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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
Fantabulous Superheroification of Michael Crichton's Sphere
Incredible art, evocative storytelling, will be looking for a physical edition when this is available.
One of my favorite stories to come out of DC's Black Label, Ram V delves into old Aquaman lore and brings a fresh, claustrophobic, horror book that makes you doubt what you're seeing the whole time. Of course, what really makes this story shine is the ethereal, supernatural artwork and colors by Christian Ward. Get this physically if you can, because it's a gorgeous book in its oversized glory!
I'd give this 3.5 stars, so I'll bump it up to a 4 here.
I thought this was a pretty good comic miniseries with an interesting premise and story and some wonderful art as well, though at times it could be hit or miss for me.
I really enjoyed how this comic leaned into psychological horror and just how little we know about the ocean. The depths of the ocean are the perfect place to create a story of inescapable horror and psychological distress, and Ram V and Christian Ward do a great job of allowing these feelings to permeate the story. As you read it, you feel as if you're sinking down into the depths with these characters, never knowing what's waiting for you down there until more details get revealed later in the story. This idea of the unknowable ocean also really works well for the character of Aquaman himself. As a personification of the sea, I love how the story doesn't use him as a hero, but rather a mythological figure that's only know in stories and folklore. He's not a character that comes and saves the say out of duty and honor, but rather comes and goes as the tides of the sea. It's a depiction of Aquaman that I didn't know I wanted to see, but one that I would love to see more of in the future. Beyond this, I also loved the new lore/magic that this story added to DC's Atlantis.
One aspect of the story that fell fairly flat for me were some of the side characters. I felt like some members of the Andromeda were fairly flat/one dimensional. While I thought that Yvette and Ivanov were well fleshed out, several of the other characters were fairly boring to me. I also thought that the addition of Black Manta was unnecessary. He was mostly there because he's a villain of Aquaman rather than being a function of the story. I thought that his portion of the story could've been cut in favor of more time with the crew of the Andromeda. Beyond this, I thought that the art was pretty hit or miss at times. While some of the art did a wonderful job at demonstrating the murky depths of the ocean, some of the art/faces ended up being a bit too unfocused at times in the lighter scenes.
So, overall I thought this was a decent story that leans into what I think is a fascinating depiction of Aquaman, but could've used some tightening up of the story and a bit of a change for some of the artwork.
I thought this was a pretty good comic miniseries with an interesting premise and story and some wonderful art as well, though at times it could be hit or miss for me.
I really enjoyed how this comic leaned into psychological horror and just how little we know about the ocean. The depths of the ocean are the perfect place to create a story of inescapable horror and psychological distress, and Ram V and Christian Ward do a great job of allowing these feelings to permeate the story. As you read it, you feel as if you're sinking down into the depths with these characters, never knowing what's waiting for you down there until more details get revealed later in the story. This idea of the unknowable ocean also really works well for the character of Aquaman himself. As a personification of the sea, I love how the story doesn't use him as a hero, but rather a mythological figure that's only know in stories and folklore. He's not a character that comes and saves the say out of duty and honor, but rather comes and goes as the tides of the sea. It's a depiction of Aquaman that I didn't know I wanted to see, but one that I would love to see more of in the future. Beyond this, I also loved the new lore/magic that this story added to DC's Atlantis.
One aspect of the story that fell fairly flat for me were some of the side characters. I felt like some members of the Andromeda were fairly flat/one dimensional. While I thought that Yvette and Ivanov were well fleshed out, several of the other characters were fairly boring to me. I also thought that the addition of Black Manta was unnecessary. He was mostly there because he's a villain of Aquaman rather than being a function of the story. I thought that his portion of the story could've been cut in favor of more time with the crew of the Andromeda. Beyond this, I thought that the art was pretty hit or miss at times. While some of the art did a wonderful job at demonstrating the murky depths of the ocean, some of the art/faces ended up being a bit too unfocused at times in the lighter scenes.
So, overall I thought this was a decent story that leans into what I think is a fascinating depiction of Aquaman, but could've used some tightening up of the story and a bit of a change for some of the artwork.
dark
emotional
tense
Great use of color and I thought the art style was really engaging overall. Too bad the story wasn’t.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Ram V and Christian Ward put their talents together for a trippy, science fiction, horror book and its a mixed bag. Ward's art is very beautiful and worth your time to check out. The story, reminiscent of Abyss, was an okay horror story but not a good Aquaman tale. Aquaman is not even close to the focal point and the story could have been told without him, which isn't a good thing. The story was interesting but not very clear. Overall, some very original art in a story that just doesn't do enough with its lead.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
3.75. A very solid pseudo, base-under-siege, deep sea, horror. One that just happens to feature Aquaman. I found myself thinking if this story was given twice the issues and allowed us more time to invest in the individual characters, this could have been a 5 star read for me. The art is definitely worth a read alone. It causes you to feel constantly disoriented as the characters are driven a bit mad. Very effective.