Aquaman Annual #1

Writer: Phillip Kennedy Johnson

Artist: Max Fiumara

Colourist: Dave Stewart

Letterer: Deron Bennett

It's Annuals week again and there are still a whole load of great comics to get. Annuals can be either a hit or miss but I prefer Annuals that tell a nice, singular story with a beginning, middle, and end. I think this was a great issue and I recommend you check it out.

I'm not familiar with Phillip Kennedy Johnson's work but I enjoyed the plotting and writing here. The story has a nice structure to it and the plot itself, while somewhat derivative of another famous Superman story which I won't reveal for spoiler-related reasons, has a few solid twists and turns. Since I won't spoil anything, I can't really delve into what I found wrong with the story other than providing my critiques in broad strokes. The framing device of this story is something that we have seen before in DC Comics, and I'm not entirely sure if it works like it does in this story. The methods that the characters used to break this framing device is unfamiliar to me and I don't think it lines up with what's been established in the past.

I had a mixed response to the art. I love the level of detail that Max Fiumara infuses into the art; it's very reminiscent of the late, great Bernie Wrightson or the also great Liam Sharp. I did take issue with some of his facial expressions. Characters like Aquaman and Mera looked great, but some other characters sometimes had oddly-drawn and placed eyes, which made them look simply weird. Some expressions also looked a bit too distorted for no reason. Other than these small gripes, it's consistent and good art.

I do think this is an issue worth picking up. It tells one over-sized story, and fans of Aquaman and Mera should pick this up since their relationship is at the centre of this story. People who saw the JUSTICE LEAGUE film and who were interested in Aquaman should also pick this up if they want a one-shot story to jump into.