After succumbing to the wave of peer pressure, I’m picking up “Aquaman: for the first time after the relaunch. With very little idea of what awaits, follow me into the deep end to see what treasures await in the depths.
Written by Geoff Johns
Illustrated by Ivan Reis– “THE OTHERS” part five!
– AQUAMAN and THE OTHERS catch up with Black Manta — but are they really united as a team?
The water-related jokes will stop, honest. Everyone needs to have a little fun, right?
A central theme that permeates this series is, ‘Aquaman is not lame, he’s actually badass.’ Johns certainly seems to have accomplished driving this home and it might have something to do with his choice of setting. All of “Aquaman” so for has taken place in or around the ocean. The stories deal with Arthur’s main sphere of influence and the mystery of Atlantis is thrown in there to drive the plot. Putting Aquaman in his natural element will result in much better stories than, say, that old Cartoon Network bump where Aquaman is tied up miles from any ocean, lamenting his uselessness, and Geoff Johns is certainly known for stripping characters down to what makes them work then building a new mythos up around them. So far its working relatively well in “Aquaman.” (Though I still feel Arthur deserved a ‘Rebirth’ mini-series along side Hal & Barry.)
Characterization seems spot on from earlier issues. Arthur toes that line between aloof and driven, Mera is fierce and violent, Black Manta is Black Manta. From a character standpoint though, Vostok stands out among The Other’s, though part of that might be that he is introduced with a flashy splash page, and is one of the only memebers of this team referenced by name. It also might be that he is a Russian Adam Strange, and has one of the coolest origins for a new character I’ve seen in a long while.
Theres a lot going on in this issue, but what it basically boils down to is: Black Manta is eeevil. Aquaman’s ‘Others’ are a dysfunctional League of Losers. Atlantis is spooky and mysterious. The basic plot of this issue revolves around ancient artifacts and figuring out what destroyed Atlantis. This has been done to death, but since this is a new universe with new continuity, give it a chance and judge the story on its own merits.
Talking about how good Ivan Reis is on pencils is also something done to death. Anything would be redundant and a waste of your time. His work is simply beautiful, and in this case it turns a fun book into a good book. Again, check out that splash of Vostok, and the backdrops of Atlantean architecture that will make you want to strap on a SCUBA tank and jump in, with mad props to the inkers and colorist too.
So, with gorgeous art and a fun story, it is safe to say that “Aquaman” # 11 is worth your $2.99. It isn’t going to be the best thing you read this week, but it will be entertaining. I’d recommend picking up some back issues if you haven’t been following this title,as this is part five of an ongoing arc, and the lack of knowledge might impact the enjoyment just a tad.
Final Verdict: 7.0 – Buy it. The creators have their hook and line, now they just need to land the catch.
