The combination of Scott Snyder and Hayden Sherman in this first entry in the Dark Spaces crime/horror series is fantastic, perhaps better than the Dungeon follow-up. Female inmates working as firefighters with a variety of trauma pushed together to survive. Amazing coloring and design from the artist that takes us on a deeper dive into splinters of backstory mashed with present-day struggles. A must-read for fans of graphic novels that grapple with trauma, crime, and horror. Especially recommended for how the writer and artist work together to present complicated characters.

I received am arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. This graphic novel is about six women inmates who are part of a dangerous fire and thinking about ditching it to check out one of the inmates former friends homes, that isn't far down the mountain. The artwork is fantastic, though the story is a bit darker than I thought it would be.

The artwork was GORGEOUS.
The story was very intriguing.
I would've read 1000 pages of this story.

Another great story from Scott Snyder with very vibrant and beautiful artwork from Hayden Sherman.

The premise is what drew me into the book given how common large forest fires are becoming, I was intrigued with a book about that. What really drew me in was the heist concept, an all female team pulling a heist in the middle of a raging fire? Yes please. All in all I did enjoy the story and I really enjoyed the art, it was a very lovely day read.

An all-female inmate firefighting crew take advantage of a wildfire to rob a millionaire, but find more than they bargained for in the process. Interesting premise with excellent art, but the lack of backstory and characterization for the crew made it hard to stay engaged with the story. The reader doesn't have enough information to care about the crew before or after the heist goes wrong, so the twists don't land with the force they need to make an impact. A cool read, but not a favorite.

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

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.

Five women from an inmate-staffed fire crew in California are battling the latest blaze in the drought-stricken state. One of the inmates on the line realizes she knows the forest they're in, and tells the rest of her line-mates that her previous partner, the one who set her up to go to jail, has a mansion in a few valleys over. She tempts the crew with promises of it being abandoned because of the fire, but even more so with the promise of tons of cryptocurrency that she knows how to steal. With it, the five could set themselves up, disappear, and get back to the lives they had before being arrested. It seems like an easy heist and fast ticket out of their current problem, but just like the many stages of a wildfire, much of it goes wrong.

This story has twists and turns, and it's as unpredictable as a wildfire can be. There were some definite surprising moments of the story that I didn't really see coming, so that was refreshing. I also appreciated the flashbacks and character development we got throughout the story. It wasn't all crammed together, but it also had purpose for existing - like something triggering memories unbidden or someone finally breaking down and sharing their crime with the women they spend the most time with.

​Sherman's paneling throughout the story is very unique and intriguing. There are a couple of 2-page splashes that are innovative and intricate - I can only imagine how long they took to illustrate! I also loved the vivid coloring and the way Sherman depicted fire in the illustrations. This was certainly a beautiful book to read!​

There is a bit of cussing and violence, including blood and death on the page, so this would be better suited for older readers.

Sara's Rating: 9/10
Suitability Level: Grades 11-12, Adult

I bought an issue of this due to Maria Llovet doing a variant. Seeing it on here felt like a sign to actually read it. Very glad that I did! Heists aren't typically something I care about, but this one was quite interesting.

„Dark Spaces: Wildfire“ by Scott Snyder is a new graphic novel about a team of former convicts that now together works as a group of firefighters in the hills of California.

At the beginning of the novel every member of the group got a brief introduction and I loved the way the different characters were portrayed in distinct colors. The style and the creative way some pages were designed made it visually fun to read.

The storytelling on the other hand sadly had some flaws.
Realizing they cant turn their back on their criminal life they decide to go on one last heist together. At this point the characters lost a great deal of likeability in my opinion. In addition I found their motivation for going back to crime kind of weak and one-dimensional. I didn’t like their silly behavior even though they knew what was on the line for them. Still I was at some point surprised by turns of events which is always something I appreciate. My favorite part of the story was the comparison between the stages of their adventure and the stages of a wildfire. It structured the story into meaningful parts.

I was initially intrigued by this graphic novel because I live in California and was interested how the wildfires were implemented into a story. I like what the author did with the topic but the emotional impact sadly was nonexistent due to my lack of empathy for the characters.

A big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher IDW Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

"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 a heist.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.

Ma leads a group of four inmate firefighters battling a wildfire. One of her crew knows about a house nearby with millions of dollars worth of assets inside and no one around to stop them. As they decide to risk their freedom and take on the heist, Ma and her crew will face deadly dangers beyond the wildfire raging nearby.

This book was a lot of fun. To start, I love a good heist plot, and Snyder included a lot of great classic heist beats and put some good new spins on them. Ma and the other four women are great fleshed out characters that are easy to root for as they make some tough choices throughout the book. The art is just wonderful, with Hayden Sherman making some excellent spreads full of great creative arrangements and colors and fantastic parallel structures to reflect each of the characters. You can feel the heat of the fire and the fear of the characters on many of the pages. After this, I will be sure to check out the next anthology in Dark Spaces.

Thank you to NetGalley and IDW Publishing for a copy of the graphic novel in exchange for an honest review.

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 pallet 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.

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.

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.

Dark Spaces: Wildfire illustrates the story of 5 women(team 513) that work for an inmate firefighting program for $2/day. The plot line revolves around Ma and her 4 teammates. One of them discloses information about a mansion not far away from the wildfire that is filled with expensive art, crypto, etc. As you read further, the story gets interesting and has a nice plot twist to it.

The artwork was amazing but by the end of it, there were a lot of loose ends that made me question and confused about a lot of things. Other than that it’s a good read with amazing visuals.

Thank you to NetGalley and IDW publishing for the eARC.

An inmate firefighting program is a good thing. The members of Ma’s squad are tight and not afraid to fight fires. None of them have had an easy life, but the camaraderie helps them survive prison and wait for their release date. Wildfire happens during the Arroyo fire that gripped California. One inmate, a former white collar, reveals there is an abandoned mansion full of money and valuable items (including data storage) near their area. The women decide to risk everything in the middle of a raging wildfire.

I liked the idea of the heist in the burning area. I enjoyed characters’ backstories and vivid art strengthened with intense colors. Not all of it, though. Faces were bizarre and blocky. Some panels felt too crammed. The amount of details is impressive and had to take ages to draw but I wasn’t fully sold on it.

Happily, Snyder knows how to make characters feel sympathetic and engaging and make interplay between them interesting. As a result, Wildfire is a satisfying and memorable book.

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.

Note: I obtained an advanced reader copy of this book from the publisher to write this review.

Snyder creates a great core cast with layers to each of the members. They are each individually struggling to reconcile their identities with their pasts and this other identity of being a wildfire firefighter in a tight squad. The panel design and use of color make for a visual feast and dialogue is engaging throughout.

Convict labor, capitalism and conflagration meet in this short, stand-alone graphic novel about a group of female prisoners in the midst of fighting a California fire. Working for a meager $2/day, they hatch a plan to rob an isolated mansion to... steal bitcoin? Yeah, it was a weird plotline.

I definitely enjoyed the saturated coloring and the creative paneling. I also liked how the author used the stages of firefighting to frame the entire story, even if the plot felt a little silly at times. However, I had a seemingly small problem with the art style, which I found really distracting. I couldn't tell if the artist was trying to draw smoke or dust on the characters' faces, but the black strokes just made everybody look like they had hair all over their faces.

I voluntarily obtained a digital version of this book free from Netgalley and IDW Publishing in exchange for an honest review.