Unity between land and sea is Arthur Curry’s greatest dream. But Black Manta has a dream too: to destroy everything Aquaman stands for, starting with the sea king’s Atlantean embassy and everyone in it.

Aquaman #2 is very much a continuation of the first issue, so if you haven’t read that one, you’ll want to. Writer Dan Abnett seems to be building things up, but putting lots of obstacles in the way. Aquaman, though a superhero, is the leader of a sovereign nation and this new volume has that front and center. Bringing hardcore politics into the series is something that’s long overdue, and Abnett is taking steps to rectify that.

But, what’s interesting is the comic’s reminder that though he’s a leader of a nation Aquaman is also a superhero. Black Manta seems to remind him, and us the readers, that over and over. And at the same time, the issue quickly catches up new readers as to what the beef between the two characters is. It’s a solid issue in its ability to do both and work for old and new readers alike (as long as you’ve read the first issue, but you don’t necessarily need to).

Abnett is helped with the art by Scot Eaton and this issue feels like an improvement from the first. While it’s still not amazing, it’s consistent and the action is pretty solid (it’s an action packed issue). There are some minor issues, particularly a panel where Aquaman is thrown and the perspective is off, but it’s pretty good and doesn’t distract.

Abnett is laying some very interesting groundwork and the politically infused direction is a fresh way to go. I’m hoping there’s a bit more intrigue in that direction, but we’ll see. We’ve yet to get a real hardcore mix of the two that’s as much about process and the dealing as it is fighting supervillains, and it looks like Abnett might be filling that niche. So far, so good though as he’s shown he can balance the two worlds quite well.

Story: Dan Abnett Art: Scot Eaton
Story: 8.1 Art: 7.4 Overall: 8.05 Recommendation: Read

DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review