Writer – Ed Herron
Artist – Howard Purcell
Inker – Sheldon Moldoff

During the course of this series, there have been all manner of gigantic creatures featured within its pages. From aliens to sea creatures, the Devils have faced off against them all, but never in all their wildest dreams did they ever think they would have to battle a giant gorilla on par with King Kong beneath the waves. It all begins, as things do, with a simple experiment. A small chimp named Caesar is sent down in a capsule to explore the deepest part of the oceans, and of course, disaster strikes, which puts the Sea Devils on notice and sends them into action. What happened to the capsule? Is Caesar okay? All of that is forgotten almost immediately as they are attacked by a giant gorilla, a sight that is almost too fantastical to believe. Even more unbelievable is that the ape can speak coherent English, and it gives the Devils pause, almost leading to their defeat. As it is, they are not out of the game yet, and who should make themselves known during this little escapade? Manfish, who has been gracing the book for a number of issues now. Manfish has plans of his own and thinks that if he can make an ally of the gorilla, he can rid himself of the Sea Devils, leaving him to defeat Captain X, with or without the help of his simian partner. Writer Ed Herron, who joins the creative team on this story, adds a couple of twists and turns to keep readers on their toes and reveals that things are not always what they seem to the parties involved. It is not long before it becomes clear that aliens are behind everything that has happened so far. They have not only fooled the Sea Devils but also Manfish, and while things might be left a little up in the air, reinforcements are brought in, taking the form of Neptimus, the Sea Devils’ robotic headquarters. Illustrated by the incredible team of Howard Purcell and Sheldon Moldoff, the two have done yet another excellent job making the pages of this issue look as good as they do. They have been in the book for some time and have become something of an institution, their designs as thrilling as those of the artists who came before. By the end of it all, the Sea Devils come out ahead, the aliens defeated, and Manfish, once again, is no closer to his goal than he ever was before. Good stuff all around.

3.5 out of 5