Aquaman #1 - Mobile Edition

DC Comics
Aquaman #1
By Hervé St-Louis
June 22, 2016 - 22:02

DC Comics
Writer(s): Dan Abnett
Penciller(s): Brad Walker
Inker(s): Andrew Hennessy
Colourist(s): Gabe Eltaeb
Letterer(s): pat Brosseau
Cover Artist(s): Brad Walker, Andrew Hennessy, Joshn Middleton, Gabe Eltaeb
$2.99

Aquaman welcomes surface dwellers in the new Atlantean embassy near Boston. Delegates from the world over are eager to visit the new installation meant to foster friendship between the surface and the undersea worlds. But eating Atlantean sushi will have to wait. One of Aquaman’s old foes disrupts the event in order to cause as much pain as possible to the hero. Will he succeed?

While this issue was a very good at making readers care for secondary characters and setting up the story’s conflict for the next few months, it almost felt like a fragment of wider story. It’s only two-pages less than a few years ago but the difference is easy to grasp. The story cannot go as far since it must end and be continued in two weeks. Now, the good thing (or bad if your budget is limited) is that readers only have to wait two weeks for the next chapter.

Dan Abnett’s Aquaman is good. He’s back to the basic and this incarnation of the character does not feel like it will be one of those major reboot that the character has been through over the years. Other reviewers have argued that a reboot was not necessary for Aquaman. Little has changed since the New 52 or even from what Geoff Johns did with the character after Brightest Day. The Aquaman Rebirth issue also felt like a first issue. If there is a problem with this otherwise fine comic, it may be that there is nothing new to say and warrant a new series.

I was not familiar with Brad Walker’s work before this series. He’s a good artist. He seems to be more in line with Marvel Comics than DC Comics. This is not a criticism. Usually DC Comics goes for the more realist and classical artists. Their execution is usually fine but lacks energy. Not Walker’s Aquaman! All of his characters jump off the page! Aquaman really has a lot of hair! It’s good stuff!

Rating: 9/10