Aquaman #15
(W) Dan Abnett (A) Philippe Briones (CA) Brad Walker, Andrew Hennessy
RATED T
In Shops: Jan 18, 2017
SRP: $2.99
“THE DELUGE” conclusion! It’s all been leading to this: Aquaman and his Atlantean army vs. Black Manta and the forces of N.E.M.O. in a final fight for supremacy over the seven seas. Whoever wins, one thing is certain: only one man will swim out alive!
Two weeks into the new year and two weeks of new comic days! We’ve got two more first volumes to two DC Comics “Rebirth” trade paperbacks!
Aquaman Vol. 1: The Drowning collects issues 1-6 and the Rebirth issue by Dan Abnett, Scot Eaton, Brad Walker, and Philippe Briones.
Batman Vol. 1: I Am Gotham collects issues 1-6 and Rebirth by Tom King, David Finch, Scott Snyder, Ivan Reis, and Mikel Janin.
Find out what each trade has in store and whether you should grab yourself a copy. You can find both in comic stores January 11 and bookstores January 18.
Get your copies now. To find a comic shop near you, visit http://www.comicshoplocator.com or call 1-888-comicbook or digitally and online with the links below.
Aquaman Vol. 1 – Amazon/Kindle/comiXology or TFAW
Batman Vol. 1 – Amazon/Kindle/comiXology or TFAW
DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with FREE copies for review
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Aquaman #14
(W) Dan Abnett (A) Philippe Briones (CA) Brad Walker, Andrew Hennessy
RATED T
In Shops: Jan 04, 2017
SRP: $2.99
“THE DELUGE” part three! No sooner has Aquaman found a lead on the location of N.E.M.O.’s secret headquarters than the United States sends a team of aquatically trained super-soldiers to take out the sea king. Behold America’s Aquamarines!
Aquaman #12
(W) Dan Abnett (A) Philippe Briones (CA) Brad Walker, Andrew Hennessy
In Shops: Dec 07, 2016
SRP: $2.99
“THE DELUGE” part one! It’s war! With the undersea army of N.E.M.O. at his command, Black Manta draws the U.S. and Atlantis into the war Aquaman has been fighting to prevent. Now the sea king races to uncover proof of N.E.M.O.’s deception before the two nations destroy each other.
Aquaman #11
(W) Dan Abnett (A) Philippe Briones (CA) Brad Walker, Andrew Hennessy
In Shops: Nov 16, 2016
SRP: $2.99
“THE DELUGE” prologue! Aquaman’s mission to unite the sea and surface has taken a great leap forward. But N.E.M.O.-the secret terrorist organization-has other ideas. Black Manta deploys the agents of N.E.M.O. to provoke hostilities between Atlantis and America. The Deluge-the prophesied, all-out global war-is about to begin…
Aquaman #5
Written by: Dan Abnett
Art by: Philippe Briones
Covers Andrew Hennessy, Bradley Walker
Variant cover by: Joshua Middleton
“The Drowning” part five. Unjustly branded a murderer and a fugitive, Aquaman’s forced to defend himself against the might of America’s military. Meanwhile, Black Manta and the deadly underwater crime cabal known as N.E.M.O. advance their plan for revenge on Aquaman.
Aquaman #3
Written by: Dan Abnett
Art by: Philippe Briones
Cover by: Andrew Hennessy, Bradley Walker
Variant cover by: Joshua Middleton
“THE DROWNING,” Chapter Three: In issue #3, Aquaman’s mission of peace is dealt a devastating blow when Atlantean terrorists attack the surface world in retribution for Black Manta’s deadly assault on their embassy.
Aquaman’s mission of peace is dealt a devastating blow when Atlantean terrorists attack the surface world in retribution for Black Manta’s deadly assault on their embassy.
Writer Dan Abnett has been going a very interesting direction with Aquaman focusing heavily on the fact that Aquaman is a hero and also the head of a nation. This issue jumps all in with this issue and there’s some good and bad as far as that.
The good is, I’m a political nerd and the idea of revoking diplomatic rights and political jockeying is the type of story that I really dig. The bad is, I begin to nitpick the politics of it all and the “process.”
Throughout this issue I found myself wondering if this is how things would work, or even the right process to do some of the political maneuvering. So it had me interested, it also had me a bit distracted too. There’s also Aquaman as a political neophyte and it’s really shown here. He comes off as too green though and should know much more than he does.
The art by Philippe Briones is a drag. This series has taken some steps back in the art department and the twice-monthly shipping is absolutely impacting this series as far as that goes. Character designs are inconsistent and things look rushed. Changing artists is very noticeable with this series and a consistent team would go a long way.
If you dig the idea of Aquaman as the head of state and political aspects of the character, this is a fresh and fun take on that. I’m digging it and want to see where Abnett takes it. We just need more consistent art.
Story: Dan Abnett Art: Philippe Briones
Story: 8.1 Art: 7 Overall: 7.9 Recommendation: Read
DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
An unstable, violent group has broken away from the League of Assassins! Only the Suicide Squad stands a chance of stopping them – if they’re willing to get even more unstable and violent!
DC Comics might not have let Frank Miller have Batman fight Al-Qaeda, but the comics publisher is giving us the Task Force X Suicide Squad take on a group that’s clearly ISIS (or ISIL or Daesh, depending on where you are). Writer Sean Ryan takes on real world events in veiled form with New Suicide Squad #9. The story sees a violent belief driven terrorist organization called The League taking over areas of what is assumed the Middle East in a move reminiscent of ISIS. And just like the real world terrorist group, the League is splintered off another group they felt weren’t hardcore enough. In comics its the League of Assassisns and in the real world, it’s Al-Qaeda. Enter Task Force X who is tasked with infiltrating and finding out what weaponry and capabilities the group has.
Writer Sean Ryan pulls no punches with this new direction giving as a thinly veiled reflection of things that are going on. The focus on weapons capabilities is appropriate in a week that ISIS’ capturing and obtaining left US military equipment is making the news. It’s pretty damn good timing. He also pulls no punches, giving us torture and a twist on the beheading video. The set-up there should be fascinating to see played out in future issues.
But, part of the fun of this type of motley crew is their interaction with each other. The dysfunction is in full display as Deadshot and Captain Boomerang are at each other’s throats as expected with Black Manta playing the serious straight man of the trio. The only thing that really stuck out to me as weird is the fact Black Manta is part of this group. This looks to be a desert like climate. He’d be good, how? Maybe that’ll be coming up, but in this first issue it did stand out to me.
Will the interior art by Philippe Briones isn’t as cool as the cover art by Juan Ferreyra, Briones does bring a certain flair to it all, especially when it comes to the positioning of the images of the characters in panels, and his depiction of the war torn area. The art is solid, though doesn’t jump out to me as amazing.
For the brazen and gutsy storyline alone, I’m recommending this one a buy. While it might not use the real world names, it’s clear who Ryan is writing about, and what he’s getting at. In doing so, he also might be giving us a potential serious threat in the DC Universe, one I’d like to see expanded beyond this storyline. You don’t see creators getting this close to something relevant and in the news, so to see it here is beyond awesome.
Story: Sean Ryan Art: Philippe Briones
Story: 8.25 Art: 7.25 Overall: 8 Recommendation: Buy
DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
