Death Ratio’d is a darkly comedic one-shot from AWA Studios, where social media controls life and death, and one wrong click could mean the end… let’s dig into it!

Death Ratio’d
Main cover: Rahzzah
Publisher: AWA Studios
Writer: Mark Russel
Artist: Laci
Colorist: Marco Lesko
Letterer: Sal Cipriano
Release date: May 29th, 2024

Death Ratio’d is written by Mark Russell (Red Sonja, X-Factor and dozens of other series), and illustrated by Laci, who also worked on Trojan, another great comics published by AWA Studios. The cover art is by Rahzzah (his covers for Deadly Neighbourhood Spider-man were excellent!), and it truly sets the tone for the dystopian world Russell has created.

In 2046, Arnold wakes from a 22-year coma to find a world where social media controls everything, including life itself. His digital collar tracks his “likes” and “dislikes,” and too many negative votes mean a fatal explosion (think Battle Royale). As Arnold navigates this brutal, new reality, he discovers that his fiancée died in the “social media wars”, and every word he speaks could be his last…

Death Ratio’d is a smart, satirical look at a future where social media has gone too far. Russell’s biting commentary on our obsession with online validation is actually terrifying and made me wonder if it was actually a stretch or if we could, one day, push things that far. The concept of living on the edge of death with every post is an unsettling, yet fun premise that will make you think. While I’d love to see this explored further, the one-shot delivers a powerful and entertaining punch, sometimes funny, but mostly haunting in its portrayal of a society ruled by likes.

If you’re down for a “funny science fiction adventure”, as it is described (hopefully the fiction part will remain true), I guess you found your next comic book!