Deep Beyond vol. 2

What started out as a post-apocalyptic thriller about finding out the truth behind an undersea anomaly mutated into a trans-dimensional adventure as scientist Paul Bailey crossed over into an alien paradise.  A paradise where his former flame Pam was leading a resistance movement, in fact.  Before the revolution can start, however, our protagonists find themselves on the bad side of the ruling government after one of their own tries to steal some information.  It’s an act that sees them fleeing to their home dimension and right into the hands of their own rulers.  While this may seem like a bad thing, Paul knows the score.  I mean, being put to death by your own government isn’t too bad when you know that the Earth is going to be completely uninhabitable within ten years.

This second, and concluding, volume of “Deep Beyond” does have more quality art from Andrea Broccardo as we get to see more alien landscapes and post-apocalyptic vistas like before.  Vol. 2 also features two of the most glaring continuity errors I’ve seen in a while with a transition in issue #8 that had me wondering if pages were missing from this collected edition, and a transition into a pen-to-the-neck threat that is just plain awkward.  Aside from these issues, the story itself proceeds along smoothly enough, with the only real surprise coming when the cause of the apocalypse is revealed.

It’s an okay reveal, I guess.  There’s a point somewhere in there from co-writers Mirka Andolfo and David Goy about not being beholden to the bad dealings of your predecessors, but it kind of gets lost in the rush to wrap things up at the end.  Which is weird because this was solicited as a 12-issue maxiseries, yet the ending feels like the kind of rush-job you get when a series is canceled too soon.  It’s not enough to ruin this series as I can still appreciate its Crichton-esque sci-fi ambitions.  Just know that “Deep Beyond” is best appreciated for the kind of story it was trying to tell rather than the one it actually did.