Written by: Steve Orland
Drawn by: Artyom Trakhanov and Yaroslav Astapeev
Published by: Image
Undertow has been one of the best additions to Image’s ever expanding catalogue of comics. I’ve said this before, I know, but I think that now the mini series has come to an end, it’s hard not to look at it in a different light. It’s not a “new” comic anymore. The sense of wonder at exploring something new that existed for the first couple of issues, and probably this entire arc, is gone. Now, the book operates entirely on its own merits. And you know what? I do not see that being a problem for the creative team of Steve Orlando and Artyom Trakhanov, especially after this issue. “Why especially after this issue?,” you may ask. The answer is actually fairly simple: this is the best issue of the series so far.
Every line of dialogue, every plot beat, every little stroke of the paint brush – its all done so well that it could very well be mistaken for perfection. My only real gripe with this issue is that it deals with last issue’ cliffhanger very quickly, getting rid of any impact that cliffhanger may have had. I knew, of course, that Anshagral and co weren’t going to be killed. However, it would have been nice to at least build a little bit more suspense and at least play it off like they had died for a while. But really, there would have been no time for that. Undertow #6 is jam packed with content, and there really was no time for Orlando to mess around, because the pages are all filled with important sequences and dialogue. This issue consists of mostly action scenes, which is understandable. Considering that this is the conclusion, it makes sense for there to be a great deal of spectacle, which there is. After The Deliverer was captured by Atlanteans in the last issue, its inhabitants launch a counter offensive to take back their ship.
The battle between the free Atlanteans and the forces of the regime back home is awesome to watch unfold. It’s violent, but not overly so, and bloody, but not for the sake of having blood. Trakhanov’s dynamic artwork really comes into play in these scenes. He manages to convey the battles eloquently, and continue to progress the story, even in the absence of dialogue. While all of this is great, it isn’t even the best part of the issue. As with past issues, the writing is stellar, as Orlando tells a great story, but also provides some deeply symbolic dialogue. He seems to have a knack for writing symbolically, and he brings that skill to bear here, better than he has in any other issue of the series. And even against this very serious backdrop, Orlando still manages to add some levity to the dialogue, levity that works to soften the book a little bit amidst everything that’s going on here.
In addition to all of that, this issue also has some really, really, good social commentary. This first becomes clear in a scene in the Infirmary, in which the Atlantean soldiers are torturing civilians. Not for information, but just for fun. Of course, this is characterization, not only for those specific characters, but also for the oppressive Atlantean regime. But it’s also offer a critique of something that actually happens in real life, which is great. Really, this scene is just the tip of the iceberg. In the epilogue (which is drawn not by Trakhanov, but by Yaroslav Astapeev), there’s some great commentary on socioeconomic classes, as we get a look into how the richest Atlanteans live. But even this epilogue isn’t where the social commentary ends. The book has a good deal more of it, and its all done extraordinarily well.
In Undertow #6, the creative team pretty much does everything that they did that made the first five issues of the series so great. The difference here is, they do all of that better than they ever have before. Don’t ask me how its possible because, to be honest, I could not tell you how its possible that this issue has eclipsed everything that has come before it. The mix of spectacle, plot progression, character progression, and social commentary creates a perfect blend of everything that makes comics great. Well done.
