Review: Dept. H Vol. 1- Pressure

Quick Summary

Pros: The mystery here is interesting and full of complexity. The narrative is thrilling and full of tense situations. Worldbuilding is handled well and helps develop characters and additional mystery. The artwork is a great fit for the story.

Cons: The pacing is somewhat rapid and gives the reader little time to breath.

Overall: The first volume of the Dept. H series kicks things off with a compelling mystery and great levels of suspense. This is a book that follows an unorthodox murder mystery, one set in an environment perfectly suited to build feelings of claustrophobia and unease. This helps in creating a narrative that is equal parts intriguing and thrilling, which proves to be a highly addictive combination. Anyone interested in an atypical murder mystery should consider checking this book out.

Story

The first volume in Dept. H is an enigmatic thriller centered around a tantalizing mystery. In Dept. H Vol. 1: Pressure, Matt Kindt, tells the story behind a murder deep in the depths of the ocean. In this murder mystery, the motive is unclear, the situation is dire, and everyone is a suspect, all of which are key ingredients in making this a compelling narrative. In addition, tense situations and a general feeling of unease add some suspense to an already entertaining situation. The only problem is that the pacing is a bit rapid, but hopefully this will be fixed in future volumes. Overall though, this is a promising start to a new series.

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Most of Pressure is centered around a mysterious death onboard a deep-sea research station. As Mia, the main character, descends into this station and attempts to solve the murder, readers slowly realize that the situation is far more complex than initially believed. The motive for murder is unclear, unseen forces are constantly affecting the situation, and some sort of infection seems to be altering the mental stat of the crew. Plus, the fact that one of the characters may secretly be a murderer keeps things tense the entire time.

This is the volume’s other major focus, tense and thrilling situations. The entire premise of Dept. H easily leads itself to claustrophobia and a general feeling of unease, as it is set in a hostile environment with little margin for error. Matt Kindt uses this setting to ensure that the situation never feels completely safe, thus keeping readers on the edge of their seats the entire time.

The other thing that Pressure does well is subtle worldbuilding. Part of this can be seen in the characters; relationships and past friendships are revealed slowly over the course of the book. However, the more interesting worldbuilding can be seen in the world itself. Humanity in Dept. H is clearly more advanced than it is in real life, as evidenced by the elaborate space stations and underwater labs, yet it is also clearly facing some unknown threat. Disease has claimed the lives of a few characters, and there are constant hints that Dept. H’s mission is of utmost importance. All of this worldbuilding gives the Dept. H universe more depth while simultaneously creating another mystery for the reader to slowly discover.

The biggest downside in this volume is the pacing. Pressure sees an elaborate sequence of twists and turns that all somehow connect to the larger mystery that the narrative is slowly uncovering. However, these twists and turns occur so constantly that readers never have a chance to catch their breath and examine the situation. Having the story structured like this may have worked better when the chapters were published individually, but it does not work as well when the chapters are presented as a single volume.

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Art

Pressure features some of Matt Kindt’s best artwork thus far. In this volume, he presents a diverse cast of characters with a solid level of detail, giving each character physical traits to match their personality and help distinguish them from one another. He is also able to accomplish one of the most important features in the success of this book, the simultaneous expression of the beauty and the horror that can be found in the dark depths of the ocean. All of this is then enhanced by Sharlene Kindt’s colors, which wonderfully capture the book’s tone and enhance these moments of beauty and horror. There are a few places where Kindt’s intense linework feels off but these moments do not impact the volume’s overall quality. In the end, this is a good looking book that provides a wonderful complement to the subject matter.

Continuity

Dept. H Vol. 1: Pressure is the first volume in the Dept. H series.

The story here continues in Dept. H Vol. 2: After the Flood (Review)