REVIEW: JUSTICE LEAGUE #16

(w) Geoff Johns
(p) Ivan Reis
(i) Joe Prado

Last fall, a number of DC creators, editors, and executives started talking about how 2013 was going to be a year full of changes for the 'New 52'. Geoff Johns' epic "Throne of Atlantis" could have been a simple crossover between Justice League and Aquaman -- a natural move since Johns writes both series -- but it's slowly transforming into a turning point for the entire DCnU.

Justice League #16 sets up the final pieces for the inevitable war between Atlantis and the surface world. The issue is thick with anticipation -- the difference between war and peace lies with Aquaman's ability to temper the Justice League's justifiable anger over the tidal wave that decimated the eastern seaboard against his brother Orm's anger over the perceived attack on Atlantis. At some points, Aquaman is literally standing between the League and Orm, stopping all hell from breaking loose. Aquaman's ethical quandary over how to proceed -- standing with the League and demanding justice from Orm, or adhering to Atlantean tradition by forsaking the entire surface world -- is a central theme for the entire sequence. The one unfortunate element of this situation is that all the character behave in cliche superhero fashion of punching first and asking questions later. Batman, in particular, acts particularly out of character for a hero who understands the intricacies of how fear compels people to do unspeakable things. But traditional superhero tropes aren't enough to detract too much from this stellar issue. 

But there's a lot more to Justice League #16 than just the beachhead confrontation between the League and Ocean Master. For one, Dr. Shin has been an important and central character in Aquaman since the first issue, so it comes as no surprise that he's a target of a team of Atlantean assassins who believe Shin is a key figure in turning the tide of the coming war. Being the foremost human expert on Atlantean physiology puts the Doctor in the unique position of finding a weakness to exploit. Johns also properly introduces Dr. T.O. Morrow into the 'New 52' with his suggestion that S.T.A.R. Labs employ his nameless "android" to take control of the weather from Orm, who has used his mystical staff to conjure up a series of deadly storms. It's just a passing remark, and the idea gets shot down by Cyborg's dad pretty quickly, but not before a certain Dr. Magnus and his Metal Men are also mentioned. Being the Chief Creative Officer for DC, Johns has a lot of freedom to include little nuggets of foreshadowing. Of course, the biggest "holy sh*t" moment comes with the final splash page that points to a bold new direction not only for Justice League, but also the DCnU at-large.

Justice League #16 is a fun issue full of intense action, plot-advancing story, and an ending that will get most any DC fan excited for the future of the series and the 'New 52'. Already, a tidal wave has destroyed the east coast of the United States. That's going to last for a while, and a war with Atlantis is going to change the landscape even more. Since last Free Comic Book Day, we've known that 2013 would bring "Trinity War", the first major 'New 52' crossover that would effect the entire line. "Throne of Atlantis" may or may not be a prelude to this massive event, but it's setting the standard for 2013 being about big ideas and big changes.

GRADE

9/10

FEATURED REVIEW: AQUAMAN #13

(w) Geoff Johns
(p) Ivan Reis and Joe Prado

"The Others" concludes this issue after a six-month adventure featuring the rag-tag team of misfits that Arthur Curry once allied. Geoff Johns has done a stellar job going beyond a simple character reboot, and has made Aquaman one of the preeminent characters in the 'New 52'. While the first arc, "The Trench", did well to give readers a general structure for Arthur and the series in general, "The Others" has been all about character development and growth - Arthur's history with Black Manta isn't as black and white (eh? eh? Get it??) as it was pre-'New 52', and that's led Johns to make both characters more interesting and fun to read than they have in years. 

Don't get me wrong, "The Others" has it's fair share of faults -- Aquaman's constant violent bitterness, Mera's ineptitude when it comes to Arthur's feelings, a whole new cast of characters that only somewhat make an impression -- but these nitpick-y criticisms are part of a larger picture that Johns is drawing concerning the King of Atlantis. Obviously, this isn't the last time we'll be hearing from Arthur's old teammates, so it makes sense that Johns didn't want to reveal everything about these characters in their introductory arc. After learning that Arthur had a whole life before meeting her, Mera doesn't really know how to approach her husband, and that's exactly what the character needs at this point in her narrative.

The biggest problem I had with "The Others" was Arthur's irrational anger and 'Lone Ranger' attitude that continued to get him into trouble. It's becoming more and more clear that Johns is using 'mystery' as a story element that applies to Arthur on a variety of different levels -- his ancestry, this friends, his motivations, etc. Arthur is an introvert, and one that seemingly gets explosively angry when others impede on his isolation. I understand wanting to make Aquaman a little rougher around the edges, but making him a huge jerk to his longtime friends is not the way to do it, per se.

That being said, Aquaman #13 turns the entire story around for me in a positive light. Arthur is finally starting to understand that by pushing away those who love him the most, he was putting them in more danger than if he had just accepted their help. At the end of Aquaman #12, Others member Vostok was murdered by Black Manta. Vostok was the most secluded of the group, spending decades waiting for the team to come back together so he could have a purpose once more. Arthur doesn't handle Vostok's death well, but in a good way. Obviously, Arthur is heartbroken that one of his oldest allies is dead, but the half-Atlantean hero uses this horrific event to motivate himself to be better than he's been.

The message Johns tries to convey with Aquaman #13 and "The Others" as a complete arc, is that Arthur Curry used to be a different man, one that used violence and anger to solve all his problems until those same qualities became the source of all his problems. Black Manta's presence was the trigger that brought the old Arthur bubbling to the surface. It's a truly genius way to write a story, letting the tale almost tell itself as Arthur's past starts to make more and more sense in context with the rest of his team. Arthur even admits, "I didn't tell you...because I'm ashamed, Mera." Arthur understands that his past is just that -- the past. He wants to separate himself from the chaotic man he used to be, but the ghosts of former mistakes keep rearing their heads.

In the end, Johns reveals that Black Manta's entire mission was simply building up to the upcoming "Throne of Atlantis" crossover with Justice League. Manta answers to someone, but we don't yet know who. It's most likely Arthur's half-brother, Orm (more popularly known as Ocean Master), but knowing Geoff Johns and his penchant for throwing curve balls, it may be someone even more sinister. Aquaman #13 is as perfect a conclusion issue as one can get. It neatly (but not too easily) wraps up "The Others", shows how the protagonist has learned and grown because of the events that transpired, and it deftly makes readers excited for the next story.

GRADE

9.5/10

AQUAMAN #11

STORY: Geoff Johns
ART: Ivan Reis, Joe Prado, Jonathan Glapion, and Andy Lanning

While he gets out all of the cosmic-level threats and crossover bonanzas with Green Lantern, Geoff Johns saves the scandal and intrigue for Aquaman, a series that has been one of the 'New 52's best titles, not only for it's fantastic arcs and high-caliber artwork, but also because this is a character who has never really been treated right, so Johns is doing everything he can to right that wrong. "The Others" started off rather vague, only sparingly giving readers small amounts of information regarding the team Arthur was on before the Justice League. Most of this arc has been about Aquaman's relationship with his arch-nemesis Black Manta and how it differentiates from old DCU canon, even on a metafictional level. So it's nice that in Aquaman #11, Johns gives us a little more character development for some of the...well...other members of the Others.

"The Others" is starting to feel like 'Arthur Curry's Asshole Hour' because he just can't seem to be nice to any of his former teammates. While the King of Atlantis may have shown some compassion to some persons during the run of "The Trench", all of that seems to have been washed away in favor of a far more pig-headed version of Arthur that wont listen to anyone else and makes rash, impulsive decisions that hurt him and those around him. And while I'm confident this is all part of Johns' plan for Aquaman, it's a bit disconcerting to see the character so violently shaken from his generally stoic presence. Then again, having to deal with a vengeful criminal who happens to be a genius super villain can push a man.

If the Justice League is supposed to be the cool kids club, then the Others is definitely the nerd table. Aquaman himself straddles the line between mainstream and alternative, while the four other remaining members all have some quirk that keeps them from enjoying an actual life outside their powers. Prisoner is haunted by the memories of his military squad and their families - he constantly feels the pain of having lost his surrogate brothers, while simultaneously feeling empty because he had no real family of his own. The Operative - whom we discovered is an elderly gentleman last issue - assumes the thankless mantle of the "nameless agent working for every side..." then using those relationships to garner support when need be. As evidenced by his age, the Operative seems to believe his actions are necessary to keep the world spinning, so to speak.

Vostok quickly becomes the most interesting of the team after his quick tale of growing up in a Russian isolation chamber (with literally no human contact at all) in preparation to be the nation's greatest Cosmonaut, a dream that faded when the program was cancelled and Vostok was released, left to wander a world full of creatures and things he have never seen. Vostok admits to the team that he's been on the moon for two years, "waiting for you to contact me." Even on a team of misfits, Vostok is 'out there'. All of the Others are outsiders who don't fit into normal society, and they came together because of this fact.


"The Others" continues to be dynamite. Johns is weaving an intricate melodrama that's less about the sinking of Atlantis and more about Arthur Curry's relationship with his past. While Black Manta represents the worst of Aquaman's history, the Others represent the best of his younger days. Unfortunately, Arthur is only focused on defeating Black Manta, forsaking the help of his allies and opting to rush in by himself. Black Manta's big find at issue's end also promises big things for the next issue.

GRADE:

A

(COMIC) AQUAMAN #10

STORY: Geoff Johns
ART: Ivan Reis, Joe Prado, and Andy Lanning

Last month, the big reveal was that Aquaman killed Black Manta's father when Arthur's father had a heart attack shortly after Manta attacked them. It was a major twist in the Aquaman/Black Manta history, and one that changes their core relationship. Pride is something neither man is in short supply of, which means their feud is everlasting and intensely personal.

Aquaman #10 begins with The Operative trying to figure out how Black Manta knew where to find the other members of The Others. After infiltrating Manta's headquarters, the Operative is revealed to be a fairly old man who works out of a giant military plane with his son who thinks his father needs to get out of the game before he gets himself killed. Geoff Johns has included a lot of diversity in Aquaman thus far (Shin, Manta, Ya'wara, etc.) and takes it one step further by including an old person. I hesitate to say 'elderly' because that sounds a bit more fraile, which the Operative definitely is not.

The rest of the issue features Shin's recounting of the events surrounding Arthur and Manta's feud to Mera, which also acts as the narration to the confrontation between the Others and Black Manta. Johns expertly weaves Shin's tale into the scenes of Aquaman against Black Manta, moving between flashbacks and the present with a flow not unlike that seen in Green Lantern: Rebirth. Arthur's rage is real, yet Ivan Reis' artwork vividly conveys the obvious doubt Arthur has about the situation, however minute that feeling may be. When Aquaman rages out at Ya'wara about killing Black Manta, you can see the anger in Arthur's eyes. The thing is, Arthur didn't even mean to kill Manta's father. Arthur goes after Black Manta, whom he believes to be alone on a fishing boat, and accidentally kills Manta's father while Manta is diving.


Instead of a conflict of pure vengeance and rage, the relationship between Aquaman and Black Manta in the 'New 52' is based on deep-seeded emotional issues and the transfer of blame tied to the death of their respective fathers. Family stands as a core element of Aquaman, and Johns' reimagining of the Aquaman/Black Manta feud is astonishingly good, especially when coupled with Arthur's past secrets being unearthed one person at a time.

GRADE

A

(COMIC) AQUAMAN #7

Written by Geoff Johns
Artwork by Ivan Reis and Joe Prado

Aquaman has been getting some amazing treatment from Geoff Johns in the 'New 52'. With an amazing four-issue opening arc and subsequent focus on Arthur's wife, Mera, Aquaman has been heavily praised as one of the best titles currently featured by DC Comics.

This month's prelude to "The Others" introduces Black Manta into the 'New 52' with a murder - fitting for one of Aquaman's oldest and deadliest enemies. Manta kills a woman named Kahina the Seer and vows to kill her family before taking out Arthur and "everything he loves", which I'm sure includes Atlantis. Meanwhile, Aquaman and Mera round up some ships stuck out at sea during an oddly violent storm before paying Dr. Stephen Shin a visit concerning the Atlantean relic Arthur found last issue. In the middle of their discussion, a mysterious woman attacks them, claiming Shin fed Black Manta information about Kahina and "the others".

Geoff Johns is a master storyteller who can give readers just enough information to make them think without giving too much away. Where writers like Brian Michael Bendis have a knack for creating stories more suited for graphic novels, Johns' talent lies in month-to-month, episode-style writing. Shin's photograph on the last page shows Arthur working with a group of warriors (at least that's what it looks like) teases readers by revealing a new chapter in Arthur's life without telling us anything about it! Anticipation counts for a lot when it comes to monthly series', and Johns does it so, so well.

GRADE:

A