Legion World Forums LEGION COMPANION Dr. Gym'll's Cultural Rarities Aquaman

I hadn't planned on picking up issue #2, but I got sucked in... not sure what I like about the book so much, but I was definitely looking forward to this issue... as much as I think Johns is kind of a hack, his stories sometimes have a way of taking me back to when I was a kid and used to literally shake with excitement over a comic... so, I'm along the ride for a while...

4 fins up

This book is amazing. #2 did not disappoint. Mera's awesomeness is just skimming the surface and I enjoy seeing them together as a functional couple again. I wonder if this incarnation negates the fact that they had a son or is this a do-over and fans may see this plot development rebooted. Also a plus is Arthur's connection to the surface and his human upbringing. A bigger treat is Mera's willingness to share this life with him. Made me love her more. How much did I love that page when the half dressed Aqua Couple opened the door to that cop and she unabashedly showed off her power?
So looking forward to #3 and this coming from someone who never followed any ongoing versions of Aquaman. The last time I bought an Aquaman comic happened when we were introduced to his blue uniform.

AQUAMAN wasn't on my pull list, and there hasn't been a single copy on the racks at my CBS. From what I've read, I think I would have liked it a lot.

I'm enjoying it. I've gotten all the recent Aquaman series (last twenty years is what I mean) but not all the mini's. And this one is quickly starting to stack up. I'm also loving the "I do more than talk to fish, so shove it up yer @$$!" attitude that the story has, but that Arthur is showing the patience NOT to, if that makes sense.

And I've always liked Mera more than Arthur. Hell, I married a redhead. So I'm liking it. A lot.

I finally found AQUAMAN #1. It's the first Aquaman book I've ever bought, although I've always liked the "idea" of Aquaman more than Green Lantern, Flash, or Wonder Woman. (I also rarely or never bought their books.)

Arthur seems to be a powerful and probably honorable man trying to find home, although every land-dweller seems to see him as a caricature. ("How's it feel to be nobody's favorite super-hero?") His patience and sense of dignity is immense.

I like this guy. I want more.

AQUAMAN KICKS ASS.

I **knew** Johns was going to make something of Mera with her starring role in BLACKEST NIGHT.

So glad to see that coming true here.

IMO, Aquaman and Mera should never have been apart.

Number one was excellent with art by Ivan Reis to absolutely DIE for! Definitely a Lardy/DCnU Top Pick!

#2 was another good issue though not quite as awesome as #1. Of course, that's a big bar that they've set so I guess I can't expect it every issue.

The trench / killer fish dudes is a good development to set against Aquaman and Mera so far, but I'm hoping with the next issue we get something a little more substantial.

The artwork by Reis and Prado remains face-shatteringly good.

Is #2 as gross as the solicitation made it sound?

Hm. Maybe not quite as gross as it sounded but still gross. A lot is left to the imagination but there is still a bit of being taken out of the story by big splashes of blood being whipped around in the backgrounds.

It was enough that I noticed it and stopped reading to think about how unnecessary it was. So, points off for that.

I figured as much. Thanks for confirming it, Cobie. I'm glad I'm giving this book as pass, much as I love Reis.

I still would recommend at least Byrning the first issue if possible. Nice character work therein.

Aquaman and Mera are beautiful together, but I'm not gonna really love this book till Garth is introduced/brought back.

So, at the close of the first arc, my impressions are thus:

(A) All the scenes with Aquaman, Mera and even random walk-on cast members were simply fantastic. Really great stuff full of subtlties and chemistry, beautifully rendered by Reis and Prado.

(B) All the scenes dealing with the action, and "adventure" were pretty boring and yawn-inducing. They also included the typical over the top violence quota that Johns feels is a requirement for every comic book.

While the latter part certainly takes away from the aggregate score of the story, I did enjoy it enough to feel positive about it.

I hope Johns takes advantage of having such a dynamic art team with ocean settings. And I hope DC doesn't botch the whole thing up with super-dark coloring. Sure, deep within the ocean is pitch-black, but take some artistic license. Give us something beautiful to behold!

That's pretty much my reaction - the action/villain scenes are run-of-the-mill, but the book shines with the human relationships - Aquaman and Mera, or those two with the people around them.

Too bad the action didn't have more punch, given the gravity of the situation: an entire, unknown race of beings facing extinction, then being wiped out by Aquaman to save land-dwellers. Also, it didn't make sense that these ocean-deep beings couldn't survive on fish and other ocean creatures - they could only eat human meat? Maybe I missed something.

I'm quite looking forward to the next arc, since I'm a big sucker for Atlantis stories.

Pretty good done-in-one issue in #5 with the classic question of "what if Aquaman is stuck in a desert?" addressed. Johns gave a straight-forward story that Reis and Prado turned into an exciting adventure with their dynamic art.

I'm actually looking more forward to the next issue (out today?) with a spotlight on Mera.

I know the "Aquaman gets no respect thing" is still being established but it does have potential to wear me down. I hope its leading somewhere else down the road.

#6 featured a fairly humdrum outing for Mera. On a trip buying dog food for 'Aquadog', Mera experiences some 'real world' type of incidents. Nothing wrong with that, in fact, it's the sort of thing not shown often enough. However, as an establishing character-piece, it didn't quite instill the grandeur that I think she calls for.

The art's great. She is still going to be in the current day JLA when the time skips forward in that title, isn't she? Certain happenings here could color that...

They DID show her relationship with her father and her home colony on Earth, something I don't remember seeing before.
Was it in Flashpoint?
They showed a sister, anyway.

Just before Flashpoint, didn't her sister and Manta go into Mera's old dimension, with the portal being closed and Mera not being able to go home again?
Moot point, I guess.

I liked how Mera's powers were expanded when she drew the water out of the badguy's body.
I'm gonna like her new friend, I think.

I really enjoyed the Mera spotlight; she's one tough customer with regal dignity. Unlike Aquaman, she doesn't suffer fools gladly and she has her own sense of justice. She's a great symbol for the underestimated, the misjudged and the disregarded; haven't you wished you could respond when somebody brushes you off?

There was a real sense of how alien and alone she feels in this world, cut off from her own and misunderstood - and misunderstanding - our world.

I am really enjoying this new series. Who would have thought I would ever say that about an Aquaman series?

#7 starts what looks to be a potentially very good storyline, one that introduces yet another superteam predating the Justice League (apparently). The Others is hardly an original name, and the most interesting one is unfortunately killed by a dangerous Black Manta (whose debut this storyline is *really* about, I suppose).

I'm enjoying this title, too, but The Others in no way makes up for the absence of an Aqua-family other than Mera and Aquadog.

The art's beautiful, this issue. Seems like the Trench dwellers' story isn't as over as it seemed.

I AM LOOOOOOOOVING AQUAMAN!!!

Can still say that after finishing # 7. This may be my current favorite DC title!

Really like the focus on new plots / characters, while firmly acknowledging the old. IMO, the Mera issue was a little cliche (though still somewhat enjoyable); but the new storyline, with it's wide cast and hints to a more robust past, is really working for me.

Finally read it. Still one of my favourite titles. Mera's "What the hell is going on?" was perfect.