Vault Comics’ Beyond Real #1 follows June, a struggling artist who is in a severe car accident that leaves Eli, her physicist boyfriend, in a coma. As she recovers from her injuries, she begins to experience strange visual phenomena. She sees glitches in the fabric of reality, and she starts to question whether or not we are all living in a simulation. The issue is written by Zack Kaplan, with art by Fabiana Mascolo and Toni Fejzula, colors by Jordie Bellaire and Fejzula, and lettering by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou and hits shelves December 13, 2023.

If you’re ready for a mindf*ck of a science-fiction read, this is the story for you. I first read the issue around 11pm and my brain wasn’t in a space to truly grasp the concepts presented in Kaplan’s story. Do humans have free will? Are our lives predetermined? Are we living in a simulation? Kaplan poses some very heavy questions, though they aren’t always given enough space to develop. Other than the couple’s professions being an obvious juxtaposition, the character and story-building can feel secondary to Kaplan pushing these philosophical questions. Kaplan begins to scratch the surface on how we deal with grief and loss in a really humane way, so I’m interested enough to see if Kaplan is capable of writing a character story that’s just as interesting as the science-fiction tropes.

What my brain was able to comprehend is the insanely gorgeous visuals on every single page of this book. Mascolo handles the majority of the issue’s illustrations along with Bellaire on colors (Fejzula takes over for the final few pages of the issue and will handle the majority of the second issue’s art). Mascolo and Bellaire include so many different visual approaches to create a frenetic and randomness in a brilliant complement to the tone of the book. You never get to feel settled in with any one visual presentation, which was such a smart way and works so well. It doesn’t hurt that each different approach is done beautifully.

If that wasn’t enough, superstar Otsmane-Elhaou completes the outstanding visuals with one of the best lettering work this year. Like Mascolo and Bellaire, Otsmane-Elhaou is able to masterfully integrate multiple forms of copy techniques throughout the book in some of the most innovative and stunning ways. In a book full of impressive artistic feats, Otsmane-Elhaou’s lettering work may be the most impressive.

I approached Beyond Real #1 with middling expectations after the publisher made the main cover available for free to retailers. That type of action can sometimes indicate a publisher’s lack of confidence in a book, but other times it can mean a publisher is trying to push sales of a book they really believe in due to a lack of retailer interest. I feared the former was the case here, but at least after one issue, Beyond Real has blown past my expectations and I hope more readers pick up this visual treat!

Rating: 9/10