Sub-Mariner Depths #2 (OF 5)

This is such an excellent retelling of the Namor origin, and the quality did not flag from the first to the second issue. The Ribic art is muted and moody, a pastel tableau of live in an oxygenated undersea tube, and each of his characters have expressive faces that move the story along beyond what the balloons tell us. At its heart, though, is the skeptic of science, down in the Mariana Trench to disprove the existence of Namor. Let me just say, to use the Sub-Mariner as a bogeyman is perhaps the most simple yet effective display of his power, and Milligan is doing really imaginative work in this realm. I don't know if this story is for everyone -- if you loved "Das Boot" or "U-571", or hell, even "K-19: The Widowmaker" this'll appeal to y'all -- but it's so far out of Marvel's gamut that it's amazing it bears their trade dress. I'd throw this up there with Jenkins' first "Inhumans" mini in terms of a reinvention.