Aspen Matthews
Encyclopedia
Aspen Matthews is the main character of Fathom
, a comic book
series created by Michael Turner
.
, she could remember nothing from her early childhood. In her earliest memories she is on the cruise ship Paradise, thought to have been lost for ten years. She was adopted by Captain Matthews, a US Navy captain, and soon developed a passion for water, running to the nearest beach
every day to enjoy her favorite recreations of swimming and surfing
. She actively pursued this passion and showing tremendous aptitude eventually joined the US Olympic Swimming Team. She trained hard and was chosen to compete in the Olympic Games
. However she was eliminated as she tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs despite never having taken any (see Fathom: Prelude #1 for more details). This effectively ended Aspen's professional swimming career, so she chose to study marine biology.
Aspen has recently begun to remember bits of her early childhood, including a memory with her mother talking to a member of the mysterious race known as the Black.
After the event at the DMD, from which she was one of the few survivors, Aspen's life began to grow much more complicated. Admiral Maylander discovered that while her anatomy was somewhat similar is not human. Aspen also encountered Chance Calloway, a naval fighter pilot and shooter of the torpedo. Although she scorned him at first, they developed a mutual degree of respect. Later Aspen was abducted and seduced by Killian who told her that she was one of the Blue, a race of underwater people living in hiding from Humanity. Aspen was also an Elite Blue, meaning she could not only breathe underwater, but also manipulate it to her will. She was persuaded to help set up a number of battle stations in a plan to conquer the human race. The battle stations eventually activated the Blue Sun, a weapon-satellite capable of sending a massive energy beam. The beam was used to penetrate the ocean floor.
Eventually, the enigmatic Cannon Hawke
rescued Aspen away from Killian and his dissidents, who were molding her into their weapon of hatred. He enlightened Aspen of the largely peaceful Blue culture, and the need of stopping Killian's plans. With the help of Cannon and Chance, she did thwart Killian's plan, and in the process tapped into her deeper powers, which were far more powerful than anyone could have imagined.
Fathom (comics)
Fathom is a comic book created by Michael Turner and originally published by Top Cow Productions. It debuted in 1998 and was Michael Turner's first creator-owned comic book series. Fathom is currently published by Turner's own company, Aspen MLT....
, a comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
series created by Michael Turner
Michael Turner (artist)
Michael Layne Turner was an American comic book artist known for his work on Witchblade, Fathom, Superman/Batman, Soulfire, and various covers for DC Comics and Marvel Comics. He was also the president of the entertainment company Aspen MLT.- Early life :Michael Turner was born in Crossville,...
.
Introduction
Aspen Matthews is caught between two worlds. During her early adolescenceAdolescence
Adolescence is a transitional stage of physical and mental human development generally occurring between puberty and legal adulthood , but largely characterized as beginning and ending with the teenage stage...
, she could remember nothing from her early childhood. In her earliest memories she is on the cruise ship Paradise, thought to have been lost for ten years. She was adopted by Captain Matthews, a US Navy captain, and soon developed a passion for water, running to the nearest beach
Beach
A beach is a geological landform along the shoreline of an ocean, sea, lake or river. It usually consists of loose particles which are often composed of rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles or cobblestones...
every day to enjoy her favorite recreations of swimming and surfing
Surfing
Surfing' is a surface water sport in which the surfer rides a surfboard on the crest and face of a wave which is carrying the surfer towards the shore...
. She actively pursued this passion and showing tremendous aptitude eventually joined the US Olympic Swimming Team. She trained hard and was chosen to compete in the Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
. However she was eliminated as she tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs despite never having taken any (see Fathom: Prelude #1 for more details). This effectively ended Aspen's professional swimming career, so she chose to study marine biology.
Aspen has recently begun to remember bits of her early childhood, including a memory with her mother talking to a member of the mysterious race known as the Black.
Killian and the Blue
Aspen continued to study marine biology, graduating as a marine biologist. Eventually, she was invited to participate in a deep underwater research station called Deep Marine Discovery (DMD). The primary goal of the DMD was to study a strange alien ship that seemed to have a symbiotic relationship with the surrounding water. Aspen also learns that the DMD was holding a strange alien man named Killian, who had voluntarily surrendered himself. However Aspen did not have much time to study him, as the DMD was suddenly torpedoed by mistake. Killian freed himself, and attempted to abduct Aspen. However, a strange figure intervened and saved Aspen.After the event at the DMD, from which she was one of the few survivors, Aspen's life began to grow much more complicated. Admiral Maylander discovered that while her anatomy was somewhat similar is not human. Aspen also encountered Chance Calloway, a naval fighter pilot and shooter of the torpedo. Although she scorned him at first, they developed a mutual degree of respect. Later Aspen was abducted and seduced by Killian who told her that she was one of the Blue, a race of underwater people living in hiding from Humanity. Aspen was also an Elite Blue, meaning she could not only breathe underwater, but also manipulate it to her will. She was persuaded to help set up a number of battle stations in a plan to conquer the human race. The battle stations eventually activated the Blue Sun, a weapon-satellite capable of sending a massive energy beam. The beam was used to penetrate the ocean floor.
Eventually, the enigmatic Cannon Hawke
Cannon Hawke
Cannon Hawke is a fictional character of Fathom, a comic book series created by Michael Turner. He also starred in his own self-titled miniseries in 2005/2006.- History :Cannon is an agent of the Blue to the above world of humans...
rescued Aspen away from Killian and his dissidents, who were molding her into their weapon of hatred. He enlightened Aspen of the largely peaceful Blue culture, and the need of stopping Killian's plans. With the help of Cannon and Chance, she did thwart Killian's plan, and in the process tapped into her deeper powers, which were far more powerful than anyone could have imagined.