If every issue of "Aquaman" has been like this one, then I get why everyone has been raving about this series.
Johns paints a dark picture of Arthur's life as he resumes his reign as King of Atlantis, really digging deep into the difficulties that Arthur faces trying to work with the surface world and the Atlanteans at the same time. The environmentalists who watch him and his team stop a group of whalers from exceeding their quotas make it clear that they don't trust him or his people, with the lead environmentalist openly questions whose side he's on. Moreover, on the Atlantean side, Johns creates an interesting foil for Arthur in Murk, one of Orm's elite guard whose contempt of the surface world puts him immediately at odds with Aquaman. Add to that the fact that someone is selling Atlantean arms salvaged off the floor of the ocean after the recent battles and Johns makes you wonder whether Arthur isn't already regretting his decision to take up the throne again. I know that I'm regretting my decision not to get this series and instead getting six Bat-family titles instead.
Showing posts with label Aquaman (2011). Show all posts
Showing posts with label Aquaman (2011). Show all posts
Saturday, March 2, 2013
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Aquaman #16 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)
Well, OK, I definitely didn't see that coming.
Johns does much better crafting a believable story in this issue than he did in "Justice League" #16. First, Arthur and Bruce have a normal conversation where they bury the proverbial hatchet, though I still don't think that Arthur needed to apologize for trying to reason with his brother. But, this conversation at least puts aside the "house divided against itself" storyline and allows the pair to focus on trying to locate Superman and Wonder Woman. In so doing, they discover that the King of Atlantis' scepter controls the weird zombie Atlanteans that we've seen lurking on the edges of this conflict since the start. But, most importantly, they also learn that Orm doesn't have it, as the zombies attack the Atlanteans; Vulko does. It's a great reveal, one that makes sense in terms of the story but one that I didn't really see coming. I thought Johns made a wise decision in throwing us off the scent by having Aquaman suggest somewhere in the middle of the issue that Orm might've been behind the attack as a justification to attack the surface world; it really amplified the impact of the surprise that Vulko was behind it. Vulko's motives seem pretty clear (revenge for his exile and Arthur's treatment), though I think Johns at some point needs to show why Vulko chose now to act. Moreover, Johns still has some work to do in explaining Dr. Shin, whose role in this conflict is still unclear. But, at least we get a good sense of why the attack is happening in the first place..
The other main event in this issue is the debut of the Justice League of America and Johns shows enough disfunction there that I think that I can say that I'm actually excited about this one.
All in all, Johns saves the concept here and I'm legitimately intrigued to see how he wraps up this arc.
Johns does much better crafting a believable story in this issue than he did in "Justice League" #16. First, Arthur and Bruce have a normal conversation where they bury the proverbial hatchet, though I still don't think that Arthur needed to apologize for trying to reason with his brother. But, this conversation at least puts aside the "house divided against itself" storyline and allows the pair to focus on trying to locate Superman and Wonder Woman. In so doing, they discover that the King of Atlantis' scepter controls the weird zombie Atlanteans that we've seen lurking on the edges of this conflict since the start. But, most importantly, they also learn that Orm doesn't have it, as the zombies attack the Atlanteans; Vulko does. It's a great reveal, one that makes sense in terms of the story but one that I didn't really see coming. I thought Johns made a wise decision in throwing us off the scent by having Aquaman suggest somewhere in the middle of the issue that Orm might've been behind the attack as a justification to attack the surface world; it really amplified the impact of the surprise that Vulko was behind it. Vulko's motives seem pretty clear (revenge for his exile and Arthur's treatment), though I think Johns at some point needs to show why Vulko chose now to act. Moreover, Johns still has some work to do in explaining Dr. Shin, whose role in this conflict is still unclear. But, at least we get a good sense of why the attack is happening in the first place..
The other main event in this issue is the debut of the Justice League of America and Johns shows enough disfunction there that I think that I can say that I'm actually excited about this one.
All in all, Johns saves the concept here and I'm legitimately intrigued to see how he wraps up this arc.
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Aquaman #15 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)
I...just really don't get this issue.
I mean, I get the big picture. Someone, possibly related to the weird zombie Atlanteans that we see escape here, is manipulating events to set Atlantis against the U.S. I get that part. In fact, I feel like Johns does a nice job here of showing why it's a Justice League problem and not just an Aquaman, Batman, or Superman problem.
But, I don't get why the Justice League is so bent on defining Aquaman's brother as a murderer. After all, they shot first. Aren't they, by their logic, also murderers? It seems uncharacteristically black-and-white for Batman and Superman in particular. (I have some recollection of Johns writing another storyline in "Justice League" in a similar way, though I can't recall which one exactly.) I just have problems believing that neither Batman nor Superman could take a deep breath and give Aquaman the space that he needs to resolve the impasse peacefully. Moreover, I don't see how Batman in particular hasn't already focused on the problem of why the U.S.S. Mabus unintentionally shot its missiles. After all, Vulko pretty clearly says that someone is manipulating events, so, even if it hadn't dawned on Batman on his own, he's had someone shine a bright light on the problem. But, instead, we're still pretending that Atlantis is some sort of unreasonable aggressor. Bizarre.
Unfortunately, this odd approach to the conflict overshadows the best part of this issue, namely Aquaman and Batman's interactions. Johns manages to inject some much-needed humor into their conversations, which is a welcome step. He's played up their adversarial relationship for most of this series, but, here, we see a thaw. Arthur tells Bruce a little about himself and Bruce rewards this trust by giving him a chance to bargain with his brother. It's why the last scene of this issue is so bizarre, since it ignores that progress and return right to the status quo when it comes to the two of them. Aquaman behaves as irrationally as the rest of them were behaving. The only revelation that would make sense is that it's some sort of plan that Arthur and Bruce hatched off-panel.
At any rate, I have to be honest, I'm starting to wonder why I'm still getting "Justice League." I mean, it's OK. But, it doesn't really seem to have the impact outside the title that I thought made it a must-have series. I mean, I read almost every Bat-family book and we didn't see any sort of tidal wave suddenly wipe out part of Gotham. If I don't have to read it, I'm starting to wonder why I do.
I mean, I get the big picture. Someone, possibly related to the weird zombie Atlanteans that we see escape here, is manipulating events to set Atlantis against the U.S. I get that part. In fact, I feel like Johns does a nice job here of showing why it's a Justice League problem and not just an Aquaman, Batman, or Superman problem.
But, I don't get why the Justice League is so bent on defining Aquaman's brother as a murderer. After all, they shot first. Aren't they, by their logic, also murderers? It seems uncharacteristically black-and-white for Batman and Superman in particular. (I have some recollection of Johns writing another storyline in "Justice League" in a similar way, though I can't recall which one exactly.) I just have problems believing that neither Batman nor Superman could take a deep breath and give Aquaman the space that he needs to resolve the impasse peacefully. Moreover, I don't see how Batman in particular hasn't already focused on the problem of why the U.S.S. Mabus unintentionally shot its missiles. After all, Vulko pretty clearly says that someone is manipulating events, so, even if it hadn't dawned on Batman on his own, he's had someone shine a bright light on the problem. But, instead, we're still pretending that Atlantis is some sort of unreasonable aggressor. Bizarre.
Unfortunately, this odd approach to the conflict overshadows the best part of this issue, namely Aquaman and Batman's interactions. Johns manages to inject some much-needed humor into their conversations, which is a welcome step. He's played up their adversarial relationship for most of this series, but, here, we see a thaw. Arthur tells Bruce a little about himself and Bruce rewards this trust by giving him a chance to bargain with his brother. It's why the last scene of this issue is so bizarre, since it ignores that progress and return right to the status quo when it comes to the two of them. Aquaman behaves as irrationally as the rest of them were behaving. The only revelation that would make sense is that it's some sort of plan that Arthur and Bruce hatched off-panel.
At any rate, I have to be honest, I'm starting to wonder why I'm still getting "Justice League." I mean, it's OK. But, it doesn't really seem to have the impact outside the title that I thought made it a must-have series. I mean, I read almost every Bat-family book and we didn't see any sort of tidal wave suddenly wipe out part of Gotham. If I don't have to read it, I'm starting to wonder why I do.
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Aquaman #14 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)
I have never read "Aquaman." Despite reading comics for 30 years, honest to God, I have two issues of Aquaman, both of which I'm pretty sure I got as part of the comic-book pack that used to be sold in J.C. Penney's Christmas catalogue. As such, I don't know if Aquaman had a brother in the DCU or if Black Manta has always been a treasure hunter. But, I have to say that I'm sufficiently intrigued by both these characters that I realize now why so many people have been raving about this title. "Throne of Atlantis," I am ready!
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