Aquaman: A Dark (sea)Horse?

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Recently I've become increasingly obsessed with Aquaman. It's difficult to pinpoint exactly why this is, although I blame a combination of The Big Bang Theory and his reported appearence in Dawn of Justice. Whatever the reason, I have been thinking about Aquaman far more often than I would consider to be healthy. This led me to begin reading his stories in search of an answer to one of the oldest questions in comic books: Is Aquaman really as cool (or as uncool) as people say he is?

I decided to dive right in(pun intended) by reading any Aquaman book I could find which, in my case, was volume 5 of the current series titled "Death of A KIng". As far as introductions go, this was perhaps not the best choice.

 "Death of A King" opens with Aquaman feeling increasingly isolated. After the events of the previous volume, which saw the army of Atlantis rise up to attack Boston, he is mistrusted by humans who see him as too Atlantean and mistrusted by atlanteans who not only see him as too human but also question his claim to the throne (something which even Aquaman himself is unsure of). The story deals heavily in the theme of accepting responsibility and duty, especially once Aquaman is forced to set aside his inner turmoil to deal with the story's main Villain: the undead(and extremely angry) first king of Atlantis. The story has a few interesting scenes and some cool action but isn't especially memorable.

Now on to the main question: Has what I have read changed my perception of Aquaman? I honestly didn't know what to expect when I started reading, it's no secret that Aquaman is the joke of the comic book world, it's such a ubiquitous idea that even DC have been known to lean into it on occasion, but it is also true that he has a legion of fans. Usually, any defence of Aquaman tends to focus on his powers: He's telepathic, as strong and as durable as Superman, can breath underwater and has control over all marine life. Such powers, fans argue, put him squarely in the top tier of the DC universe. Personally, I don't see it.

The overwhelming feeling I was left with during my time with Aquaman was adequacy. Nothing about either the character or the volume I read struck me as ridiculously terrible or especailly exciting. It was just ok. I think the main problem I have with the character is that, despite his intriguing powers and interesting premise, I just don't see where he fits in amongst DC's other, more recognisable, heroes. Every ace Aquaman has up his sleeve can found tucked up into the costume of a dozen other heroes with a far wider range of stories to tell.

Perhaps I'm wrong, and I'm sure someone out there will correct me, but I just don't see myself becoming a committed Aquaman fan...I'm going to see Dawn of Justice tomorrow, perhaps that will convince me...

Until next time

Panelhopper 





Location: Leicester Leicester

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