Spinning out the well-received arc in Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis’ “Aquaman,” The Others make a return in their own ongoing series. Does their solo outing sink or swim? Can the market really support two Aquaman titles? Dive in and find out!
Written by Dan Jurgens
Illustrated by Lan MedinaA “FUTURES END” prelude! Spinning out of AQUAMAN, the King of Atlantis and his teammates find themselves targeted by an unknown foe that wants their Atlantean artifacts! Don’t miss the start of this all-new series!
Leave it to Geoff Johns to make a character into a franchise. One new super team may not be as massive as a full spectrum of ring-wielding warriors, but having two “Aquaman” books running concurrently is certainly noteworthy. The book is also (if I’m not mistaken) only the second series starring an original New 52 creation (“Talon” being the first), another milestone.
“Aquaman and the Others” #1 treads a fine line between new series and continuation of an established plot. Each member is introduced anew, but there’s the clear distinction that there’s a history here. Deceased members Kahina and Vostok are mentioned at various times in the issue, with the latter playing a large part over the course of the issue.
Perhaps the desire to make the book more accessible can explain the book’s surprising choice of writer. It seems strange that, after putting a fair amount of work into expanding “The Others” outside of their debut arc, John Ostrander isn’t taking the reins on this one. Moreover, Dan Jurgens is an unexpected choice for a new Aquaman book. His association with the character is minimal, and his wheelhouse leans toward classic aspects of DC’s history, rather than its newer creations.
However, all things considered, Jurgens does a competent job. The writer introduces each member of The Others individually, acquainting the reader with his or her personality, skill set, and Atlantean relic of choice. Jurgens does a great job of capturing the most interesting aspects of each character. The Prisoner’s soldier mentality and ghostly compatriots, Sky’s Native American heritage and mysticism, and the Operative’s spy tech and flying base of operations all play a major part in the issue.
Jurgen’s nails the concept of The Others, but the rest of the execution falters. There’s a fair bit of wonky dialogue and exposition as Jurgens establishes the new status quo, with characters openly bemoaning the failing power of their relics. It’s hard not to chuckle at Ya’Wara’s absurdly melodramatic reaction (hey animals, guess I’ll be hanging out with you guys for a while since I can’t teleport). At times the issue falls prey to lazy dialogue, with two different characters exclaiming “I’ll have to do this the hard way!” when realizing their powers are on the fritz.
Surprisingly, after being one of the stronger characters in Johns’ ‘Others’ arc, Ya’Wara is a far less engaging character here. Chalk it up to the previously mentioned dialogue problems, a lack of a distinct hook, or some less than satisfactory anatomy and facial expression from Lan Medina, but the character just isn’t presented at her best.
Aside from the overly sexualized and occasionally creepy depiction of Ya’Wara, Medina does an exceptional job on this issue. His work is highly reminiscent of Ivan Reis and Paul Pelletier’s contributions to the Aquaman universe, preserving a sense of visual continuity for these characters. The artist demonstrates a terrific perspective for action, making the book’s kinetic fight scenes a ton of fun. Medina also transitions between the books exotic and diverse locations with ease. The artist makes the book’s diverse cast its greatest asset, blending a number of different styles and genres. Under Medina’s pencils, “Aquaman and the Others” #1 is a street level brawler, supernatural drama, spy-thriller, and a Tarzan-esque action story, all-in-one.
A big point of interest in the issue, for some fans at least, will be the supposed connection to the upcoming “Futures End” weekly series. Unfortunately, I can report that the connection is tangential at best. The “prelude” is a little more than a one panel image that will be extremely familiar to anyone who has kept up with the book’s promotion. It’s not even entirely clear if “Futures End” will play a continued role in the series, making the shoehorned tease feel even more gratuitous.
Overall, “Aquaman and the Others” is an uneven book with a ton of potential. It’s great to see DC taking a chance on these characters, and raising Aquaman’s profile even higher. Say what you will about the logistics and execution of the New 52, but paving for a book like this is extremely impressive. Now that the characters and conflict have been established, it will be interesting to see if the team can overcome their foibles to create a long-lasting addition to DC’s pantheon.
Final Verdict: 7.0 – Browse
