Recent issues of Emperor Aquaman (formerly just Aquaman) have found the king the seas as a newly crowned Emperor, with heightened abilities beyond just talking to fish. Now able to access The Blue and all worlds that connect to it, Arthur Curry has made it his mission to be the new emissary and peacekeeper of the waterways across the galaxy, with Earth being home base. This mission has already had one almost disaster in the previous issue, and with Emperor Aquaman #17, from returning creatives Jeremy Adams and artists John Timms and Paolo Villanelli, Aquaman gets another “L” in the “Planet Coalition” column.
Fresh off his previous mission with King Shark, Aquaman now teams with Jarro the Conqueror to investigate another potential planet for The Blue. The tiny Starfish alien is along for the ride thanks to a vision he had from the DC K.O. event that centered on Aquaman, making for an unusual team up for the two characters. As the two investigate the strange warm pathways on this particular planet, they quickly learn from their ally Nemo’s readings from his Nautilus submarine (oh yeah, Captain Nemo is in this) that what they are seeing are not lava pathways, but umbilical chords, and they are in a giant nest. A Star Conqueror nest to be exact, which makes having Jarro around a pretty good thing, except when the floating antibodies of the nest make notice of the two intruders.
One of the great things about Emperor Aquaman‘s new status quo is the fact that the book essentially functions as the perfect “done in one” style comic that we don’t get enough of. Much like Matt Fraction and Jorge Jimenez’ Batman, Emperor Aquaman has excelled at giving us a solid main story with small connective tissues in the background that hint at something larger to come, but not so much that you feel like you are completely missing out on something (or make you feel guilty for dipping out). Adams’ new direction with the Atlantean Empire is fantastic, and leads to some really creative ideas for the types of adventures that Aquaman is going on, giving the book a real “underwater Conan The Barbarian” vibe that I personally love.
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That all being said, Emperor Aquaman #17 isn’t without problems. The inclusion of Jarro is a bit, well, jarring. After not being featured at all in the previous issue, his sudden arrival on this mission is a little strange, even with the exposition dialogue that the little guy throws out. The two characters make a great odd couple team, but the sudden thrust of this new ally when we already had a pretty fun one with King Shark and the rest of the Shiver in the previous issue makes for a bit of a uneven experience for those of us following the book regularly. Not to mention that there’s little to no follow up from the events of the previous issue, which almost make me wonder if the two issues were published out of order and editorial tacked on the Black Manta material to the beginning of this issue in hopes we wouldn’t notice. Despite being front and center on the cover, Aquaman’s number one bad guy (and one of my favorites) is barely featured in this issue, instead used as one of the aforementioned future story teases early in the issue.
John Timms is backed up on art by Paolo Villanelli in this issue, and two work wonders with what Adams sets up for them. Timms’ art has made Emperor Aquaman one of the secretly best looking books that DC is putting out, and Villanelli’s style works well with his. The two depict the Star Conqueror nest as truly unique and otherworldly, and the way they work in tandem with Adams’ script to slowly reveal the danger Aquaman and Jarro are in is masterful. Couple that with Rex Lokus’ stunning colors that emanate strange alien beauty and you’ve got an issue that truly feels like a portal into another world.
Despite some odd narrative moments, Emperor Aquaman #17 is another step forward for the series as it makes its own unique corner of the DC Universe. The slow build towards Black Manta is still cooking, but the main stories of Aquaman exploring the Blue have enough pull for me that I get a little thrill at seeing just what kind of weird underwater/space horrors that Adams and Timms have up their sleeves with each new issue. If they keep this up, I’ll be happy to pledge my allegiance to the Atlantean Empire.
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