Fathom Blue #4
Aspen Comics 2015
Written by Vince Hernandez
Penciled by Claudio Avella
Inked by Mark Roslan
Coloured by Justice, Wes Hartman & John Starr
The group discovered that Elia Fawn shared a history with their target, Eries, and were forced to rescue her after she was momentarily stunned by his attack. However, the entire island of Alcatraz was not enough to contain Elia’s rage upon her recovery--and the team was forced to relinquish him into her custody, and splinter into two…
I like that we open this issue seeing Shalla in stasis. He’s a major player not only in the arms race but in the Fathom Universe in general and after seeing him provide what he did and his actions in Kiani it will be interesting to see what happens with him as the book progresses.
Back to Elia however and her “friend” Eries. Their conversation is somewhat illuminating and the fact that she feels she can do some good and is gaining the enemies trust does show a certain amount of naivete to her. Had she said working with them to keep a closer eye on what they are up to and doing would have been a smarter route but that she believes what she does well that just shows she’s going to be in for a rude awakening down the road. Still it’s good characterization on Vince’s part.
Learning more about Eries and why he is doing what he’s doing however was even better. That the surface dwellers invaded his home and killed his wife without provocation has given him a much harder view of the way life works. It really does serve to reinforce how the American’s feel about that which they do not understand or can control. I’ve long thought the U.S. Government was akin to the playground bully and this serves to remind me i’m not alone in my thinking.
While Claudio is a talented artist there are times I feel he is either rushing or not putting as much detail into the work. Close ups on facial expressions are great but it’s when you pull back a little bit that it seems like there’s much less detail and it can come across generic in nature. Something that Aspen hasn’t been known for in their books. When Eries describes his first encounter with human subs and what transpires the words don’t match the visuals and that’s a little disappointing.
When we see the remainder of the team onboard the aircraft I was thrilled. It’s nice to see the “kid” taking charge and proving that his mind is his greatest asset. Also it does wonders for me to see them starting to work as a team using their gifts this way so that at some point they won’t really need to rely on the power that Elia provides. Sometimes a team with “lesser” powers can be more effective when working together than one “powerhouse” can. I’m hoping this is something Vince sees and will try to incorporate into the storyline.
I am very much enjoying Vince’s exploration of the Fathom world with these characters as the focus. I’m hoping that Claudio’s pencil’s tighten up and become stronger the he works on them, the potential for that is there after all. Overall though this is a great strong offering from Aspen allowing new readers to experience the world without having to worry about the characters histories since those are unfolding in front of us.
Aspen Comics 2015
Written by Vince Hernandez
Penciled by Claudio Avella
Inked by Mark Roslan
Coloured by Justice, Wes Hartman & John Starr
The group discovered that Elia Fawn shared a history with their target, Eries, and were forced to rescue her after she was momentarily stunned by his attack. However, the entire island of Alcatraz was not enough to contain Elia’s rage upon her recovery--and the team was forced to relinquish him into her custody, and splinter into two…
I like that we open this issue seeing Shalla in stasis. He’s a major player not only in the arms race but in the Fathom Universe in general and after seeing him provide what he did and his actions in Kiani it will be interesting to see what happens with him as the book progresses.
Back to Elia however and her “friend” Eries. Their conversation is somewhat illuminating and the fact that she feels she can do some good and is gaining the enemies trust does show a certain amount of naivete to her. Had she said working with them to keep a closer eye on what they are up to and doing would have been a smarter route but that she believes what she does well that just shows she’s going to be in for a rude awakening down the road. Still it’s good characterization on Vince’s part.
Learning more about Eries and why he is doing what he’s doing however was even better. That the surface dwellers invaded his home and killed his wife without provocation has given him a much harder view of the way life works. It really does serve to reinforce how the American’s feel about that which they do not understand or can control. I’ve long thought the U.S. Government was akin to the playground bully and this serves to remind me i’m not alone in my thinking.
While Claudio is a talented artist there are times I feel he is either rushing or not putting as much detail into the work. Close ups on facial expressions are great but it’s when you pull back a little bit that it seems like there’s much less detail and it can come across generic in nature. Something that Aspen hasn’t been known for in their books. When Eries describes his first encounter with human subs and what transpires the words don’t match the visuals and that’s a little disappointing.
When we see the remainder of the team onboard the aircraft I was thrilled. It’s nice to see the “kid” taking charge and proving that his mind is his greatest asset. Also it does wonders for me to see them starting to work as a team using their gifts this way so that at some point they won’t really need to rely on the power that Elia provides. Sometimes a team with “lesser” powers can be more effective when working together than one “powerhouse” can. I’m hoping this is something Vince sees and will try to incorporate into the storyline.
I am very much enjoying Vince’s exploration of the Fathom world with these characters as the focus. I’m hoping that Claudio’s pencil’s tighten up and become stronger the he works on them, the potential for that is there after all. Overall though this is a great strong offering from Aspen allowing new readers to experience the world without having to worry about the characters histories since those are unfolding in front of us.
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