Written by Geoff Johns
Illustrated by Ivan ReisThe red-hot creative team behind BLACKEST NIGHT and BRIGHTEST DAY reunite!
An entire town…devoured! As Aquaman and Mera discover the grisly truth behind a town’s disappearance, the Trench infestation spreads inland! Plus: Another gruesome Trench power revealed — and it’s not for the squeamish!
Aquaman, the character who has arguably been the most mocked and maligned comic book character this side of The Wonder Twins finally got a new title in the DCnU. The maestro of Marvel’s Distinguished Competition looks to make Aquaman the badass he’s always supposed to have been, which is easier said than done when no one takes the orange shirt seriously.
That said, how is the book coming along? Only I can tell you my thoughts beyond the cut! As a note: there are spoilers discussed.
Aquaman: the most misunderstood character in the DCU. If you watching anything that relies on pop culture references, from the Big Bang Theory to Family Guy, Aquaman has been a punchline at least once. He was the guy who could only talk to fish; he was the guy that rode a giant seahorse; he was the guy who wore the ugliest costume in the history of superherodom. Nevertheless, these misconceptions of the character are what fuel the story Johns is telling, and that’s a brilliant move.
The easiest way to explain the status quo for Arthur in the book is the constant having to prove himself to the populace, who assumes he’s as much a loser as mainstream comics fans believe him to be. Johns writes Arthur as being legitimately annoyed with the public (and by extension, comic book fandom) because he has to deal with silly questions like “you talk to fish, right?” or “the guy in the orange shirt?” It’s a great way to satirize the industry as a whole, and I’m glad Johns decided to take such a route.
It also helps that Johns put Arthur on dry land. One of the problems with Aquaman (and to a lesser extent Wonder Woman) is that there is no relatable population to interact with or protect. Superman has Metropolis, Batman has Gotham City, The Flash has Central/Keystone City, etc., etc. If there’s no one for Aquaman to bond with, the narrative suffers and the book becomes less relatable because of it. The inclusion of Mera as well was a great choice, even if it was not at all surprising; she’s his wife and Geoff Johns has already admitted to enjoying writing her, so it was a natural fit. The best thing about her is that she is not bound by Arthur in the slightest. She’s tough in her own right, fighting battles alongside her husband, and in some cases, better than he does.
The one thing that doesn’t exactly make sense yet are the villains introduced at the end of the previous issue. It’s clear they come from “The Deep” and are as alien to us as Martian Manhunter, but their motivations are a little too black and white for my tastes, because that’s exactly what it is: they’re hungry and they want food. I suppose it works on a horror movie level, but even then, the final panel doesn’t exactly make much sense. Somehow, they KNOW to take Aquaman with them underwater, even though they haven’t captured him yet. Are they under orders from someone else? If these Angler Fish looking creatures are just now discovering the surface world, how COULD they be? Hopefully these will be answered in time.
Even if some parts of the story were lacking, Ivan Reis is on a TEAR artistically. Reis, who worked with Johns on Blackest Night, has been on his A-Game since then, producing some of the best work DC puts out. Everything from Mera’s face to the eviscerated remains of the innocent bystanders being digested by the Anglers to the Anglers themselves look absolutely flawless in their own way. Mera is as beautiful as she is tough, and even Arthur has a certain sense of beauty to him, as he spends about half of the issue shirtless. My favorite parts of the book, however, are the differing levels of annoyance with the population, as was discussed before. Reis interpreted Johns’ tone better than anyone could have before. That’s why they’re such a good team; they know how to work with each other really well.
If the DCnU benefited anymore the most, it was Aquaman. Check out this book, you won’t be sorry.
Final Verdict: 8.5 OUTRAGEOUSes out of 10
