Aquaman continues his investigation as to why the spirit of Atlantis harbors such an ill will to its new king. Joined by Martian Manhunter, the team use his alien powers to dive into the truth about his mother’s mysterious death.
Jeff Parker once more scripts the superheros voice onto the pages as he continues on his quest. He puts such passion into the King’s plight and keeps the centre line of the story focused on him. It’s nice to read that even with the introduction of the Justice League members, they are not the primary focus to the comic and the theme. Parker has a driven motive for each of the characters own point of view and demonstrates the heated opinions that they carry when it comes to both Atlantis and Arthur being King.
With the glittering royalty back in the spotlight, Paul Pelletier and Rain Beredo have given us the beauty and elegance that this underwater world. From costumes to the kingdom behind the characters, everything about the artwork is beautiful and the giant splash pages are worth all the work that has been put into them. Through a little heavy on the ink, the paneling is very fluid and can easily translate the story with the events that take place.
Positives
I always think that the artists get to go crazy with Aquaman. It’s a visually stunning series and thankfully the art has come into the full ethereal sensation of the underwater world. And what can I say, I’m a huge Mera fan and to see not only her character looking stunning but the water woman she weaves as well, I was sold on how amazing the artwork really is.
Negatives
One thing that’s gets me is the panels of color changes. I thought it was clever in the sepia but just lost me when I changed to black and white. They should have used a purple hue for Martian Manhunter to make it stand apart from the rest of the story being told and make it a clear indication that it was his mind projecting. I also find the story has gotten a bit stale. Aquaman is constantly going on about the same issues and nothing really progresses with him leading Atlantis or dealing with other issues that the sea may have leaking in its depth. He has gotten a little too sentimental for my taste and I’m waiting for the real action to return.
Verdict
With a new path to tread this week’s Aquaman has left Arthur and his troop only asking more questions about his past. Stay tuned for the next issue to see if Arthur can find what he’s looking for and stop Atlantis from sinking further into the deep.
Rating
