It’s dark in the ocean’s uncharted depths. It’s cold. It’s silent. It’s…the perfect setting for a Halloween Weekend Escape!

Ram V and Christian Ward craft an exquisitely unnerving story for the Dweller of the Depths in Aquaman: Andromeda. The Prestige Plus miniseries from DC Black Label is just three issues—the perfect length for weekend reading—but the book never speeds through the story. It takes the time to delve into the minds of characters both iconic and new while they face the unknown in one of the most inhospitable places on the planet. As a result, Aquaman: Andromeda is an unforgettable read.

Let’s dive into it together!
 

The Premise:

An experimental and highly classified submersible vessel, the Andromeda, is dispatched to the depths of the Pacific Ocean to find the source of an unusual signal. What lies on the ocean floor? Could it be extraterrestrial in origin? Each member of the team on board the Andromeda is equipped with their own areas of expertise and they’ve been hired to investigate up close. But the mystery has also caught the attention of both the king beneath the sea and his pirate nemesis, Black Manta. The horror that awaits will shake them all to their cores.
 

Let’s Talk Talent:

Writer Ram V has been leaving his mark on the DC Universe for years. From iconic characters like Batman, Catwoman and Swamp Thing, to a one-of-a-kind team composed of a new group of vigilantes, Ram V takes the heroes (and anti-heroes) of DC to unforgettable and compelling places. In Aquaman: Andromeda, he drags Arthur Curry into the depths of his own mind as he struggles with the two halves of his identity.

Artist Christian Ward—who recently debuted his own DC Black Label horror comic—is by Ram V’s side for this dark journey as both artist and colorist. Flashes of fluorescent magenta, green and yellow set against the muted purple and blue ocean backdrop are reminiscent of the strange organisms we know live in the deep. Curry is one of them, thanks to Ward’s creepy-crawly redesign of Aquaman’s legendary look.
 

A Few Reasons to Read:

• Point Nemo, the spaceship graveyard. What makes the setting for Aquaman: Andromeda even more unsettling is that it’s a real place on our own Earth. All spacecraft and satellites are directed to crash in this spot in the Pacific Ocean when they reenter the atmosphere. What if something hitches a ride on one of them? That simple question alone is enough to give me nightmares.
   
• A dark twist on a familiar superhero. Ram V and Ward do a masterful job of turning a well-known DC character into a being that’s unfamiliar and alien. There’s a current of menace that swirls around Curry throughout the story. We know that, beneath it, he’s a friend and hero…or do we? Seeing Aquaman through the eyes of the narrator, a human who’s unfamiliar with his world, transforms Arthur Curry from a Justice Leaguer into an ominous creature of myth and folklore. The superhero Aquaman in his bright, glittering scaled armor is nowhere to be found. In his place we see a shadowy figure surrounded by darkness as he’s torn between his two worlds.

• Tinges of cosmic horror. From the name of the submersible, to the setting of Point Nemo, to the writhing tentacled creature that emerges in the first issue, Aquaman: Andromeda combines cosmic and aquatic horror into a beautiful blend. The ocean depths can feel like another planet, and Ram V and Ward enhance and embrace the fear of the otherworldly in every panel.
   
• An intensely personal story. Not only does each member of the Andromeda crew bring their unique individual skills on the journey, but they also carry troubled histories, fears and dreams along with them. Like the narrator, Yvette, they’re each ordinary people in an extraordinary situation. Each reacts differently when they come face to face with their worst emotions. Their actions make you ask yourself, “Who would I be down there, alone in the depths?”
   

Why It’s Worth Your Time:

Aquaman: Andromeda is a thought-provoking read that just might change how you look at Arthur Curry. While this is obviously an Aquaman book complete with underwater action and a scene with his arch-nemesis, it’s far from a superhero story. It’s a human story of recognizing our fears and being brave enough to face the person we really are deep down.

Or, if you just enjoy being creeped out, this book does a great job of that, too.

Aquaman: Andromeda by Ram V and Christian Ward is available in bookstores, comic shops, libraries and on DC UNIVERSE INFINITE.

Kelly Knox writes about all-ages comics and animation for DC.com and her writing can also be seen on IGN, Nerdist and more. Follow her on Twitter at @kelly_knox to talk superheroes, comics and pop culture.

NOTE: The views and opinions expressed in this feature are solely those of Kelly Knox and do not necessarily reflect those of DC Entertainment or Warner Bros., nor should they be read as confirmation or denial of future DC plans.