ATLANTIS RISING #1 REVIEW

[Craig Reade]

Review by: Craig Reade
Email: craig.reade[at]stillontheshelf.com
Quick Rating: Pretty Good

The surface world is on the brink of war with Atlantis.

Story: Scott O. Brown
Art: Tim Irwin
Colors: Andy Elder
Cover Art: Greg Horn
Publisher: Platinum Studios Comics

Platinum Studios launched their newest title this week with a quarter issue. Well, whenever you get a full-size, full color book for a quarter, it is at the very least worth a shot.

I will say off that bat that I was remarkably impressed with the story. It isn't particularly inventive (mean, conflict between some version of an "undersea kingdom" and the surface world isn't exactly new), but this issue seemed to be putting a fresher face on that conflict.

The idea is pretty straightforward. The Atlanteans, upset at the surface dwellers for pollution, begin to launch strikes on oil platforms which, they claim, are encroaching on their territory and putting their cities at risk.

Honestly, I kind of shy away from this sort of thing because of how quickly it becomes political. The "evil surface dwellers" harming the pure, innocent, sea dwellers. As soon as they started showing $5+ per gallon gas signs, I was bracing for the inevitable "Bush is evil!" attack. But it never came.

Intentional or not, Scott O. Brown managed to do something this issue that has proved to be virtually impossible for other comic writers these days - present actual real-life issues in a fictional setting, and not twist them into a blind, hateful political attack that is going to do little more than alienate half of his potential readers.

We all feel the pain of gas prices. Brown effectively used this "boogey man" to convey what these fictional attacks on oil wells might be like. Environmentalism is a hot-button issue, but he managed to take the sinister intent behind the reality out of the equation, and presented it in a much more realistic light.

And in this case, neither side is truly good nor evil, but acting in their own self interest. Granted, connections can be made between the Atlanteans and the "terrorists" we face today, but even that metaphor seems to be painted in a more realistic light. The Atlanteans don't represent an "evil Middle East" who are out to murder us all, nor are they innocent victims who are being ravaged by the insensitive and egotistical West, they are just people who's lives are affected by reality and are struggling against - with a few extremists who are willing to use terrorist tactics to accomplish their goal.

Overall, I found it to be well balanced, and ultimately neutral. The dialogue was a little immature (and the naming a little generic), but I just took that as a mark of inexperience. Though I must admit, I did have one question. If the Atlanteans were a subspecies of humanity which evolved to live under the water, why did they need to live in domes and drink desalinated water? And if they didn't specifically evolve to live underwater, why are they such a "secret?" You would think they would be everywhere... A minor nitpick, but perhaps something to address in a future issue.

The art was lacking. The layout and the artistic storytelling was adequate - but the style was off-putting. The figures generally looked lumpy and inconsistent, and I never could get over those weird marks and lines that seemed to be on all of the character's faces. It was really distracting, and it only seemed to get worse as the issue progressed. The backgrounds were solid, and the flaws in the artistic characterization weren't enough to detract from a solid story, so they are easy to overlook.

Overall - this is a good first issue. The story is strong, and while you won't be blown away by the art, it does the minimum to get you through the story. Future issues will determine if this property has a long-term future, but it was off to a good start. And at a quarter, you really can't beat the price.

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