We Only Find Them When They're Dead is a 2020 comic book published by Boom! Studios, the first creator-owned work by Al Ewing and artist Simone Di Meo. It lasted for fifteen issues, split into three arcs of five issues each.
In the year 2367, Captain Georges Malik and the four person crew of the Vihan II are just one among the hundreds of prospectors that travel the edge of the galaxy gathering the only reliable resource.
The corpses of dead gods.
The series provides examples of:
- Accuser of the Brethren: Malik is a reformed smuggler, but Richter has never recognized his supposed transition (likely due to her personal stake).
- Arc Words: "Eight Bells, All's Well" and "The ship has ears."
- Big Brother Is Watching: As Georges reminds everyone, "the ship has ears": regulations require the miners constantly transmit their internal comms to the escort ships with fines for noncompliance.
- Black Market: The official market for the mined material is heavily regulated and price-controlled. It's not uncommon for miners to attempt to sprint out without paying fees to sell on the black market instead.
- Cool Old Guy: Malik is on the cusp, being 49 when the story starts.
- Dark and Troubled Past: Malik's parents were killed by Richter for some reason, but Richter also has a grudge against Malik.
- God Is Dead: The beings that Malik's ship and the rest find and carve up for resources are referred to as "gods" and, as the title of the book states, they are all dead when the characters find them. But Malik wants to find an actual live god.
- Rubber-Forehead Aliens: The first god we see is only distinguished from a human by four fingered hands, purplish skin, and being the size of a planet.
- They Call Me Mr Tibbs: Malik addresses Richter by her first name, Paula, and is immediately corrected.
