WARNING!! SPOILERS!!
If you've read my review of the first Aquaman then you know how much I enjoyed it. Geoff Johns has managed to turn me into an Aquaman fan with just one issue. So after a stellar first issue, let's dive into my review of issue two.
The issue begins right where issue one left off, with a bunch of sailors being devoured by the Trench-Creatures. The scene is really creepy and we really get a sense of how brutal these creatures really are. Also we're given what appears to be the leader of the creatures. The "leader" tells all the creatures to stay away from his food and he's sporting some nasty looking battle scars. Giving the creatures a leader gives Aquaman a primary antagonist other than just a bunch of mindless predators, so that's a plus. The creatures themselves are still written very mysteriously; their only dialogue involving "food". This creates a nice fear of the unknown effect, but also hints that there might be a little something to the creatures.
The art is still fantastic and we get to see more of Mera in this issue. I've never read Mera before so I could be really off in my initial judgement of her, but so far I like her. Usual when female characters are written as "strong" or "independent", they just come off as annoying to me, but Mera doesn't have this problem. She's loyal to Aquaman, but not to the point where her entire character is defined by her marriage to him. I also like the way their relationship is written; they clearly care for each other, but the writing doesn't need to constantly remind us that these characters are in love. This issue begins to tone down the Aquaman as a joke theme, but other characters still clearly don't take him seriously. There's also some nice, albeit short, action in this issue featuring Mera and Aquaman facing the Trench-Creatures for the first time. The issue ends on a cliffhanger and I'm intrigued to find out why the Trench-Creatures single out Aquaman to be brought back to the trench. The only negative I can find with this issue is a conversation between Aquaman and a deputy that's a little exposition heavy and goes on for a little too long, but otherwise this a fantastic issue that promises more aqua-action to come!
9/10