[[{“value”:”
Warning! Spoilers ahead for Aquaman #1!It’s been some time, but the Justice League’s Aquaman is finally back in a brand-new series that shows what kind of hero he really is. The world is still reeling from the events of Absolute Power, and its ripple effects are causing huge problems for DC’s iconic underwater king.
Amanda Waller’s power play caused numerous headaches for the hero community. Not only have several superheroes swapped powers, but the multiverse was sealed off during Absolute Power, causing Darkseid to go mad. This chain of events has led to wild aberrations popping everywhere, including Aquaman’s corner of the DC Universe.
Aquaman #1 is a Wild Start That Kick-Starts a Huge Mystery
Aquaman #1 by Jeremy Adams, John Timms, Rex Lokus, and Dave Sharpe
In Aquaman #1 by Jeremy Adams, John Timms, Rex Lokus, and Dave Sharpe, a brief flash-forward shows Arthur Curry as a king who has become more powerful than ever and is dubbed a ‘god-killer’ as he fights a powerful, Cthulhu-like monster. But the story begins a year before as a plane is going down over the ocean while the Coast Guard watches helplessly. Thankfully, Aquaman and his wife Mera arrive and jump out of the ocean and onto the plane. Mera guides Aquaman as he uses his newfound hydrokinesis to manipulate the tides and bring the plane down safely.
Aquaman’s kingdom is in ruins, his family is missing…
The couple heads back to Atlantis where fellow Aquaman Jackson Hyde brings a mysterious pearl to Arthur’s attention. But the king has bigger concerns, namely a giant water kaiju attacking Daytona Beach. Aquaman fights the beast and nearly finds himself outclassed. But the hero manages to defeat it thanks to his water-manipulating powers. As the fight comes to an end, Aquaman hears Mera crying out from Atlantis and races back to her. Unfortunately, by the time he gets back, Aquaman’s kingdom is in ruins, his family is missing, and the pearl is glowing ominously.
Aquaman ventures to the Watchtower to consult with the Justice League. Zatanna analyzes the pearl’s properties and determines there’s one place in the world with a similar magical vibration to it. Batman and Wonder Woman escort Aquaman deep underwater and discover an aged relic that causes the pearl to open up a gateway. Despite not knowing what’s on the other side, Aquaman bids his friends goodbye as he heads out to save his family. The gate dissipates and Wonder Woman and Batman discover the relic has become an Omega symbol that glows not unlike Darkseid’s Omega Beams.
Amanda Waller and Darkseid Have Laid the Groundwork for Aquaman’s Latest Adventure
New Powers and Cosmic Shakeups Started This All
Aquaman’s current problems can all be traced back to Amanda Waller who, after seeing the damage an evil Superman variant could cause, decided to take control of the superhero community once of all. Waller spent months planning in the shadows, but finally got the firepower she needed to accomplish her goals after procuring several souped-up Amazos that she rechristened Task Force VII. After modifying them, Waller unleashed these androids on the world, using them to steal the powers of nearly every metahuman on Earth.
Waller wasn’t just planning to take the Prime DC Universe’s heroes down. She had a dimensional gate constructed so she could take her Amazos out into the multiverse and seize other Earths as well. Thankfully, the heroes she failed to capture launched a counterattack and together, they managed to destroy Task Force VII. Upon their destruction, the powers returned to the heroes, though some (like Fire and Ice) wound up swapping powers, while other Justice League heroes’ abilities have yet to be tracked down.
This is how Aquaman gained hydrokinesis. He accidentally got his wife Mera’s power!
During the final showdown, the Flash managed to shut down Waller’s gate, which sealed the Prime DCU off from the greater multiverse, which drove Darkseid crazy. He bonded with the Spectre and attacked the Justice League, only to get his physical body destroyed. Though the New God perished, his energy dissipated throughout the DCU. Most of it went and bonded with the new Absolute Universe, but parts of it remained in the Prime Universe, causing strange events that are currently being monitored by the Justice League.
Aquaman #1 is a Solid Adventure for DC’s Perennial Underdog
This Isn’t Super Friends’ Aquaman By a Long Shot
From the very first couple of pages, this book sets out to do one thing: Prove that Aquaman is a bona fide badass. And yes, it does that extremely well. Aside from the tantalizing glimpse of him fighting some kind of eldritch horror in the future, the plane rescue and his fight against the water kaiju all showcase Aquaman in his element. He’s not calling on any aqua life to get him out of a jam. Aquaman faces these threats and works through them with quick thinking and, when necessary, brute force.
The creative team more than pull their weight here. Adams’ voice for Arthur is regal, yet relatable, and even sneaks in a bit of sarcasm at points. Adams also does a great job of balancing this book so that it’s approachable enough for new readers while also tying into the greater storytelling of the DC All In narrative. And Timms’ art is quite fun to look at, especially during Aquaman’s fight with the water kaiju, which is pushed to even greater heights with Lokus’ colors. All these creators come together to create a seriously engaging opening chapter.
Things haven’t always been easy for Aquaman. Despite having years of great stories under his belt (not to mention a movie that made over a billion dollars), he’s had a reputation for being somewhat lame, with many quick to make a crack about his ‘talking to fish’ power. The best thing about Aquaman #1 is that it doesn’t try to make a counterargument to that line of thinking. It simply shows Arthur being a killer hero and that approach resulted in a comic that’s sure to please even the biggest Aquaman doubters.
Aquaman #1 is the Start of Something Big
Be Sure to See What’s Next For the Justice League Hero
The All In initiative that DC Comics is doing right now isn’t just about pumping new life into its heroes. It’s setting them up for new challenges and taking them in new directions. Who knows what the future has in store for Arthur Curry as he heads into the unknown? But what’s certain is that the creative team is willing to take the plunge and make big swings when it comes to working with Aquaman in this era of DC Comics.
Aquaman #1 is available now from DC Comics.
“}]] Return of DC Comics’ underwater king. Read More