Review: Submerged #3 (of 4)

Have you ever had one of those days were you have been forced to relive your memories and I mean not even the good ones?Â That’s the situation that Ellie Puente finds herself as the metaphor of the rising flood water brings with it a rising tide of memories, whilst she searches for her lost his brother in the catacombs of the subway.

Ellie is not having a good day.Â Estranged from her family, she nonetheless heeds the call when her brother went missing.Â Now, after facing three dues, getting a dog, facing the ghost of her mother and the sibling blackmail that only occurs when you do something that you are not yet proud of, Ellie is trying to save a young boy in addition to finding her brother, Angel.Â Is the youngÂ boy linked to Angel?Â If so, what is the connection?

Vita Ayala is the writer who is charting Ellie’s course through the life choices and brotherly interaction that has shaped Ellie’s life, with each element reflected and refracted in the current situation.Â Ayala has deftly created a character that many people will relate too, even if their choices were different, it is the impact on us and on Ellie that resonates.Â Ellie is clearly trying to do the right thing, for herself, her brother and of course the people she meets along the way.Â At times, it’s a hard read, jumping as it does between the past, the present, with the latter having more than it fair share of surreal encounters.

Lisa Sterle is an artist who is currently gaining a lot of attention for her pencil work.Â Sterle’s pencils remind me of the Hernandez brothers epic Love and Rockets, even if they are a more trippy.Â Sterle’s work goes to show that this style of art has a place in comic books; maybe not in a superhero book, but does prove that another style of effective storytelling can be achieved.Â Remember, this is a highly emotive story, full of regrets , strength of character and the undying belief that through it all, family is family.Â Through that mire, Sterle’s work conveys the various emotions of Ellie well, including a sort of acceptance of the strangeness of the situations she finds herself in.Â Colorist Stelladia adds to the crazy with a wave of pastels that accentuate the idea of being submerged.Â Rachel Deering provides the letters, again showing how this oft forgotten piece of comic art can affect the overall feel of a book.

Vault Comics have been doing extremely well with a range of books that revel in quality storytelling from a stable of quality creators.Â This series is by no meansÂ an exception to that rule.

Writing – 5 Stars
Art – 5 Stars
Colors – 5 Stars

[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]

Written by; Vita Ayala
Art by; Lisa Sterle
Colors by; Stelladia
Letters by; Rachel Deering
Published by; Vault Comics

Author Profile

Johnny "The Machine" Hughes

I am a long time comic book fan, being first introduced to Batman in the mid to late 70's. This led to a appreciation of classic artists like Neal Adams and Jim Aparo. Moving through the decades that followed, I have a working knowledge of a huge raft of characters with a fondness for old school characters like JSA and The Shadow

Currently reading a slew of Bat Books, enjoying a mini Marvel revival, and the host of The Definative Crusade and Outside the Panels whilst also appearing on No-Prize Podcast on the Undercover Capes Podcast Network