Prisoners serving out their sentences by harvesting valuable ectoplasm from dangerous, terrifying ghosts is certainly an unusual and unique backdrop for a comic; thankfully, Dead Seas has a good deal of substance and a compelling amount of drama behind its left field premise too.

A ghost is loose on the prison ship – and the terrified prisoners have no choice but to face it and try to trap it again. Trouble is, at least one of the prisoners and one of the prison guards aren’t keen on sticking to regulations – with a dangerous, almost certainly unethical trap being laid to secure the rampaging spirit.

I’m really digging Cavan Scott’s series so far; despite a lot of exposition in the first issue, it still found time to introduce us to the various moving parts and fairly extensive cast in a way that made them immediately compelling.

There’s a lot of drama wrung from this somewhat kooky setting – and more than a few tense, perhaps even terrifying moments.

There’s the sense that this Ghostbusters/prison drama mashup would make an excellent movie, though it is of course perfectly suited to the comic book medium – especially with Nick Brokenshire’s stylised art providing the visuals. Brokenshire’s storytelling is brilliantly clear and each character is distinct, making them instantly recognisable throughout.

This is another great issue of what’s shaping up to be a very early contender for the best comic of 2023 (despite the first issue being published right at the end of 2022!).