
I’ve always loved the sea and the legends surrounding it. That was partly why I feel in love with Aquaman after reading Aquaman: The Trench and that was my favorite aspect of The Fisherman by John Langan. Finding books dedicated to Namor are rough and getting my hands on this particular book wasn’t cheap but it was cool to finally get a full story of Marvel’s King of Atlantis.
Dr. Rupert Stein is a world renowned debunker of myths and legends tasked with a case sure to set him up for life: disproving Atlantis. He starts on expedition amongst the sea weary crew of the Plato to uncover what happened to a Captain named Marlowe who claims to have found the famed city but has disappeared. Tensions rise between Stein and his crew as reason and superstition clash as they warn him of the sea’s power and it’s vengeful protector, Namor. Strange things begin to happen miles under the sea and Stein is plagued by hallucinations of a figure lurking about them. Can the tales be true or are they victims to the darkness of the sea?
First, I got to give Milligan and Ribic credit for making a eerie, atmospheric kind of horror story. This is purely a slow, Lovecraftian, psychological, horror story; there’s no pretense of the greater Marvel universe or superheroes and I really liked that. I hate Stein as a character by design but he is a well done, egotistical, snobbish scholar who looks down on his crew; the ending hit me not because it’s end I wanted but how I think the story would’ve played out. I will say you will disappointed if you pick this book up looking for monsters, action, gore, or a super romp. Namor doesn’t speak in the story, presented as a otherworldly visage like a phantom or ghost. While I enjoyed it as a one and done standalone story, I really can’t recommend it like I would other Marvel Knights titles closer to Inhumans than Doctor Strange: The Flight of Bones. In the end, The Depths is a cool little horror story but definitely isn’t for everyone. May the gaming gods bring you glory.





















