Is the world of Damsels capable of holding onto its depth with a mini-series extension?  Read on to find out.

The official description from Dynamite:

The Little Mermaid searches the seas for an artifact to destroy the oppressive Atlantean empire, but can she trust the shady pirate captain she’s hired, the handsome prince who’s swept her off her feet, or even her own feelings? All this, plus fierce sea battles and malevolent swamp monsters!

When it comes to adapting and expanding a classic fairy tale there are many possible outcomes to be sure.  For instance the creative team could easily decide to discard the plot points of the original jaunt in order to fulfill their own ideas and aspirations.  In the case of this piece we have a duo working hard to create a sequel of sorts, complete with their warped version of this particular mermaid’s odyssey.

Matt Sturges starts things off with a look at the nature of honesty and the skills required for deception.  He approaches these hefty themes in a way that makes this comic book accessible from the first page to the final panel.  To be frank I was floored by how easy it flowed and despite some awkward dialogue here and there I found myself engrossed by the concepts being thrown about.  As this specific writer practiced precision he made perfect use of his time with this specific set of worlds as he instilled enough meat in the jaunt to be worthy of the main title’s audience.

The art by Jean-Paul Deshong absolutely matches the literary quality as the various lines come together to form a visceral experience.  The amount of detail creates a consistent world that illuminates this dark tale with an honest soul. There were moments where facial features became a bit distorted due to the levels of kinetic motion within the panels, but beyond these minor instances the overall work was simply something to marvel at.

Damsels: Mermaids #2 is a solid addition that does more than enough things right to warrant the purchase of ardent followers and a few curious onlookers. Recommended.

4/5