Next time Britney and friends had better bring a bigger boat!
Creative Staff:
Writer: Lou Iovino
Artwork: Ario Murti
Colors: Hedwin Zaldivar & Marco Pagnotta
Letters: Taylor Esposito
What They Say:
Britney’s team is sent to the middle of the ocean to look for a missing top secret military vessel. The very fate of the Highborn Initiative depends on obtaining the ship’s precious cargo before it falls into enemy hands or sinks into the deep. But the waters of the Atlantic are cold, endless and filled with terrors to test the stoutest of souls. And that’s no sailor’s tale!
Content (please note that portions of a review may contain spoilers):
As they put the finishing touches on their current assignment of rescuing some abducted Highborns, Britney receives a call from General Tate. He needs the team for a new mission in the Atlantic: one of the Highborn Initiative’s ships is missing and all communication has been lost. When they ask why they are needed for such a mediocre operation, the reason is simple – the cargo they were carrying are the elements for a new experimental inhibitor serum for people with special abilities. After much argument as to the ethics of creating a inoculation, they all submit that it still needs to be found. They also need to retrieve it as soon as possible before anyone else can seize the chemicals, otherwise any terrorist group can use them to strip any Falseblood or Highborn of their powers … permanently.
However when they arrive at the location, stealth is decided as the better option, until they learn what happened. But once access is achieved, it does not look good. The cargo bay has been thoroughly devastated and none of the crew can be found amongst the remains. While they do easily find the components, a search of the ship is relatively quiet until a loud impact echoes and rocks the hull, causing Avril, Ryder and Red Agent to bolt for the nearest exit. What awaits on deck is something they did not expect – a many tentacled creature swearing vengeance against all humans. The group is quickly out matched by the tangled hatred of this humanoid, and it seems that she will not relent as to her anger. So how can Britney possibly save her team within this impossible scenario?
In Summary:
Writer Lou Iovino gives us a great story in this issue, returning to the spy movie influenced theme he has used in the past. The plot of needing to recover a serum which can strip a Highborn of their abilities just adds to the tension to completing the mission, and also adds to the potentially fatal circumstances if they fail. We have that underlying need to see the operation completed, but at the same time, perhaps that overzealous ambition of finishing successfully also negated some of the caution which they might have to also proceed carefully. This element of danger is what solidifies the story, but at the same time, the objective of securing the components so that no one use them for terroristic activities also heightens the drama.
But what really made the story was Ario Murti’s depiction of the cast – adding a new level of allure to the mix of action and intrigue. While previous artists may have given Britney the same magnitude of appeal, Murti adds to the charm of the characters by intensifying the definition in the faces, especially of Avril and Red Agent. Eyes can communicate so much when you look at someone, and in these two women, they are the sharpest and most telling than any previous incarnations. But of course, Hedwin Zaldivar and Marco Pagnotta’s skillful usage of colors also helps to draw our focus upon those centers, as compared to earlier versions, this issue makes them appear to be more vibrant as opposed to flat and lifeless. And while we may be attracted by them, he manages to oppose them by the sheer savagery and grotesqueness of their foe – something which looks like an abomination of Ursula from Little Mermaid. This creature does not try to calm her anger, but instead lashes out in all her pure anger, making her even uglier. What a way to contrast such opposing sides in both emotion and beauty … making this issue all the more enveloping for the reader.
While the series may have just started, the characters are well known to loyal fans and their impact upon this world is felt. Their every action secures a memory to friends and foes alike, not to mention we as the audience. Although we may not be able to equivocate as to their struggles, we can still draw upon our own experience when they are impacted by their own actions – this is why such a story can effect us so sincerely.
Grade: A
Rating: T (Teen)
Released By: Zenescope
Release Date: February 1st, 2017
MSRP: $3.99
