Michael Turner’s All New Fathom #1
Written by Blake Northcott
Art by Marco Renna
Colors by John Starr
Letters by Zen
Covers by Peter Steigerwald, Marco Renna, John Starr, Alex Konat, Jordan Gunderson, Talent Caldwell, Michael Turner, Jon Sibal, Keu Cha
Aspen Comics
Release Date: February 8, 2017
Cover Price: $3.99

Fan favorite Blake Northcott begins her eight issue run on Aspen Comics’ flagship title Michael Turner’s All New Fathom #1 this month. We were happy to hear that Northcott was taking the lead on this comic as she has written a few articles here at Geeks of Doom and is like part of our extended family.

Therefore, having said that, it should come as no shock whatsoever that I chose to review this comic. And without further ado, let’s get to it shall we?

Heavy on the dialogue, this introductory issue centers around a conversation that tells the story of how Aspen Matthews met and fought a new being from beneath the ocean. As she discusses the battle with her roommate, the reader relives the experience panel by panel. Known as a member of a group or race called the Typhos, this new enemy presents himself as a god. But Aspen, being the smartass she is, begins to poke the bear, so to speak. Once the battle is in full swing we can see how she uses this new being’s ego against him, enabling her to manipulate the battle and its location. Worth noting here is that someone (and I’m not naming names) managed to work a Canadian flag into a panel of the comic.

By the end of this first issue, the reader has a working knowledge of our heroine and a few of her abilities. I mention this because this is a perfect jumping on spot for new comic fans and there is just enough explained to comfort new readers and still enough mystery to not reveal everything right at the beginning. Trust me, you’ll want to read all of the previous issues one day. Magic and science blend seamlessly together to create the basis for this bi-level adventure.

Blake Northcott is the author of the Arena Mode Saga which has the distinction of being the most funded sci-fi series in Kickstarter history. The first book was #1 on Amazon Kindle in the US, UK, Canada, and more. She has also been nominated for awards based on these very same books. This then will be her first comic mini-series and expectations are high. And true to form, she delivers.

Marco Renna works magic of his own within each panel. Conveying emotion and action as needed while supporting the story with maximum efficiency, he connects the art fan in all of us the story as it unfolds. The choice to have him lead the artistic team was a sound one. Additionally, someone on this comic must be a fan of old sci-fi films because a weapon featured within is a pointed homage to the movie Krull; though, to be fair, there are two less of those aforementioned points in the comic than in the motion picture making it more of a triskelion and less of a star

This is the sixth volume of the series and is both alike and different from previous runs, in that it stays true to the original concept while still giving the readers a unique story. As I mentioned previously, any new reader could jump in here and get their feet wet without missing a beat. The conversations between characters deliver the pertinent information to keep the reader informed and curious. My favorite parts are the cleverly chosen descriptives like “banana hammock” and “aquatic Magic Mike.” Well, that and when Aspen corrects the pluralization of her roomie.

In short, this issue was a lot of fun and I got everything I wanted and more from it. I challenge you to grab a copy and give it a shot, you’ll want to thank me for it later.