I’ve been away from Aquaman for a while, having reviewed a handful of issues shortly after the title was Re-birthed. But the creative team I remember is still in place, so that’s a good thing. And I love the cover. It reminds me very much of the Aquamn covers of the late ‘60s/early ‘70s, the way the text is incorporated into the setting.

The story reminded me very much of The Thing (1951), as a handful of military personnel inside a remote base attempt to protect themselves from a predatory creature called Dead Water. The believe it to be a product of a deep underwater zone known as H2-point-0.

Thankfully, Aquaman and Mera are on hand to help, and with some Atlantean technology, a solution may be available. But whether they are able to deploy it before someone else explores the nuclear option remains to be seen.

The story is heavily laced with the same kind of let’s-hide-from-the-monster-and-pray-it-don’t-find-us edge-of-your-seat suspense that The Thing – or Alien, if you prefer a modern variant – generated in theaters. I am unfamiliar with some of the supporting players in this issue, so it’s impossible who is expendable, and who may suffer a shocking death at the hands of Dead Water.

But there are still secrets to be told, and they will be explored – literally – next issue.