Fathom: The Definitive Edition

Fathom Vol. 1 #0,½,1-13

by Michael Layne Turner, Bill O'Neil, Geoff Johns

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 able to live and thrive beneath the sea!

Aspen is thrilled to bring you the most complete collection of Michael Turner's first-ever creator owned series, Fathom, with this amazing Fathom: The Definitive Edition Trade Paperback! Inside, readers will find the rare Fathom Preview, issues #0 and #1/2, both of which have never been collected in a trade before now! Issues #1 through #9, including the special add-in pages, plus the sold out issues #10 and #11, also making their first trade debut!

Re-envisioned pages and excerpts from issues #12 through #14, focusing on Aspen and Cannon's ordeal with Vana! Both original Fathom Swimsuit issues featuring pin-ups from a host of today's top artists, along with a jam-packed cover gallery and more seldom seen Fathom goodies as only Michael Turner and Aspen could deliver! We'll also be including the complete Aspen Extended Edition which bridges the gap between Fathom Volume 1 and Volume 2, and also features the first appearance of everyone's favorite Blue warrior goddess, Kiani! Combine all that together, and you have 496 massive pages of everything that was Fathom Volume 1.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Fiction, Comic Book, Graphic Novels Comics

496 pages, Paperback

First published December 2, 2008

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

[Baba · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mystery within a mystery about an underwater race colliding with humans around the Pacific mainly because of adopted Aspen, who turns out to have an origin that may connected to the water breathers. This was interesting enough for me to read the second season but I just can't see where all the hype comes for this franchise? 6 out of 12 Three Stars.
I read the comic books season one, #1-14, and Kinnian's Tide #1-4.

2014 read

[Chad · Rating 2 out of 5]

I know this was the best selling comic of 1998, but the storytelling in this was just awful. Characters are introduced to never appear again, usually with mind numbing first person diatribes. Aspen goes from not knowing who she is to getting her full powers in 2 pages. The characters are all flat and lifeless with no individuality. The art, however, is peak Michael Turner. His character designs are fantastic. The Blue look like they are covered in coral armor. It looks very natural and organic. So if you buy it, get it for the pretty pictures and don't be surprised if you aren't happy with the story.

[Aaron · Rating 2 out of 5]

Having now finished this huge volume of Fathom as well as Soulfire, I've developed a theory about the success of Michael Turner. He is without a doubt one of the greatest comic book artists of the late 90s/early 2000s, and totally earned his reputation as a standout comics creator. I think it all came a little too fast, though. After his success on Witchblade, Batman/Superman and the work he did on various covers for the major comics distributors, he had so thoroughly proven himself as a draw for readers that he set out to create his own imprint. That's where Fathom comes in.

The series has absolutely stunning visuals. Turner's attention to detail and knack for making beautiful ocean vistas spring to life on the page is noteworthy. His writing, however, is not just a letdown. It is outright horrible. He seems so eager to put forth his vision of a world where humanoid beings that control water emerge in force on an unsuspecting American military that he doesn't take a single second to let any of it evolve. The vast, vast majority of plot in this series occurs in huge blocks of texts explaining things we have never and will never see. He violates the number one rule of visual storytelling: show don't tell. And you would think someone as gifted with a pencil as Turner would have loved the opportunity to let his creation breathe a little bit. But sadly, he doesn't. The series takes HUGE leaps forward with little to no forward movement. One minute the heroin, Aspen, is completely unaware that she has powers, then literally two text-filled pages later she is in complete control of her immense power and struggling with the weight of her responsibility to the world.

We never learn who any of these characters ARE. Each character, while remarkably drawn and detailed on a strictly physical level, is a flat, emotionless cardboard cutout of a human being. Not to mention the fact that many characters are introduced as if they are going to be wildly important game-changers only to be thrown aside when Turner has no idea what to do with them. The entire first arc of this series sets up this mystery involving a mysterious water-human type creature, then all of a sudden it is never mentioned again. World power subplots are developed, pitting the US and Japan against each other, then seemingly resolved off panel to never affect anything at all. It feels like Turner just wrote himself a bunch of characters and situations to draw without ever considering the ramifications of any of his plots. The entire thing reads like a bad first draft written by a brand new writer with a grand vision he has no idea how to share.

This series sold very well in its initial run, and I can only attribute that to A) Turner's pencils and B) the fact that every cover features Aspen donning a bikini in an alluring pose (something pretty much absent from the actual storyline). I give this 2 stars instead of 1 for the very fact that Turner was such a fantastic artist, but you're better off reading any of the things he drew that he did not also write. Very disappointing.

[Highland G · Rating 2 out of 5]

First of all I want to say the art is pretty decent throughout. Actually the women are the weakest part of the art, the men and the world have so much more diversity in styles than the women.

Okay, with that out the way, WTF!!
Why cant a top cow artist tell a story WITHOUT narrating everything over the top of still artwork.
This is barely a comic, it’s basically just prose with a bit of comic thrown in now and then.
The panels are shrunken often (with text included) and that makes it really difficult to read.

There was a story but its pretty insignificant, sexy girl boss aquaman doesn’t know her history. Insert everyone trying to manipulate her and thats about it.

So overall, I barely made it to the end. It was just meh.

[Mimi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love the art style, and how detailed the drawings are. The use of colour give this graphic novel a very special feel. Storywise, however, it didn´t pull me in as much as I had hoped.

I recevied a copy through Netgalley, which did not influence my opinion at all.

[Paweł · Rating 1 out of 5]

Mało natchnione czytadło. Fabuła jest niezbyt ciekawa, komiks nie radzi sobie kompletnie z tempem akcji. Raz ściany tekstu przez które brnie się jak przez smołę żeby zaraz przewertować kilkanaście stron samej akcji. Jedyne co wyróżnia na plus to rysunki Turnera, które skrzętnie ukrywają kartonowość postaci. Świetnie wyglądają kolory teł i panoramy. Szkoda, że wytrzymał jedynie jedną serię, bo poziom spada na łeb wraz z drugą.
W ogóle nieporozumieniem jest wydanie istotnych wydarzeń, które pchają fabułę do przodu i przedstawiają nowych głównych bohaterów jako serię poboczną! Wraz z początkiem 2 serii nie wiedziałem co czytam. A z definicji OMNIBUS powinien zawierać kompletną historię, prawda? Chociaż teraz mi to obojętne, bo druga seria nie prezentuje sobą nic dobrego.
Cieszę się, że nie dałem się skusić ładną okładką naszego wydania dawno temu i złapałem okazję na humble bundle. Niewarte kasy ani zachodu, przynajmniej zaspokoiłem ciekawość.

[Elektrohase · Rating 3 out of 5]

The drawings are mindblowing. I love them. I would cut them all out and use them as tapestries if it wouldn't hurt me to cut a comic book. The one main minus was the storytelling ... It wasn't that good... It was bad... Oh wow I'm going to join the evil forces because. Yeah, because WHAT???
I'm not sure if I'm going to buy volumes 2 and 3...well see about that.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found Fathom while browsing a while ago and recently pulled it off the TBR shelf. It was apparently a bestselling comic in the late 1990s, although I didn't know that at the time, and I ended up liking it quite a bit.

The storyline for most of the thirteen issues collected in this volume revolves around a faction of 'fish people' (they're actaully water nymphs, although that's not specified in-universe) who are hostile toward surface dwellers and want to use Aspen (an unusually powerful water nymph who has grown up on the surface, not knowing who/what she actually is) to power a weapon. Aspen is captured by this group who use a combination of charm and not unreasonable sounding arguments to get her to power these devices, while being kept largely in the dark as to what's actually going on. She eventually gets rescued and uses her new training to defeat the violent faction, though not before some things happen that alert the surface world that some strange shit is going down in the Pacific Ocean. The last couple issues of the volume are side stories tangentially related to consequences of the main plot, but read as very episodic.

As other reviewers have pointed out, the story does have some issues with characterization and pacing. Aspen flip-flops a lot, seems to master her absolutely amazing powers unreasonably quickly, and lots for allusions are made to Aspen's history and the origins of the 'fish people' that are never explained. Some of these can be understood in a certain light: Aspen was basically forcibly recruited and subsequently brainwashed by a political cult, I got the impression most of her time spent there is told via a series of timeskips, and allusions to yet fully explained story elements seem likely to be revisited in future issues. However, the lack of clarity surrounding these things and others like them can make the characterization and story come across as sloppy. I'm hoping that these problems get smoothed out in future issues.

While the story had some problems, the artwork is gorgeous and definitely bumped up the final rating I chose to give this book. (It also looks really familiar, though I can't figure out why. I looked at the publication history of everyone listed as an author/illustrator and I've not yet read anything they published except this volume.) Four out of five stars; will read the next book.

[Theediscerning · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, it takes a cracking comic to deserve a book this size and this cover price. And you do get all the artwork you need (and a lot more), and all the one-shots, previews, rarities and so on affiliated with the first runs of Fathom, all between these covers. And so you should – it's just that, despite my best efforts, I can't say this is a cracking comic.

Sure, the first arc is near-great – a meaty introduction to a great world, one that effortlessly knocks Aquaman's decades of history into a cocked hat. But it's still not perfect – there's some really poor artwork at key moments, and a problem arising from the art making too many people look the same just when you really need to know who's who. (The script, having two people do the same job at different times, doesn't help there, either.) But that's fine, especially in the light of the second story, of a schizo modern-day Ahab, that really plumbs the depths – it should have been scrubbed from the history books completely. After that we're on firmer ground with some better dips into the whole mythos, and all is right in the end.

As other people have said, this is a huge outlay if you don't know that Fathom is your next favourite book, and at the same time I'm sure most of this is around in other editions somewhere. Having it all in the same volume will only appeal to a certain audience, then – but to them any criticism will not be valid. They'll love it, and adore this book for its very existence. As much as I like and admire what the late creator has given us, I can't say I'm ever going to be such a completist and enthusiast. I'm certainly glad to have had the chance to see it all, but that's as far as it goes with me. Especially with that loon on board...

[H. Givens · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book isn't without its problems. The pacing can be a little strange, probably because of the breaks in publication, so sometimes the momentum gets lost or a thread seems incomplete. The characters sometimes lack development, especially the protagonist, about whom we are almost always told rather than shown. The art can be very 90s and improbably sexy. But somehow despite that I really loved it. The characters have presence and style. The plot is familiar, yet different and sometimes unexpected. The introduction of a character doesn't mean they're important, which lends it a kind of pleasantly-confusing realism... I like that it doesn't tell you everything all at once, or sometimes ever. It makes it feel real, rather than frustrating. And the art, boobs aside, is really beautiful, especially given that so much of it happens in water and it really looks wet. I don't want to understate its problems, but I loved it anyway.

[Steve Martinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful artwork, the only place to start the "Fathom" Saga. This saga has spread in so many directions, I gave up trying to follow all of it. But, if you are a fan and can afford this $50.00, 500 page Graphic Novel, with loads of extras, Go For It! This is the very first of the Fathom stories and introduces many of the characters and storylines.

[Crazed8J8 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing (Turner) artwork, and an intriguing story and character. Overall, this seemed a bit drawn out, and doesn't offer much resolution. I felt that I should have known more what was going on during the story, but was missing pieces, so I fumbled along in the reading, but overall, it was a fun ride. I liked the Baha character, it was a funny and nice break to the desolate action of the rest of the story. Turner drew characters like no one else, and this run really showcased his talents.

[Harold Boettger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Art, Great Writing

I first read this series in print when they were first published but I missed one or two. It’s been great to read the complete set again. I recommend it to anyone who loves a great adventure.

[Lars · Rating 3 out of 5]

5 stars for the graphics, 1 star for the stupidity of the story. So 3 on average.

Just look at the amazing pictures and skip the text.

[Camilo Guerra · Rating 1 out of 5]

Este tomo viene con los tres primeros arcos de Fathom, la obra en que Michael turner unía su talento artistico,el cual disfrute en Witchblade con su afición por el mar, el surf, el buceo y las creaturas marinas, todo mezclado en una épica sci fi...pero no me convence, puede que James Cameron haya querido hacer un film pero no le veo el interes a la obra, la serie es muy, pero muy regular, el guión es simple y básico y la verdad nunca te sientes conectado a la protagonista, ni a sus amigos, ni a los malos, por dios,creo que los mejores personajes fuerón las creaturas marinas, esas pirañas de hueso gigantes fuerón lo mas emocionante y con mas personalidad de toda la obra.

[Elle Keegan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Turner's world is as interesting to a reader as it is to Aspen as she comes to learn who and what she is. Based around a mythical set of sea creatures known as the Blue, Fathom accesses various natural issues in our world as well as adding a fantasy aspect to them. My lone complaint would be the sexualized nature of the art, especially when it comes to Aspen and the various women of the series. Men are also sexualized, however, and it is not done in a distasteful manner, instead seeming simply casual. Overall, definitely worth a look.

[Cher · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have extremely mixed feelings about this book. The writing is very uneven, the way the female characters are drawn dips into that uncanny valley where their legs are so long and their waists are so tiny they no longer look human, yet the story as a whole is entertaining and the art is mostly beautiful-- especially the coloration. THE COLORS. I read this in a digital copy, too, so the colors glowed. I've never seen a more beautifully colored comic or book of any type.

[Tommy · Rating 4 out of 5]

spoilers warning.

-1 star for the one part where they removed witchblade and lara croft because they were under top cow... the art there looked rush and incomplete.

overall if you're a michael turner fan you'll find nothing wrong here.

[Jared Millet · Rating 1 out of 5]

Got halfway through, just can't take it any more. The art is pretty but the storytelling is awful and the plot itself is shockingly dull. Most of the pages are just pictures of someone posing while narrating. Boring beyond belief.

[Gem · Rating 1 out of 5]

this book sucked. If you want to read 4 different views of the same events have at it.

[Phil James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful colour and design for a comic, but the story lacks in originality.

[Sean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful artwork but ultimately the stories didn't engage me particularly strongly. Not too bad.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liked the story initally, but the following stories couldn't match the first......in my opinion.

[Connie Brigham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good story and fabulous illustrations and drawings!!

[Garrett McMahon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Standard mag?! Then she’s got a TON of alveoli!

[Meghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book as an advanced reader's copy due to the popularity of this series with our patrons. The series is a lot like the Mortal Kombat series and the battle between to realms to see which one rules the world. Each character is unique to the story and have such strong personalities that readers will easily relate to them in which wanting to read more. However, this book at times was confusing to follow and jumped around a lot which is why we give it 4 stars!