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The Abyssal Plain


Title	Abe Sapien: The Abyssal Plain
Story by	Mike Mignola & John Arcudi
Art by	Peter Snejbjerg
Colors by	Dave Stewart
Lettered by	Clem Robins
Edited by	Scott Allie
Originally Published in	Abe Sapien: The Abyssal Plain #1-2
Internal Numbering	Abe Sapien #7-8
Date Published	June-July 2010
Collected in	Abe Sapien 2: The Devil Does Not Jest and Other Stories

Abe Sapien explores the wreck of a 1940's era Soviet Submarine to salvage a lost artifact.

Publication HistoryEdit

Abe Sapien: The Abyssal Plain was published as a two issue mini-series, in June and July 2010. The first issue was published with two covers; one by Dave Johnson and a variant by Peter Snejbjerg with Dave Stewart. The story was collected, along with The Haunted Boy andThe Devil Does Not Jest, in the trade Abe Sapien: The Devil Does Not Jest and Other Stories.

SynopsisEdit

Part OneEdit

In 1948, a Soviet soldier, Iosif, sits in a sunken submarine at the bottom of the Norwegian Sea, slowly waiting to die. He writes a letter to the woman he loves, leaning on a box labeled "Melchiorre's Burgonet".

Years later, in August 1984 , Abe Sapien and Agent Sal Tasso are on a ship in the Norwegian Sea, to retrieve "Melchiorre's Burgonet." Abe recounts the object's history;

During the time of Pope Clement the VII, Ugo Melchiorre served him as a captain. Melchiorre managed to turn certain defeat into victory at the Battle of Modena. Though Melchiorre was gravely wounded he walked off the field of battle without help. However as soon as they took off his helmet he died.

During World War Two the Nazi's had the Burgonet. The Soviet Special Sciences Service took the artifact after the war in 1946. The Burgonet was put on a submarine in 1948 to go to a Russian Mystic to be studied, but the submarine never arrived.

Abe swims down to the wreck and returns with the Burgonet. While exploring the wreck, Abe has mixed feelings about disturbing the dead. Back on the ship Abe says he plans on taking the helmet to O'Donnell for analysis.

The ship Captain and Abe get in an argument about salvaging the wreck. Abe wants the sub left in peace, in memory of the dead. The Captain, needing the money, wants to see if there is anything valuable left. But before they can finish arguing, a single water swollen zombie climbs onto the deck.

Part TwoEdit

The issue alternates between flashback scenes with Iosif the Soviet soldier and Abe Sapien on the ship.

Iosif, the Soviet soldier, stands on a navy ship talking to a fellow officer.

Agent Tasso shoots the zombie, but unfazed it keeps walking. Abe realizes that the zombie is that same man who was sitting over the Burgonet, and decides to watch the creature's actions.

Iosif tells his colleague that he volunteered for the Special Sciences Service because of a ghost he saw as a small boy.

The zombie stands in front of the safe now holding the Burgonet. Abe still wants to wait and watch, but the captain will not allow the zombie to stay. Suddenly, they get word that a Soviet cruiser is approaching.

In the Special Sciences Service warehouse, Iosif is taken in to talk to Varvara. She tells him he will escort a crate for the next five weeks. He protests that he will miss his wife's birthday, but she insists.

With the soviets in pursuit, Abe realizes that they cannot keep the Burgonet. He opens the safe and allows the zombie to get the Burgonet.

Iosif tells his wife that he must go, but he promises that he will return and never leave her again.

Abe and Tasso sail away as the Russians approach the sunken sub. Tasso says that it is a shame that they will get the Burgonet. Abe replies that he radioed the Vatican and that they will pressure the Kremlin into turning over the Burgonet.

Story ChronologyEdit

The Submarine sunk in Spring of 1948. The main story takes place in August 1984.

GalleryEdit

Abe Sapien Publication Order
Preceded by The Haunted Boy	The Abyssal Plain	Followed by The Devil Does Not Jest

Wikia

The Abyssal Plain

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