Let me be honest. There's not a whole lot of good in what you're about to read so read at your own risk. I didn't hold back, this is how I really, honestly feel about Fathom.
The problems with Fathom:
- Story: Maylander is after Aspen and the Blue again. War war war! Fight for survival, which race will win?! Wait, are we talking about Fathom volume 2 or 3? Hm. Let's be honest, the stories are way too similar. It's a tired plot and it was done in Volume 2. I'm sick of reading about Aspen on the run from the government. What happened to the character driven stories from Volume 1? What happened to the substance? Even with a different writer how hard is it to really write a compelling story that makes you feel for the characters? One that makes you WANT to keep reading? One would think after reading volume 2 and 3 that this is actually a very difficult task.
- Characters: Aspen who? This is not the same Aspen from volume 1 and while I accept that she has most likely grown/matured from her expierences over the course of the last few volumes I feel as though her character is not being properly represented. She acts out of character just as much as Cannon does. Someone needs to figure out who Aspen Mathews is real quick otherwise you're disrespecting the character. Make the characters ACT like the characters. I don't know how many times between Volume 2 and 3 I sat and shook my head disapointedly because of the horrible writing for these characters. I've been reading Fathom for so long I feel as though I know them better than JT, which is sad. Some of the things he writes for the characters to say are just downright insulting to my (and anyone who reads Fathom) intelligence.
- Clothing: What was up with Aspen in volume 2? She dressed like white trash. Aspen would NOT wear heels like that or hoop earings. It's not her thing. And while her wardrobe in volume 3 is no doubt better, it's simply too safe. Safe to the point where it's annoying. I can break down Aspen in a simple sentence. Aspen is a surfer girl. Wow, that wasn't hard. Give her some torn, slightly baggy jeans, maybe a billabong t-shirt and call it a day. Add in a toe ring and some thong sandals and you have Aspen. I get that you want to make her look sexy but it's out of character. So from white trash in Volume 2 to her now slightly more reserved look...this is getting confusing. It is the same person right? One would hope so. Is this a writing problem or an artist problem I dunno, but somebody needs to fix it. I could draw a whole page of better outfits for Aspen, something that I know she would actually wear. Something smarter with her character in mind.
- Art: Let's be honest folks, Ale's Fathom pages are a joke. In Fathom the backgrounds need to be just as much a character as Aspen/Chance/Cannon and the rest of the cast. There needs to be detail! However Ale has neglected the background in almost every single issue. Without the colors his lines would fall apart because there would be hardly anything to look at. Fathom needs an artist with more substance, someone who is willing to contribute more than what Ale is. An artist who respects the source material as much as the fans. How someone can look at Ale's pages and say "That is an awesome piece of art," is beyond me. I get that you want to hit your deadlines but at what expense? As for colors...get a new colorist. Or at least find one that has seen water before. Since when does water look like blue sand? Like blue rock? Can we get a colorist who can show the flow of water please? Someone who can make you feel like you're actually looking at water...
What I would do to fix Fathom:
- Drop the war theme and focus on characters again. Seriously, when's the last time Aspen surfed? Whens the last time she took a real vacation? Visit Taylor anyone? Whens the last time she worked? Am I the only one who's bothered by the fact that we haven't seen Aspen working as a marine biologist? Does she even still have a job? She loves the ocean and the water, just because she is part of it I can't believe that would mean she would stop studying it. I can't believe she would be less passionate about it. She clearly doesn't know everything about it yet, one would think that since she discovered her new powers she'd be trying to explore as deep as she could for new species, etc. Come on!
- Find a suitable writer. JT is great with Soulfire and the sci-fi stuff but for some reason I feel as though he's struggling in the fantasy department.
- Background artist. Yes, it's that simple. If backgrounds are a problem for Ale then find a background artist to fill in all the gaps, and believe me there are plenty to keep him/her busy. The other option would be to hire a better artist.
- Maylander. For the love of God kill him already. I don't think I need to say much else on this issue. It's old, it's boring, it needs to stop.
- Tiger-sharks. Are you even kidding me? Whos idea was it to use giant suits of mech armor to fight Aspen? Not only did it look ridiculous but if that wasn't a jump the shark moment I don't know what is.
If it were possible I'd hire a completely new team because the current team just doesn't cut it for me. It's not good when your main Fathom series struggles when compared to it's mini series. Cannon Hawke and Kiani both had great mini series, doesn't Fathom deserve the same if not better treatment? How can you treat a book so poorly when it was THE foundation of the company? For everyone whos enjoying the current story I only have one thing to say. Really? Are you joking? I get that peoples tastes are different but how can you like this when it's not even a shell of volume 1?
If you're enjoying the current story you're not enjoying Fathom. You're enjoying whatevers left of it.
I know Fathom and THIS is not it.
just something I'm working on now:
