they are all prisoners who help fight the fires in California which is an interesting concept. I also was particularly drawn to the story as it reminded me of the Malibu/Pacific Palisedes fires close to me. Overall great euphemisms with fire and their range and the characters had heart.
December 7, 2023
I'd put this at a 3.5, but maybe not quite enough to round to a 4. I like the writing and the idea behind it; the art is inventive at times, but doesn't always work for me. It was hard to keep the characters straight, even reading it in just 4 days. Solid, for sure.
January 21, 2023
Cool story. Awesome art.
June 19, 2023
Great story. Super fast paced narrative. Interesting characters. Would like to see a movie or tv adaptation with a little more depth.
December 15, 2023
Good story told in a very short span.
August 16, 2023
4.5 stars--The creators did a bang-up job with DARK SPACES: WILDFIRE. It's an engaging, tightly-written story with sympathetic and nuanced characters readers will root for. In a genre crowded with muddled and half-baked storylines, WILDFIRE is a breath of fresh air.
Read
February 6, 2024i’m sorry i literally hated that
January 15, 2025
A group of female prisoners work for pennies and shorter sentences as forest firefighters in California. While fighting a particularly large wild fire one of them talks the others into joining her plan to steal valuable data from one of the evacuated houses.
This had a bit of a slow start but once the thieving starts the pace really picks up. I really enjoyed the twists and turns.
Because this is a non-traditional setting for a heist story I never knew where it was going to go. I couldn’t guess what was going to happen next after a certain point.
A very unique crime story that deserves more attention.
This had a bit of a slow start but once the thieving starts the pace really picks up. I really enjoyed the twists and turns.
Because this is a non-traditional setting for a heist story I never knew where it was going to go. I couldn’t guess what was going to happen next after a certain point.
A very unique crime story that deserves more attention.
July 10, 2023
I don't know what to say other than read this??? Love the art??? Love the story???? Love the women who have been treated so poorly, despite putting their loves on the line???? Love it for the pain? The humanity? The beauty?
So. Gorgeous.
So. Gorgeous.
August 5, 2023
A crime story about a firefighting crew of female inmates. When the new recruit, a white collar criminal who was hung out to dry realizes they're working near her crooked partner's opulent retreat, she convinces them it's the perfect time for a heist. Yes, in the middle of a wildfire. Naturally it goes sideways. A solid read.
March 26, 2023
"In Double F, who you are begins on the line"
Fire Fighter Noir is not really a thing, but as "Dark Spaces: Wildfire" shows, it probably should be. This gritty, intense and suspenseful graphic novel portrays a crew of female inmate firefighters as they navigate the hazards of their job while trying to pull of the heist of a lifetime. This book is recommended for readers who enjoy action packed noir sequences and the portrayal of strong female relationships.
Thanks to NetGalley and IDW Publishing for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
Fire Fighter Noir is not really a thing, but as "Dark Spaces: Wildfire" shows, it probably should be. This gritty, intense and suspenseful graphic novel portrays a crew of female inmate firefighters as they navigate the hazards of their job while trying to pull of the heist of a lifetime. This book is recommended for readers who enjoy action packed noir sequences and the portrayal of strong female relationships.
Thanks to NetGalley and IDW Publishing for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
March 12, 2023
I’ve yet to read a Scott Snyder story I didn’t like. His characters always draw me in and he does a great job of crafting a compelling narrative. When I heard Dark Spaces: Wildfire had been optioned to become a TV show, I was even more excited to read it.
The story follows an inmate group of California wildfire firefighters who are faced with the decision to continue their jobs as normal or pull off a massive heist in the process. As a Californian who has dealt with their fair share of fires (not heists), I enjoyed the read. I love thrillers and Dark Spaces had me anxiously turning the page, but Hayden Sherman’s amazing art kept me on each page a bit longer.
I’m looking forward to eventually seeing the story unfold on the big screen. Special thanks to IDW for the ARC.
The story follows an inmate group of California wildfire firefighters who are faced with the decision to continue their jobs as normal or pull off a massive heist in the process. As a Californian who has dealt with their fair share of fires (not heists), I enjoyed the read. I love thrillers and Dark Spaces had me anxiously turning the page, but Hayden Sherman’s amazing art kept me on each page a bit longer.
I’m looking forward to eventually seeing the story unfold on the big screen. Special thanks to IDW for the ARC.
May 14, 2024
I read this in the single monthly issues. After finishing Issue #1, I gave it a FIVE STAR rating. It's a very promising debut and has one hell of a twist in the final narration, right in the space of just 20+ pages in the first issue. Issue #1 is a little long on introduction, but necessary. All it took for me to keep going was the two-page prologue in the front and that narrative twist at the end. The middle is full of character development and insights into the dangerous business of fighting forest fires. I learned a lot and never once felt like I was sitting in a classroom listening to a lecture.
Scott Snyder structured the five-issue script to coincide with the five stages of a forest fire. Snyder has come a long way in his story-telling ability and it really shows here. There’s a lot more here than a simple story of five female convicts working a fire-fighter prison-sponsored program for two bucks a day. They come up with a get rich quick plan that’s not without a huge amount of risk.
Hayden Sherman’ art is the best I’ve seen so far, very evocative and illustrative of the situations. His fire images are amazing. At times, it seems as if he is doing his best to top the descriptions in the script. Very creative and evocative. Also, keep an eye on the color work of Ronda Pattison which matches the fiery passion of the script and art in the appropriate places.
This is a crime story involving a heist that is a bit different and distinctive. The ending of Issue #4 and the explosive conclusion in Issue #5 involved yet another twist that I did not see coming. The ending is super-satisfactory and leaves a strong message about teamwork, obligation and responsibilty.
My only quibble, and why I changed my rating from FIVE STARS to FOUR STARS is the inability to determine which of the five characters is being featured or speaking. Even though I wasn't certain at times, it did not interfere with my comprehension and enjoyment of the story. Granted, they are dressed as firefighters and the helmet and protective gear can make it difficult to distinguish differences between the characters. However, when it matters (especially in the final issue) readers can easily determine who is speaking. This deserves FOUR AND ONE-HALF STARS, but you know how this works on Goodreads. Sigh. FOUR STARS.
Scott Snyder structured the five-issue script to coincide with the five stages of a forest fire. Snyder has come a long way in his story-telling ability and it really shows here. There’s a lot more here than a simple story of five female convicts working a fire-fighter prison-sponsored program for two bucks a day. They come up with a get rich quick plan that’s not without a huge amount of risk.
Hayden Sherman’ art is the best I’ve seen so far, very evocative and illustrative of the situations. His fire images are amazing. At times, it seems as if he is doing his best to top the descriptions in the script. Very creative and evocative. Also, keep an eye on the color work of Ronda Pattison which matches the fiery passion of the script and art in the appropriate places.
This is a crime story involving a heist that is a bit different and distinctive. The ending of Issue #4 and the explosive conclusion in Issue #5 involved yet another twist that I did not see coming. The ending is super-satisfactory and leaves a strong message about teamwork, obligation and responsibilty.
My only quibble, and why I changed my rating from FIVE STARS to FOUR STARS is the inability to determine which of the five characters is being featured or speaking. Even though I wasn't certain at times, it did not interfere with my comprehension and enjoyment of the story. Granted, they are dressed as firefighters and the helmet and protective gear can make it difficult to distinguish differences between the characters. However, when it matters (especially in the final issue) readers can easily determine who is speaking. This deserves FOUR AND ONE-HALF STARS, but you know how this works on Goodreads. Sigh. FOUR STARS.
April 23, 2024
This was actually a pretty good book and I really like how Snyder used the team of firefighters and forest fires to create a heist story and the 5 issues relate to 5 stages of a fire and how the heist goes on and it was awesome to see, the camaraderie between the characters is awesome and they are fleshed out and there is a betrayal which was expected, but the use of captions and thought captions really fleshes out their leader "Ma" and why she is the way she is, her past and all and how she is the one that goes along their plan of heist and like her reasoning being "she has played by the rules and all it got her anywhere was well nowhere" and her tragic past and I really liked her character.
Zinn and Ramos were fine but I like the banter between them and their love for ma, and like how even with situations getting worse, they will find a way to rescue her and give her hope and these side characters were well defined too like with short descriptions of why they are doing the time and in the squad
I was surprised by how good the art is, especially with the fire pages and like how its affecting the characters and the backgrounds and coloring gotta be appreciated too, its like really well done and yeah will feel real and the combination of this was really good. My only complaint is the ending which felt safe but then again it could be that
Overall I really liked it, and its one of Snyder's best works in recent times.
Zinn and Ramos were fine but I like the banter between them and their love for ma, and like how even with situations getting worse, they will find a way to rescue her and give her hope and these side characters were well defined too like with short descriptions of why they are doing the time and in the squad
I was surprised by how good the art is, especially with the fire pages and like how its affecting the characters and the backgrounds and coloring gotta be appreciated too, its like really well done and yeah will feel real and the combination of this was really good. My only complaint is the ending which felt safe but then again it could be that
Overall I really liked it, and its one of Snyder's best works in recent times.
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