Zenescope Entertainment 2015
Written by Meredith Finch
Illustrated by Miguel Mendonca
Coloured by Jorge Alberto Cortes
Atlantis goes to war to reclaim the king’s heir. Little does he know, Erica has an escape plan of her own. This is one princess that does not need saving! But will Erica choose her freedom or accept the burden of rule now that she finally has a choice?
Oh wow this was one heck of an ending for this story as well as perfectly setting up for the next arc. Meredith really went ahead and takes it to the reader with all that happens here and keeping with most fairy tales there isn’t exactly a happy ending. I will say however that this is what I love about Zenescope lately it’s high powered storytelling with incredibly detailed powerful interior artwork. It also has that element of horror to it that is the company’s bread and butter making this a true standout.
Unaware that her father and his forces are making a full assault on the compound she’s in Erica makes good on her escape during all the confusion. The look about her when she’s in the water goes to show that this is as farther from a Disney Princess as you can possibly get and one that more falls in line with fearsome creature of the sea, Though her escape is somewhat halted by a mysterious voice that reminds her while she may be free if she doesn’t go back to deal with them they will continue to hunt her relentlessly.
Because of the experiments done on Erica they have an army of human hybrids all their own to stem the invasion by the Atlanteans. Since they are surprisingly outnumbered the King decides to fall back as the face overwhelming odds. Though of course the mad doctor is not going to be content with that since he’s seen his Trident in action and wants to possess that now. This guy really is a rare breed of villain willing to commit genocide against the Atlanteans all to further his own dark ambitions making him terrifyingly fascinating.
Erica’s entrance into the fray changes everything however and her reunion with her father is short lived. Suddenly she knows she isn’t the only one and has found her biological father in the midst of a battle for survival. After he takes a bullet and dies for his daughter Erica goes ballistic showing us all what she’s truly capable of. Her powers and abilities far outpass those of her people and as she leads them to victory against the Doctor and his monsters she’s declared by those present as the New Queen of Atlantis.
While Erica is reunited with her mother and made Queen of a people she never knew existed this is far from the end. Don’t forget the Sea Witch is still out there and her role in Erica’s birth, kidnapping and her deal with Issoro are all still on the table so that we can revisit the kingdom under the sea again. Plus i’d love the opportunity to see how she handles her new role in life and the responsibilities of ruling a kingdom.
This was a great adaptation and the twists, turns and gender swapping really worked for this story. It’s nice to see Zenescope embrace the future with series like this, mature, smart and beautifully rendered without being cheesy it really makes an impact on readers.