Artist – Howard Purcell
Inker – Sheldon Moldoff

Dane, a man who just recently had thought his father was dead, only to find him alive and on the run/hunt, has decided to pay the old man a visit. As Dane and Captain X talk over their secret line of communication, the former learns that the latter is still being pursued by Man-Fish, who has not quite forgiven the Captain for his transformation from man to hybrid. So it is that Dane heads out to see his dad, the eponymous Captain X, and he finds the man’s sub in bad shape and his dad, more than likely, dead. Dane spirals after this, his worst emotions taking over as he cannot deal with the fact that he has already lost the father he just reclaimed a short time ago. Like the Man-Fish that hunted Captain X, now Dane hunts the Man-Fish, and he means to put the creature six feet under no matter what it takes. As the story moves forward, Dane becomes more and more obsessed, driven to the point of madness, and so much so that he puts his friends and family in danger to deliver what he thinks is justice. The team is worried about Dane. They try to reason with him, attempt to intervene, but at the end of the day, Dane leads and they follow. All of this leads to a confrontation between the Sea Devils and a giant monster whom they think is the Man-Fish. Suffice it to say, Dane’s madness has made his judgments faulty, and they put everyone at risk. This was a fun issue, one that sees the book continue a number of plot lines from previous issues and carry them forward. There is that which features the International Sea Devils, that of Dane’s father and the Man-Fish as well as Judy’s feelings for Dane. It is strange to see Dane treat his friends so bad, and they just take it as if it were just another day. There are moments where Dane is simply mean to Biff, cruel even, and while it is played off as part of his temporary insanity, it is a little jarring to see, and one has to wonder why Biff just takes it. There is no credited writer for this book, one more, yet Howard Purcell and Sheldon Moldoff soldier on as the artists on the issue, and they continue to make it as exciting as possible. The two create a solid read for the audience, each page wonderful to look at, and, hopefully, they remain on the title for the remainder of its run. When all is said and done, things work out for the Devils, for Dane and for Captain X. Man-Fish may or may not be dead, but that is a story for a future issue, as things continue on as they were, for better or for worse.

3 out of 5