"Plunge #3" Comic Review

After missing for decades, the crew of the Derleth has suddenly appeared. Aside from discolored skin and missing eyeballs, they seem otherwise the same. Oh, they also talk a little funny and they're most likely possessed by some demonic entity, but that should go away with a hot shower and a good meal...right?

It's more than a little weird how well the salvage crew is handling this. They are inquisitive and cautious but are talking to the Derleth survivors like they've been gone for an afternoon and not forty years. That's the only part of Plunge that's not sitting right. Everything else works wonders as this unsettling tale continues to unfold. It's like the characters (and us as readers) can't get enough of this. We have to find out what's going on, even if that means staring into the abyss while searching for answers.

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Perhaps the creepiest part of the survivors is how they speak. Letterer Deron Bennett uses a grizzled font with frequent pauses. If they are undead, then their lungs aren't working the way they're supposed to, so it's a struggle to push out each word. This also forces us to keep our gaze on them for longer as we read through what they're saying. It creates a haunting visage.

Stuart Immonen's line work in Plunge #3 is impeccable. He fully captures the stilted appearance of the survivors, like they're being held up by strings from some invisible puppet master. Their stance and the way they carry themselves looks normal at first, but is just a little off, lending itself to their otherworldly nature. This contrasts well with the utterly normal salvagers just trying to piece this story together. They're curious yet guarded.

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Colorist Dave Stewart ratchets up the tension with some shockingly vibrant shades. The palette has been mostly drab, coinciding with the grey skin of the survivors and the dreary nature of this island. That changes when the violence begins. There's a burst of red that takes over the page, consuming everything in touches in a frightening rage.

The slow burn of Plunge boils over by the end of this issue, as writer Joe Hill takes us deep into the lands of terror. Since we've been pulled along so far, we can't look away as things get more and more dire for the salvagers. This issue is where the book has really hit its stride and it's paying off in a glorious and terrifying manner.