New York, gangs, trauma, and underworld mythologies rendered in cool tones and eerie tunnelscapes. Reminded me a bit of Russian Doll. I enjoyed it.

A modern day take on the Greek Underworld myth. Elysia travels the subways to find her brother amidst a hurricane in NYC. As she travels, her family history slowly unravels. Some of the Greek myths like Charon and Cerebus are easily detectable while others are more subtle.Received an advance copy from Vault and NetGalley. All thoughts are my own and in no way influenced by the aforementioned.

I think I'm done with comics that look like this. Every time I open comics with art looking this way, I end up disappointed. The story is most of the time the same. Female protagonist? Check. Lesbian/bi? Check. Depressing stuff? Check. Bad/idiotic parent? Check. Not an interesting story? Check. "Let's show this character as really powerful and self-sufficient"? Check.Seriously, this story was so depressing and boring and those characters were so whiny. I didn't feel bad for them at all, didn't b...

I received an ARC copy of this book from NetGalleyI wasn't quite sure what to expect before I started reading this, but I was very pleasantly surprised once I got into it. It starts off a little bit vague [definitely on purpose] but it is more or less a woman's journey to find her brother set up like a journey through the Greek underworld. I don't want to give too much away about the plot because I think it's better if it is slowly revealed to you as you read, but it was definitely surprising an...

Vita Ayala weaves together the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice with a high-stakes family drama set in modern day New York City. Elysia Puente gets a phone call from her estranged younger brother Angel, begging for help. When the call cuts off, Elysia heads out into a torrential storm to find him. She follows clues and hints down into the storm-barricaded subway... or possibly the underworld. Demons, rats, mafia, and specters of her past rise up with the water as Elysia searches desperately for Ange...

Fun art and interesting story line. Had zero clue what was happening for most of this though.

Disclaimer: I received a free ecopy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.During the middle of a hurricane, Elysia travels to the underworld to confront her personal demons. I like the little mythological references that come with this story, particularly Cerberus and the boatman. I'm not sure that the specifics of Elysia's story (e.g. the problems with her family) matter all that much. I liked this for the journey that she goes on to come to terms with her decisions. The way the other

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and illustrator, as well as the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.At first, I wasn't really into the description of the book, but the amazing cover art and the slight hint at the paranormal kept me coming back. I took a look at some reviews on Goodreads and found the various cover arts. It's the creep factor of the various covers that finally drew me into this graphic novel, and it was much, much better than I expe...

Interesting read. 2.5 stars for sure. What I liked: The main character was hispanic, female, and a lesbian. Thats about it. Also, the artwork was good. What I didn't like: The confusing plot, I am not sure why Elysia had to go on this journey. Also her family was so depressing and weak willed. Her father was abusive, her mother was an idiot, and her brother was selfish. I didn't feel bad for any of them.Artwork: Really good, very clean and smooth. The green and blue hues are effective in this. I...

2,5/5. Intriguing concept but wasn't for me. The rhythm was perfect, it was fast paced like I like in comic but the transition from normal world to going into Hell to help her brother and then back to reality and all just seem force and I didn't like it or see the point to it. Not a bad one, but not much in this one for me.

Submerged is the story of Elysia, a latinx lesbian and her descent into the NY subway system to save her wayward brother, Angel. Through voicemails and flashbacks, their family dynamic shows a gender based rift between the two siblings. Elysia is La Princesa, an image of the perfect daughter in her father’s eyes. Angel is the boy, protected from consequences in youth but expected to take up his father’s violent business practices as a young adult. In reality, Elysia consistently gets her brother...

A shallow trip through a metaphorical underworld with characters that are just a collection of attributes(Latinx, lesbian, sibling, etc) with names attached. The plot is too bare to convey why anyone does what they do, so they have to spell it out for one another in emotionless monologues. I'm not sure what story a second volume could even tell.

I modern take on Greek underworld stories, BUT I like to think of it as Infinity Train meets Greek Mythology (because, as some of my friends know, I absolutely adore that show).Picked this up from the library based on a friend's review and instantly ordered a copy of my own upon finishing. Only four issues, Submerged follows Elysia Puente as she searches for her missing brother through an old subway tunnel during a flash flood. Magical realism rears its ugly head as Elysia is forced to confront

On the surface this is about the main character, Elysia, trying to find her brother and going on a dangerous path to do so. But a story called "Submerged" is not likely to be about what's on the surface, is it?There are obvious similarities to Orpheus and Eurydice, but a lot of the imagery reminded me more of medieval art and symbolism, and Submerged might relate more to Dante. Elysia's goal at the start might be to retrieve her mother, but it is really more about saving herself, finding forgive...

Hmmm… A four-parter fantasy comic that wants to be all Neil Gaiman, with a subway network under threat of life-changing flood damage, and a teenaged girl trapping herself in it in a quest for her brother amidst a welter of peculiar places and cod-mythological monster types. Unfortunately it gives us too many flashbacks to the siblings bickering, and all boils down to being 'hey, Hispanic characters have daddy issues too!'. A shame.

This quick review is also posted on my blog with some panels from the comic. They're all property of the creators of the comic. First of all, this book is absolutely gorgeous. It takes a lot to get me to read a book called "Submerged" and has something to do with a hurricane — I don't do water, much less flooded NYC subway stations. Nuh uh — nooooo thank you. But this comic contains absolutely gorgeous blue undertoned artwork. I will admit that while Netgalley did have this arc on their "read no...

2.5 stars, I guess.The concept of 'underworld myth made modern in the NYC subway' sounds great on the tin, but was just executed here really poorly. Reads like a dramatic student project from someone working through personal issues. The flow was very choppy in places, the dialogue was poor while also being needlessly dramatic, and the concepts definitely needed major refining.You can tell that the family story here is probably a super personal one, and I think that ended up weighing everything d...

A magical realist queer Latine trauma coping story set against the backdrop of Greek mythology. So many points for originality!! Like a lot of magical realism, it’s difficult to be sure about *exactly* what just happened and what was or wasn’t “real,” but for this genre that’s a feature not a bug. Fans of Grant Morrison’s Doom Patrol will find this story a welcome evocation of Crazy Jane’s mental landscape, The Underground. Like those stories, everyone in this story wears their heart on their sl...

I wasn't quite sure what to think upon picking this up from Vault. I adore Vault's catalog. They combine two of my favorite things, sci-fi/fantasy, and comics. Previously, I read The Vagrant Queen and loved it. It had a definite space opera vibe to it, which I appreciate. Submerged, however, started confusing, and I realized pretty early on that the confusion was purposeful. I believe that the story was written that way to set the reader off balance. Ayala is throwing odd and fanciful situations...

'Submerged Vol. 1' by Vita Ayala with art by Lisa Sterle is a graphic novel about a storm, a trip to the underworld, and family secrets.Elysia Puente didn't have the best home life, but she always looked out for her estranged brother Angel. When he calls her on the night of the worst storm in history, Elysia goes into the subways looking for him. What she finds is a journey filled with ghosts from her past. She'll have to confront the things she has done in order to find her brother.I liked the