Comic Recap/Thoughts: Aquaman Volume 1: The Drowning

Hello, so sorry I missed last week. We all know how the holiday season can get a little crazy. My family was busy baking all the cookies. (See picture at the bottom.)

I am back and this week we are jumping into a new character (Well, new for this blog)! Time to catch up with everyone's favorite Justice Leaguer to poke fun at, Aquaman. Before I 'dive' into this recap, I will admit I have never read any Aquaman. The closest thing I have to compare him to in my brain is Mermaid Man from SpongeBob. I did, of course, see the Aquaman movie, because Jason Momoa! I liked it well enough, but I prefer him in the Justice League (Snyder cut, obviously). 

The first volume of Aquaman collects issues 1-6, as well as the Aquaman Rebirth #1. Going to try and keep this short and sweet, so as to not go into a part 2, but I just keep finding myself wanting to talk about everything, so wish me luck. 

Aquaman Rebirth #1: The Drowning Prologue: After the Deluge: Some unknown person is narrating as we see a shot of a large school of fish. They remind us that oceans are very large, making up two-thirds of the planet and 97% of the global biosphere. The narrator is lamenting that it is a large domain to rule. Now we see that Aquaman is swimming through the Atlantic Ocean, he is looking for someone (we don't know yet who). At the Spindrift Station, the Atlantean Dry Land Embassy in Massachusetts,  Aquaman's Captain, an Atlantean named Sark, tells Aquaman he is close to whatever it is he is looking for. Lucky for us, Mera (I know she is some sort of princess of her own kingdom, not totally sure) is there to tell us that Aquaman is approaching something/someone called, The Deluge. Our mystery narrator thinks that Arthur Curry, aka, Aquaman, is pretty cocky to think that he is the ruler of Atlantis and the protector of all the oceans. 

Aquaman comes face to face with a menacing looking group of people riding some large sea dinos. (They look like some prehistoric crocs?) The narrator tells us that The Deluge is an Atlantean terror cell that is super xenophobic towards surface dwellers. They further explain that us surface people do not know much about Atlantean society, because they have been isolated for a long time. They do know that The Deluge recruits from the lowest sector of Atlantis. (I think we are to understand Atlantis is a pretty class based society.) Aquaman recognizes the leader of The Deluge as Corum Rath and asks him to stand down. Corum tells him no and tells him he dresses like a surface fool, to which I call BS (Aquaman's outfit is for sure not something literally anyone else would wear). Fun fact from the narrator, people in the Ninth Tride, aka, the lowest sector call themselves, "Hadalin," which means, bottom feeders. They don't mean it as a slur, because Atlanteans have a lot of respect for those who toil to keep the seas clean. The Deluge sees surface people as pollution (not super unfair) and they really hate that the new king is surface-born.

Looks like The Deluge plan to use "Fusion Fire" which I think is some kind of bomb, to blow up some American harbor (Boston is mentioned later). Corum wants to make the surface burn. They are fighting while all this talking is happening. At the Spindrift a hulking Atlantean named Murk does not like that Aquaman is fighting other Atlanteans to protect dry-landers. Mera points out that they are terrorists. 

The unknown narrator tells us that the Spindrift is a project of Arthurs' to try and improve relations between the sea kingdom and the surface. Arthur put his beloved Mera in charge of the diplomatic mission. She did so reluctantly, because she definitely does not get the appeal of the surface world, but loves and trusts Arthur. Mera continues to point out that the Deluge have fusion bombs and if they were to atomize a seaboard city, it would mean the end of any peace talks between Atlantis and America.

Garth (Aqualad from the Titans) is hanging out, ready to help if needed. Sark asks Mera if they should be sending in help. She tells him that we can give Arthur a little bit longer, don't want to cause any issues by looking like a war is happening underwater. The narrator tells us that the world sees Aquaman as a hero, a member of the Justice League and friend of Superman and Wonder Woman. We cut for a second to two women, one thinks "Aquaguy" is hot, but the other says pass on the guy who chats with fish. Narrator person explains that Aquaman doesn't talk to fish, he can just use a type of telepathy to compel marine life. Because of this gift, Aquaman has become a bit of a joke in pop culture (feeling called out here). Basically everyone underestimates just how strong he is. 

Back to the fighting. Aquaman frees the creatures that The Deluge are riding. Our narrator pal tells us that Arthur is not a "proper" hero and is not beloved, if anything he is feared, as are all the people living under the oceans. We cut to a news anchor talking to people about Aquaman. One guest calls Aquaman the head of state of a foreign power and another guest, whose home was flooded by an Atlantean attack. This guest is pissed, his sister and nephew died and he does not think that Aquaman is a hero.

Our ever helpful narrator tells us about how Arthur's mom was the Queen of Atlantis and his dad was a lighthouse keeper. They compare his origin story to a sea shanty, calling him a man of two worlds who belongs to neither and is not really liked by either. Aquaman wins the fight and finally takes down Corum, while the narrator comments on how Arthur keeps persisting and protecting the land and sea from each other. Aquaman asks Corum why, but he doesn't really get an answer. 

Later at a small seafood restaurant Arthur is looking at a menu and Mera shows up to join him. The narrator recaps everything about how tough it is to be Aquaman.  Mera knows this is one of Arthur's favorite spots and she knows he goes there when he has had a rough day. Mera figures that The Deluge decided to attack because the building of the Spindrift had just been finished, but Arthur wonders if a third party is involved. Mera is not really feeling her chowder and Arthur tells her how much he appreciates her trying to understand him and his love of the surface world. They very clearly love each other. Even the narrator calls Mera his one light. 

Finally on the last page of this issue we see our narrator. It is Black Manta and he is watching footage of Arthur and Mera. His plan is to use Mera to destroy the Spindrift Embassy, which will in turn ruin the chance for peace between land and sea. Once he is done with that, he will destroy Aquaman, because Manta knows what Aquaman really is, the man who murdered Black Manta's father.  

The Drowning Part One: The End of Fear: In Amnesty Bay, Massachusetts, we find Arthur and Mera relaxing at the top of his father's lighthouse. They are talking about their engagement, the continuing issues between the surface and Atlantis, and how Aquaman's half brother, Orm, pissed off a lot of people. They are also being real cute and I like them a lot. Black Manta is creepily watching them for a distance. 

A Brit rolls up on the Spindrift Station (Maybe she is British, maybe Australian, because she says, "Crikey" a lot). She is Lieutenant Joanna Stubbs from the British Royal Navy. She is there to be the British Naval Liaison to Atlantis. She meets Sark (Captain of the King Guard). Sark gives her a mini tour and is definitely flirting with her. When Aquaman and Mera show up, Joanna gives us another crikey. 

Aquaman and Mera are there to give all the world press a tour of the newly completed embassy. There is a bit of a party going on. Sark and Joanna flirt some more and a poor reporter gets sick after eating some Atlantean appetizers. Mara breaks up the flirting and sends Sark to check on the poor reporter. Another crikey from Joanna at the sight of Mera (I do not blame her). Mera knows a lot about Joanna and I am hoping for a friendship here. 

Sark catches up with the sick reporter, but it was all a ruse. The guy is actually planting bombs. Sark tries to stop him and gets beat up and stabbed for his efforts. Mera hears the ruckus, but not before Black Manta reveals himself and activates his bombs. It was a large explosion and of course he blew up the part of the embassy that was under water. Mera is able to use her water powers to hold most of the water back so people can run. Aquaman finds Sark (who might be dead?) while Mera comes face to face with Black Manta. It looks like he hurts her pretty bad. At the same moment Aquaman shows up and he is pissed. 

Manta and Aquaman fight, while Joanna pulls Mera to safety. The issue ends with Manta stabbing Aquaman right in the chest.

The Drowning Part Two: Full Circle: We start with a quick flashback curiously of Black Manta; Aquaman while looking for Manta accidently kills Black Manta's father. Back in the present, Aquaman is looking a little rough, bleeding from the spear that is going through his shoulder. Manta then proceeds to set off many more bombs, blowing Spindrift to kingdom come. Murk (big guard guy) is trying to save as many people as he can. 

Aquaman is pissed, but is still trying to reason with Manta. We get another crikey  and a "bluh-dee hell" from Joanna as Aquaman pulls the spear out of himself and proceeds to beat the shit out of Manta. They fight and both have lots of hurt feelings. Outside Joanna delivers Mara to Murk, who is kind of a jerk about it, but whatever, he is having a rough day.

There are a few more pages of fighting and Aquaman stops holding back. He definitely defeats Manta, to the point that Manta asks Aquaman to kill him. Manta figures if he lives he will eventually kill Aquaman and if he dies he will ruin Aquaman's reputation as a hero, so he wins either way. (I do not agree, Aquaman is totally justified in killing this guy.) Instead Aquaman gives Manta his trident and tells Manta to kill him then. Aquaman points out that once he is dead, Manta will no longer have a life or a purpose. I think Aquaman breaks Manta, because he does in fact drop the trident and give up. Aquaman apologizes for taking Manta's father from him. The cops take Manta away.

Mera is recovering in an ambulance bed when Arthur checks on her. (My girl points out that she would not have let Manta live...just saying, we all know it is going to bite Aquaman in the ass later.) Arthur thanks Joanna and gives Mera a hug.

Of course the convoy taking Manta to jail is attacked. A badass looking lady named Black Jack wants to be friends with Manta.     

The Drowning Part Three: Capitol Crimes: At the site of the now totally ruined Spindrift Embassy, Murk is trying to go on site. The U.S. military is telling him he is not allowed and the big guy is not taking it well. It looks like it is about to go to blows, but Aquaman shows up to try and settle the disagreement. Seems the U.S. government has revoked the Embassy status of the Spindrift. Aquaman is upset that the government is so afraid of him and Atlantis. (There is a note telling us that Atlantis attacked a lot of cities, in a prior storyline.) Aquaman tells Murk to stand down and asks who he needs to talk to, to fix this. 

Mera and Arthur share a cute moment on the beach by the lighthouse. Arthur is pretty upset about the embassy, but Mera is not surprised. He asks her to help him go talk to the powers that be to try and fix things. Mera reluctantly agrees to help him.

At an abandoned airfield in Maine, Manta is cuffed and wants to know why he was sprung. Black Jack, who works for N.E.M.O. wants to offer Manta a job. Manta passes on the offer, escapes and beats everyone up (well all the minions). Black Jack points out that Manta is so much more than vengeance and N.E.M.O. can give that to him. 

In Washington. D.C., Arthur and Mera roll up on the White House. They are taken to the Chief of Staff, Mr. Gantry. Arthur asks how to go about getting the Embassy back up and running. Gantry reminds Arthur that during the struggle for the throne of Atlantis many cities were attacked and many people were killed. That a terrorist attack on day one does not bode well. They debate back and forth for a while, Mera chiming in to help. She points out that Aquaman is a member of the Justice League and has saved the world many times. Aquaman name drops Superman. 

There is an explosion on the USS Pontchartrain that is out on the South Atlantic. There is panic and mayhem. We do not get a clear picture of who is attacking the boat, but it looks like maybe they are Atlantean or meant to look like they are. 

Back at the White House some men in black suits (maybe F.B.I., maybe the Secret Service) show up and tell Arthur he is under arrest for crimes against the U.S. They tell him about the attack on the USS Pontchartrain and how Atlantis has claimed responsibility for the attack. Gantry freaks out and assumes this meeting was a distraction.

They arrest Aquaman. Mera wants to fight back and is pretty pissed, but Arthur asks her not to do anything. This is a mistake and they will prove it.  

The Drowning Part Four: Semper Fidelis: They take Aquaman to the Hillcrest Department of Homeland Security holding facility, Washington, D.C. An agent asks Aquaman if he needs anything and Arthur makes a joke about wanting a fish to talk to. The poor agent thinks he is serious and I feel sad for Arthur. Aquaman gets why they had to arrest him and points out that he could totally walk out, but he won't. 

Mera is upset, pacing around up in the White House. She is talking on the phone to Tula, Regent of Atlantis and acting head of the kingdom in Arthur's absence. Tula is under a lot of pressure because the people of Atlantis are not happy about their king being locked up. Murk took The Drift (Atlantean warship I think) to investigate the wreckage of the Pontchartrain. He is reporting to Tula that the ship was destroyed by Atlantean war-tech. They find a very Atlantean sword that Murk points out no true Atlantean would have left behind. Murk is sure this was a setup. At the moment though U.S. Forces show up and start fighting with the Atlanteans. Tula orders Murk to back off, but appears to lose contact with him.

In a fancy plane, Black Jack and Black Manta are chatting. We learn N.E.M.O. stands for Nautical Enforcement of Macrocosmic Order (oof). Their goal is not to rule the world, but to "control its operation." Once they get rid of their last obstacle, Atlantis, they plan to go public. Also the boss of N.E.M.O. is called the Fisher King. 

Mera, is still chilling in the White House. Mr. Gantry is still being a jerk. He tells Mera to call off the Atlantean forces, but she points out that she can't, because they are not attacking them. He then threatens her, like a fool. She simply asks where Arthur is. 

Back in his holding cell an agent is asking Aquaman about the Deluge. Aquaman explains who the Deluge are and what they did and how he stopped them. (It is actually a very good speech about how tough it is to be the head of state.) The agent reports there could be more members of the Deluge out there. Aquaman asks to be set free, to stop the attack. 

Before he can be set free, Mera shows up. She basically wreaks the place and before he can get mad, explains that war is about to break out and his symbolic gesture of being locked up is not working. Time for a jailbreak! He reluctantly agrees with her and they make a run for it. The guards start shooting, but it turns out Aquaman and Mera are pretty bulletproof. Mera sucks water out of the guards (not killing them) and they make it outside only to be confronted by a whole army.

The Drowning Part Five: Executive Sanction: It would seem that America is just going to try and kill Aquaman. Helicopters start firing on them and Mera is pretty pissed about it. She literally rips the top off a tank and throws it at one of the helicopters. Aquaman jumps up to save them, yelling at Mera, "No one dies," right before catching the helicopters. Mera is plowing through guys and pointing out that the soldiers are trying to kill them. As Aquaman sets the helicopter down, he tells her that the not dying part included the two of them. 

In the White House situation room, Chief of Staff,  Mr. Gantry is the one ordering people around to take down Aquaman. A Major Shurman asks if using lethal force on a member of the Justice League is a good idea. Gantry being a real tool doesn't care and calls Aquaman a terrorist. He further points out that it's not like he is an important member of the Justice League. (Man I really don't like this guy.) The president calls up Gantry and Gantry tells him to make, "that call."    

Nothing is stopping Aquaman and Mera as they try to make their way to the water. There is a lot of action. At some point Mera gets tired of all the tanks, so she just removes all the water that is needed to keep the tanks moving. While still fighting the soldiers, Mera asks Arthur if he is mad at her. (Really, she tells him that he is mad at her.) She goes so far as to wonder if he no longer wants to marry her. He points out it is not a good time, stops her from getting hit by many bullets, and tells her that he does still want to marry her. 

Back in Atlantis, Tula is getting a report that Commander Murk was able to disengage the U.S. Navy and was able to retreat. She is happy until she gets the other report about how the U.S. military has been ordered to kill Aquaman and Mera. Now she is pissed as she orders the war fleet to mobilize.

Down in Antarctica, Black Jack is introducing Black Manta to Fisher King. In Amnesty Bay (this is where the lighthouse that I think Arthur's father used to live is, that Arthur now sometimes lives) Joanna meets Erika Watson, Amnesty Bay PD. Erika is there to lockdown the house (and feed the dog). Joanna mysteriously gives Erika something to give to Arthur when she sees him. 

Aquaman and Mera are still kicking all the butts, but are slowing down a little. They are also starting to fight each other like they are already married. (Love that Mera rips off the tops of so many tanks.) On the last page of this issue we find out who POTUS called, none other than Superman. (Quick note: At this point, this Superman doesn't really know this Aquaman very well. Remember Superman died and this new Superman just came out.)

The Drowning Conclusion: Out of His League: While it seems like Superman is there to take out Aquaman, Clark says it isn't like that. They have a conversation, Superman can hear the Atlantean war fleet coming and he just wants to help. We see a cut of Tula in a war ship, knowing that Aquaman wanted peace, but with their king under threat, something has to be done. 

In the White House situation room, Gantry is losing his shit and yells at Superman for not just taking Aquaman and Mera out. Superman is unimpressed with Gantry. Aquaman asks for trust that he feels he has earned and goes to leave. Superman tries to stop him and Aquaman punches him down. Gantry is happy thinking now Superman is going to kick butt. He is kind of right, Superman does punch Aquaman back, but does so while saying that he would go to Atlantis and help. Mera then punches Superman and Major Shurman is impressed. Aquaman goes on a bit of a rant while him and Mera beat up Superman. He calls himself a "molwark." (In Atlantean it means rogue fish.) Superman points out that Atlantis had attacked the surface, but Aquaman reminds him that was not on his watch and never on his order. There is more talking and fighting. Good arguments are made on both sides. 

Everyone freezes, many exclamations while looking off and we know something big is about to be seen. A whole ton of Atlanteans, they aren't attacking, but they are ready. Aquaman tells Tula to stand down and go home. Aquaman asks again if Superman is going to stop him. Superman just gives him one heck of an ultimatum.

Stuff is still going down in Antartica. Fisher King is putting Black Manta in his place. Manta is not interested in being a subordinate, so he just kills Fisher King (like you do). He takes up the throne and asks if anyone has any questions. 

We end this volume, back in the Ocean, Mera asks Arthur if Superman just threatened him. Aquaman is sure he definitely did, so they better get to fixing things.

This being my first crack at Aquaman, I will start by saying that I did enjoy reading it. My favorite part was that it knew how people see Aquaman and it played right into it. I feel converted to team Aquaman. Also, damn Mera you a badass. I really loved just how much everyone underestimated Arthur. He is much closer to Superman level power than I thought and I was not the only one. Everyone in this comic came at him and he did not go down. I do not care at all about the Black Manta storyline, but I am sure they are just setting up for future stories. Mera and Aquaman might be my third favorite couple in DC (behind Bruce/Selina and Clark/Lois, in case you wanted to know). I just like how much they care about each other, it is fun to watch them be in love. 

I promised a picture of cookies and look at these beauties. Hope everyone has a Happy Holiday season!

My favorite line of the movie goes to the Queen of deadpan lines, Mera. I can see why she feels the way she does, that Chief of Staff was a huge jerk.

Next Week: Batman Volume No. 1: I am Gotham, Part 1

                    Batman Volume No. 1: I am Gotham, Part 2

Last Week: Harley Quinn Volume No. 1: Die Laughing, Part 1

                   Harley Quinn Volume No. 1: Die Laughing, Part 2

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