YA, Why Not?: Sanctum by Xavier Dorison and Christophe Bec

In the time of Stalin, a crew of men on a submarine faces mysterious circumstances to locate and retrieve an ancient statue. Led by the ruthless Comrade Colonel, the head of the crew takes drastic measures.

Fast forward to 2029, the crew of the U.S.S. Nebraska is drawn off course toward an emergency beacon of unknown origins. They discover the tragic fate of the ancient Soviet sub, and go to investigate.

One by one, crew members begin to be affected. One contracts all the symptoms of plague...but without the actual infection. Another turns on his beloved machines and fellow soldiers to murderous effect. The search team that heads out is trapped behind a wall, and all communication is cut off. Suddenly the ship is taking on water! Will they abandon the men, and try to save themselves?

The ship's doctor is baffled: several soldiers are showing high levels of the "violence hormone" in their blood...all they have in way of explanation is a document seemingly written in the oldest known language: Ugarit. Decoding what they can, they discover horrific poems of the evil god's destruction and devastation. With a damaged ship, there is little hope of survival. A desperate plan is hatched: it may be their only chance of survival, but it also doesn't have the greatest chance of success.

A second team is sent out to retrieve the first, finding only horrors in the cave. A horrific site greets them as they locate the main chamber: could this have been the end of the Ugarit civilization? Meanwhile back on the ship, the situation is getting more frantic. Time is running out, and the crew is starting to fracture. As more information is uncovered about the recovered Ugarit text, the truth seems even more horrible than they could have imagined.

Beautiful art, really innovative panel structure. It may be confusing to novice comic book readers, but it is very visually stimulating. The plot is a little cliche, but it does manage to draw you in, and get your attention. It has a bit of a Lovecraft feel as well.

"Give me one of your brothers that I might feed myself

and divert the rage that keeps me company.

Thus I will exterminate all humanity.

I will exterminate the multitudes of the earth," (Dorison pg. 121, 2005).