Happy Tuesday and welcome to March, man time flies, speaking of which, this blog is really moving along, it is time for my first volume two! If you need to see what Aquaman was up to before you can check out my recap here. This week I am covering Aquaman Volume 2: Black Manta Rising. For some reason this volume is a bit longer than the average volume containing issues #7-15. So I am going to break this post into two, maybe three parts. Today I'll be covering issues #7-10.
Uneasy Lies the Head That Wears the Crown: Many important people all want to talk to the King of Atlantis, but Mera shuts them all down. Aquaman is sitting and thinking. He seems pretty bummed about how the surface didn't go to plan. He is looking thoughtfully at his Justice League card and expresses his concern about Superman's stern warning. (Important note: The card isn't just cool, it is also the key to the teleporter that takes them to the Watchtower.) Mera had pointed out he has many problems to worry about, but he is only worried about one, who is trying to discredit Atlantis. Mera suggests maybe try some smaller problems first.
The first guy who comes in is some Elder who brings up some tradition that Mera needs to do to prove she is worthy of being his Queen. (It comes across real racist.) Aquaman gives him the boot. The next person is about to come in but Murk cuts the line. He reports that the wreck of the U.S. ship (or sub, I do not remember) was bad, so he gets why the U.S. was upset, but they avoided a fight. Murk shows evidence of Atlantean gear from the crash site, but it has been modified for an air breather.
Elsewhere, at a fancy hotel in Venice, Black Manta crashes (literally) into a closed meeting of the board of N.E.M.O. Manta and Black Jack kill a few people to make a point and then take over the meeting as the new boss of N.E.M.O.
Aquaman goes to visit the leader of The Deluge (Rath I think, if you care about names) at the Penitentiary Vault of Atlantis, to ask if they had anything to do with the attack on the USS Pontchartrain. (Fun fact: this is the name of a real ship, but why did they choose the longest ship name for this comic? We will never know.) They have a long chat that basically amounts to The Deluge didn't do it and he doesn't know who did, also he doesn't like Aquaman because he doesn't respect tradition.
Aquaman thinks maybe Rath makes some good points about tradition and respecting the people. Mera thinks she can help by doing the tradition that that elder brought up earlier. They have a cute moment where he tells her she doesn't have to but she wants to because she loves him and wants to help with the kingdom.
At the N.E.M.O meeting, Manta wants to go public or at least be prepared to. The others are like, why would we do that? We also learn that N.E.M.O sunk the ship and is letting Atlantis take the fall. Manta says it is a mistake to underestimate Aquaman, so they need to split his attention even more. He tells Black Jack to launch something (it is not clear what yet). She tells him it is too dangerous, but he says to do it anyway.
Aquaman gives an old FBI pal, Agent Reagan, a call. (They mention a Dead Water investigation, but that was New 52 stuff so...I didn't read it.) She is a little hesitant to help, but also seems pretty excited to help at the same time. He asks her if she knows of any dealers or traders in Atlantean antiquities. She promises to look into it and get back to him.
Black Jack is telling a guy to release the Kraken! Just kidding, but it is some kind of unstoppable monster they are about to awaken. On the seabed there is a big rumble and a big old mud monster rises up and starts to move. At an Atlantean marketplace a child asks her mom if she felt the ground shake.
Unstoppable, Part 1: We start with an intimidating old woman welcoming Mera to the Tower of the Widowhood. Mera is feeling unsure about this whole ritual trial thing, but the Elder guy assures her this is for the best.
Aquaman is missing Mera but he is sure it will be okay. That is until his advisor Kae drops the word "months" and Aquaman is not happy. The conversation is interrupted by a report of a sea-quake. They quickly realize it isn't a quake, because there is a rhythm to it, footsteps. Aquaman and Murk swim off to intercept the mud monster. Aquaman tries to talk to it, but it punches him real hard. Murk is shocked and tells his team to light the monster up. Aquaman appears to be knocked out. The monster heals quickly from blasters, but before Murk can panic, Aquaman is back on the scene. They are all trying to fight the mud monster but it doesn't seem to be going well.
Mera is getting a really boring tour and is worried because she heard the sea-horns and wants to see what is up. The Reverend Mother tells Mera that her only concern right now should be learning so she can become worthy. There is a lot of passive-aggressive non-sense. Mera wants to leave, but the Reverend Mother seems to think that if she does, there will be no wedding.
The mud monster has reached Atlantis and is wreaking stuff. Black Jack reports to Manta that Aquaman has not even slowed the monster down. Tulia (the Regent, aka, boss when Aquaman is gone or busy) shows up to help and Aquaman is mad at her for it. She points out the hypocrisy and also that she has called in the fleet. They hit it with another blast and from the mud comes a villain that I am not familiar with. The Shaggy Man! (I think the best description I found is, he is like a combination of Frankenstein's monster and sasquatch.)
This monster is bad news, like it once fought the Justice League to a standstill kind of bad news. With each attack it was not healing, but it was adapting to their attacks. Basically they made it stronger. Aquaman deduces that it is walking in a straight line. Atlantis is not it's target, but it is just in its way. Based on the path its on, the Shaggy Man is heading right for Aquaman's surface home, Amnesty Bay.
Unstoppable, Part 2: A League of his Own: Shaggy Man has made its way to the other side of Atlantis. They hope to bury the monster in molten rock and trap it, because there really isn't a way to stop it. The plan doesn't work. The monster just jumps right out of the hole they tried to bury it in and quickly makes its way to Amnesty Bay. (Like in one jump, it is there and wrecking shit.)
Aquaman follows quickly and everyone tries to get him to slow down, but he tells them all to stand down. No Atlantean ships can enter the US, he is sure it will start a war if anyone but him goes to fight the monster. Everyone is pretty upset about this plan, they ask him to call on the Justice League, but Aquaman ignores them.
Mera is going a little crazy wanting to know what is going on. The RM is like you just need to worry about learning how to be a good queen. Mera doesn't get how learning a bunch of history is going to help her be a good queen. Mera goes off on the RM about how much she supports the king and does not appreciate being questioned. The conversation is interrupted, because the Oracle is ready to receive Mera.
Shaggy Man is tearing up Amnesty Bay. The police are on scene but obviously they aren't able to do much. Aquaman shows up and tells the police to just get everyone back. Aquaman is getting his butt kicked and the townspeople seem mixed on whether they are happy he is helping or if they are blaming him for all the bad things that come out of the sea. Aquaman keeps fighting and saving all the people. He is also looking really rough.
Murk shows up and is pissed. Why didn't Aquaman call the Justice League? Why is he fighting hand to hand? He even calls him out for being an idiot for fighting this monster alone. Aquaman doesn't admit it is pride or that he is trying to prove something, but he doesn't deny it either.
Future Tide: This issue we are going to catch up more with Mera. We start with what seems to be a vision of the future. It starts out pretty happy, but then the tides turn and it looks like Aquaman is going to die and when Mera takes over it will mean the end of all things. It is the Deluge again, not the group so much, but the Atlantean term for end times. Guess the group just named themselves after the myth. The widows seem to believe that the "Fatal Queen" will bring about the actual Deluge, aka, the end of the world.
Turns out the Widowhood was not in fact racist (well, not as racist), they were just worried that Mera might be the "Fatal Queen." Mera is sure she would not become this monster who would destroy the world. They argue a lot about whether or not this is a race issue or a legit concern. In the end, the Reverend Mother will not approve the marriage.
Mera swims off in a rage, finding herself debating what she should do. She figures she just needs some time alone to think. So she goes to Arthur's home, the lighthouse in Amnesty Bay. She doesn't want to believe in an old myth. She just wants to be with the man she loves. Lucky for her, Salty the dog is happy to see her.
Inside there is a lot of mail for Arthur, she picks up and reads a letter from Lt. Joanna. It is an invite to meet and talk. Mera decides to meet up with Joanna at the Oceanside Hotel in Boston. We see Joanna eating lunch and some guy is keeping an eye on her. He works for N.E.M.O. and is checking in with Black Jack. (Guy's code name is Broadside, dumb name.) Black Jack says, no killing Joanna, wait for her to reach out to Aquaman. At that moment Mera rolls up.
Mera joins Joanna and asks her what is up and what info does she have? Joanna tells Mera that she knows that a group called N.E.M.O is behind all the problems Atlantis is having. They are the ones who sank the ship. Mera is feeling worried because some of the prophecy is matching up with the information she is getting.
Out of nowhere, Broadside just attacks Mera and Joanna. Mera gets them to safety and Joanna knows the guy is some underboss of N.E.M.O. Mera tells her to explain more later as she goes after Broadside. He does have a weapon that does some damage to Mera. Joanna tries to help too. Dude is a real jerk, but Mera has water powers, so she traps him. He is still able to release a mini-mine (bomb). In the moment while Mera contains most of the explosion, Broadside makes his escape. Joanna figures they want to kill her for knowing that they (N.E.M.O.) exist.
Mera knows she needs to get this info to Arthur. Joanna wonders what he will be able to do in his condition (being hurt really badly). This is of course news to Mera. She is even more conflicted about all this prophesy stuff.
Uneasy Lies the Head That Wears the Crown: Many important people all want to talk to the King of Atlantis, but Mera shuts them all down. Aquaman is sitting and thinking. He seems pretty bummed about how the surface didn't go to plan. He is looking thoughtfully at his Justice League card and expresses his concern about Superman's stern warning. (Important note: The card isn't just cool, it is also the key to the teleporter that takes them to the Watchtower.) Mera had pointed out he has many problems to worry about, but he is only worried about one, who is trying to discredit Atlantis. Mera suggests maybe try some smaller problems first.
The first guy who comes in is some Elder who brings up some tradition that Mera needs to do to prove she is worthy of being his Queen. (It comes across real racist.) Aquaman gives him the boot. The next person is about to come in but Murk cuts the line. He reports that the wreck of the U.S. ship (or sub, I do not remember) was bad, so he gets why the U.S. was upset, but they avoided a fight. Murk shows evidence of Atlantean gear from the crash site, but it has been modified for an air breather.
Elsewhere, at a fancy hotel in Venice, Black Manta crashes (literally) into a closed meeting of the board of N.E.M.O. Manta and Black Jack kill a few people to make a point and then take over the meeting as the new boss of N.E.M.O.
Aquaman goes to visit the leader of The Deluge (Rath I think, if you care about names) at the Penitentiary Vault of Atlantis, to ask if they had anything to do with the attack on the USS Pontchartrain. (Fun fact: this is the name of a real ship, but why did they choose the longest ship name for this comic? We will never know.) They have a long chat that basically amounts to The Deluge didn't do it and he doesn't know who did, also he doesn't like Aquaman because he doesn't respect tradition.
Aquaman thinks maybe Rath makes some good points about tradition and respecting the people. Mera thinks she can help by doing the tradition that that elder brought up earlier. They have a cute moment where he tells her she doesn't have to but she wants to because she loves him and wants to help with the kingdom.
At the N.E.M.O meeting, Manta wants to go public or at least be prepared to. The others are like, why would we do that? We also learn that N.E.M.O sunk the ship and is letting Atlantis take the fall. Manta says it is a mistake to underestimate Aquaman, so they need to split his attention even more. He tells Black Jack to launch something (it is not clear what yet). She tells him it is too dangerous, but he says to do it anyway.
Aquaman gives an old FBI pal, Agent Reagan, a call. (They mention a Dead Water investigation, but that was New 52 stuff so...I didn't read it.) She is a little hesitant to help, but also seems pretty excited to help at the same time. He asks her if she knows of any dealers or traders in Atlantean antiquities. She promises to look into it and get back to him.
Black Jack is telling a guy to release the Kraken! Just kidding, but it is some kind of unstoppable monster they are about to awaken. On the seabed there is a big rumble and a big old mud monster rises up and starts to move. At an Atlantean marketplace a child asks her mom if she felt the ground shake.
Unstoppable, Part 1: We start with an intimidating old woman welcoming Mera to the Tower of the Widowhood. Mera is feeling unsure about this whole ritual trial thing, but the Elder guy assures her this is for the best.
Aquaman is missing Mera but he is sure it will be okay. That is until his advisor Kae drops the word "months" and Aquaman is not happy. The conversation is interrupted by a report of a sea-quake. They quickly realize it isn't a quake, because there is a rhythm to it, footsteps. Aquaman and Murk swim off to intercept the mud monster. Aquaman tries to talk to it, but it punches him real hard. Murk is shocked and tells his team to light the monster up. Aquaman appears to be knocked out. The monster heals quickly from blasters, but before Murk can panic, Aquaman is back on the scene. They are all trying to fight the mud monster but it doesn't seem to be going well.
Mera is getting a really boring tour and is worried because she heard the sea-horns and wants to see what is up. The Reverend Mother tells Mera that her only concern right now should be learning so she can become worthy. There is a lot of passive-aggressive non-sense. Mera wants to leave, but the Reverend Mother seems to think that if she does, there will be no wedding.
The mud monster has reached Atlantis and is wreaking stuff. Black Jack reports to Manta that Aquaman has not even slowed the monster down. Tulia (the Regent, aka, boss when Aquaman is gone or busy) shows up to help and Aquaman is mad at her for it. She points out the hypocrisy and also that she has called in the fleet. They hit it with another blast and from the mud comes a villain that I am not familiar with. The Shaggy Man! (I think the best description I found is, he is like a combination of Frankenstein's monster and sasquatch.)
This monster is bad news, like it once fought the Justice League to a standstill kind of bad news. With each attack it was not healing, but it was adapting to their attacks. Basically they made it stronger. Aquaman deduces that it is walking in a straight line. Atlantis is not it's target, but it is just in its way. Based on the path its on, the Shaggy Man is heading right for Aquaman's surface home, Amnesty Bay.
Unstoppable, Part 2: A League of his Own: Shaggy Man has made its way to the other side of Atlantis. They hope to bury the monster in molten rock and trap it, because there really isn't a way to stop it. The plan doesn't work. The monster just jumps right out of the hole they tried to bury it in and quickly makes its way to Amnesty Bay. (Like in one jump, it is there and wrecking shit.)
Aquaman follows quickly and everyone tries to get him to slow down, but he tells them all to stand down. No Atlantean ships can enter the US, he is sure it will start a war if anyone but him goes to fight the monster. Everyone is pretty upset about this plan, they ask him to call on the Justice League, but Aquaman ignores them.
Mera is going a little crazy wanting to know what is going on. The RM is like you just need to worry about learning how to be a good queen. Mera doesn't get how learning a bunch of history is going to help her be a good queen. Mera goes off on the RM about how much she supports the king and does not appreciate being questioned. The conversation is interrupted, because the Oracle is ready to receive Mera.
Shaggy Man is tearing up Amnesty Bay. The police are on scene but obviously they aren't able to do much. Aquaman shows up and tells the police to just get everyone back. Aquaman is getting his butt kicked and the townspeople seem mixed on whether they are happy he is helping or if they are blaming him for all the bad things that come out of the sea. Aquaman keeps fighting and saving all the people. He is also looking really rough.
Murk shows up and is pissed. Why didn't Aquaman call the Justice League? Why is he fighting hand to hand? He even calls him out for being an idiot for fighting this monster alone. Aquaman doesn't admit it is pride or that he is trying to prove something, but he doesn't deny it either.
Aquaman goes to fight the Shaggy Man again, this time slipping his Justice League card into its fur. As he takes a huge punch in the face, he activates the teleporter. It works and sends the Shaggy Man to space. Aquaman is in really bad shape and falls to the ground bleeding a lot. Murk asks the people of Amnesty Bay for help.
Future Tide: This issue we are going to catch up more with Mera. We start with what seems to be a vision of the future. It starts out pretty happy, but then the tides turn and it looks like Aquaman is going to die and when Mera takes over it will mean the end of all things. It is the Deluge again, not the group so much, but the Atlantean term for end times. Guess the group just named themselves after the myth. The widows seem to believe that the "Fatal Queen" will bring about the actual Deluge, aka, the end of the world.
Turns out the Widowhood was not in fact racist (well, not as racist), they were just worried that Mera might be the "Fatal Queen." Mera is sure she would not become this monster who would destroy the world. They argue a lot about whether or not this is a race issue or a legit concern. In the end, the Reverend Mother will not approve the marriage.
Mera swims off in a rage, finding herself debating what she should do. She figures she just needs some time alone to think. So she goes to Arthur's home, the lighthouse in Amnesty Bay. She doesn't want to believe in an old myth. She just wants to be with the man she loves. Lucky for her, Salty the dog is happy to see her.
Inside there is a lot of mail for Arthur, she picks up and reads a letter from Lt. Joanna. It is an invite to meet and talk. Mera decides to meet up with Joanna at the Oceanside Hotel in Boston. We see Joanna eating lunch and some guy is keeping an eye on her. He works for N.E.M.O. and is checking in with Black Jack. (Guy's code name is Broadside, dumb name.) Black Jack says, no killing Joanna, wait for her to reach out to Aquaman. At that moment Mera rolls up.
Mera joins Joanna and asks her what is up and what info does she have? Joanna tells Mera that she knows that a group called N.E.M.O is behind all the problems Atlantis is having. They are the ones who sank the ship. Mera is feeling worried because some of the prophecy is matching up with the information she is getting.
Out of nowhere, Broadside just attacks Mera and Joanna. Mera gets them to safety and Joanna knows the guy is some underboss of N.E.M.O. Mera tells her to explain more later as she goes after Broadside. He does have a weapon that does some damage to Mera. Joanna tries to help too. Dude is a real jerk, but Mera has water powers, so she traps him. He is still able to release a mini-mine (bomb). In the moment while Mera contains most of the explosion, Broadside makes his escape. Joanna figures they want to kill her for knowing that they (N.E.M.O.) exist.
Mera knows she needs to get this info to Arthur. Joanna wonders what he will be able to do in his condition (being hurt really badly). This is of course news to Mera. She is even more conflicted about all this prophesy stuff.
Thoughts: Oh man Aquaman really took it on the chin in these issues. Mera was having a real rough time too. I really enjoyed that Aquaman defeated a real powerful enemy by jetting him into space, a classic move. This volume was written by Dan Abnett, he is the same writer as the first volume and it feels like the story is following a pretty clear path. It looks like he will be the writer for a while. For issues #7-9 the main artist is Scot Eaton. Issue # 10 was done by Brad Walker. If you want to get more information feel free to click their names to check out their Twitter feeds. Look forward to more from this volume on Friday!
Next Post: Aquaman Volume 2: Black Manta Rising, Part 2
Note: All images belong to DC™
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