BEYOND REAL #1 / Script by ZACK KAPLAN/ Art by FABIANA MASCOLO & TONI FEJZULA/ Colors by JORDIE BELLAIRE & TONI FEKZULA/ Letters by HASSAN OTSMANE-ELHAOU / Design by TIM DANIEL / Covers by JOHN J. PEARSON & FABINA MASCOLO / Published by VAULT COMICS

Eli and June are the classic example of opposites attracting. Eli is a successful physicist who believes there’s a natural order to all things. June is a struggling artist who sees the world as a chaotic mess. Despite their differences, they were very much in love and happy… until tragedy struck.

A car accident left Eli in a coma and June experiencing strange visions and voices. These lead June to the conclusion that reality is a simulation and that she can see behind the curtain. Thus begins a quest beyond the world she knows, as June searches for the creator of her reality to save the man she loves.

There is a temptation, when one is a critic, to describe stories in terms of other stories. Common cultural touchstones are an easy way of establishing a comparison for the audience’s benefit. It’s also a handy way to get your reviews quoted, because marketing people love statements like “Beyond Real is The Matrix meets What Dreams May Come!”

That comparison, while accurate, is a bit glib. Yes, Beyond Real is, like The Matrix, built around the idea of reality not being what we think it is. It is also, much like What Dreams May Come, a romance about someone traveling into the unknown to save the one they love. Yet Beyond Real goes beyond those starting points to present something visually arresting, unlike anything I’ve seen before.

Zack Kaplan’s script is illustrated by two artists and two colorists. Their conflicting styles drive home the perspective of reality breaking and something else being beyond the border. The word is that different artists will tackle future issues, as June travels further afield and into other worlds.

Call it what you will, but I enjoyed the first few issues of Beyond Real that I was allowed to read. I think science-fiction and fantasy fans looking for something new will find it in Beyond Real. It may start out as a familiar tale of love lost and reality challenged, but I think it will go on to surprise you.

Beyond Real #1 arrives in comic shops on December 13, 2023.