Michael Turner’s Fathom: The Elite Saga #3 Review

By Harrison Rawdin on Saturday, July 6th, 2013

The ocean holds many secrets, as our heroine knows, but is she really ready to deal with the latest ripples from the deep? Read on to find out.

The official description from Aspen:

The most epic storyline in Fathom¹s 15-year history continues!

The battle the Blue have long feared comes to fruition! Aspen Matthews versus Kiani! While Aspen attempts to help Anya find her lost child, their quest has taken them directly into the crosshairs of a fuming Kiani! All bets are off as the Blue¹s most powerful woman meets the Blue¹s most cunning warrior in this devastatingly pulse-pounding third issue in this summer¹s hottest weekly event!

If there is one word to describe this latest release it has to be: twist! And after covering the end of the latest volume of this franchise I found myself eagerly awaiting this lengthy event, in part because I was enamored by the care taken to steward the franchise and the quality people carrying on the legacy of this property’s creator.

J.T. Krul once again handles the script and I have to say the results from the scribe’s latest entry are quite positive. He instantly instills a sense of tension that allows the inner angst shared between these water based heroes and villains to propel and uplift the exciting cliffhanger finish that’s sure to get people talking. From the first page on he struts his stuff as his wealth of knowledge regarding Aspen Matthews and her under water world makes each beat that much more authentic and believable.

There were times where the art by V. Ken Marion instantly connected with the narrative as the illustrator brought forth a kinetic feel. Each pencil stroke echoed the past while embracing the tides of the future in a way that’s sure to please followers. But on the other hand there were panels that seemed to be far too void of detail, as an overabundance of negative space dwarfed the integral concepts on display.