Aquaman #2

Written by: Dan Abnett

Art by: Scot Eaton

Coloured by: Gabe Eltaeb

Lettered by: Pat Brosseau

After a mediocre Rebirth issue and an okay first issue, Aquaman finally begins to get into the meat of the story in issue two. While hosting a grand opening of the new Atlantean embassy to America, Aquaman is attacked by his greatest foe, Black Manta, looking to take everything he has from him, starting with his dream for peace between Atlantis and the surface, and his wife Mera. So, now that the ball is rolling, does the issue follow through on momentum that was set up in the previous issue?

The story mainly revolves around the fight between Aquaman and Black Manta, with a small amount of time devoted to the evacuation efforts of the embassy. We start out with a recap of Black Manta and Aquaman's history, with Aquaman mistakenly killing Manta's father in anger after thinking Manta's father had killed his father. Seeing his father killed in front of him, Manta swears revenge on Aquaman and we are returned to present day. I truly enjoyed the fight in this one as it was not simply, but a debate, with Aquaman and Manta trading words as they traded blows, the words eventually being more instrumental in the defeat of Manta then the punches ever could have been, and therein lies my love for the character of Aquaman. He is not simply a superhero, he is a king, and kings occasionally have to make hard decisions, go to war, and even negotiate and debate. It makes for a much more interesting fight scene, which is welcome as the fight scene spans the majority of the issue.

Although there is still the occasional odd looking face, the artwork in this issue appears to be an improvement over the last issue. I am unsure if this is a result of greater focus, as there are usually only two people in a panel at a time, one masked, and therefore more time could be put into the art, or if some other factor has lead to this apparent improvement, but it is welcome. The colours remain vibrant and the movement is tight and dynamic. More attention given to facial expressions would lead the art in this series from okay to great, so hopefully some more attention will be given in the future.

Ultimately I quite liked this issue, it was full of good action, as well as good writing. It highlighted an aspect of Aquaman beyond just his role as a superhero, and focused more on his abilities to inspire and influence people, which are the attributes of a king. While it did much less to establish the people of Atlantis than the last issue, it did present a great representation of Aquaman to new fans and old fans alike. If future issues can continue to give us this confident, thinking hero, I believe that this will be a series to keep an eye on.