Cape Optional

A Public Diary Entry: Why Aquaman deserves to be loved

If the image above isn’t reason enough hopefully the next few paragraphs shall convince you…

For those of you unaware, DC comics recently made the bold move of relaunching every single comic under their publication. Revamping and re-imagining 80 year old characters in an effort to save the comic book industry from declining sales and story fatigue. I (like many other comic readers) was incredibly excited by this prospect as it finally gave me an opportunity to dive into this rich universe that has always evaded me with its convoluted history and inaccessibility. However my enthusiasm was recently squandered by not only a massively disappointing prologue mini-series (Flashpoint) but also months of anticipation dulled my excitement over time. Foolishly, I avoided the DC relaunch, merely flicking through titles on the shelves but never purchasing not out of disdain, but disinterest [and-a-lack-of-money].
This all changed with Aquaman. 

Now I know what you may be thinking: “Aquaman? Really? The gold and green guy who talks to fish and is constantly berated on Family Guy?!” 
I was much like you only a week ago; the guy who would take a cheap shot at fish-boy (old habits are hard to kill) and laugh at his expense. However, like so many members of the general public in this issue, I was silenced. Mainly because rather than trying to deny Aquaman’s somewhat dire reputation among the public and fans alike, the writer Geoff Johns uses this to his full advantage: Having civilians and police crack wise at him only to be upstaged by his powerful presence and calm demeanor. There’s a priceless scene where a bunch of thugs are robbing some kind of armored car, plummeting down a heavily crowded street before approaching a heroic looking Aquaman stood in the road. Chuckling, they ignore his stance and decide to slam down the accelerator in an effort to mow him down. What follows is a glorious moment that I won’t spoil but will tease at.

Yeah that’s right, drive headfirst into the well known super-human with a trident.. There’s a reason you guys steal money isn’t there?

You all know whats coming next and that’s what made this issue so endearing and powerful. It doesn’t betray the character, change his powers or even rewrite his backstory. It took the elements that work for the character and just made them cool and believable. The character has always been torn between his role as a king and his half human heritage, ripped between two worlds that need him. In an Aragorn-like turn of events this issue shows him renouncing his role on the throne in an effort to establish a life of his own making, rather than one he was simply born into. This immediately puts him on a more human level for any readers that may have felt alienated by not only his lame reputation but his position in high authority. Everyone has a rebellious streak, no matter what the scale is and this certainly gives Aquaman a fresh new perspective without ever betraying his long-running characteristic roots. Geoff Johns has always been good at taking any age old character and boiling them down to their key themes, using character to drive the story rather than the villain-of-the-month syndrome. 

Now enough about the writing. Lets get into the art. 
I have left this till last cause its hard to turn-OMFGGGSOOOOOOF@$%&GOOOOODDDDMARRRRYYYMMEMEMEME into something intelligent and coherent but I guess I will try. The art in this book is simply stunning and Ivan Reis proves the perfect choice in terms of not only portraying a regal character, but also as a way of legitimizing the book and bringing in any nay-sayers such as myself just to look at the pretty-so-pretty pictures. Everything from the inks to the colors seem to blend in perfect harmony and create something of an eye orgasm for anyone lucky enough to bare witness. Ivan Reis has always been considered as something of a industry treasure and here he displays why. You would be hard-pressed to find a better looking book on the shelves at the moment.

You heard the man.

Now as a self admitted Marvel guy I must say I have had brief love affairs with DC in the past, the Batman film franchises have always sparked interest, I have had a thing for The Flash, a love for Superman and have read many Geoff Johns Green Lantern stories but my interest has never lasted mainly out of a lack of knowledge and passion for them. One thing I love about Marvel is my insight into the universe and love of its characters. So DC had a long way to go towards winning me over as a permanent fan and I never expected Aquaman would be the character to be a catalyst for that. Only time will tell if its simply the character I love or the creative team but hell, I’m intrigued enough to stick around and find out.

This easily competes for the best single issue I’ve read all year, 2011 has 4 more months to produce something better… If that book happens to be Aquaman #2 I will eat my own hat, shoes and pants.