Art: Ivan Reis, Rod Reis, Joe Prado
Publisher: DC Comics
I kept getting distracted during Aquaman #8. First there was the whole issue of when events were taking place. It starts with a flashback that happens “Six years ago”, and then moves forward “One year later”, only it took me awhile to catch that “one year later” was what was happening “now”; which apparently for Aquaman is five years ago from…well, I’m guessing the timeline of Justice League, but I’m just not sure. The other thing that kept distracting me was the fact that a guy with no shirt and a woman with…well, not much of anything on, are trudging through the snow of deepest Siberia without any comment made on the cold. Only in the comic books. I just kept thinking “they must be cold” and “surely they would have thought to bring a jacket, or something, especially for her.” Those distracting issues aside, this issue begins to unravel the many introductions and new plot threads introduced from last issue. It doesn’t make much progress with that, but enough to keep me interested.
Some of the most interesting moments in this issue are seeing what Aquaman was like “six years ago”. He was angry, sad, confused and in general, not much like the guy we’ve come to known. We get some hints as to what led him down this dark path, as well as a better idea of Arthur’s contentious relationship with Shin, and some hints of Black Manta’s involvement in Arthur’s past, but for the most part that’s all we get; hints. With all this time spent looking back, there isn’t a whole lot of progress made going forward, but there are some fun moments; like seeing Arthur trying to explain to Mera this “other” woman and the “connection” they once had. Fellas, never neglect to tell the lady you’re currently with about the lady you used to hang out with who only ever wore an almost non-existent bikini; that just leads to trouble.
There’s still a lot to untangle with this new “The Others” storyline (which still sounds a little too Lost to me), but I’m intrigued with where it all might lead. While the last couple of issues have been a little overwhelming with introductions, new information, and unresolved hints as to what’s really going on, Aquaman still remains one of the New 52’s most enjoyable books; and now’s a great time to jump on board.
Score: 5 of 7
A BIG thanks to Astro-Zombies for providing the material for this review. Learn more about them at astrozombies.com.
