Review - Fathom Vol. 4 #2

Aspen Matthews' days of surfing are long behind her. She'd probably appreciate having them back, as opposed to having to stop an attempt on the President's life made by the Ceratonotus Steiningeri. Fathom Vol. 4 #2 by Scott Lobdell and illustrated by Alex Konat (colors by Beth Sotelo and letters by Josh Reed) picks up with just such a scenario.

With Aspen racing against time to save the President, the second issue gives her a break somewhat. In her effort to save the Vice President she gets an unlikely ally who she reluctantly trusts. That person, Jaye Gatskill, comes highly recommended and forces Aspen to choose whether or not she can truly trust her.

That's not the only change in Aspen's operating procedure, as she also comes face to face with someone from WAY back in her past. The issue ends with Aspen's revelation in knowing someone and sets up a future of introspection on Aspen's part that could have her changing her perspective on life just a tad.

Lobdell's story so far is pretty low key, with the big reveal of the enemy being in the first issue. Aspen faces off with more Ceratonotus Steiningeri, but their ambitions are a little vague at this point. Sure, they want to take over the world, but there's really no purpose in doing so revealed to the reader. This could very well be revealed in a future issue, but as of now their enthusiasm is a little tepid.

The pencils by Konat are very well defined and are reinforced by Sotelo's colors. The entire book has a nice bluish hue to it, which could be because a lot of focuses on water. There are a lot of darks and it's almost as if the Black and Blue heritage of Aspen is being displayed in blacks and blues in coloring.

I really like Aspen Matthews as a character. I really hope the plot hatched by the Ceratonotus Steiningeri proves to be a little more than a generic "take over the world" thing. There's the potential for some pretty big reveals regarding Aspen's path, starting with the encounter at the end of the issue.

Fathom Vol. 4 #2 will be in stores September 21. In the meantime, check out these interiors to tide you over.