Fathom: Killian's Tide

Fathom: Killian's Tide #1-4

by Michael Layne Turner, Talent Caldwell

When Aspen Matthews came to discover her true heritage, and her life beneath the waves began, her first mentor was the vicious Killian, who intended to turn her into a weapon which would destroy the world above the water utterly. Now Titan Books present Killian's story. Years before Aspen's birth, there is dissent amongst the ocean-dwellers. One of their cities has been unwittingly destroyed by humans, as a result of an atomic test. Rival factions clash over the right way to proceed, but, it seems, none of them wish for an all-out war. Even those who distrust and dislike humans - Killian included - know that to attack would lead to discovery, and chaos beyond their most awful imaginings. But when Killian discovers the terrible truth behind his parents' deaths, everything changes...forever...

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Fantasy

96 pages, Paperback

First published May 24, 2002

About the author

Comic Book Artist. He studied pre-medicine at the University of Tennessee, and then moved to Aspen, Colorado, and later San Diego, where he taught martial arts, became an award winning water skier, and began drawing comic books. In 1994, he was hired by Top Cow Productions in Century City, California, where he was the co-creator of "Witchblade", a comic about a voluptuous female detective who fights evil with the aid of a mystical weapon that attaches itself to her arm and gives her superpowers. Turner later founded Aspen MLT, a Santa Monica publishing company that created online comic adaptations for the NBC television series "Heroes" and titles including "Fathom", a deep-sea story about a female superhero. He was also a regular cover artist for "Superman/Batman" and "The Flash". Turner's work was in demand for special editions and similar projects, and he drew covers for DC Comics' "Justice League" and Marvel's "Civil War". The milestone 500th issue of "Uncanny X-Men", released in July, 2008, featured one of Turner's special edition covers. He died of complications from chondrosarcoma, a form of bone cancer he had begun treatment for in 2000.

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Killian was a memorable character from volume 1 of Fathom. Here, we get the story of his tragic descent into villainy, and we learn why he became the cold, ruthless dissident of his people. While I feel there could have been more room to expand on Killian’s origin, what we have here is pretty streamlined.

[Kite Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Killian’s Tide is that classic origin issue, in this case a series, which explains the villain’s tragic beginnings. The series looks at Killian’s roots and how his hatred towards the humans came to be, and just how it was that Killian was set upon the road he travels. Written by Michael Turner and Bill O’Neil, they have created a great little series that explores the main villain from the first volume of Fathom. Featuring some great, early artwork by Talent Caldwell, it is the perfect jumping-on point to Fathom and the Aspen universe in general.

Killian was just a boy when his parents died by human hands, much the same as many a comic book villain origin, and from that point on whether he knew it or not, Killian was destined for greater things. As a teen, Killian joined a group of like-minded youths and together they formed a group called the Dissidents who would sabotage human machinations upon the ocean. Soon though, that would not be enough for Killian and he would start killing the humans, crossing the line that society told him not to cross and realize there would be no coming back.

Killian is a great character and a great villain, especially as he was created in more recent times. It cannot be said of too many latter day creations, but when Michael Turner decided to put pen to paper and conceive him, he made a modern antihero that stands tall among others of his ilk. You can see the some of the same characteristics of other classic villains such as Magneto and Doctor Doom within him as he shares many of the same personality traits. Killian is rough and reckless yet calculating and cold. At the same time he is passionate, he cares for his people, his cause and he cares for Anya, the woman he loves. He is a hard man, born in fire and the blood of his parents and yet for all of that, he cares perhaps more than any.

It seems that the more Turner and O’Neil immersed themselves in their newly constructed world, the better they got a grasp on their characters and Killian’s Tide, and the one-shot Killian’s Vessel prove that to be true. The script was dead-on and while it dragged a bit in the first couple of issues, it proved more powerful in the second act. The series itself abounds with action and intrigue, both within the renegade team and the political kind, with betrayals coming from all directions. Caldwell’s art was strong and expressive and you could read the emotions upon Killian’s face throughout the series, especially during the tragic final scenes of the book. If you would just like to try something new and are tired of the norm, this is a nice little origin miniseries, and a great one for fans of Michael Turner or Talent Caldwell.

http://thetelltalemind.com/2013/11/05...

[Shane · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this from a friend's comic book collection and mostly because the art was spectacular. The story wasn't terrible but it just didn't grab me. I didn't find the characters very interesting and overall it just seemed kind of generic. I think it would probably work pretty well for a younger (teen) audience but this old guy was bored.

[Alex · Rating 2 out of 5]

And the villain is born. Meh

[Dony Grayman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Edición española que recopilaba la serie en nueve libros con distintos contenido de los USA en su inmensa mayoría.
Tomo 4 de 9 y aparentemente único que coincide en contenido con un TP USA.