Aquaman #13 – Review

By: Geoff Johns (story), Ivan Reis (pencils), Joe Prado & Julio Ferreira (inks), Rod Reis (colors)

The Story: Nothing like old buddies teaming up for favorite pastimes—like avenging crimes.

The Review: As we arrive at the end of this series’ second arc, it seems appropriate (albeit a bit middle-schoolish) to reflect on what we and the hero have learned.  After all, there’d be little point to the story if at its end, both of us are left in the exact same place in the exact same condition as we started.  The first arc was all about reinforcing Aquaman’s status as a major superhero and making him realize his place belongs on the surface world.

Looking at the conclusion to this world-spanning, treasure-hunting, companion-seeking arc, what has Arthur gotten out of it?  I’d say it’s acceptance of his past, the good and the bad; embracing who he used to be and who he is now and who he strives to become.  It’s a rather simple and lovely way to make us relate to him a little more, even though we have pretty much nothing in common with his life.  He’s already earned your respect; now he’s earning your sympathy.

Aquaman #12 – Review

By: Geoff Johns (story), Ivan Reis (pencils), Joe Prado, Oclair Albert, Andy Lanning (inks), Rod Reis (colors)

The Story: Welcome to the only comic where you can see trident-on-scepter action.

The Review: Part of the premise of this series from the very beginning has been the idea that Aquaman belongs as much in the public eye as his fellow Leaguers.  Yet even though he’s (mostly) exorcised the ridicule attached to his character, he still hasn’t quite made the case that he’s just as big an icon as any of the Big Five of the DCU.  Maybe he doesn’t have to.  At the end of the day, all that matters is whether you care enough about him to follow his journey.

And against all odds, you do.  Had this series merely been about him earning his name as a hero, you probably wouldn’t get quite as invested.  But the heart of his story—and it’s possible even Johns didn’t see this coming—is his growth from a closed-off man of the sea to someone who feels attachment and, yes, love.  This depth of feeling usually gets reserved to Superman, but Aquaman deals with his emotions very differently than the big Boy Scout.

Aquaman #11 – Review

By: Geoff Johns (story), Ivan Reis (pencils), Joe Prado, Jonathan Glapion, Andy Lanning (inks), Rod Reis (colors)

The Story: Friends don’t let other friends pursue blind quests of vengeance alone.

The Review: Even though in terms of the pure quality of his work, he doesn’t seem to be working at the superhumanly consistent level he once did writing Teen Titans, Justice Society of America, and Green Lantern simultaneously, there’s no sign Johns is any less popular or beloved than ever.  Frankly, I don’t think that widespread admiration will ever go away because Johns offers what so few other writers do in comics these days: unadulterated warmth.

Reading a Johns story, no matter how grim the events that happen in between front and back covers, frequently feels like curling up in an oversized armchair with a cup of hot cocoa.  At the heart of his work is always, well, heart.  No one has written themes of family, whether by blood or by spirit, with so much genuine care, and certainly no one writes the archetypical Hero—with capital letters, mind you—with so much conviction in the righteous might of goodness.

Aquaman #10 – Review

By: Geoff Johns (story), Ivan Reis (pencils), Joe Prado & Andy Lanning (inks), Rod Reis (colors)

The Story: This ain’t Shakespeare, but it has a vengeful cycle of sons killing fathers anyway.

The Review: This intro is a bit too short a medium to get into the whole “nature versus nurture” debate, so I’ll just rely on a pithy cliché to get my point across: the more things change…  To make things fair, I’ll use myself as example.  Even though I like to think I’ve grown up some inmye twenty-odd years, every now and then I’ll catch myself with a habit from childhood—or worse, my teenage years—I thought long gone that makes me wonder if I’ve changed at all.

Aquaman begs the same questions.  Compared to the shaggy-haired youth with major anger issues we’ve seen from flashbacks, Arthur’s slicked hairdo and cool under media mockery shows a pretty big evolution in his character.  But the moment he sees Manta, it’s as if he’s never changed from that vengeful, shirtless kid he used to be (especially when he actually rips off his shirt in mid-battle).  He abandons all teamwork, shrugging off the concerns of Ya’wara and Prisoner of War, completely fixed on his own objectives, nothing else.

Aquaman #9 – Review

By: Geoff Johns (story), Ivan Reis (pencils), Joe Prado, Oclair Albert, Andy Lanning (inks), Rod Reis (colors)

The Story: All those years of PTSD therapy, undone by one super-villain attack.

The Review: As I read through this issue, it struck me that I haven’t been giving Johns enough credit for what he’s been doing on the title.  In many ways, Johns has had to reintroduce Aquaman like a brand-new hero, giving him a fresh mythos for a new generation of readers.  At the same time, Johns has not only been preserving the essentials of Aquaman’s lore, he’s been portraying Aquaman as a hero who comes with a rich history already attached.

The Others represent this strange mixture of new and old in Aquaman’s current continuity.  Though I still think it an unusual choice for Johns to spend so much time establishing a whole other set of characters when his star still has a long way to go in the development department, he’s been doing a remarkably good job at it.  The opening with Prisoner-Of-War shows Johns’ writing at its best: largely stripped at dialogue, yet incredibly informative and emotionally stirring.  I will happily accept any number of Others if Johns can write them all like this.