Oh dear me, that’s a pretty poor cover given the talent of John Timms. Aquaman and Green Lantern look like butterbeans with wigs on. Hair and chin in Hal Jordan’s case – did Timms think it was going to be Alan Scott guest starring in this issue?
Turn the page and we find that Aquaman is indeed trussed up, having a bad dream, then we turn the page and arrive at ‘24 hours earlier’. And that’s the only cliche in an issue that balances fun and awe. So what had happened the previous day?
Ah, secrets. Secrets are good, things always work out with secrets. Before Mera can press Arthur for more information on his Robert Stevenson tribute act, an incoming message proves rather unwelcome.
Well, Arthur’s not having anyone tell him who he can protect. Using his recently upgraded connection to The Blue – the sea of life connecting all things – he instantly swims to Prataxia where he’s shocked to be shocked unconscious.
Meanwhile, Aquaman’s Justice League pal Hal is waking up from being kidnapped by the very same Omni folk who are challenging his authority.
The choice so far as the offer goes is sign up, or die. Bill thinks Hal helpless, not knowing Hal’s famous will power extends to being able to control his ring from afar. Well, not too far, but it’s certainly near enough here to allow him to put in an appearance as Green Lantern. Which means he’s on hand as Arthur wakes from page 1’s bad dream.
As it turns out, Hal’s 24-hour charges has only seconds left, but it’s long enough to scare Bill into freeing Arthur. Depowered space cop and woozy Sea King slope off to, hopefully, find a space ship, but they soon bump onto Omni guards.
Arthur goes on to work out just what he can do in this alien environment, surprising himself as much as Hal. And I liked it all a lot more than expected – I complained at the start of this run about Arthur being overpowered after the events of, well, Absolute Power. Post DC KO, he’s nearly at god level… but writer Jeremy Adams obviously knows where he’s going with this, using the transformation to highlight Arthur’s character. And Hal Jordan is the perfect witness to the power of Aquaman, having had his own issues with amped-up abilities.
I also like Adams bringing in the Omega corporation from his brilliant Flash run and recent Green Lantern issues; there’s a Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy vibe but also a real sense of danger – they seem like clowns but flashes of ruthlessness say they’re killer clowns.
And how often have we seen Arthur and Hal team up outside of classic JLA? And even there we didn’t get much in the way of characterisation, but here they are quite the odd couple.
Filling in for regular artist Timm, Paulo Villanelli brings a scratchy elegance to proceedings, his pages growing in intensity as Arthur starts to let loose. He’s terrific at body language, facial expressions and panel-to-panel storytelling too; I hope we see Villanelli’s byline in DC a lot.
Strong support comes from colourist Rex Lokus and letterer Dave Sharpe in the form of well-thought-out colour schemes and great-looking letters. Am I wrong?
If you’ve not been reading Aquaman lately, this is an easy place to dive in, being the start of a new storyline. I think you’ll like it.
Too Dangerous For a Girl 2 
Sounds nice but it stars two of my least favorite comic characters ever. Just wondering though. Are we in a Atlantis Destroyed time or Atlantis Rebuilt/Destruction Undone time? I can tell from your review that this year Arthur is in King mode but we all know he’s one new writer away from the umpteenth abdication of his career.
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He’s not just in King Mode, he’s in expansionist mode, using his new powers to build cosmic lighthouses to do goodness know what. It’s true, the back and forth of the Atlantis business gets tiresome, I’d love to see him and Mera have a crack at the secret identity game, far from Atlantis.
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Why is it that creators keep flip flopping Aquaman and Namor’s regal status and whether Atlantis has been destroyed or not? Not a fan of either character but if pressed I bet I could five better plot directions. And The Blue to join The Green and The Red and The Black? What’s next? The White for the Parliament of Clouds? The Brown for dirt?
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We are in an “Aquaman thought Atlantis was destroyed, but it wasn’t” era. Mera, Tempest and Aquaman (Jackson) were all trapped there, but everyone was reunited a few issues ago.
The Omni Omega Corporation has also been giving Lobo trouble in a metatexual and entertaining first couple of issues. Given how pervasive and invasive large corporations have become in our society, it is easy to see why they are being incorporated into the DCU more. I wonder if Manga Khan will be back…
Arty’s role of Emperor is larger than King of any one Atlantean city-state. But given time, I’m sure he will abdicate this position, too.
I do worry about the royal princess. Aquaman does not have a good track record when it comes to keeping his kids alive. Besides the infamous death of Aquababy, there is also the death of his son Koryak, and the disappearance of his son AJ. Maybe a daughter will have better luck?
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