Confession time: I’ve always liked Aquaman. Even before Jason Momoa “my man”ed his way through the Snyderverse, Aquaman was a character that I secretly held close to my heart. Was it because he was one of the first action figures I got as a kid? Was it the ability to breathe underwater that appealed to me? Is it because I’ve always found the ocean to be super cool? Whatever the reason, there was always something about Arthur Curry and his world that I was always attracted to throughout all these decades of comic book reading. It seems that DC is finally seeing the potential that Aquaman has with Emperor Aquaman #15, a retitling and fresh start for the Atlantean King as part of DC’s Next Level event, with writer Jeremy Adams and artist John Timms leveling up the hero and his comic for a whole new age and readership.
Fresh from the battlescape of DC K.O., Arthur Curry is trapped in the Blue, the water nexus point of the DC Universe. Similar to The Green and The Red, The Blue is the connective reality of all ways of water, and Curry finds himself here after the machinations of his mother in law, who is attempting to usurp control of Atlantis for herself. As Mera battles her mother, Arthur navigates the Blue and encounters three distinct aspects of his personality: his older “wisdom and age” self, his younger “innocence and youth” self, and his current “human and guarded” self. The three must come together to navigate the Blue and return to our realm, but can they do it before it’s too late for Mera and Atlantis?
Well, obviously they do, but the way it’s done is one of the most fist-pumping moments I’ve seen in superhero comics this year. Jeremy Adams takes a VERY esoteric and weird approach to the “finding yourself” inner journey that many pieces of fiction do, but presents it in a cool and unique way that plays to the strengths of Aquaman as a character. All of these sides of his personality are what makes him the leader and the hero that he is, and while this issue serves as more of a concluding chapter than the “new start” that the cover promises, what this issue does set up for the future seems extremely cool. It’s an interesting status quo change that will presumably up the power levels for both Aquaman and Atlantis, and Adams’ script is so confident here that I’m really looking forward to seeing how he pays it all off.
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John Timms might be one of the most underrated artists working at DC right now. A strong mix of Humberto Ramos and Dan Mora, Timms’ style is extremely expressive and kinetic, bringing a sense of fluidity that is extremely apt for a book starring Aquaman, but also really detailed and gorgeous. The opening pages with the aged version of Aquaman addressing his younger self is simply jaw dropping, with some incredible detailing from Timms and incredible coloring from Rex Lokus, who makes the art pop in ways that are truly something to behold. Underwater sequences are always hard to pull off in static art, but the combination of Timms and Lokus really does wonders to make this a truly beautiful issue.
You know you’re in a good place with a storyline where you’re rooting FOR the start of an empire, and Emperor Aquaman #15 continues the great momentum that Adams and Timms have been building since the first issue. The premise of an Aquaman who has the ability to access the Blue is the kind of status quo change that you would have expected the character to always have, and expanding his kingdom to cover not only our seas but the seas of other worlds promises a unique path forward for this series that will make it hopefully stand out from Aquaman runs past. While Emperor Aquaman‘s next issue will probably serve as a better jumping on point than this one, Emperor Aquaman #15 is solid concluding and beginning chapter for a character that has long had great potential.
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