I would like to say before I start this review that I've always been more of a Marvel reader. It's not that I have anything against DC, it's just that I grew up more with the Marvel characters, so when it comes to spending my hard-earned cash I tend to choose Marvel. I've read a few DC books here and there and was always looking to get more into them, so the New 52 was perfect for me. For the first time ever I was dropping Marvel books from my pull list in order to afford DC books. Now I've never read anything with Aquaman in it. EVER. I've never been remotely interested in Aquaman and the only exposure I have to the character is the silly super-friends version. You know, this one.
But the cover looked badass and I've read enough of Geoff Johns to know that I liked him, so I decided to pick it up.
So how is Geoff Johns introduction to Aquaman? In a word, great. Aquaman #1 does a good job of introducing new readers to Aquaman. I can say this with certainty because I am a new reader. The art by Ivan Reis is great, it's realistic, but still dynamic. All of the characters don't feel entirely grounded in realism, but they don't have exaggerated anatomy either; it's a perfect blend of the two. Reis also proves to adept at action scenes; a scene where Aquaman flips an armored car is perfectly rendered. He can also draw some pretty creepy looking fish creatures, but more on them later. The writing by Johns is pretty great too. Johns adds an interesting twist to the Aquaman mythos; he makes Aquaman a joke. The police are embarrassed to be upstaged by him, criminals don't take him seriously, and just about everyone makes fun of him. This makes for some pretty funny scenes wherein Aquaman has to try to prove that he's not as lame as he's made out to be.
It also makes for some interesting character drama; here's a guy with superpowers who really wants to make a difference, but he's always written off as a joke. The villains of this first story arc are a species of trench dwelling, man-eating, fish-people. The Trench-Creatures, as I've come to call them, are suitably scary looking and mysterious (the last page in particular is spooky and gruesome). The Trench-Creatures haven't proved themselves to be anything beyond creepy sea-monsters yet, but I don't know if they really need to be anything more than creepy sea-monsters. I like sea-monsters. The only negative for this issue is a scene in which a blogger interviews Aquaman. There's nothing terrible about the scene, but it only serves as a recap of Aquaman's origin for new readers. Being a new reader, I actually need the recap, but longtime fans might be annoyed by it. Overall, everything about Aquaman #1 was great. The art is terrific and kinetic, and Johns does a good job of establishing Aquaman as a capable, badass superhero. I'll be sure to keep an eye on this series as it progresses.
9/10