The series concerns the after-effects of a worldwide natural cataclysm called "The Crash", which has seen water levels rise drastically, and the efforts of the conservation activist group The Ninth Wave.

[3] In contrast to his previous creator-owned works, Wood scaled back the research for the project as he felt examination of such in-depth scientific topics would "possibly fall short".

[5] He did, however, draw on the ecological non-fiction book Four Fish,[3] the impact of the 1900 Galveston hurricane,[6] and consulted maps to ensure the story's geography was accurate.

[3] The series was originally intended to be created for DC Comics' Vertigo imprint, coming close to signing contracts,[11][4] but editorial changes at the company, including the departure of Karen Berger, led Wood to take the project to Dark Horse,[3] which he felt he would provide better control of the rights.

[14] which were usually done months ahead of the interior art for the individual issues[7] The three-part prelude was released on Dark Horse's website on 22 April 2012 to tie in with Earth Day.

[19] After narrowly avoiding death from rogue waves after a mission to a North Sea oil rig in 1995 as part of private military company Blackbell, mercenary Callum Israel experiences an epiphany.

[20] Quitting contract military work in 1997,[21] he tracks down direct-action environmental activist group Ninth Wave, and uses his fortune to equip the group with two ships - the Kapital (a refitted Kingston-class coastal defence vessel purchased in Panama[21]) and Massive (formerly a factory trawler, gifted to them by the South Korean government[21]), renaming it as the Ninth Wave Conservationist Force.

[24] The Ninth Wave achieve celebrity initially, and are profiled on MTV; however, following a blockade of oil tankers in Haifa their fame turns into notoriety, and the organization spend weeks at the top of the FBI and Interpol's most wanted list on suspicion of involvement in the September 11 attacks.

[24] Falling water levels see the Suez Canal abandoned in March,[24] oil platforms are set on fire by underwater landslides and pollute the Baja California peninsula,[22] and Hong Kong is devastated by an earthquake in May.

[22] Callum initially wants the group to put its resources towards rescue efforts at the nearest port but is out-voted by Mary and Mags, who believe they will just be absorbed and wasted in any government response and can do more good by weathering the crisis at sea.

Despite Mags' belief they now need to be armed, Cal and Mary vote to retain the organization's Nonviolence Charter[24] The effects of the Crash separate Kapital from Massive on November 29.

[25] Needing a base of operations, the Kapital sails to Somalia, where Cal strikes a supply deal with a shady black market figure in Mogadishu.

[27] A few weeks later, the Kapital reaches Moksha Station - a new society located in international waters at the Indian Ocean made up of mobile oil rigs that has declared itself a neutral sovereign nation.

The chase takes them close to South America, where Peru and Ecuador are in conflict as their resources dwindle following the nuclear explosion in the Strait of Magellan.

[31] While the under-crewed Kapital is again able to lock onto the Massive after the detour it remains frustratingly out of sight; Cal orders Mary to search in the helicopter, despite Mag's misgivings on using the last of their avgas in the endeavor.

[32] Trailing the Massive North leads the Kapital to the Arctic Circle, and Lars is becoming more and more frustrated by the process, while Cal sits on the bridge endlessly attempting to make radio contact.

[33] Having given up on chasing the Massive, the Kapital as sailed to the East Coast of the United States, attempting to track down Georg's submarine before he triggers a nuclear exchange by firing on Moscow as Cal resolves to have the Ninth Wave clear up its messes.

[36] The Kapital travels to Norway, where Bors Bergsen - an old enemy and ardent right-wing traditionalist - is leading the population of Blackstave village back into whaling, using replica Viking longboats and methods.

Bergen hurls a harpoon onto the bridge of the Kapitaland leaves it dead in the water, before returning to butcher a minke whale in full view of the helpless Ninth Wave.

Bergsen's followers meanwhile return the empty Zodiac as a gesture, and one of the elders offers to strike a deal with Mag - who agrees that Blackstove will hunt a quota of five whales a year.

[42] A pregnant Mary has appeared in Saudi Arabia, where she gets work on a convoy of water trucks set for Morocco, a well-paying mission since the Nile has dried out.

With all the men needed to man the country's remaining oil rigs and water drilling projects, the job of security has been given to the women, with only the drivers on the convoy being male.

[43] The convoy has reached Egypt but a security check is announced; Mary tells them that the men ran into the desert during the sandstorm and is able to convince them it is not worth the loss of commission sending them back at this point.

When their truck reaches the weighing point, Mary shoots out its tires, causing a delay, and threatens to have the water tanks purged unless safe passage home is guaranteed.

[45] On board the Kapital, loss of contact with a resupply point at Swansea and other data leads Ryan to posit that the Crash hasn't actually finished.

Earth's gravity increases, tearing the remaining satellites from orbit and killing thousands, and further storms rock the ship, causing mass electromagnetic pulses.

With no radar, radio or GPS the crew are forced to navigate by traditional methods, and Mag identifies Cape Town as the most likely location to have survived the latest events.

Mag finally realizes he saw Mary when nearly drowning as a child; they walk to the Helderberg Nature Reserve, and he attempts to wrap his head around what she is before pleading with her to save Callum.

Around the world fresh disasters unfold - Mount Fuji erupts, the remainder of Hong Kong collapses into the sea, missile silos in the United States explode, Africa floods and landmasses are changed.

Cal's cancer has disappeared but he takes a backseat to Mag in running the ship, which now functions as an exploration vessel as the crew tries to map the much-changed world; instead he cares for the rapidly-growing Yeva.