Review - All New Fathom #1


"One day he would tell his grandchildren about this moment..."

Certain moments occur that transcend, well, everything. A giant glacier rising from the depths of the ocean with a living cloud accompanying it is one of those moments. Newlyweds on their honeymoon can sometimes be at the wrong place at the wrong time, giving cause for someone like Aspen Matthews to make an appearance and save the day. Those events are just the start of All New Fathom #1 from Aspen Comics.

Writing duties are handled by David Wohl, pencils by Alex Konat, inks by Mark Roslan and John Ercek, colors by Beth Sotelo and letters by Josh Reed.

As the Great Barrier Reef proves to be a great tourist attraction, it also proves to be the genesis point of an impending invasion, preceded by a massive glacier rising from the depths. Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, a massive oil spill spurs Aspen into action, where she aids in the clean up and proves her general friendliness with humanity. That friendliness is spun into a proposal from an influential Russian seeking her assistance in a new endeavor. All roads lead to the new glacier though, where Aspen makes a startling discovery.

Aspen is sort of taken back to her roots in All New Fathom #1. Wohl presents a character who's familiar to the world at large thanks to her generosity, but she's also a character who many don't know too much about. She's perfectly content with the famed anonymity, traveling the world to help where she feels she can make a difference. There's a lot of narration in the issue that guides the reader through Aspen's past somewhat without being overbearing, which is refreshing. Fathom is such an intricate universe that having some context makes new series more accessible to new readers.

Konat's pencils are very familiar territory. The illustrations here feel cleaner than some of his past work, which isn't an attack on that work. It's just that the work feels much more refined in All New Fathom #1 for some reason. He gives Aspen plenty of character through her expressions in reaction to various events, supplying the reader with context for the situations she's faced with. The last page of the book features some frightening new developments, blending elements of the seas with some new faces.

If you've heard of Fathom before, but have been intimidated to attempt jumping in because of the property's longevity, then All New Fathom #1 is the book for you. Fans of the series to this point will also find something intriguing in the book, as it presents brand new foes with ties to the Blue. Aspen looks to have her work cut out for her yet again and still can't seem to catch a break when it comes to saving the world. While the new series is more accessible, it remains to be seen if the creative team have some tricks up their sleeve to explore new territory with both the characters and the settings.

All New Fathom #1 is in stores now with interiors below.



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