Tempest: Prophets and Kings #3
Title: Act 3: Dead in the Water
Cover Title: Exploding from the pages of Aquaman - TEMPEST
Cover Date: January 1997
Writer: Phil Jimenez
Pencils: Phil Jimenez
Inks: John Stokes with Keith Aiken and Phil Jimenez
Colors: Carla Feeny
Lettering: Chris Eliopoulos
Editor: Eddie Berganza
Consulting Editor: Kevin Dooley
Cover: Phil Jimenez and John Stokes
Cover Price: $1.75
Continuity: IN
OVERVIEW:
Slizzath has power over the dead, and he makes the dead rise and come to Hidden Valley to fight for him. He starts to turn the city into a Necropolis.
Atlan is bound, the gods are still trapped, and Garth is held by a coral creation. Garth breaks free, only to face two dead warriors. He figures out almost too late that he no longer has any powers. He is saved after being knocked out cold, by someone with a tail.
Garth awakens in a cave, surrounded by Idylists. He recognizes Thoran. He starts asking questions, and they try to calm him. Then his mother says hello.
Slizzath has brought back a terrible army of the dead. Atlan still accuses him of being a common thief.
Garth has a short reunion with his mother, then finds out that he is in his father's armory. Sett explains that the attacks of the dead warriors began several months ago (Garth realizes that they started when he came back from the other dimension) and the peaceful people of Shayera were quickly massacred. They fled to the armory. Garth asks who Slizzath is, and learns that Slizzath is his uncle.
Like the rest of Atlantis, Shayeris suffered from the curse of brother against brother. Thar became king when the older Slizzath dabbled in the dark arts of necromancy. Slizzath was banished, and Thar assembled an arsenal specially designed to fight Slizzath's soldiers. The people killed him for it, but he was able to trap his brother in another dimension. The spell was imperfectly cast, though, and anyone tapping into the powers would risk releasing Slizzath. Which is why Berra was banished, and all children born with purple eyes were left to die.
Garth is understandably upset about the whole thing, but leads the pacifists, those that will follow him, into battle against his uncle.
But Slizzath understands Garth too well. He doesn't lift a finger to stop his nephew. He just sends out Tula...
COMMENTS:
I won't even try to identify all the dead the Slizzath raises, but Thar is among them. Ironic, yes?
The story once again suffers the curse of wordiness. The art is still the saving grace and the whole reason to get this book.
CONCLUSION:
Still short on story and long on explanation, still wonderful art. Worth getting.