Comics / Comic Reviews / DC Comics

Aquaman #5

By Garth the Geek
January 27, 2012 - 13:39

The latest issue of Aquaman - “Lost” - begins a new story-arc teased at last month as, “A quest to answer the question no one's ever asked: Who sank Atlantis?”

Beginning in medias res, the issue opens with Aquaman falling from the sky and landing in the middle of a desert. But rather than moving forward from here, and using a lengthy flashback to fill in the back story, Johns actually moves back and forth every few pages between what is (Aquaman lost in the desert) and what was (the events leading up to this). It's an interesting style, with both story-lines moving fluidly from one to the other,  until finally the story-lines 'catch up' to each other.

And as promised last month, this issue begins to ask the question, “Who sank Atlantis?” - the sort of question that always makes me nervous. As much as I enjoy ideas like Atlantis, UFOs and aliens, when used in a non-fictional setting, they often come across as... hokey... mainly due to the author over-explaining the “whys” or the “hows”. I need to stop doubting Johns, however, because he approached the subject in such a matter-of-fact way - letting things develop naturally during the course of the story - that I found myself not only enjoying the question (“Who sank Atlantis?”), but also looking forward to learning more about Aquaman's Atlantis.

Finally, I want to mention the ending. There's no cliffhanger here, which is usual for Johns. He places his trust in his writing, and the fact that readers will WANT to return next month, regardless of whether his heroes have been left in dire straights or not. I admire this. Issue 5 ends with a simple hand-written note from Mera: “Went to town for dog food.” And I have to tell you, I CAN'T WAIT. Seriously, I'll be counting down the days until “Mera vs. The World” is released next month, just so I can see what kind of trouble Mera gets into, especially considering her view of us surface worlders.

I'm going to end this review with something I haven't mentioned much before: the artwork. Ivan Reis, along with inkers Joe Prada and Eber Ferreira, do an amazing job capturing emotion and setting the scene. In addition, Reis aptly uses different styles to complement the story. Take a look at the scene in the desert in which Aquaman is speaking to his father (a dehydration-induced figment of his imagination) to see what I mean. The edges of the father are softer than the rest of the scene, creating a dream-like quality that adds to the scene nicely.

I've said this before, and I'm bound to say it again: 'Aquaman' is everything one could hope for in an on-going series. I can't recommend it enough.

Rating: 10 /10

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12