This issue was OK. It wasn't great, but, given the state of the DCnU, OK is actually pretty good.
The main story focuses on Aquaman's brother declaring war on the the U.S. It's still unclear to me why he would do so, particularly since he seemed pretty docile in "Aquaman" #14. It could have something to do with the U.S.S. Mabus unintentionally firing missiles on an underwater colony, but Johns hasn't connected those dots yet. He simply sets up the mystery of who took over the controls and fired the missiles without hinting at responsibility.
Most notably, perhaps, Johns also spends some time building the relationship between Clark and Diana. Although I'm not really buying the romance angle, I thought their conversation was pretty interesting. Clark is essentially serving as a mentor to Diana, showing her how she can hide in plain sight among humanity and maybe have a real life. I thought Reis did a really spectacular job on the scene of them having dinner together, especially capturing Diana's joy at realizing that Clark could be onto something. That conversation is interrupted, though, when Aquaman's brother hurls the U.S.S. Mabus at Metropolis as part of a first strike in revenge for the attack. Aquaman, in Gotham seeking Bruce's help, recognizes the move as the beginning of Atlantis' attack plans and we now seem ready to roll in "Aquaman" #15.
In terms of the Shazam back-up story, Johns seemed to be giving us yet another "Billy and Freddy go wild" story. But, half-way through the story, we actually start getting somewhere. Billy announces that he's going to stay an adult and the fight that Freddy and he have because of it is pretty realistic. (Well, it's as realistic as a kid fighting with his friend who suddenly became a super-powered adult could be.) But, the main event is the arrival of Black Adam, at long last. I'm definitely excited to see where this one goes.
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