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.

Justic League #16 - A Review

Ocean Master has always had a rough time of it as a character. It's bad enough being an Aquaman villain to begin with.  Imagine being a bad guy whose sole motivation is being jealous of Aquaman's superpowers.  That was Ocean Master back in the Silver Age.  He was Arthur Curry Sr's son by a human woman.  No powers.  No resources.  Just a burning hatred for the bastard half-brother who got superpowers while you didn't.  Things weren't much better in the Dark and Modern Ages, where he was a thinly-veiled Loki rip-off  with vague magical powers fueled by a demonic trident.

Geoff Johns has changed this all yet again in the New 52 reality but this time he has created an Ocean Master worthy of the name.  No petty criminal or scheming courtier this time!  This Orm, now Aquaman's half brother by the same Atlantean queen, is a credible threat even without the might of the Atlantean army backing him up.  With defined magical powers that let him influence both water and the weather, this Ocean Master proves menacing enough to hold the heaviest hitters of the Justice League at bay single-handed!  We're left with the impression that Aquaman's pleading for an end to the fighting is less out of a desire for peace but more from an honest fear he may not be able to stop his brother if things come to a head.  


Johns has a gift for taking these classic concepts and redefining them and it's one of the things I find most enjoyable about his writing.  The other thing that makes Johns brilliant as a storyteller is the way he manages to work such wonderful character moments into his stories while hinting at things to come.  A good example of this comes in a brief interlude at S.T.A.R. Labs, where a certain Dr. Morrow is monitoring the Atlantean controlled-weather attacks and asks permission to test a robotic weather-control machine he's been working on. 

Longtime Justice League fans will appreciate the reference but everyone will appreciate the scene in which Victor Stone a.k.a. Cyborg confronts his father about upgrading his body to allow him to breathe underwater.  The on-going conflict regarding Vic's fears of losing his humanity as more and more of his body is replaced with mechanical parts has barely been touched upon in recent issues, save for occasional scenes of Cyborg refusing to discuss a newly developed upgrade.  It says volumes in this moment, when his superhero colleagues are in need, that Vic is willing to put all his fears and objections aside for the sake of his friends.  THAT is heroism in a nutshell as well as why Geoff Johns is one of my favorite writers.    


The artwork in this issue is excellent, as always.  Ivan Reis offers up the same breath-taking pencils that made his recent run on the main Aquaman book so memorable.  Everything is beautiful and this is one of the best-looking books on the shelves today.  Gary Frank is equally amazing in the Shazam back-up story.


The Shazam back-up story - long the millstone around this book's metaphorical neck - didn't bother me as much this time around.  I suspect it's because Billy, for all of his petty acts of crime in the past issues, finally began to act like the hero I expect him to be in this issue.  I think I'll be able to live with this new take on (not) Captain Marvel if things continue in this manner, with Billy taking his power more seriously and realizing what he can do to help people besides himself.

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. 

Justice League #15 - A Review

Justice League #15 kicks off the long-awaited Throne of Atlantis crossover between the Aquaman and Justice League titles.  Yet for my money, the best parts of the book have little to do with the crossover and everything to do with the people behind the costumes and superpowers.  Take for instance the page below, which has done far more to define Clark Kent as a character than anything I think I've seen in any other book in the New 52 so far.



It's the little moments like this that have made author Geoff Johns beloved as a writer and made this title worth reading, though it was far slower to get going than many would have liked.  The backbone of the issue is found in scenes such as this, the scene where Cyborg talks with his father and even the scene where Aquaman and Batman team up to take on several of The Scarecrow's minions.  But don't think for a second that doesn't mean the action-packed moments aren't good too.  Far from it!  And Johns' plot involving an Atlantean invasion of the surface world offers excitement aplenty to go with the fine character scenes.


The artwork by Ivan Reis and Joe Prado - most recently seen on Aquaman - can be summed up in only one word.  Phenomenal.  Reis has an amazing eye for detail  and Prado knows when to merely outline Reis' pencils and when to shade them heavily.  Reis is also a good visual storyteller, whose panels flow naturally and easily even on the two-page spreads.

I wish I could praise the Shazam back-up story as highly.  The artwork by Gary Frank is as wonderful as Reis's work but the base concept of Billy Batson as a juvenile delinquent leaves me cold.  It doesn't add anything to Billy as a character to make him a smart-ass punk.  Indeed, his basic decency and inherent nobility was one of the things that set him apart from other teen heroes in the past.


Incidentally,  whatever happened to The Wisdom of Solomon that's supposed to warn Billy away from being dishonest or foolish?  I can't help but think it must have gone the way of Wally West and Donna Troy, since the plot of this story is dependent on the "hilarity" that ensues after Billy uses his powers to hack an ATM so he can get the money to buy beer.  There are some brief moments worthy of the Captain Marvel legacy, such as Billy and Freddy's joy at discovering that Billy can fly but these moments are too brief and too few in number.

This issue is worth picking up if you haven't given Justice League a shot before now.  But do yourself a favor and skip the back-up story.

Aquaman #14 - A Review

Despite being the first part of a multi-issue crossover with Justice League, Aquaman #14 doesn't feel like the start of a major storyline.  This is actually to the story's benefit, as this issue proves to be a wonderful jump-on point for those Justice League readers who haven't been reading this book.  Geoff Johns does an amazing job of establishing several important facts for new readers as well as establishing some trivia that suggests some major changes for the New 52 Aquaman continuity. 

My favorite sequence takes place in a brief interlude which confirms Black Manta's seriousness as a villain.  For all the grief Aquaman has received over how lame a superhero he is, I think Black Manta has gotten worse ribbing from the fandom at large.  After all, how lame do you have to be to repeatedly get your butt kicked by Aquaman?  In previous issues, Geoff Johns showed how Aquaman's true power has been frequently underestimated.  Now, he does the same for Black Manta, showing the lethal ingenuity of a man who - like Batman - must face all manner of threats with nothing but his fierce intellect, raw cunning and the best toys money can buy.


The main thrust of the issue centers upon Aquaman having a meeting with his brother.  Well, half-brother technically, but they address one another as brother.  One revelation we learn in these sequences is that Aquaman's brother rules Atlantis and Aquaman apparently refused the throne.  Those who have been reading Aquaman can't help but wonder how this jibes with the story in Aquaman #0, where it appeared that a young Arthur Curry was preparing to lead a violent revolt in Atlantis.  Presumably things came to a more agreeable end?


An early scene in this book holds a point of interest for long-time Aquaman fans as well as fans of the classic Teen Titans.  Arthur's brother makes mention of a boy with purple eyes named Garth and a prophecy which says that a boy with purple eyes will bring about the end of Atlantis.  This is clearly a nod to the original Aqualad, whose name was Garth and who did indeed have purple eyes.  Does this mean that Aquaman and Mera will soon be getting a new sidekick?  And if so, will the rest of the original Titans, absent from The New 52 thus far, be appearing soon?

You may have noticed at this point that I continue to refer to Arthur's brother as nothing more than Arthur's brother.  There is a reason for that.  He is not named once in the entire issue - not by his true name nor by the villainous nom de plume he went by in the old universe - The Ocean Master.  The artwork also makes a point of shadowing his face or obscuring it, despite his wearing a full helm that almost completely covers his face.  This is especially odd given that appears, unobscured, on the front cover.



The artwork of this issue seems somewhat uneven.  I suspect this is the end result of employing two pencilers and five different inkers.  None of the artwork is bad but the look between pages is inconsistent.  Some pages - such as the above throne room scene - are so heavily inked as to be almost completely black.  Others, such as the splash page below, seem overly stylized to the point of being cartoonish.  I half-expect the fish surrounding Aquaman to begin singing a jolly calypso number about the joys of living below the ocean.


Despite this, I'd still gladly recommend this comic to any curious parties.  If you haven't been reading this book before, now is the perfect time to dive in!