Mermaid Project #5 is the conclusion to the story and wraps it all up very convincingly. Romane and El Malik infiltrate the floating platform where Algapower is conducting its experiments, and where Audrey has been imprisoned. They meet some unlikely allies in Elisa Parson, the disgruntled scientist who learned the truth of the experiments, and Otto Kruger, the mercenary who captured Audrey but has a change of heart after seeing what Algapower is doing. We also see that Dorrington, the head of Algapower, is in cahoots with the White Army, a supremacist organization that wants to return America to white rule.
I also got a whiff of anti- religious sentiment in this one, just little things like a musing at one point that prayer has been outlawed, and even the missing Christ statue in Rio de Janeiro. The hint being, I guess, that maybe faith in religion took a hit during the Great Disaster? It's never really spelled out though. That, along with the white supremacy angle, is a bit of world building that feels tacked on a little late- there's not a lot of time to examine it- but the pace of this one takes off as everything has to be resolved.
This one is action packed, as the group needs to rescue Audrey and then somehow get off the floating platform. I have to say the platform itself is pretty neat, with an enclosed central lagoon and lots of tunnels and access pipes, naturally, for our heroes to sneak around in. They gain an unlikely ally in Kruger, the guy who kidnapped Audrey, and then the cetaceans arrive to help- which does not bode well for the platform! Let's just say that pissed off dolphins and whales can do a lot of damage.
Things might wrap up a little too neatly but I loved this series. It mixes espionage with environmental issues and a healthy dose of futurism, and despite some issues with the art this turned out to be a really good story. The people and how they're depicted is the weak point of the art in my view, but the landscapes and framing shots are often amazing. There's a scene towards the end of a hidden cove south of Rio, at night, that I thought was just gorgeous. I wonder if we'll see more of Romane and Malik- or perhaps Kruger and Parsons- in the future?
Algapower has a merman as well, we find out, and the plan is apparently for them to mate him- Adam- with either or both of Angeline's daughter and Audrey, once she undergoes the procedure? These are such nice people!
Angeline's daughter escapes in the end.
Romane and El Malik going into business together- will we see more?
I also got a whiff of anti- religious sentiment in this one, just little things like a musing at one point that prayer has been outlawed, and even the missing Christ statue in Rio de Janeiro. The hint being, I guess, that maybe faith in religion took a hit during the Great Disaster? It's never really spelled out though. That, along with the white supremacy angle, is a bit of world building that feels tacked on a little late- there's not a lot of time to examine it- but the pace of this one takes off as everything has to be resolved.
This one is action packed, as the group needs to rescue Audrey and then somehow get off the floating platform. I have to say the platform itself is pretty neat, with an enclosed central lagoon and lots of tunnels and access pipes, naturally, for our heroes to sneak around in. They gain an unlikely ally in Kruger, the guy who kidnapped Audrey, and then the cetaceans arrive to help- which does not bode well for the platform! Let's just say that pissed off dolphins and whales can do a lot of damage.
Things might wrap up a little too neatly but I loved this series. It mixes espionage with environmental issues and a healthy dose of futurism, and despite some issues with the art this turned out to be a really good story. The people and how they're depicted is the weak point of the art in my view, but the landscapes and framing shots are often amazing. There's a scene towards the end of a hidden cove south of Rio, at night, that I thought was just gorgeous. I wonder if we'll see more of Romane and Malik- or perhaps Kruger and Parsons- in the future?
Spoilers
Angeline's daughter escapes in the end.
Romane and El Malik going into business together- will we see more?
I think this is my favorite of the covers. I am going to be checking these out. 👍✨
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like an exciting comic! Of course you will see more!
ReplyDeleteMary