Review: Voyage To The Deep Anthology
It is easy to forget that once upon a time the unknown frontiers were the province of science fiction and newsstand comic books. Visionaries like Jules Verne introduced us to possible futures all  the while presenting them as fiction to be consumed and enjoyed.  Following in the footsteps of Verne and Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea, Sam Glanzman gave the public a four issue journey of exploration and cold war adventure entitled Voyage To The Deep.
Originally published in 1962, Drew Ford and his team at IT’S ALIVE publishing have done yeoman’s work in preserving and collecting this Silver Age comic by Sam Glanzman which has never been reprinted in any form following its original run. Glanzman presents the voyages of the USS Proteus and it’s commander Admiral Leigh as they navigate the unknown depths of the open ocean and contend with a variety of cold war bogey men and the threats they pose to the world. As I moved through each page of this unfolding story I was transported back to an era where the depths of the ocean were an impenetrable mystery (in fact we still know very little about the ocean’s depths). The artwork and story lines are vintage silver age. If you decide to take a trip back in time to enjoy this piece of nostalgia I would encourage you to put aside your modern sensibilities for a moment. By today’s standards there are societal and historical elements within the book which might be troubling but as with works of art they are products of their time and should be enjoyed for what they are even as we reflect on the differences between then and now.
   If the collected run of Voyage To The Deep was all you got in this anthology it would be worth the price of admission but Drew Ford and his team have added several other elements which transform this book into a historical and nostalgic treasure to be referenced and enjoyed. An introduction to the book by Stephen Bissette is a wonderful primer for the collected works to follow. Bissette begins with Jules Verne and Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea and then traces the history of the atomic submarine throughout history. Not only does he give the reader a comprehensive look at submarines in the comic books of the day he also traces their history in film and TV. Growing up I remember watching old movies and TV reruns of shows like Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea and The Atomic Submarine. Finally Bissette documents the real worlds first atomic submarine The USS Nautilus which entered service in the United States Navy in 1958.
After enjoying the four issue run of Voyage To The Deep Drew Ford’s team then provides you with a number of “extras”.  The original hand drawn covers as well the inside front and back covers are included for you enjoy. Additionally, in a move that brought a smile to my face the back covers of each of the four issues were scanned and included. This brought a smile to my face as it reminded me of the late seventies when I was first introduced to comic books. Ads like the one I’ve included here were still the standard for back covers in those days and I remember wishing I could order x-ray specs or plans to build a hovercraft from household parts.
[yasr_overall_rating size=”medium”]
Editor-In-Chief – Drew Ford
Book Design – Jon B. Cooke
Digital Art Restoration – Allan Harvey
Author Profile
- Nemesis is a poet, writer and author of the upcoming novel The Long Game. He is a writer of science fiction and supernatural thrillers. Besides novels and short stories he writes for UK based ASAP Comics developing new stories for Level 8 and OPSEC. Nem is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and tries to bring those experiences into his writing.
He lives and works out of his home in Riverside, California with his wife and three children. When not writing he enjoys reviewing comic books and graphic novels for ComicCrusaders.com and living the Southern California life with his family.
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