Dollar Tree Comics? Independence Day: Dark Fathom

Independence Day: Dark Fathom
Collects Independence Day (2016) #1-5
Writer: Victor Gischler
Artists: Steve Scott (#1), Rodney Ramos (#2), Alex Shibao (#3-4), Tazio Bettin (#5) and Ivan Rodriguez
Art Assists: Rui Woberto and Renarto Arlem
Inks: Rodney Ramos, Giorgia Sposito and Jed Dougherty
Letters: Rob Steen
Colored by: Stefani Rennee, Thiago Ribiero, Marcio Menyz, Max Flan, Rodrigo Fernandes, Arison Aguiar and Manny Clark
Collections Editor: Tom Williams
Senior Comics Editor: Andrew James
Assistant Collection Editor: Jessica Burton
Collection Designer: Rob Farmer
Released: June 14, 2016

I bought “Independence Day: Dark Fathom” not out of a love for the Independence Day franchise, but because I found it at a Dollar Tree for $1.25.

I saw the original “Independence Day” movie on opening night, or rather a few days before opening night, at one of those early screenings they scheduled because it was clearly going to be huge. I was kind of ambivalent on the whole thing, but went because a bunch of my friends were.* It was a good movie, with a great cast. It pushed all the right summer blockbuster buttons and made it easy to ignore the evidence that the alien invaders' systems apparently also ran on an Apple operating system. But to me, it was just a very well done alien invasion movie, with little beyond that. People in the theater stood and applauded when the credits rolled. I joined them, because you don't want to be the guy that resists the standing ovation, but my heart wasn't in it.

Over the years, I've occasionally been known to, as the kids say, throw some shade at Independence Day. Sometimes I like to make the provocative statement that Idris Elba's “We are canceling the apocalypse” speech in “Pacific Rim” is better than Bill Pullman's “Independence Day” monologue. Having rewatched the two scenes on YouTube recently... I'm not sure I stand by that. But Elba's speech is awesome, and I think we can all agree that Stacker Pentecost is a cooler name than Thomas J. Whitmore.

I watched “Independence Day: Resurgence” at some point out of curiosity, but remember very little about it except that Will Smith wasn't in it and a non-Chris Hemsworth was. I forgot that Sela Ward played the president, and William Fichtner was part of the cast.

I confirmed that when reading “Dark Fathom” the other day, as I noticed Army Capt. Joshua Adams looked a lot like Fichtner, who you might remember from roles in “Armageddon,” “The Longest Yard” and roughly one out of every three Hollywood movies made since 1989.**

Dark Fathom was produced by Titan Comics as a sort-of prequel to Resurgence, establishing that Adams had experience during the original alien invasion before he … did... whatever he did... in Resurgence. Clearly, the movie did not make an impression on me, although I'm sure Fichtner, Ward, Jeff Goldblum and not-Chris Hemsworth did fine jobs.

I do recall thinking after the original movie that there could be more to the story than what we'd seen. I think I had an idea involving organized crime taking advantage of the destruction caused but never developed it any further than my anti-Power Rangers fan fiction or the idea I got for a story about a really big shark after reading about megalodons in Zoobooks.***

Anyway, this comic that is supposed to be the subject of this post starts on July 4, 1996, as mankind's coordinated attacks have turned the invaders away. Except, that is, for one ship that crashes in the Atlantic Ocean, which is apparently right where they want to be. The major-landmark-destroying lasers were all well and good, but it turns out the relatively un-fleshed-out aliens weren't putting all their eggs in that basket.

Adams, who, wouldn't you know, has a crippling fear of water, is dispatched with Dr. Jessica Morgan, a member of the president's science team who, according to the Independence Day Fandom wiki, did not appear in either movie, to figure out what they're up to. They're taken to the ship by a Navy submarine, whose Capt. Meredith is reluctant to risk her crew's lives after multiple ships in her battle group were destroyed by the invaders.

Breaking himself away from obligatory will-they-or-won't-they with Morgan, Adams leads half a dozen Marines to the ship, which appears to be drilling into the ocean floor. Only a couple of them get names as they battle the aliens, explore the ship, ferry an alien corpse back to Morgan for an autopsy, question their orders, etc. It's pretty standard invasion stuff, like the movie that inspired it, but it's well done enough to create palpable tension at times.

It's undercut by the rotating cast of artists and shifts in style. Though at times it's gradual, other changes are jarring. Adams and Morgan sport multiple hair colors throughout. And by the fifth issue, the art seems a lot looser and less detailed than it started out under Scott, with Adams and Marine Corporal Ramirez virtually indistinguishable in the climax.

Left: Adams and Morgan; right: Adams and Morgan

Still, it's an interesting idea, made more interesting by it popping up seemingly out of nowhere at a Dollar Tree. If I'm not mistaken, I got it as the same time I acquired Chinese Speaking Vampires. It's a lot more appealing to indulge your curiosity for $1.25 than the $14.24 price tag for the digital edition on Kindle.

* - I know what you're thinking, but no, had they proceeded to jump off a bridge after watching the movie, I would not have gone with them.

** - That is the year of his first acting credit, as Boros in the TV series “A Man Called Hawk.” These aren't just dumb throwaway jokes. I do research!

*** - Steve Alten beat me to the punch by, you know, actually writing “The Meg.”