Mermaid Project #2

Mermaid Project #2 picks up right where the first issue left us, with our heroine Romane Pennac training for a covert mission to infiltrate Algapower, the shifty company that is a pioneer in genetic engineering. Turns out they're genetically modifying dolphins as well, and Romane makes the acquaintance of Delph, a recently escaped test subject. Delph can communicate with humans, after a fashion, thanks to Algapower's experiments, and the dolphin forges a quick connection with Romane. The secret service meanwhile means to use Delph to help them infiltrate Algapower's facility. 

Delph agrees to do so in order to free his fellow dolphin test subjects, and the bulk of this episode revolves around the raid. It's probably not a surprise that things go sideways, and we get a pretty intense sequence in the facility where Romane and her two companions, as well as Delph, try to stay alive and achieve their mission objectives. This was a thrilling sequence, quite cinematic, and I was actually a little emotionally affected by it and the way things turn out- a sure sign of great storytelling. 

This series is turning out to be quite good and I love the surprising depth to the characters.  The art is still not my favorite but it's mostly effective- I think some of the people look off- but that's a minor quibble. The mystery gets deeper as well, with new revelations about the fate of Angeline Maubert, the supposedly dead girl whose body went missing last time. And Romane's brother gets transferred to Rio de Janeiro as Algapower becomes suspicious of his involvement in the case. A shocking twist at the end lends a cliffhanger feel, and now I very much need the next volume!