Fathom Volume 2: Into The Deep

Fathom Vol. 2 #0-11

by Michael Layne Turner, J.T. Krul

There are two worlds. The one we know, and the one below. Aspen Matthews has always been drawn to the sea, that is why she became a marine biologist. But when an underwater experiment goes horribly wrong, Aspen discovers her connection to life under the sea is far more than scientific. She Discovers that she is a water nymph - able to live and thrive beneath the sea.

Author Biography: Creator, Michael Turner's artistic talent helped him to co-create and launch the incredibly successful title, Witchblade, an all-new television series on the TNT network. Following the outstanding acclaim of Witchblade, Michael turned his attention to his own solo creation, Fathom, which as become one of the top selling titles in the market today.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Fantasy

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Comic Book Artist. He studied pre-medicine at the University of Tennessee, and then moved to Aspen, Colorado, and later San Diego, where he taught martial arts, became an award winning water skier, and began drawing comic books. In 1994, he was hired by Top Cow Productions in Century City, California, where he was the co-creator of "Witchblade", a comic about a voluptuous female detective who fights evil with the aid of a mystical weapon that attaches itself to her arm and gives her superpowers. Turner later founded Aspen MLT, a Santa Monica publishing company that created online comic adaptations for the NBC television series "Heroes" and titles including "Fathom", a deep-sea story about a female superhero. He was also a regular cover artist for "Superman/Batman" and "The Flash". Turner's work was in demand for special editions and similar projects, and he drew covers for DC Comics' "Justice League" and Marvel's "Civil War". The milestone 500th issue of "Uncanny X-Men", released in July, 2008, featured one of Turner's special edition covers. He died of complications from chondrosarcoma, a form of bone cancer he had begun treatment for in 2000.

Reviews

[Kite Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

As Fathom moves into volume two, the series takes a turn by covering a subject both topical when it was published and one that splits the focus away from its main attraction. That subject is war and it is for the fate of their entire race, both the Blue and the Black, beneath the surface of the oceans. Though volume one did a good job of introducing us to the world Michael Turner created, it is with this second volume that things pick up and become truly exciting. It not only captures the reader’s interest, but it holds it with widescreen action and drama that is emotional and impactful.

War. Messy business no matter how you look at it. Aspen, Cannon, Brande, Siphon, Kiani and the rest of our band are now faced with the most difficult situation they have ever faced. Battling Killian was one thing, and in the end, he only had the best intentions for his people. But now they face the human race, or at least Maylander and his men, who want to wipe them from the face of the Earth. Definitely not an acceptable subject or outcome, and one that not only has our heroes having to contend with the humans, but also their own council who wish to sit back and hope it all just blows over. Because of this Cannon becomes an outlaw and we learn about a new substance called grey matter which is a form of leftover energy from Killian’s blue sun. During the course of the series, Aspen must come to terms with her heritage, being of the Blue, the Black and having a human father, at least in spirit. Her emotional journey is one of many side-plots that are explored in the book, enhancing and deepening our knowledge and experience of their world. Kiani as well comes into her own, developing powers she never knew she had perhaps becoming one of the mysterious Elite, those that can manipulate water. And as the series progresses, they must all come together to face their common threat, for alone and separate, they will most surely perish.

As previously mentioned, this series focuses not only on Aspen, but upon other members of the cast as well. Aspen is still a big part of the book, and we learn more about her motivations and why she refuses to use her powers to their full extent. The reader gets to explore more of her past, of her time with the captain and of her brother. Having ties to three different races will make it interesting going forward as a fan to see just where the series will head and what will happen to Aspen as she must come to terms with being torn between them and just where her allegiance will lie. Also on the receiving end of some character building was Kiani. She has now become a personality to rival the book’s namesake. She is strong and fearless, yet distant and angry. With her gaining new powers and being unafraid to use them, she has seemingly become Fathom’s opposite. She is just as loved by our cast as Fathom is, but her resentment of Aspen will be an intriguing theme that hopefully will be explored as the title moves onward.

A fair amount of time was spent on Cannon as well, including his very own limited series which tied into this volume of Fathom. With Cannon trying to protect his people as best he can and then being arrested because of it, it tested his morals and commitment more than anything previously. The miniseries also detailed Cannon’s battle with Taras, the living mind of his enemy which takes place within his consciousness, a secondary war to the main one raging inside the pages of the main title. Taras of course wants to take over Cannon’s body so that he might fully live again, but doing so will not only harm Cannon, but his friends as well in the long term and so he fights with everything he has at his disposal. It is in this mini that we also learn of the grey matter, though its purpose would not become clear until the conclusion of the main book.

The artwork by Koi Turnball and Marcus To was a perfect fit for the books. Their pencils, while not anywhere near the same as Michael Turner’s, were close enough in composition that it is not a jarring break between the first and second volumes. The design work is excellent on both characters and costumes, especially on the ones that our heroes sport; Kiani’s being one that comes to mind. The metal-work that comprises the body armour as well as the arm guard is intricate and is drawn consistently throughout every issue. The wild mane of hair that Kiani has separates her from every other character in the book as well, delivering a uniqueness that is not as apparent in other figures. Conversely, Siphon, Cannon and Brande are similar in design with little to distinguish them apart, which is a small thing, but one that could have been worked upon, especially when compared to just how different Aspen and Kiani are. On a different front, the sea life, which almost seems secondary to everything else going on in the book, is spared no expense and really makes the book all the more beautiful to look at as it seems just as much time was spent on backgrounds as foregrounds. Inventive and beautiful pencils by To and Turnball.

J.T. Krul along with Michael Turner improved on the first volume of Fathom immensely. Gone were the bulky narrations and in their place was more focus on our characters in a more traditional manner of comic-book storytelling. It is not to say that different formats are bad, but this volume was leaps and bounds much more enthralling than the first volume. The action was intense and panoramic, and the anticipation built from issue to issue keeping the reader hooked from one panel to the next. Reading a secondary miniseries to get more info on just what is happening within the main book is nothing new to crossovers, but this book was not a crossover and should not have warranted one. Thankfully, not reading the Cannon Hawke issues did not deprive the audience of anything extremely pertinent, but in reading them you would gain a better understanding of what Cannon’s motivations are, as well as the surprise ending which took place during the final issue of Fathom. Stellar work by all involved and a must buy in any form for those who are interested in action-packed epics.

http://thetelltalemind.com/2013/12/27...

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Here we get a lot more backstory into Aspen’s origin, and we get a better understanding of the ancient race called The Black. The story was alright. Again, the visuals were nice, but the writing is a bit shaky.

[47Time · Rating 2 out of 5]

This comic has some of the most detailed and beautiful art you can find, but often it's hard to tell what's going on. The 2-page panels are the worst in this regard and the smaller panels aren't far off. While the character poses may be attractive, they don't always reflect the dialogue.

The story takes a heavy toll on my concentration, so the writing, while detailed and expansive, is anything but accessible. There are a lot of references to other miniseries in the Fathom universe, so this volume is not standalone. They could have just made a series out of it, but there you go. As far as I can tell, everyone wants Fathom again because she's so powerful, but she wants a normal life. Again. The humans found the sea-people and they want to destroy them, but Fathom falls in the middle, trying to make everything all right. So, yeah, original.

The story alternates between supernaturally bombastic underwater cities and everyday American landscapes or military installations - the latter are only saved by the hot chicks, like Baywatch or something. I just realized: that's why I started reading this comic. Apparently that's all I'm getting out of it. For a comic with such extraordinary graphics, it has a surprisingly large amount of text, part of it trying too hard to be serious, but then again it is in the fantasy genre, and the other part trying to be ordinary or funny, but only managing a 90's sound.

[Lori · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love Turner's art style, but his storytelling leaves a great deal to be desired. At this point in the series/world, Turner had turned over much of the issue grind work to other employees, save for the covers typically. There was some effort made to flesh out the protagonist's history, but it seemed more confusing than helpful. Toward the end of this story arc, Turner sadly passed away in June 2008. His series lives on at what was his creator-owned studio, Aspen MLT Inc.

[Elle Keegan]

A great follow up to the first collective edition, I can't wait to read through the third. Aspen's realization of her inability to separate her two worlds is by far one of the most emotional points of the series so far.

[Kerry]

It's been awhile since I read volume 1 so I will have to go and visit it again. I love Michael Turner!

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

2nd series of Aspen after Michael Turner (may he rest in peace) split from Top Cow/Image and started the Aspen MLT comic line. I have this in the individual comic issues

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty boring storyline and predictable as well.