Aquaman #5 REVIEW - Arthur and Mera fight their way out

Dan Abnett's latest issue of Aquaman is an absolute action feast from the first page on. With all that has happened from the embassy bombing to the naval carrier destruction to Mera actively breaking her beloved and king out of a U.S. detention cell, both Atlanteans have been declared terrorists with orders for troops to kill them on site to prevent further attacks on the country. 

Naturally, this doesn't go well for the Armed Forces and if not for Arthur's strict edict that "No one dies," it would be a great sea of carnage on Mera's watch for sure. As reserved and steadfast as she was in the first three books at Arthur's command, she has been the exact opposite in these last two issues and while it is causing tension between the two at the worst possible time, the good thing is that Arthur is able to keep it in check while still managing to stay alive and not kill any American soldiers......that are trying to kill them. 

At this point, all but war has been declared. The United States is hunting the King of Atlantis and his future wife down with the might of full military forces. Atlantis surely won't take kindly to the fact that the most powerful country in the world has branded their king a terrorist and is trying to kill him, and all the while The Deluge Atlantean terrorists, who started this disaster are still in the fold somewhere, possibly connected to N.E.M.O., the nefarious organization that is still actively recruiting Black Manta to be in their ranks. 

So even after Aquaman somehow finds a way through this chaos hopefully, he'll still have all of that to deal with down the road. 

I'm still very much enjoying the political aspect of this series even with this issue going full Commando mode for the whole book. I don't know if this is how Arthur Curry normally acts in the face of danger, but I am impressed. He's been framed, arrested, detained, attacked, shot and roughed up, yet he still maintains a cool head and does what he can to keep Mera balanced as well. The conversation between the two of them in the middle of a huge battle with U.S. troops is hilariously at the wrong time, but adds a great sense of levity to the book and displays just how strongly powered and ahead of normal humans the Atlanteans are. They're doing their best to stay alive, but it's not quite as difficult as one might think. 

As with others in the DC Rebirth line, Aquaman is reaching the end of "The Drowning" arc, with one more issue coming to tie up this particular storyline regarding Arthur's being framed for an act of war. Certainly while this arc is ending with the next issue, the bigger storylines and characters from this arc will carry over into the next one as there isn't enough time in one issue to fully answer all of the questions that either Arthur or we as the readers have. We still don't know what the ultimate plan of The Deluge was or is, we've only seen a minimal amount of interaction between Black Manta and N.E.M.O. and we don't know just how close the United States and Atlantis are to go to war with each other, a situation that Arthur is still going to fight to prevent if he can. 

I can't wait to see where this goes next myself. 

5 out of 5 - DC UNIVERSE REBIRTH: Aquaman #5

This series runs twice a month, next issue due out September 7.

Aquaman #4 REVIEW - Atlantis and the USA on the brink of war

The situation for Arthur Curry and his wife Mera just went from bad, past really bad and into worse territory. As if Black Manta's attack on the embassy at the end of Issue #2 wasn't enough, an Atlantean terrorist group destroyed a naval ship killing several American soldiers, leading the USA to immediately arrest Arthur and detain him for questioning since his kingdom has now seemingly committed an act of war. 

There's definitely a bigger plan at play here and it doesn't simply involve framing Arthur and destroying Atlantis as much as it does proving a point about the inferiority of surface dwellers, at least that is what is being presented here in Aquaman #4. Arthur, to his credit is as stoic as he has been from the beginning, remaining cool, calm, collected and non-violent about the situation, which happens to be the exact opposite of Mera who is ready to attack the Secret Service herself to release Arthur from his somewhat voluntary imprisonment. 

In the midst of this is a United States government on high alert and ready to launch a full-scale attack on Atlantis in retaliation for the destruction of the naval vessel. In true parallel form, no one that Arthur is speaking to is even listening to his pleas about members of his own kingdom that fear change and would act outside of his and his kingdom's own interests just to start a war to keep the fences up. They're all convinced at this point that Arthur is behind everything, from the embassy attack to the naval vessel and that Atlantis is ready to strike. 

This arc really does feel like Clear and Present Danger for sure, but I like it. As an introduction to Aquaman for me, I'm glad to see a story that has this level of political depth and subtext behind it. It really serves to paint a great picture of the frayed nature of relations not just with Atlantis and the United States, but also with Atlanteans and surface dwellers, which is a theme that has been reinforced a few times in this series. 

Arthur deserves a ton of credit for his restraint this entire time because as he is clearly being framed and his kingdom is about to plunge into war with the most powerful nation on the planet, he is still thinking and preaching restraint and peace. He and Mera both know that he could turn the tables on this situation at any time, but he refuses to in the name of brokering that trust between the two worlds, even in the face of the other world pointing the finger squarely at him. Arthur Curry is truly a noble king in this story right now. 

By comparison, Mera is the opposite but her emotion can be greatly appreciated because while Arthur serves as what a cooler headed person should do, Mera is the embodiment of what most of us WOULD do in the same situation and it's a great counterbalance for this story at the right time, when chaos is erupting all around everyone. 

I'm having fun watching this political drama play out and I love the real world parallels drawn from them. Aquaman is starting to become one of my higher rated DC Rebirth series. 

5 out of 5 -  DC UNIVERSE REBIRTH: Aquaman #4

This series runs twice a month, next issue due out August 17. 

Aquaman #3 REVIEW - Tensions between Atlantis and USA on the rise

Three issues into Aquaman and we're already headed into deeper territory than I thought we would be heading into. 

From the beginning, once it was established that Black Manta would be seeking his revenge against the King of Atlantis it felt like this was going to be a very personal arc centered around a story of vengeance for one of Aquaman's deadliest foes. That might still be the case, but Issue #3 takes us down a much, much bigger road. 

Black Manta's attack on the embassy while leading to his arrest has also increased tension between Atlantis and the United States, with Arthur caught right in the middle of trying to broker a peace between the two nations, both of whom have major players and characters that are unwilling to trust the other implicitly and that includes Arthur's wife Mera. Despite her mistrust of the situation from the American side, she is more than willing to do as her husband and king wishes and remains at his side for the entirety of the situation. 

This series is taking a very political turn with a focus on some heavy issues like the Patriot Act, politics and terrorism in general and while we get a good understanding of where the United States lies on this issue, we also get a glimpse of how the Atlanteans see the situation, which makes you just feel bad for Arthur because he is essentially the monkey in the middle, caught between trying to rule his world and broker a peace with the surface dwellers of the USA. 

Meanwhile, Black Manta is hardly out of the picture as he has been acquired and offered work by N.E.M.O., a sinister organization that shares his disdain for Arthur and appreciates his capabilities. Not a whole lot is explained yet on that front but definitely something to keep an eye on later. 

The political intrigue and "Tom Clancy" nature of this story might serve to be a slower read for some people, but I enjoyed the political parallels to real life and the story and character development to this point. Arthur is a cool customer to this point, remaining rational and sound as he acts in what he believes to be the best interests of Atlantis, without creating anymore tension than there already is. Unfortunately for him and Mera, the tension has only begun and is soon to get much, much worse. 

This series has been my official comic book introduction to Aquaman and I like it as one of the better DC Rebirth books with a so far strong story and good characters to balance everything out. Maybe there could be more action in it, but these story arcs play out over several issues for a reason indeed. 

4 out of 5 - DC UNIVERSE REBIRTH: Aquaman #3

This series is twice a month, next issue due out August 3.