SUB-MARINER: THE DEPTHS #2 REVIEW

[Adam Chapman]

Reviewer: Adam Chapman adam.chapman@sympatico.ca
Quick Rating: Very Good
Title: Chapter One
Rating: T+

Stein goes out into the water, to disprove Atlantis and Namor, and comes back changed as time wears on...

Writer: Peter Milligan
Art: Esad Ribic
Letters: Virtual Calligraphy's Cory Petit
Assistant Editor: Daniel Ketchum & Sebastian Girner
Editor: Axel Alonso
Publisher: Marvel Comics

Milligan isn't an author I trust all the time to tell an entertaining and engaging story, but he has really surprised me with this script, which tells the tale of an expedition looking to disprove the myth of Atlantis, and of Namor. The script succeeds because it really starts to make you believe that these characters are feeling the way they do, cooped up under the sea, in such an enclosed space, with tempers and superstitions getting the best of them. It's an immensely rich and deep script, functioning somewhat like a horror movie, building up the suspense, the danger, as the characters we are watching are becoming more and more paranoid about an outside force, from beyond the craft, getting closer to them, with its malevolence.

Dr. Stein, hard at work to disprove another legend, finds himself dangerously close to physical harm both outside and inside the watercraft. The longer they stay under the water, the tighter and more constricted they all feel, trapped together, afraid of what may lie outside.

As good as the script is, Ribic really helps Milligan sell the entire premise with his phenomenal artwork, which really captures the reality of the moment, of the predicament, and makes you feel claustrophobic just reading.

A brilliantly put together issue, with art and a script that are just fantastic. Beautifully put together, illustrated, scripted, etc, this is one hell of a book.

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[Ben Lehnsherr]

I love the old monster movie/horror vibe this series has taken. I didn't expect it, but I have definitely enjoyed it.