Aquaman HC Vol 01 The Trench

by Geoff Johns

[inlibrisveritas]

I will admit that I did not go into this as an Aquaman fan, in fact that only reason I took the chance on it was a review by Christa at More Than Just Magic (Review here). She spoke highly of it and I decided that I’d give it a shot and see if it was something I would continue.

Aquaman is one of the more well known members of the Justice League, but he is by no means the favorite of the group. The few first pages pull this to the forefront and gives you a good idea at just how the people of the DC universe view him (which is the same as the real audience). He doesn’t command the same respect the other heroes do and people make fun of him without actually getting to know him.

I think that Geoff Johns does a good job of showing just how capable Aquaman is and I actually felt a bit bad for giving the guy such a hard time. He has his heart in the right place as well, instead of being the King of the ocean he chooses to help those on land, where he feels he is needed even if the people don’t feel they need him. The main adversary in this comes from the Marina Trench and it leads to a more moral question of, is is okay to destroy something just because it’s trying to survive? We also get to see Mera in this, and I loved that she questioned why he put up with the blatant disrespect when he did so much for them. I like that she sees him as someone much more than just a superhero, and I enjoyed getting to know her a bit better.
The art is pretty standard for DC, so quite detailed and very vibrant. I think that the combo of Geoff Johns and the Reis & Prado team is fantastic for this. Not only do you get a dynamic storyline but you get top-notch artwork to bring it to life. I’ve seen some rumors about having this team break up in the future, and I really hope it’s not true. Aquaman has gotten the fresh start he really needed and it’s because of these three. I can honestly say that I think I’m an Aquaman fan now.