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Fathom Vol. 1 #1-9
Fathom vol 1: Blue Sun
There are Two Worlds...The One We Know and the One Below! From Michael Turner, the fan favourite artist of Witchblade and Tomb Raider, comes Fathom, the new graphic novel sensation. From the depths they rose in search of the child of two worlds, she who walked among the air-breathers but was part of another world, the world below. Her name is Aspen Matthews, and they showed her her heritage, the beauty of the oceans. But behind their concern lurked a darker agenda, a brewing war with mankind and an anicent mystery. Aspen is the key, a vessel of immense power, and she stands at a crossroads, torn between the world that birthed her and world that raised her. Her destiny unfolds...
Collects the first 9 Top Cow/Image (volume 1) Fathom comics and the preview / 0/ half comics...
Collects the first 9 Top Cow/Image (volume 1) Fathom comics and the preview / 0/ half comics...
224 pages, Trade Paperback
First published September 11, 2001
6 people are currently reading
154 people want to read
About the author
Michael Layne Turner
300 books91 followersComic 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.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
December 6, 2017
It was ok, art was gorgeous but the narrative of the story was a bit fragmented for me.
May 16, 2020
Merged review:
read Fathom 1/2 on 1/3/08 & 3/9/2014: not so much Aspen as Cannon...
read Fathom 0 1/4/08 & 3/11/2014: a sneak into events right before the series started and the gorgeous pencils of Michael Turner (may he rest in peace)
read the Fathom preview 1/5/08 & 3/4/2014: a sneak into the layout without colors or script for the first few pages of #1... very nice.
read Fathom 1 1/7/08 & 3/5/2014: Meet Aspen Matthews. several things are hinted at, but very little actually happens yet. -- has 4 different covers
read Fathom 2 1/8/08 & 3/5/2014: The underwater facility is ... cool.
read Fathom 3 1/9/08 & 3/6/2014: things are starting to heat up... -- JCC released 2 latter covers
read Fathom 4 1/12/08 & 3/6/2014: Wow!
read Fathom 5 1/13/08 & 3/7/2014: I swear Michael's art get better with every issue.
Read Fathom 6 1/14/08 & 3/7/2014: I do believe (especially since this is not the first time I've read these :) that Killian's up to no good and Cannon isn't exactly what he seems to be.
read Fathom 7 1/15/08: the confrontation seems to be coming near and of all the people in the story Maylander is the most villainous.
read Fathom 8 1/16/08 & 3/8/2014: Is Aspen actually catching on that she's being USED?
read Fathom 9 1/17/08 & 3/9/2014: end of initial storyline and first TPB...
read Fathom 10 1/18/08 & 3/10/2014: life continues afterward. Kinda. -- included in the Definitive Fathom vol 1
read Fathom 11 1/21/08 & 3/10/2014: Poor Aspen -- all kinds of weirdos are coming her way now :-) -- included in the Definitive Fathom vol 1
read Fathom 12 1/22/08 & 3/12/14: the advertized "three-way" crossover event with Witchblade, Fathom and Tomb Raider ...
I didn't have 13 for awhile, so didn't get to read 13&14 til I did and that was the end of Volume 1--Fathom with Top Cow. For Volume 1.5, 2 & 3 we had to wait for Michael to get to feeling better and start his own company -- Aspen MLT (Michael Lane Turner!).
This crossover event was included in the Definitive... but with Lara Croft & Sara Pezzini omitted (Top Cow permission issues). Makes for a very odd read.
August 5, 2021
As a boy in the 90s, I constantly saw advertisements for Fathom in my issues of Tomb Raider, Witchblade, and alike, but never could find or afford the comics. So imagine my excitement as an adult to see the entire series included in ComiXology unlimited. Unfortunately, as an adult, I found the comics middling.
The story is all plot and very little character development. For the majority of the chapters, Aspen just doesn’t have much agency. She is just completely swept up in the plot. The plot itself begins intriguingly enough. It is multifaceted and complicated, but gets distilled down pretty fast. Also, there is too much exposition and sections of long monologues. Overall, though the plot is serviceable.
The art is good, but a bit dated. The coloring is truly fantastic and has this glowing translucent quality. The paneling and layouts are good, but overuse a technique showing a character’s head across the entire page indicating the narrator. I thought this was cool at first, but it got tired once all the characters were introduced.
Overall, the story is packed with plot, but little character. The art is good and the coloring timeless. I enjoyed it, but won’t remember it.
The story is all plot and very little character development. For the majority of the chapters, Aspen just doesn’t have much agency. She is just completely swept up in the plot. The plot itself begins intriguingly enough. It is multifaceted and complicated, but gets distilled down pretty fast. Also, there is too much exposition and sections of long monologues. Overall, though the plot is serviceable.
The art is good, but a bit dated. The coloring is truly fantastic and has this glowing translucent quality. The paneling and layouts are good, but overuse a technique showing a character’s head across the entire page indicating the narrator. I thought this was cool at first, but it got tired once all the characters were introduced.
Overall, the story is packed with plot, but little character. The art is good and the coloring timeless. I enjoyed it, but won’t remember it.
April 30, 2020
Aspen, a marine biologist and Olympic swimmer, discovers she is actually a member of an underwater race with elemental powers.
The art in this is amazingly beautiful - detailed, colorful, just stunning. The story - not so much, unfortunately. Michael Turner goes from pages of dense textboxes and info dumps to pages of hardly any words but gorgeous art. I am not a fan of 'head shot that takes up the side of an entire page and the other half is nothing but text'. Michael Turner obviously liked to draw beautiful women with scanty amounts of clothing, but he also drew equally beautiful men with said lack of apparel so I'll give him that one.
The art in this is amazingly beautiful - detailed, colorful, just stunning. The story - not so much, unfortunately. Michael Turner goes from pages of dense textboxes and info dumps to pages of hardly any words but gorgeous art. I am not a fan of 'head shot that takes up the side of an entire page and the other half is nothing but text'. Michael Turner obviously liked to draw beautiful women with scanty amounts of clothing, but he also drew equally beautiful men with said lack of apparel so I'll give him that one.
July 2, 2020
This is better than I expected. The writing is surprisingly sophisticated for Turner's first outing as writer/artist. He did have a collaborator who helped with the words, but even so there's some innovative storytelling going on here (like showing the same short flashbacks three times from three different perspectives) that must be Turner's ideas, and they work great. That said, the overall plot ends up where you expect it to, but it's a fun ride!
July 11, 2021
Boy the 90’s comics just didn’t age well…and I guess I don’t like Turner much. I understand the art is supposed to be good, but the bodies are ridiculous. How do these characters have so much time and dedication to get so impossibly shredded and flexible? Story is okay, but overall…meh.
April 23, 2019
UGH, this is SO GOOD. This is the origin story for Aspen and can really be read as a stand alone as the overall storyline wraps up in this graphic novel. That being said it REALLY left me wanting to read more! I especially like the little seeds of romance planted between Aspen and Cannon - more please! The art is absolutely gorgeous, and I thought the storyline was really great. Why isn't someone making this story into the next big summer blockbuster?
January 24, 2021
Bon début, hâte de lire le reste de la série
December 2, 2021
DNF at page 33......oof. Just oof. Awful art, boring premise, bad writing, the whole package of bad.
July 26, 2019
Really enjoyed this one. Reminded me a bit.
January 7, 2013
Obviamente lo primero que llama la atención al ver Fathom es la protagonista, una joven con unas curvas que quitan el hipo. Pero si damos una oportunidad a esta obra de Michael Turner nos encontramos con mucho más.
Esta protagonista, Aspen Matthews, aparece en medio del océano, donde un barco la rescata. Si esto fuera poco el barco llega a tierra 10 años después desde que se le diera por desaparecido. ¿Qué ha ocurrido estos años? ¿Quién es esta chica?
Este es el punto de inicio de una historia dividida en 9 cómics. Una historia en la que viviremos un conflicto abierto entre Japón y EE.UU, además de descubrir una intrigante especie: unos humanoides acuáticos mucho más avanzados que el simple ser humano que habita en la superficie.
Y como he dicho al inicio, la protagonista es lo que nos llama la atención al principio. Todo ello gracias a un trabajo sublime en el dibujo ofreciendo una calidad excelente tanto a nivel de personajes como escenarios (y mucha imaginación, por cierto).
En resumen, una historia que merece ser leída y disfrutada a todos los niveles. Y lo mejor de todo es que tan solo es el inicio de una serie mucho más larga, por lo que aún podremos averiguar muchas más cosas sobre la buena de Aspen y compañía.
Esta protagonista, Aspen Matthews, aparece en medio del océano, donde un barco la rescata. Si esto fuera poco el barco llega a tierra 10 años después desde que se le diera por desaparecido. ¿Qué ha ocurrido estos años? ¿Quién es esta chica?
Este es el punto de inicio de una historia dividida en 9 cómics. Una historia en la que viviremos un conflicto abierto entre Japón y EE.UU, además de descubrir una intrigante especie: unos humanoides acuáticos mucho más avanzados que el simple ser humano que habita en la superficie.
Y como he dicho al inicio, la protagonista es lo que nos llama la atención al principio. Todo ello gracias a un trabajo sublime en el dibujo ofreciendo una calidad excelente tanto a nivel de personajes como escenarios (y mucha imaginación, por cierto).
En resumen, una historia que merece ser leída y disfrutada a todos los niveles. Y lo mejor de todo es que tan solo es el inicio de una serie mucho más larga, por lo que aún podremos averiguar muchas más cosas sobre la buena de Aspen y compañía.
April 11, 2014
Michael Turner.... Wow what a wonderful artist! ...And this story reads like a Hollywood Blockbuster for sure!
I came first to this book in an ironic way. During my childhood, my mom used to take me to the comic book store, and I could get however many books that day and she would pay. At some point, I saw Fathom #1 and wanted to read it, though probably primarily due to the gorgeous Aspen on the front cover. My mom deemed it "too sexy", and thus the book was "forbidden" to me. A few weeks back, I saw a Witchblade comic and remembered my mom's list (that title was also "too sexy") and decided to get these "banned" titles to see if mom was right all along.
With Fathom? Totally wrong. A little innuendo in the dialogue and maybe some smallish swimwear at times, but nothing like what my adolescent brain imagined. LOL
This Volume was very good! Proper origin story, good intro to the universe they would be in for the rest of the run, and the visuals were epic. There is a reason that Michael Turner became so famous for his artwork. I could remove all dialogue from this title, and it would still be enjoyable simply as art. However, the story is well written too.
High recommend!
I came first to this book in an ironic way. During my childhood, my mom used to take me to the comic book store, and I could get however many books that day and she would pay. At some point, I saw Fathom #1 and wanted to read it, though probably primarily due to the gorgeous Aspen on the front cover. My mom deemed it "too sexy", and thus the book was "forbidden" to me. A few weeks back, I saw a Witchblade comic and remembered my mom's list (that title was also "too sexy") and decided to get these "banned" titles to see if mom was right all along.
With Fathom? Totally wrong. A little innuendo in the dialogue and maybe some smallish swimwear at times, but nothing like what my adolescent brain imagined. LOL
This Volume was very good! Proper origin story, good intro to the universe they would be in for the rest of the run, and the visuals were epic. There is a reason that Michael Turner became so famous for his artwork. I could remove all dialogue from this title, and it would still be enjoyable simply as art. However, the story is well written too.
High recommend!
Read
May 13, 2015Pour moi qui n'est pas très comics, je dois bien avouer que Fathom fut une belle découverte. Que ce soit au niveau graphique, qu'au niveau de l'histoire, je n'ai pas été déçue, et c'est un style que j'ai du mal à retrouver aujourd'hui.
Nous suivons Aspen Matthews, orpheline numéro 421-6, qui ne connais rien de son passer et qui à une obsession démesurée pour l'eau. Nous allons, à travers ce premier tome, remonter vers son enfance, éclaircir quelques point de son passer en restant cependant avec une tonne de questions, tant le mystère reste bien gardé. Flashbacks et autres points de vue par d'autres personnages seront au rdv, nous permettant de mieux comprendre la situation par moment.
Quand aux graphismes, ils sont justes parfaits. La multitude de détails et la finesse des dessins nous permettent d'apprécier notre lecture, la rendant un peu plus vivante. Turner à un coup de crayon assez particulier, qui n'est pas pour me déplaire.
Je lirais sans hésiter la suite, qui me semble tout autant prometteuse !
Nous suivons Aspen Matthews, orpheline numéro 421-6, qui ne connais rien de son passer et qui à une obsession démesurée pour l'eau. Nous allons, à travers ce premier tome, remonter vers son enfance, éclaircir quelques point de son passer en restant cependant avec une tonne de questions, tant le mystère reste bien gardé. Flashbacks et autres points de vue par d'autres personnages seront au rdv, nous permettant de mieux comprendre la situation par moment.
Quand aux graphismes, ils sont justes parfaits. La multitude de détails et la finesse des dessins nous permettent d'apprécier notre lecture, la rendant un peu plus vivante. Turner à un coup de crayon assez particulier, qui n'est pas pour me déplaire.
Je lirais sans hésiter la suite, qui me semble tout autant prometteuse !
March 17, 2009
I'm a big fan of Michael Turner's art, which is why this gets four stars. The story was a bit spotty (I'm guessing some of the missing backstory is covered in later issues), but it's nice to run across a heroine who's not all conflicted and reluctant to embrace violence when necessary. True, she's kind of an idiot for not questioning some things, but overall it was a nice difference in characterization.
August 2, 2016
Visually stunning, but so far lacking in a cohesive and easily understandable story that by the last 1/4 of the book you pretty much just want it to end. It seemed like a good idea for a story, but he execution just wasn't there.
December 31, 2008
All I can say is that I absolutely love Turner's art. Can't say I remember much of the story, but I remember enjoying it. The art is simply too beautiful to worry about the story :)
March 4, 2011
I love Turner's art style, but his storytelling leaves a great deal to be desired. Still it's an interesting world, but I had hoped for more depth (no pun intended) in the plot/characters.
November 9, 2013
Can see why they would want to turn this into a film or tv property.
January 10, 2016
4.5 stars
Art: Amazing.
Story: Cool, but sometimes confusing.
Do I need to get my hands on this volume for my collection and all the other volumes?: Hell Yeah!
Art: Amazing.
Story: Cool, but sometimes confusing.
Do I need to get my hands on this volume for my collection and all the other volumes?: Hell Yeah!
November 5, 2021
I love this series, I only knocked a star because the timeline is confusing and I had to use a list to be able to follow chronologically
June 20, 2010
Lovely. :D
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews