Aquaman #9 // Review
Superman has become possessed by a powerful entity that’s attacking the Justice League. It happens. Honestly...given just how susceptible to magic Clark is and just how powerful his body is...it’s kind of surprising that it doesn’t happen more often. He’s a real danger to the rest of the team until Arthur Curry shows-up and knocks Superman out with a single punch. Arthur Curry has got some serious explaining to do in Aquaman #9. Writer Jeremy Adams and artist John Timms continue a refreshingly fun new direction for Aquaman. Color comes to the page courtesy of Rex Lokus.
It’s a cosmological force named The Blue. That’s what has given Aquaman the power to knock-out Superman. It’s given him a hell of a lot more than that, though. It’s given him the ability to truly protect the ocean. He can feel hurricanes before they happen. The power of an infinite number of oceans flows through him. He’s become something like the god Poseidon. So now he’s a bit above and beyond the rest of the team. He’s got bigger responsibilities now. And with those bigger responsibilities...there are going to be much bigger dangers for the hero of the ocean.
Heroes are occasionally given god-like powers. It happens. It's kind of difficult to do it in a way that feels fresh or original. Adam does a pretty good job of increasing the complexity of the life of Arthur, while simultaneously maintaining a great deal of good nature fun. The decision to maintain a focus on a larger ensemble with the title also seems to be working out in its favor. Arthur is leading a team that really feels like it could be its own title. But he's still very much in the center of everything. And that's a really good balance for his title.
Timms’ art really has a chance to open up with somebody different characters involved. The action flows across the page quite well. And it's kind of surprising that the artist is able to get across as much action as he is with just very few panels. There's a lot of story to cram into this issue. The combat seems just as satisfying as it would if it was the sole center of the issue. There's a really sharp sense of impact as things both cross the panel. There's also quite a bit of intensity in the drama. Arthur might look a little bit like a drizzle, old sea captain. But he is actually drawn with quite a bit of death and intensity if it goes beyond cliché.
There's enough going on in this one issue that could suggest a whole family of Aquaman titles that might be every bit of satisfying as Superman or Batman families of titles. Adams does a really good job of keeping everything balanced in and within a single issue. But any one of the different characters involved in this particular issue could probably have their own title. Adams makes it seem also appealing.
