The man behind the line has literally taken the plunge into his own comic book line. While the pun can’t be forgiven, the book is quite fun. With this debut series, Joe Hill has a unique spin for the first issue of a series. Rather than display the basic shock and awe, Hill offers a great character drama. Immonen for this book is a great translation of Hill’s intentions with there being great characterization, especially in the interactions between characters.
In earnest, there is a genuine surreality of this issue that reminded me of the Death Stranding game. While it’s not as sci-fi or surreal, Hill manages to embellish the mystery of the series. Here he manages to really play with character dynamics that offer some great levity. While it’s billed as horror and does offer plenty of it, there is a great deal of comedy within the first issues. Similarities can be made to the films of Bong-Joon Ho, who has mastered the combination of comedy and horror. In earnest, there is a great joy to read this book because the characters are simply so compelling, and the premise lingers throughout their entire dynamic.
For a first issue, this one really grabs your attention and then leaves it to focus on characters. While this is a fun style to hold, it doesn’t merit itself unique in terms of plot elements. But Hill and Immonen make the usual highly unusual in Plunge #1. While it’s not common for first issues to display this much of a “slow burn”, DC gives faith in Hill and Immonen to deliver a fine level of horror in the sea. This is genuinely a good book, that really lets us see how characters are important for the comics medium. Sadly, I fear what horrors Hill and Immonen have in store for them.
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