Titans #21 - A Review

Roy Harper is convinced he has uncovered a super-villain conspiracy but Donna Troy fears he may be back on heroine and hallucinating. When Dick Grayson and Wally West go to confront their friend and former teammate, who will emerge victorious in the fight that follows?


Usually whenever you have a comic where the heroes are fighting other heroes, it is lazy padding. Granting I may be biased as a Roy Harper fan who is thrilled to see a story that remembers that Arsenal is a master strategist and no mean detective, Dan Abnett still writes a fantastic issue full of pathos, ethos and action.  The artwork is top-notch, with Paul Pelletier giving every panel a sense of active motion - even the simple scenes of characters talking on the phone. The finishes by Andrew Hennessy and Adriano Lucas are also excellent.

The Final Analysis: 10 out of 10.

Nightwing #29 - A Review

Lost within a ring of snow and ice - the second circle of the labyrinth formed out of Gotham City - our heroes find themselves contending with a twisted version of Mr. Freeze and an army of frost giants! Thankfully, Nightwing has arrived on the scene to join the search for Batman, but he faces his own inner-conflict regarding the menace they face. Meanwhile, The Teen Titans meet up with The Suicide Squad, forming a reluctant alliance to get into the maze themselves...


The unfortunate thing about comic-book crossovers is that new readers, attracted by the linking story line, may find themselves turned away from a single chapter due to unexplained references to the book's regular story. This problem plagues Nightwing #29 which makes repeated mention of a villain called Dr. Hurt and Dick Grayson's connection to The Court of Owls. While I am vaguely familiar with this plot-line from Scott Snyder's Batman, Tim Seely doesn't do a very good job of explaining it and it's largely incidental to the action of the issue in any case. Even that much might be confusing for those readers who haven't already read Batman: The Red Death #1, which is more efficient in explaining the basic idea of The Dark Multiverse.

Thankfully, this issue's script makes up for this shortcoming in other ways. Seely's grasp of the characters, for instance, is top-notch. I was particularly gratified to see Killer Croc as being written as something other than a complete idiot, though Damian Wayne is back to being a spoiled brat. Your mileage may vary on if this is an accurate assessment of his character, but it doesn't jibe with what we saw in Teen Titans last week. But whatever - I can forgive a lot simply for the revelation that Harley Quinn and Green Arrow are both pen-and-paper RPG players.


The artwork is a similarly mixed bag. Paul Pelleiter is a good artist but his detail-driven style suffers in the small panels that the story requires. This frequently causes the panels to be cluttered and only the fact that Andrew Hennessy applies his inks so sparingly saves the issue. Even then, the fine details are often lost in the more heavily-shaded panels with a higher saturation of darker colors.

The Final Analysis: 6 out of 10.  Decent enough but it could have been so much better.

Aquaman #19 - A Review

Aquaman #19 has much to admire.  Perhaps too much. Involved stories with expansive casts are the bread and butter of Geoff Johns but I can't help but think he's biting off more than he can chew with his latest epic. 


The current storyline was complicated enough in the wake of Throne of Atlantis with Aquaman struggling to maintain a fragile peace with the surface world after he became King of Atlantis.  Last month's issue introduced further complications, with a military coup made up of soldiers still loyal to the former king pending and Mera facing legal prosecution at the hands of a vindictive sheriff.  This issue introduces even more complications, with the introduction of Mera's never-before-seen first husband and a new figure claiming to be the king of Atlantis.

This is in addition to the development of the other storylines, with the rebellious soldiers attempting to recruit Swatt - the only Atlantean who cannot breathe underwater and - as such - an expert on the surface world, who collects sunken artifacts just like Ariel from The Little Mermaid.  All this and Johns still finds time to reintroduce Aquman's octopus pal Topo into the New 52 continuity.  This is all well-written but it's all a bit much to be going on at once and there's no clear payoff in sight for any of these storylines.


One thing that is clear is the pencils of Paul Pelletier.  His figures are still as open and well-defined, with Sean Parson's inks perfectly defining his work.  The artwork of this series mirrors its' scripts in complexity but remains far easier to follow.

I'm not certain I'll be staying with Aquaman for much longer.  The opening arc was enjoyable enough and the second storyline suggested a rich new history for Aquaman with its' introduction of The Others.  Sadly, that history went largely unexplored and while I enjoyed the Throne of Atlantis crossover with Justice League, the series at present seems to be confusing complex storytelling with a mass of subplots.  I'll give it until the end of the current arc out of loyalty to the book as it was starting out but that's as far as I'll go.

Aquaman #18 - A Review

Geoff Johns has written some of the most complex, well-written comic series of the past decade.  Yet that complexity comes at a price, as Aquaman #18 proves.  This is the first part of a new storyline and while Johns does try to explain the current state of affairs for new readers with some good exposition, there is much he fails to explain. 


There's enough story here for three comics, let alone one!  Most of the focus is upon Aquaman as he tries (and largely fails) to repair relations with the surface world in the wake of his brother's failed invasion by hunting down stolen Atlantean super-weapons.  This allows Johns the chance to reintroduce the classic Aquaman villain The Scavanger as a weapons dealer seeking out materials lost during the battle.  There's also subplots involving a subterranean menace being awoken in Antarctica and a possible coup in the Atlantean army as well as an update on Mera's activities on the surface world.  This is all brilliant work if you've been reading the book since the first issue but I imagine this story may be totally inaccessible to new readers.

The artwork is as complex as the story, though far more easily understood.  Paul Pelleiter share Johns' eye for detail and works a fair bit of it into his penciling without cluttering the page.  Sean Parsons does an able job of shading and highlighting Pelleiter's work. 


I fear Aquaman #18 will turn away more new readers than it might win over.  Good material exists in abundance but I think there may be just a bit too much being introduced at once in this issue.  New readers who wanted to see what all the hype was about after the Throne of Atlantis storyline would do well to pick up a copy of Aquaman: The Trench in order to catch up on the series as it is now.

Aquaman #17 - A Review

Conflict lies at the heart of all great stories.  Indeed, most stories are described in terms of one of four types of conflict; Man fights Nature, Man fights Society, Man fights another Man and Man fights Himself.  Aquaman #17 features all four of these forms of conflict in its' title character's current struggles and it's a credit to Geoff Johns that he can bring all these different conflicts into play in a single story.


Newly crowed as King of Atlantis, Arthur Curry finds himself surrounded on all sides by conflict.  He wished to bring peace between the surface world and Atlantis and was successful by claiming the throne of Atlantis and ordering an end to the hostilities.  Yet there is a big difference between peace and trust.  This is a lesson the young king is learning as he discovers that his new subjects obey him only because of his title - not because of respect or a belief in his rule. 

Meanwhile, his friends and allies on the surface world now view him as a potential threat due to his seemingly alliance with those who tried to kill them.  The natural world he can communicate with has turned cold to him due to his failure to protect it.  Even his most faithful companion, his wife Mera, has abandoned him due to her own feud with Atlantis and her viewing his efforts to make peace with both sides of his heritage as foolish.  And then there is the question that everyone keeps asking.  The question Aquaman struggles within himself to answer - whose side are you on and who are you fighting for?


The artwork proves as excellent as ever.  Paul Pelleiter's pencils are picture perfect.  Sean Parson's inks are appropriately atmospheric.  Simply said, this book looks as good as it reads.  All in all, I'd say this title is a must read and a good jumping-on point, despite being the epilogue of the Throne of Atlantis storyline.  If you have yet to give Aquaman a shot, now is the time.

Justice League #17 - A Review

There's little I can say about Justice League #17 that I haven't said already about the other issues in the Throne of Atlantis mini-series.  There is much I fear to say for the sake of spoiling a story that did manage an honest twist or two in the tale.  However, I think I can safely say that this final chapter does rock the status quo of both the Aquaman title as well as Justice League.  Big changes are afoot - that much is certain!


The plot is as good as one would expect from Geoff Johns.  The drama between Aquaman and his brother Orm is cranked up to 11 as the two do battle with words as well as with magical artifacts.  Johns has given Orm far greater depth than I think he's ever had in any other story and I thank him for it.  Indeed, Orm has become so sympathetic a figure, I find myself sympathizing with him more than I do Aquaman.


The excellent artwork of  Paul Pelleiter and  Ivan Reis brings this series to bed.  There's some amazing, poster-worthy pages here, my favorite being a spread of The League charging into battle.  And yet it's the little details - such as The Atom escaping from the inside of an Atlantean doomsday device - that make Reis' art so interesting.   

Aquaman #16 - A Review

It's the little details that make Geoff Johns' writing so enjoyable and Aquaman #16 is a fine example of this truism.  The main storyline involving Aquaman saving Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman from the dangers of their "Dark Waters" prison is exciting stuff but all my favorite moments from this issue lay outside of that gripping plot.  There's the brief interlude where we learn that Cyborg still dreams and what he dreams about.  There's the interplay between Dr. Shin and Vulko - the two men who, for better and worse, have become spiritual father-figures to Aquaman since his father's death.  And there's the glorious sequence where we see the Justice League reserves come into play.  If this is a preview of what we can expect in the upcoming Justice League of America comic, then I'm doubly excited for that title's arrival.


The artwork by penciler Paul Pelletier has stepped-up from last month's issue.  I credit this to new inker Sean Parsons.  While the artwork in Aquaman #15 was far from bad, the shadows were a bit heavy at times.  With Parson's assistance, Pelleiter's work looks so much like that of regular Aquaman artist Ivan Reis that I wasn't certain that the splash pages below weren't Reis' work!


To give Johns one more acclaim, I must tread carefully.  This book reveals a sudden twist in the plot but it does so in an effective manner I shan't spoil.  I'll need to reread the series thus far to see if there were any hints of this coming but I was honestly surprised.  In these days when Diamond Previews takes much of the mystery out of our comics that is a welcome thing.


Bottom Line: This is a great issue of Aquaman and the Throne of Atlantis storyline has been a riveting one.  If you can't track down the back-issues at your store or prefer not to buy digital editions, you should definitely pick up the inevitable trade collection in a few months time.

Aquaman #15 - A Review

The action kicks into high gear in this second chapter of Throne of Atlantis. Naturally, as this is Aquaman's book, the focus is upon Aquaman as he, Mera and Batman work to save people in Gotham City in the wake of a record-breaking tidal wave.  At the same time, Wonder Woman and Superman happen across Vulko - an exile from Atlantis, who is desperately seeking a man he calls King Arthur...

As is the case with most Geoff Johns stories, the plot is secondary to the characterization.  It's been a running plot point for the last few issues of Justice League that Batman and Aquaman have been butting heads over the team's leadership.  This issue shows that despite their differing styles of leadership and tactics, both heroes respect one another as equals.  It also shines a spotlight on Aquaman's central conflict - namely, that he is an outsider of two worlds.  He is capable of understanding both the surface world and Atlantean natures but is helpless to feel totally comfortable with either of them.  


The artwork by veteran artist Paul Pelletier differs greatly from that of Ivan Reis, yet is no less enjoyable.  Pelletier's figures seem cleaner than Reis' though that may be due to the inks by Art Thirbert.  Thirbert's work is somewhat inconsistent, with stray panels seeming to barely have any inking at all while others are saturated in darkness.  Despite this apparent unevenness, the artwork still looks good.


If you haven't been reading Aquaman or Justice League - or gave it up for a time - you owe it to yourself to give it a chance now.  Both books feature exciting scripts with some great character development and amazing artwork.  Highly recommended.