Written by J.T. Krul
Art by Koi Turnbull; Jason Gorder; Christina Strain; & Dreamer Design
Cover Art ‘A’ by Michael Turner & Peter Steigerwald
SUMMARY:
Published by Aspen Comics for April 2005, this preview of the upcoming second series has a twelve-page prelude featuring Cannon, Thalassar, Kiani, and Chance. At stake is a potential war with humanity, as The Blue and The Black civilizations draw closer. Beneath the sea, Cannon & Thalassar attend to the Blue’s recently-rescued defenders. Kiani returns dejected from her mission. For the U.S. Navy’s new hybrid jets, Admiral Maylander gives Chance a new assignment as a flight instructor. Aspen Matthews is referenced by Chance and later Kiani, but she doesn’t appear.
Note: Cover ‘B’ is a colorless pencil sketch version of Cover ‘A.’ Cover ‘C’ is a reversed-line, black-and-white version (white pencils over a black background).
REVIEW:
Visually, this teaser is near-flawless. The cover image’s production values (i.e. seeing its development stages) are superb. Yet, without Aspen’s active presence, the prelude (in part a recap of Aspen’s origin) is something of a fizzle. As presented by writer J.T. Krull, the characters seem fine, but there isn’t really anything remarkable about them. Of these supporting players, Kiani’s contribution might have been more intriguing, had her mission been glimpsed. Overall, Michael Turner’s Fathom # 0 (2nd Series) is an okay introduction to the Fathom saga, as Krul spells out enough for newcomers.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
Artist Koi Turnbull’s seven-page sketchbook (and his commentary) features characters Aspen; Thalassar; Baha; Kiani; & Brande; aquatic ships; armor; monsters; and sketch samples from Volume 2’s Issue # 1. A three-page feature reveals the creation of this issue’s cover. A full-page ad hypes the start of the second series, as of June 2005.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 6½ Stars
