AQUAMAN #25 by Geoff Johns and Paul Pelletier
"So be good for goodness' sake. Whoooaaaa, somebody's comin'...."
I will admit right now that I'm a bit behind when it comes to reading
Aquaman. I know. Shame on me. That doesn't mean that I don't have an appreciation for the character. (I actually really like him and think he deserves a movie.) It's quite admirable how Geoff Johns has reinvigorated Arthur Curry and made people realize that he's much more than the guy that rode a seahorse on
The Super Friends. This may not be a nine year run on
Green Lantern, but in just two short years Johns has managed to redefine Aquaman. I'm sure many readers are sad to see him exit the title, myself included. Let me tell you, he goes out with a BANG.
What I really loved is that Aquaman is written as a righteous king. This is a man that would die for his people; someone that ascends a throne to serve, not to rule. His display of heroism in this explosive finale rivals that of Superman. After being unconscious for six months, he awakens with a mission to dethrone The Dead King, Atlan. Not only that, he learns that there are four sea kingdoms in addition to Atlantis, Xebel, and The Trench, making for a total of seven. Seven Seas. Seven Kingdoms. Keep that in mind for later.
When it comes to supporting characters, I've really taken a shine to Mera. She's really become a leading lady in her own right. Also, is it just me or does Nereus remind anyone else of
Resident Evil's Barry Burton? Atlan is a pretty worthy villain and readers will be satisfied to see him engage Aquaman in a final battle that shakes Atlantis to its core. All of this is brought to you by artist Paul Pelletier, who has proven to be a worthy successor to the mighty Ivan Reis on this series. Some of the shots in this book are downright iconic.
This may be the end of Johns' run on
Aquaman, but it's not exactly "the end", so to speak. There's an epilogue that sets up
Justice League: Rise of the Seven Seas. Geoff Johns talked a little bit about this forthcoming story in this week's episode of
DC: All Access. This is a threat that will be too great for just Aquaman to handle and will require the rest of the Justice League. I'm guessing fans of
Throne of Atlantis will want to take note of this. Seven Seas. Seven Kingdoms. Seven members of the Justice League. Sounds intriguing, huh? My best guess is that it will directly follow
Forever Evil. This issue is recommended not only for fans of Aquaman, but for those charting the course of the DC Universe as a whole.
Score: 9.5/10.
THE SANDMAN: OVERTURE SPECIAL EDITION #1 by Neil Gaiman and J.H. Williams III
Before we proceed, here's what I had to say about the original printing of
The Sandman: Overture #1 last month:
I openly admit that I'm largely unfamiliar with the writings of Neil Gaiman. Furthermore, I'm not exactly a "fantasy" type of guy. Knowing those two things about me will perhaps give you an appreciation of my approval for this book. Within these pages, Gaiman weaves a highly imaginative and poetic tale that makes you wonder why the Sandman franchise hasn't been adapted to a live action or animated film. I had to smile within because his narrative evokes the quality of various classic works I read as a boy for literature assignments. The man has a real talent for transporting the reader. It's hard to tell if he loves writing more for comics or novels.
If you're someone that follows my reviews, then you know I am one to gush over artwork. Believe me, there's a lot to gush over here. Williams is a great artist, but there is an aspect of his art that made me nervous before opening this book- his layouts. Granted he puts a lot of thought into them, but I sometimes found them hard to follow in Batwoman. I was quite pleased that while his layouts in this book were quite creative, they were very easy to follow. The surrealism is great. He may have won many hearts during his Batwoman days, but Sandman is the book Williams was born to draw. Just wait until you feast your peepers on his impressive gatefold at the end of the issue.
If you're a curious new reader or have long awaited Gaiman's return to the character, this book is well worth the $4.99 cover price. Don't wait for the trade. This baby is bound to win an Eisner or two.
This special edition is presented without final coloring, therefore it's mostly black and white. Dialogue balloons are translucent to give you a better view of Williams' artwork. A fair amount of supplemental material has been added, which I will detail below.
-Translucent by Todd Klein: Letterer Todd Klein details the process of lettering the original
Sandman series as well as the current one. Sometimes it can be easy to overlook how much thought is put into this craft. The man is most definitely an artist in his own right.
-Annotations by J.H. Williams III: "JH3" gives us an insightful look at how he plans his layouts for the inaugural issue. If you're a fan of his, you're in for a bit more.
-Q&A: Vertigo's Executive Editor Shelly Bond interviews JH3. You get to learn a bit about the man himself and his first meeting with Neil Gaiman. It's great to see that someone who read the original series in the '80s now has the opportunity to draw this new chapter.
-Playlist: Find out what JH3 listened to while drawing
The Sandman: Overture #1. He and I definitely don't have the same taste when it comes to music. (The world needs more Rammstein.)
-Press Check!: See how the guys at the printing press worked hard to make sure the first issue shipped on time. This is another aspect of the process people don't always think about. It's nice to see them get some recognition.
Should you pay $5.99 for this special edition? If you're a Sandman/ Gaiman die hard, then I'd have to say yes. I have no idea if this material will be compiled into a trade, so you might as well scoop this up while you have the chance. My appreciation for issue #1 grew with a second read. Compound that with the supplemental material and this scores a full point higher this time around.
Score: 9.5/10
DAMIAN: SON OF BATMAN #2 by Andy Kubert
Okay, this one gets filed in the "honorable mention" category. I don't have much to say here, but this was an alright read. Here's what you need to know: Dick Grayson was the Batman that died in the first issue. (Hey, that was a month ago. We can talk spoilers now.) You will at least get to see Damian become Batman in this issue. It's great to see characters like Professor Pyg show up, even if they aren't written very well. A lot of the dialogue in this issue is pretty bad. On the plus side, Kubert's art is outstanding as usual.
This really isn't an improvement over the first issue. In fact, it's slightly worse. I'm just really interested to see where the story goes. If this min-series were any longer than four issues I probably wouldn't be willing to stick around. It's kind of like a fun popcorn action movie that doesn't have much depth.
Score: 6/10.