With issue #5, Aquaman is coming off what I feel was a successful first story arc. Geoff Johns within The Trench managed to tell a consistently strong story putting Aquaman up against a threat unlike any we’ve seen before. Ivan Reis did an amazing job in showing just how powerful a character Aquaman is while letting us feel all the emotions from each character. Though the one aspect that holds the story back is of course the insistence of Johns using the jokes to have to make Aquaman prove himself that much more. It’s slowly been dialed back from the first issue, though down the line in this review I have something to say on that matter. Outside of that though, the series has been one of the strongest of the New 52. As well as following up the Trench story, in this issue, Geoff Johns answers the question, what would happen if Aquaman was stranded in a desert?
At the start of the issue you’re literally dropped into this desert as lost as Aquaman. Leading to a beautiful sequence by Ivan Reis showing just how out of his element Aquaman truly is. As Aquaman is looking around his surroundings, his uh-oh caps off the scene perfectly. After that we deal with just how he ended up in the desert. It’s a nice way of following up the threads of the Trench story line yet Johns takes it in entirely new directions. From one artifact opens up a larger situation as you see a group of soldiers attack the lab Aquaman is in. Those sequences are fun, though Reis pushes his art to new heights on this issue in subtle ways. I would say as well as Reis captures action, Johns shows that Reis has a knack for capturing even the most subtle emotions as Aquaman is trying to find his way back home.
Why I note how Ivan Reis handles emotions is the flashback scene with Aquaman‘s Dad. Rod Reis does an excellent job coloring this sequence. The soft watercolor look that he gives to his Dad caught my attention. This scene had as much action and intensity as anything I’ve seen in quite awhile. The flashback is powerful and you learn so much about Aquaman through that one scene. When Aquaman nears the end of his journey, Johns gives you hints towards just what the next story arc is going to entail as he gets a look at the message the artifact had within. Then the rescue scene and we get to hit what is my complaint about the issue. All that strong build up and story and you can see why Johns put the joke in, but I think the Aquaman is a joke aspect of the series is starting to wear thin on me. Outside of that I do want to know just what is going to happen with Mera.
Overall I liked what this issue had to say and in turn the level of discomfort that Aquaman went through was handled well. Geoff Johns has such a good feel for this comic that the “Ha ha Aquaman” aspect is starting to feel more and more out of place in the larger story. It’s slowly getting more balanced out yet it can take you out of the story like it nearly derailed the ending of the issue. Ivan Reis though did in my opinion his strongest art on this series to date. Every issue he seems to be pushing himself and you can tell, as readers we’re all the better for this. Outside of the quibbles I mentioned, I look forward to seeing just what the series holds in the future, with this team on board I know that it’s going to get even better from here.
