Shadow’s Depths Page 05

Transcript

A Dystopia comic page shows Bradson and Frazier still trapped beneath the Spill, arguing about containment, command, and what may still be happening above them.

In the first panel, Bradson and Frazier face each other in close quarters. Bradson tells Frazier that he has now become part of the contained and that they are a threat. He explains that no one has ever come back from an encounter down on the Spill, so anyone who sees them will assume they are carrying the virus and shoot on sight.

The second panel shows Bradson crouched near rubble, lit by the harsh white beam of Frazier’s handlight. Bradson compares their situation to Stalin on the Eastern Front in the 20th century, saying that if someone went missing in action, they were treated as a traitor to the Motherland, so they might as well not go back. He says the real question is whether there is anything left to go back to, especially if the wraiths broke through the firewalls.

In the third panel, Frazier is shown in close-up against a dark patterned background. He says that this is exactly the point he and Force Command were making.

The fourth panel shows Bradson and Frazier among rocks and broken concrete. Bradson explains that a lot of things are happening that are not supposed to be happening. He says they access the Net to know what is happening inside the city, and also because they trade on the Market down on Five. Frazier reacts with alarm, asking if they are trading with them and whether command knows.

The fifth panel is a close-up of Bradson wearing his helmet and night-vision gear. He answers that command knows and probably set it up. He says that if they are going to play zookeeper, it is useful to know what the animals are doing, and adds that no one pirates stuff like the guys on the Market.

In the final panel, Bradson kneels over a field of rubble and reaches toward the rifle hanging from his sling. He says Point is not usually this exciting, so there is time to read about the old Soviet Union, New Orleans, and other pointless situations from history. At the bottom of the panel, a pale green telepathic caption interrupts: “Oh, there’s a lot worse, gentlemen.”
 

Comics

Chapter 04: Shadow’s Depths – Page 05
Posted on August 31, 2026 by ALFA

A Lot Worse

Chapter Four of Dystopia: Shadow’s Depths continues beneath the Spill, where Bradson and Frazier’s situation keeps shifting from bad to worse.
This week’s page digs further into what it means to be trapped on the wrong side of containment. Bradson understands that they may already be treated as part of the threat, while Frazier is still trying to hold onto command, procedure, and the logic of the Force. Their argument opens up more of the strange relationship between the outside world and the city inside the boundary.

And then something else speaks.

Readers interested in extended creator commentary, worldbuilding context, and visual storytelling discussions can join in the fun on Patreon.

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