Sirk TV Graphic Novel Review: SUBMERGED [Valiant]

Like many journeys of metaphor seeing what is true sometimes is right below the surface. "Submerged" [Vita Ayala/Valiant/115pgs], set in a shutdown subway while a massive hurricane approaches New York City, is more a parable on the progression of the Odyssey and Greek mythology where a human can travel over the River Styx and visit the dead to find their true purpose. Ellie is trapped in her own mind. Most of her travels underground from the bugs to the three demons who welcome her through the gates are completely bathed in a sense of metaphor. While it functions more like a dark veiled "It's A Wonderful Life" where the ultimate resolution is more difficult than the actual decision, the progression of Ellie searching to find the brother she was "supposed to protect" does work on a very primal level. Through the windows of subway cars she watches the family dynamics that pushed her and her brother apart fueled by her father's criminal business deals. While the final judgment can be overwrought at times, it speaks to the truth of the psychology of the character. This makes Ellie's realization despite both its positive and negative attributes have resonance within the story. The art is smooth and flowing in a rather straightforward fashion while the different versions of family members and their masks including Ellie's ring true, even until the final moment.B-

By Tim Wassberg