 Birthdays |
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FEBRUARY 2006
Aspen Matthews
("Fathom") |
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| Aspen Matthews brought up a little contention
in our forums when she was put forth for
inclusion in the Honorary Oakley. Like
a few of our other honourable winners,
she seems to be a bit of a dichotomy,
in that she can be seen as a big breasted
no brainer--at least via the obvious visual
clues. But, upon closer inspection, she
offers far more than the predominantly
male-driven comic book business would
have you believe. Let's not get caught
up in a strange arena where only 'normal-
looking' women can make it here; you can
be sexy AND have brains and, in that sense,
Aspen Matthews is no different to some
other Honorary Oakley winners (Lara Croft,
Abi Whistler, etc.). Yes, she IS sexy,
and her breasts are larger than large,
but that's just how it is...we can't ignore
her just because, for the most part, she
happens to be drawn by men, for men (though
her biggest fan on TB is female). That
is why we've stuck with the decision to
make Aspen Matthews our Honorary Oakley
for February 2006. Breastage and other
stunning comic art aside, she's a kick-ass
gal, as you're about to discover... |
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Full Name:
Aspen Matthews
Apparent Age: 25
Occupation: Doctor
of Marine Biologist
Hair: Black
Eye Color: Violet
Education: Doctorate
in Marine Biology
Marital status: Single
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Conceptualising
the Story and Heroine…
The overall concept of the Fathom
stories is simple enough. There
are two worlds, the one we know,
and the one below (meaning the
oceans, etc.), which we don't
know. It's full of that sort of
intrigue and our gal Aspen is
bang in the centre of it all.
The novelisation of the comic
has it that a cruise ship was
lost at sea for ten years...only
to suddenly return with everyone
aboard seemingly oblivious to
the chronological time lapse--a
sort of '4400' scenario, if you
will. One of the passengers, a
young girl, has no memory of her
life or parents, and the only
name she can recall...is Aspen.
And so the story begins. Aspen
grows up with a strange affinity
for the sea, and she puts herself
through college and becomes a
marine biologist. She's also a
gold medal olympic athlete (swimming),
though this was later revoked
due to drug alegations (false).
Whilst conducting an experiement
she comes to realise there's more
to her water affinity than she
could ever have dreamed...she
is from the below.
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Making a Splash…
Aspen's first job is working for the
Deep Marine Discovery project, a project
housed underwater--deep underwater.
It soon becomes apparent that Aspen
is a descendent of a race that can control
water with their minds, a race from
the below that don't hold humans in
much esteem (and why would they, we're
killing the planet--Ed). Aspen is then
in a dilemma, you see, as those above
prize her for that reason, but those
below prize her for the time she's spent
on land. The underwater races (of which
there are two) want to use Aspen in
their own war with humanity. Needless
to say, what transpires below the waves
causes waves of a differing kind on
land, and so the story is set up for
many subsequent adventures, all with
the heroine Aspen at the centre.
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Surfing the Web…
Conspiracy theorists and adventure fans
alike will be completely drawn into
the Fathom universe because it's so
easily accessible. There's the land-based
military connection, who know about
the below, whilst us poor regular flunkies
carry on in life blissfully unaware.
There's also the underwater conflict
between the two races of the below,
which adds color and depth to not only
the character of Aspen as she tries
to work out what to do, but also to
the overall storylines. Plenty of scope
for adventure.
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A Real Page Turner…
Fathom was created by artist Michael
Turner, who also created the Witchblade
series (featuring another cool and strong
female heroine 'Sara Pezzini'). Turner
originally worked for Top Cow comics,
he's also an award-winning water skier
and an avid video gamer. Michael Turner
was diagnosed with cancer in 2000 at
the age of 29. In 2002, after having
an entire hip and 40% of his pelvis
removed, followed by radiation treatment,
Turner opened his own comic company
called Aspen Comics. Fathom resumed
publication in 2004, this time through
Aspen Comics MLT, after a legal battle
with Top Cow, whom Turner had previously
worked for. We wish Michael Turner all
the best for the future. Keep bringing
us kick ass girl characters!
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We've tried not to spoil the overarching
themes and stories of the Fathom universe
here, as you may just want to read Aspen
Matthews' adventures yourself. Hopefully,
however, this Oakley article has highlighted
one thing: Aspen is the hero of the
Fathom universe, she kicks butt and
takes numbers. She's essentially like
an underwater Lara Croft with some cool
powers. And she's not the only cool
female character in the comic either,
with the addition of Kiana, a strong
female character of the underwater race
that strives to help others. Add Aspen
and Kianna to another female badass
in the form of Vana and there's plenty
of female heroes to look up to within
the Fathom series. The character of
Aspen Matthews was also nominated for
the Wizard Fan Award for 'Favorite Heroine'
in 2000. That reason, and all the others
mentioned in this article, is why we've
made the star of Fathom, Aspen Matthews,
our Honorary Oakley for the Month of
February 2006.
Lara Croft as she appears
in Fathom
You can
buy Fathom Comics and other cool Michael
Turner stuff.. HERE
All pictures copyright
their respective owners.
Any pictures appearing here you feel
should not be will be removed immediately
This article is in no way connected
to or licensed byAspen Comics MLT,
however all information / pictures
remain their property. This is merely
a homage..
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