Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Aquaman #4


A storyline resolved in four issues! This really is a new DCU!

Aquaman was one of the many pleasant surprises for me in the new 52, and Geoff Johns keeps on trucking with his Aquaman reclamation project. There are a three or four instances in this issue where we see Aquaman exhibiting some major super-strength, and combining that with his "normal" abilities, he becomes quite powerful. That goes a long way towards stopping Aquaman as a joke.

By far my favorite thing about this book is Aquaman's relationship with Mera. She's a great new character, and comics rarely show married couples as anything but bickering. Mera is supportive but strong on her own, and totally capable of kicking butt by herself.

The Trench get wrapped up a bit quickly, after so many issues of build-up. But I'm confident that at least their king will be back as a recurring villain, he makes too much sense as an opposite for Aquaman. (And how neat was it seeing the Trench king trying to explain that he was just grabbing food for his people?)

Ivan Reis' art is spectacular. The gloomy depths come alive in this issue due to his pencils; I'm not sure the effect would be half as good with another artist. I also love the regal poses he uses for Aquaman and Mera. These two should get some respect, dang it!

Good

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