After kicking the door down in the first issue, Jeremy Adams and co. are here to continue Aquaman’s exploration into the unknown. I’m not going to lie, my jaw was on the floor at the end of last issue as I wanted to scream, “what does it mean?!” into the void. Atlantis and its people vanished off the face of the Earth? Arthur going through some sort of Omega Gate to go look for them? It was a wild opening to this run. And while this second issue continues the adventure, don’t expect things to be as buck wild as the first.
SPOILERS AHEAD for Aquaman #2!
After vanishing through the gate that turned out to be an Omega symbol (you know, Darkseid’s symbol – not a great omen), Arthur wakes up in a desert land with no idea where he is. After being attacked by locals that identify themselves as Grindylows (English folklore water demons), Aquaman decides to show them how big a mistake it was to mess with him. Not only does he flex his new hydrokinesis (moving water with one’s mind) to throw mud and blind them, Aquaman also wrestles their giant lizard mounts into submission. He finishes this encounter off with a classic “take me to your leader” to boot.
Arthur getting down and dirty
DC Comics
Before being taken to the Grindylows’ queen, Arthur notices something peculiar about this desert land – there’s evidence it was under water not too long ago. A mystery that will be sure to followed up on. Turns out the mysterious queen of this land is none other than Jenny Greenteeth, an English folklore river hag who drowns people. Unfortunately for Aquaman, Jenny makes short work of him and he ends up in a dungeon hanging from vines that are slicing into his flesh. Thankfully, he also isn’t alone in the dungeon – there’s a mysterious older dude with long hair and a beard who coaches him. After listening to the stranger, Arthur is able to concentrate and seemingly unlock a new understanding of his hydrokinesis.
It’s here that Aquaman learns that his cellmate is none other than Arion, a magical demi-god and Atlantean king of old. Aquaman “water bends” the giant vat of blood he’s suspended above, freeing himself and Arion. Arthur goes on to defeat Jenny Greenteeth before being bowed down to as The Dark Tide, a new god. Now does this mean a new god in general or a New God? Considering the inclusion of the Omega Gate, the jury’s still out.
I also need to bring up the mentioning of The Blue (also known as The Clear). Similar to The Green (all plant life) in Swamp Thing and The Red (all meat(?) life) in Animal Man, The Blue is the force that controls all water (and therefore, all life) across worlds and dimensions. I think the last time we heard about it was back in the Earth 2 series. That Adams is bringing this concept back to the forefront excites me.
Although this second issue takes its foot off the gas a bit compared to the first, it does a great job furthering the mystery and keeping me wanting to come back. I came in wondering what the hell the end of the first issue meant but Jeremy Adams turned my head to the side and said, “Okay, but what about this?” And you know what? It worked. I’m perplexed, amused, and wondering just where in the seven seas this title is going to go.
Artist John Timms didn’t miss this issue and rendered this weird dessert dimension in an amazing way. Kudos to his take on Grindylows and Jenny Greenteeth; he made these somewhat familiar folklore creatures into new monstrosities that I wouldn’t mind seeing more of. I also need to mention colorist Rex Lokus. I’m unsure what all went into the decisions made with the colors, but everything felt “off” in an interesting way in this dimension. Heck, even Aquaman’s pants and gloves appeared to have more of a blue hue to them compared to the first issue where they were more of a classic green. It was as if this place was colored more with secondary colors (purple sky, orange ground) to make it feel more alien.
Jeremy Adams and team prove in the second issue of Aquaman that they’re cooking up something weird and interesting. I have no idea where it’s all going, but I’m intrigued enough to come back for more.
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