52 Pick-Up: Lady’s Choice #10 – Fathom: Kiani vol. 2 #1
Fathom: Kiani
Story by Vince Hernandez
Pencils and inks by Oliver Nome
Colors by John Starr
Letters by Josh Reed
I was lucky to snag myself a copy of Aspen Comics’ next installment of Fathom: Kiani at C2E2 (with the beautiful C2E2 exclusive cover). Now, I’m somewhat familiar with Fathom, however, I’ve only read a few issues out of the large number in the Fathom library. Kiani is a new character for me, despite being a side character in the original series and having one volume of her own.
The book begins in the Blue capitol city, with Kiani’s parents. It’s a good introduction to the character. From what we can gather, Kiani is a dangerous being, an Elite Blue. My understanding is that the Elites are the highest level of warriors.
In the next few pages, we see that tensions between the Blue and the humans are coming to a boiling point. While the humans continue to explore the oceans, a small faction of Blue, led by Kiani, are ready to declare war once again.
While I don’t have much backstory to go on, this issue did a great job of filling me in on the important details that I needed to understand the story. While Kiani definitely has some big holes in her background that were probably explored in earlier books, it feels as though the rest of the story is starting fresh, and not much else is needed to enjoy this new volume. It’s refreshing for an Aspen title. While they put out great books, often an awareness of the earlier continuity is needed to understand what’s going on.
Kiani herself is both beautiful and terrifying. An… undead(?) woman with a pure hatred of the human race, Kiani is the villainess at this point. She’s scary and ruthless, an incredibly strong woman who may or may not have full control over her actions and abilities.
As per usual, Fathom: Kiani features beautiful artwork and plenty of fanservice. Kiani, one of Aspen’s curvaceous leading ladies, is boobs, badonk, and badass. Other characters are just as expertly rendered by Oliver Nome. Tormo is hulking and intimidating. Kiani’s parents appear stately and noble. Humans, in comparison to the Blue, are smaller and more fragile. Layouts are widely varied, leading to a “flowing” feeling from page to page.
Colors are vibrant but also, in many cases, very dark as the action takes place in the depths of the sea. As with most other Aspen books, Fathom: Kiani has that juicy, saturated coloring that I love so much.
I really enjoyed this book and I will be on the lookout for the next issue, if only to solve the mystery of who or what Kiani is. Fathom: Kiani ended on a cliffhanger that makes me eager to know more.
Filed Under: 52 Pick-Up • Features
