Abyss #3
Written by Kevin Rubio
Pencils and Cover by Lucas Marangon
Inks by Nick Schley
Colors by Andrew Dalhouse
Letters by Troy Peteri
Red 5 Comics
Cover price: $2.95; On sale: Feb. 20, 2008

What would you do if your father just died, leaving you a large inheritance? What would you also do if part of that inheritance meant finding out your father had not only faked his death, but turns out he was the super-villain known as Abyss? Well, if you lived in a superhero world, it means you’d put on a sweet battle suit and go about trying to right the wrongs he’s perpetrated. At least that’s what this series would have you believe.

Abyss is a four-issue mini from our good friends over at Red 5 comics, written by Kevin Rubio with art by the wonderfully expressive Lucas Marangon, creators of the best Star Wars comic ever (the Tag and Bink series). This issue follows the main character, Eric, as he investigates further into his father’s plot for world domination. Eric is working with one of the local heroes who had fought his dad in the past, Arrow. Arrow is kind of a Batman/Green Arrow amalgam, who has had more sidekicks than either of the characters he’s based on. Abyss has kidnapped Arrow’s new partner Quiver, so Eric and Arrow turn to a former sidekick who might be able to help them.

Rubio has created a world based on a lot of pretty standard superhero tropes, particularly DC superheroes, and he’s created a book that has fun with the genre, but doesn’t make fun of it. It’s a hard balance to pull off, as mocking superhero books is easy, but telling an interesting story while doing that can be hard. The humor works pretty well, I wasn’t dying laughing, but I got a few good chuckles out of it. My biggest complaint was that I wish a bit more time was given to filling out the personalities of the main villains, as there are a lot of names thrown out, but not much actual info is given. That’s admittedly kind of a nit-pick though, and the story flows enough that the lack of info didn’t take me out of it.

The art by Lucas Marangon is great though, and this is a guy who should be working on a modern day Justice League International book. His faces are great, showing lots of expression and character, and he’s got his comic timing down great. It’s not over the top or shticky, but it still tells you where the jokes are, while maintaining the serious qualities of the story when the show up. There are a ton of different properties this guy could work on if he felt like it. The colors look great, and work with every scene; they capture the mood perfectly and really enhance the book.

So, if you’re looking for a book to fill that hole in your life left by the end of the Giffen/DeMatteis/Maguire give this one a try. Light humor, some decent action and great art make for a package that’s hard to pass up.