It’s about time Abe got his own on-going series — he’s freaky enough to keep horror fans engaged, and smart enough to play the consummate sleuth for all us geeks who love mysteries. And issue #8 of Abe Sapien offers a nice dose of both these elements.

Here’s the official word from Darkhorse:

Abe dives into a horrific cavern believed to be a portal to the Mayan version of Hell!

For those of you who’ve been following Abe’s recent journeys, you know our favorite man-fish has spent some time in Mexico recently, exploring the Mayan creation myth. Most of this exploration, ironically, has had him far away from water as he battled desert monsters and the occasional thug. But here, finally, with issue #8 we see Abe back in his natural element and in the freakiest of ways — he’s exploring the underwater caves of Campeche, Mexico which are both beautiful and haunting. In a creative universe that can sometimes get bogged down in continuity and longer story arcs writers Mike Mignola and Scott Allie seemed intent on offering a beautiful little one-shot here; the story is essentially self-contained even as it references Abe’s larger exploration of Mayan Myth — and the vampires its spawned.

Michael Avon Oeming provides the art here, and does so beautifully. His knack for detail work (when needed) and use of washed out shadows (when called for) adds a nice balance for an issue that alternates between complicated Mayan carvings, and dark underwater channels.

Issue #8 of Abe Sapien offers the best of both worlds — a tidy little one-shot for readers just discovering the series, and a bit more Mayan flavor for those who dug the most recent plotlines.

5/5