I began reading Deep Beyond #1 with no real inkling of what the series was about besides what little I could glean from the eye-catching cover art and the knowledge that writer and artist Mirka Andolfo hasn’t disappointed me yet.
Published by Image, the first issue released on February 3rd to such high anticipation and acclaim that a second printing has already been scheduled and will be available on March 10th. Written by Italy native Andolfo, who previously delighted readers with titles Mercy and Unnatural, Deep Beyond #1 unfolds like a mystery. Andolfo is joined by co-writer David Goy, impressive artist Andrea Broccardo (Star Wars: Doctor Aphra, Empyre: X-Men), and colorist Barbara Nosenzo (Halo Jones) to create a unique, ominous world that takes place in a not-too-distant future.
Deep Beyond #1 2nd print cover by Andolfo
The comic opens with a young woman who is obviously in distress aboard a submarine deep in the North Atlantic Ocean where some sort of organic growth appears to be taking over. We learn only her last name and, although it’s unclear what has happened, we know it’s definitely something bad.
By page three, however, we’ve switched scenes to the next day, where a lavish birthday party is being attended by society’s young elite. It is here that we learn that some sort of catastrophic event took place on the Earth in the year 2000, and exactly 85 years have passed since then. During this time, humans have built colonies to keep the toxic air and whatever else (we don’t know what, exactly) at bay. They have had to adapt in order for the human species to survive, but survive they have.
Still, we learn that there are those who don’t believe that the human species should survive, “terrorists” who think that humans have “surrounded themselves with fiction, celebrating a lifestyle that’s never been sustainable…one they don’t deserve” (paraphrased from the back cover). I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but things at this birthday party don’t go as you’d initially expect.
Deep Beyond internal art by Broccardo
Finally, we see a Dr. Paul Bailey arguing with a woman named Eve, pleading with her to send out an expedition to search for the young woman we met on the first two pages of the comic. The woman is Eve’s wife, and she tells Paul that she can’t put other lives at risk to search for her, that she won’t break the law to do so. Paul, who seems as though he will be a main character, leaves Eve’s office distressed, only to be faced with an even greater conflict that he never saw coming.
Deep Beyond #1 Peach Momoko variant cover
Although I initially found the scene switches that I described above to be confusing, by the end of issue one, I was left with a good, basic understanding of what the comic was about. Although the future world that Deep Beyond takes place in is clearly sci-fi, there are elements to it which feel just believable enough to hook you in. Andolfo and Goy do an excellent job of telling you just enough information so that you want to know more, without giving all their secrets away. Furthermore, Broccardo’s art has a fine, detailed look to it that Nosenzo’s colors really bring to life. This seems like the perfect team to be working on this comic, and I look forward to issue 2, which will be available in comic shops on March 10th.
Angela “LaLa” Rairden is an avid fan of comic books, Star Wars, and most things nerdy. A cosplayer, she loves to attend comic cons dressed as her favorite fictional characters, particularly Harley Quinn. Although her day job is at a grocery store, writing has always been her true calling. She lives in the Pacific Northwest, where she is currently writing her first novel.