John Dodge is an MTV Writer for CBR who specializes in movies, television, comics, and pop culture. He has a deep knowledge of franchises like Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Marvel, and DC Comics, along with a passion for indie and horror titles. An expert on obscure productions from the ’80s and ’90s, John is known for his encyclopedic recall of cult classics like Beetleborgs.
The following contains major spoilers for Aquaman #12, on sale now from DC Comics.
Aquaman has figured out exactly where he fits in the DC Universe, and it only makes him that much stronger.
After trading blows across three rounds of combat, the eponymous heroes of Aquaman #12 (by Jeremy Adams, John Timms, Rex Lokus, and Dave Sharpe) seem to have found their victor in Hawkman. At least, that is until Aquaman discovers that his connection to the Blue runs as deep as the cosmos itself, and that is all it takes for him to find the strength to send his fellow Justice Leaguer packing with a genuinely crushing defeat.
Aquaman #12
- Written by JEREMY ADAMS
- Art by JOHN TIMMS
- Colors by REX LOKUS
- Letters by DAVE SHARPE
- Main cover art by JOHN TIMMS
- Variant covers by DAVID TALASKI; GUILLEM MARCH; LUCAS MEYER; and KYUYONG EOM
- DC K.O. ALL FIGHT MONTH: ROUND 2 OF 8! Friends become foes in a battle with cataclysmic consequences!
Introduced in the pages of 1995's Swamp Thing #158 by Mark Millar and Phil Hester, the Blue, also known as the Clear, is one of the elemental forces that runs through the entire Multiverse, maybe even the Omniverse, connecting all forms of water and aquatic life. Like the Green, the Grey, the White, and the Red, the Blue is a near infinite wellspring of power, one that even its mightiest champions are nowhere near capable of fully commanding on their own.
Also like its fellow elemental forces, the Blue is governed by its own guiding council of spirits known as the Parliament of Waves. Although the Parliament of Waves has rarely been seen in the pages of DC Comics, the impact that they have on everything within their bounds is quite literally immeasurable.
Aquaman #12 is one of the latest entries in DC Comics' currently ongoing DC K.O. event, which brought together 32 of the most powerful characters in the DC Universe for a battle royale to discover the one true champion among them. Unfortunately, the prize for winning DC K.O. is a shot at taking down King Omega, aka Darkseid, single-handedly. Worse still, the cost of losing that fight is a Multiversal reset courtesy of the lord of Apokolips' hand-crafted Crisis-level event.
As described by writer and DC K.O. co-architect Scott Snyder, this is "a knock-down, drag-out fight between all your favorite DC Super Heroes in a cosmic tournament to save the universe from Darkseid. Darkseid has evolved into something bigger and stronger than ever... There’s no future for the DC Universe because of what he’s done—the heroes’ only shot is to stop him in the present... You have to be merciless to win, and when you’re out, you’re out."
While there is no telling who will win DC K.O., fans have already gotten a glimpse at what comes after. Specifically, that will be the second act of DC Comics' All In initiative, DC: Next Level, which will be helmed by writers Scott Snyder and Joshua Williamson. "I'm incredibly excited to be involved in this new initiative designed to supercharge DC's main line," Williamson said of the announcement. "Much like how the Absolute Universe provided a new burst of creative energy with a series of unexpected new series, DC: Next Level aims to deliver similar excitement."
Aquaman #12 is on sale now from DC Comics.
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