Aquaman’s new power set has been a long time coming, and pretty awesome to see play out. Since DC K.O., Arthur Curry has a newfound ability to travel The Blue, control massive tidal waves, and even stop people’s blood from flowing. It’s a power set that has really leveled up the guy who can “only talk to fish”, and has made Jeremy Adams’ current storyline pretty fascinating to play out, as Curry balances his burgeoning Atlantis Empire with his new and growing powers. In Emperor Aquaman #19, with artist Paolo Villanelli, Arthur has to come clean with his teammates in the Justice League, all the while a growing plot against him is brewing under the waves.
Fresh off his sojourn in space with Hal Jordan, Aquaman is ready to make his return to Atlantis to check on the status of his growing empire. But before he can settle in, Arthur is stopped by Batman and Wonder Woman, who are looking to discuss Arthur’s new abilities and his exact plans for creating a massive empire under their noses. At the same time, Mera’s trip with Vivienne to help her rebuild her underwater forge is interrupted by her mother Lolanna, who’s assembled a who’s who of Aquaman villains to take down the king of Atlantis before his empire grows too large.
I have to hand it to Jeremy Adams here, as he finally gets around to having the larger DC universe address Aquaman’s massive power upgrade in a believable way. The first few issues of Emperor Aquaman were a blast, but as we kept going through this story, and especially after Aquaman’s team up with Hal Jordan last issue, I was starting to wonder if anyone else in the DC universe was going to notice what Arthur’s been up to. The fact that Adams has the two heroes who first visit him be Batman and Wonder Woman is expected but also really in line with the two characters, as Batman is going to want to keep tabs on any potential threats, while Wonder Woman is coming at the situation from a place of care and knowledge about living in a royal family.
DC
The confrontation between Arthur and the Justice League takes up a large part of the book, and does give Arthur a pretty badass moment that solidifies why he should be considered more dangerous than usual, but Emperor Aquaman #19 also stands out as the issue that finally gives Mera something to do. After essentially being co-lead since issue one, the one aspect where Adams’ run has been lacking since DC K.O. is the treatment of Mera, who’s largely been sidelined as her husband travels the Blue. Having Mera be the one to discover this “Aquaman Revenge Squad” is great, because it gives her far more dramatic tension than Aquaman finding it. The fact that her mother Lolanna AND her sister The Siren are part of this cabal of villains really cuts into the sacrifice Mera made to be with Aquaman, and should put her in a hopefully more central place as the story progresses.
Paolo Villanelli is back on art duties this issue, and he does a good job of showcasing the Mera sections of the book, but struggles a bit with the Justice League portions. Granted a lot of those segments are characters chatting on rocks and aboard the Watchtower satellite, but I would have really liked to see Villanelli try out something more dynamic during these moments. That being said, he does make up for that with Mera’s confrontation with her mother and sister and the other villains. Longtime bad guys like Ocean Master and Black Manta look both classic and menacing under Villanelli’s pencils, and even villains I had no reference point for like Legend and Kordax look so cool with his style that I want to seek out more with them.
Emperor Aquaman has been a very solid superhero read since the beginning, and even more so after DC K.O., but it really feels like the momentum is starting to build with this issue. The slow build of Arthur’s new powers and expansion of his kingdom is something that should be on the Justice League’s radar, and having Arthur deal with some of that friction is a great dynamic that I hope plays out in the Justice League Unlimited title as well. Not only that, but having this new villain threat boil to the surface is also adding a whole bunch of tension to the series that I can’t wait to see play out.
You must be logged in to post a comment.