THIS WEEK: The King of the Seven Seas returns in a new DC All In ongoing series with Aquaman #1.
Note: the review below contains spoilers. If you want a quick, spoiler-free buy/pass recommendation on the comics in question, check out the bottom of the article for our final verdict.
Aquaman #1
Writer: Jeremy Adams
Artist: John Timms
Colorist: Rex Lokus
Letterer: Dave Sharpe
Cover Artist: John Timms
It’s been four years since there was a monthly Aquaman series, and while there’ve been miniseries, team-ups, and even a body swap since then, there’s still been an overall distinct lack of undersea action in the DCU. That changes now with the launch of a new Aquaman ongoing series as part of DC’s All In initiative. Spinning out of the events of Absolute Power and the All In special, the debut issue of the series wastes no time getting to the aquatic excitement, and to the heart of the character.
Writer Jeremy Adams has a knack for taking classic characters and breathing fresh air into them in books like The Flash and Green Lantern. With Aquaman, Adams presents an Arthur Curry who’s settling back into a routine he doesn’t necessarily enjoy, a man who’s bored with the tedium of ruling Atlantis and would rather be off adventuring. Of course by issue’s end he gets his wish, for better or worse, and the impact of it wouldn’t hit nearly as hard if Adams hadn’t taken the time to establish Arthur’s world for new readers up top. Adams also establishes a new mystery, one that’s been in plain sight across a number of other titles he’s worked on, that’ll surely have readers going back to look at the earlier pieces of the puzzle. Between that and Aquaman’s new hydrokinesis, a power he inadvertently got from Mera at the end of Absolute Power, there’s no shortage of story potential in this first issue.
The team of artist John Timms and colorist Rex Lokus is well-suited for the tone of Aquaman’s latest outing. Timms has done solid work on books like Young Justice and Superman: Son of Kal-El previously, and he continues that trend here, with linework that is stylized and dynamic. His characters aren’t always the most expressive, but when they move they move, flying (or swimming) across the page in exciting, energetic fashion. Lokus’s colors complement Timms’s linework well, and give the whole issue something of a throwback feel to the bright primary colors of classic superhero comics.
While much of the first issue is set up for what’s to come, it’s clear from the very start that what’s to come will be unlike any Aquaman story before it. With a tease of Arthur as a ‘God-Killer’ in the opening pages, and a final-page reveal that appears to tie the series heavily to the overall All In storyline, Adams, Timms, and co. seem to be taking a grand approach to the character’s stories. It’s a scale and a spotlight befitting one of the pillars of the DC Universe, and if this debut issue is any indication we’re in for a very entertaining run.
Final Verdict: BUY.
Round-Up
- Absolute Batman #4 steps back from the cliffhanger of the previous issue for a flashback look at the early days of this Bruce Wayne’s vigilante career. This issue is illustrated by Gabriel Hernández Walta, whose work here is highly evocative of Mazzuchelli’s Batman: Year One work, and Scott Snyder’s scripting includes the required nods to the mainline DCU to support that evocation. An interesting look at the low-budget Batman’s beginnings that’s beautiful to look at.
- Batman and Robin #17 continues Phillip Kennedy Johnson and Javi Fernández’s “Memento” storyline. This arc has been a really nice mix of action, flashbacks to Bruce’s younger days, and familiar drama between Bruce and Damian. Johnson has built nicely on the previous creative team’s development of Damian, adding a more human layer to the character that’s very welcome. Fernández’s artwork is stellar, and colorist Marcelo Maiolo completes the visuals nicely. This is a strong contender for the best ongoing Batman series right now.
- Batman: Dark Patterns #2 escalates the tension and the horror of the first issue masterfully. Dan Watters and Hayden Sherman are on their way to an all-timer with this book. It also features a panel that sent shivers down my spine and will have me thinking twice any time I get in my car going forward.
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English (US) · 