Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Comic Review: The Deep Sea One Shot from Dark Horse

THE DEEP SEA (ONE-SHOT) 
Writer: Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray 
Artist: Tony Akins
Colorist: Paul Mounts
Genre: Action/Adventure, Horror, Science-Fiction
Publication Date: May 22, 2013 
Dark Horse Comics

Format: FC, 32 Pages
Price: $2.99
UPC: 7 61568 22662 1 00111

Paul Barry’s obsession with the ocean took a turn when his crew’s vessel was lost in a deep sea descent mission—with his crew inside. Fifty-five years later, with the recovery of the ship, Paul is about to discover the horrific mysteries of time and the abyss. From the pages of Dark Horse Presents.

* By acclaimed writers Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray (Creator-Owned Heroes, Jonah Hex).

* From Wonder Woman artist Tony Akins!


This is classified as a one-shot, which means it is a self-contained story, but a resolution to the story line isn't really reached in this installment. One could even say it was a slight cliff hanger. The Deep Sea originally appeared in Dark Horse Presents. For those of you who don’t know about Dark Horse Presents, it is an ad-free, 80 page monthly showcase of new and popular talent and it is a great way to discover new comics.

When I first started reading the story I believed it to be just another time-traveling, worm-hole sort of story, and then at page 17 it took a pleasantly surprising dark turn. Before this turn of events, the narrator, a very old Paul Barry, is telling the story about his deep sea exploration team that disappeared 55 years ago. It has resurfaced and he is on his way to get answers about what happened that day. He is still haunted by the loss.

The backstory is explained well, but this makes the text bubbles heavy. They are still easy to read though. The artwork is crisp, bright and adds depth (haha, see what I did there? <G>) to the story. I am left wondering what the consequences of their discovery will lead to. 
The comic ends with an interesting two page “Sketchbook” by the artist Tony Atkins. He explains some of the factors in bringing the story to life and a little about his drawing process. It also includes many early sketches. 

3.5 “Make it right” Sheep




Sharon Stogner (edit by Kalpar)

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