Just the title alone was enough to make me interested in this new series by Dark Horse, and I am impressed with just the first issue. Enter a futuristic desert wasteland filled with rebels, stragglers, and a mysterious DJ all fighting against the evil corporate forces of the Better Living Industries (BLI), whose face-like logo has to be a shot at Walmart. BLI is headquartered in nearby Battery City, a neo-Babylon filled with decadence and decay that is slightly reminiscent of Warren Ellis’ Transmetropolitan. How decadent? Try android sex workers trolling the streets for anyone who is feeling a little lonely. Oh, and they can get addicted to a power source known as Plus.

The official plot line is that several years ago a group of superhero’s known as the Killjoys rose up to fight BLI.  Along the way, they met a very special little girl that they decided they needed to protect.  Sadly, a war broke out and the Killjoys died, leaving the girl to fend for herself. The story picks up years later with the girl still roaming the desert, surviving on her own, until she meets another team of wannabe heroes known as the V’s, and it isn’t long until trouble starts.

The beauty of the Killjoys is that, in addition to the overarching plot, one gets the sense that there is so much more going on below the surface of what you see. It is a world ripe with tantalizingly, dark possibilities. BLI uses humans who have been transformed into something called Draculoids to roam the wasteland in search of rebels. It isn’t entirely clear what the Dracs, as they are called, are, but they are created by forcing humans to wear some sort of mask. Even more feared are the Scarecrows, who are referenced but not seen in this issue.

The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys is a title with loads of potential, and Dark Horse probably has their next big hit. I highly recommend getting in on this one from the beginning. I know I am.

You can follow Jefferson Jordan on Twitter, @nerdy_something.